I downed another whiskey, wearing out the carpet as I paced, waiting for Fagua. We had agreed that she wasn't to go out alone, but here we were again, not knowing where the hell she was. And Husk was back in the hospital, having passed out at the top of the stairs. He was damn lucky he didn't break his neck. But I guess he's too thick-skinned for that.As soon as she got back, I was going to rip into her. Never let her set foot outside alone again. Her father could've had her taken.I slammed the glass down on the bar and it shattered."Fuck," I roared.Sky was out there looking for her since he could fly, while I was stuck inside waiting for her to return.When the doorknob turned, my heart stopped.Was it her?She pushed into the penthouse and I stalked over to her.One look from her and I drew her into my arms. "Don't fucking do that again." I kissed the top of her head. "Don't you ever do that again."She was trembling. "I had somewhere I needed to go. And I had to go alone." I
I reached for the cup of water on the table next to the hospital bed and my fucking hand shook so much that I knocked it over. It bounced along the linoleum floor and rolled under the bed."Shit."I groaned, leaning back down on the pillow. Couldn't even get a damn drink of water. I hated this. Hated being so fucking weak. Hated that I was crammed into this shitty hospital bed while my brothers were out there fighting wolves who were trying to take Fagua back to her father.They needed me. And here I was, stuck, unable to get up.I felt the anger building up inside me. I hated the weakness. I hated the guilt. I hated everything about my life.I hated the fact that this was my own damn fault.That I had been the one who fucked up and hadn't mated with Fagua. And now her own father wanted to take her away. I gritted my teeth, warring with myself. And I was paying the price for it every second of every hour of every day.I deserved to be here.I deserved everything that was happening to
I relaxed in Winter's arms, wishing we could stay like this forever. Though I miss Sky too. And then there's Husk, but I don't feel any connection with him. Not like I do the other two brothers."I can feel you thinking," Winter said in a deep voice as he traced circles along my upper back and shoulder."Can't we just enjoy this moment?" I didn't want to bring Husk into this, but I know he’s going to come up."With all my heart and soul, I wish we could." He cleared his throat. "Fagua, the doctor's office called while you were out."I tensed, unable to keep the knots from tightening in my stomach."Doc ran tests on Husk and it's confirmed. He's found his mate—you." He stopped rubbing my back. "You have to mate with him. It's the only thing that can save him.""No." I push back and look into his bright blue eyes. "The tests have to be wrong. There's no way he and I are connected like that on any level, past, present, or future.""The tests are never wrong. He found his mate, and that's
Fagua didn’t want to travel with me. In fact, I didn’t fucking get how we were supposed to be mates when it was clear that she couldn’t stand to be in the same room as me. The bar she chose was a short walk from the hotel. The idea was for us to get a drink, then I would imprint on her. That was the short summary of it. Winter made it sound so easy—the mate that had been in our casino for so many weeks, was now going to roll over and allow me to mate with her. I nodded and agreed with his explanation of the events that should take place, knowing that there was no fucking way that it would happen so easily. "Go relax. Chill. Spend time alone and see how you feel about each other. Then, if it doesn't happen, we can take it from there."No pressure. None whatsoever. Doc was dead. He'd been killed by Fagua's father's pack, and part of me blamed her for it. Even if she wasn't part of their pack anymore. I had so much resentment and anger about the trail of events, but I was supposed to
I'd tried shifting before, but I could never complete a full shift; it was only ever parts of me that transitioned. And I could never hold the partial shifts for long. But finally being fully in my wolf was incredible, so incredible that I didn't want the night to end. To see my fur, my paws, and everything else about me that had changed. The crazy part was I thought I would share this moment with Winter or Sky, never with Husk. We resumed our human form and Husk approached me carefully, staring at me, as if he could read my mind. "I-I didn't think I could do that." I let out a breathless laugh. "Never been able to do a full shift before. It was so exhilarating.""You regret sharing it with me?" He met my stare and my breath caught in my chest.I shook my head. "No. It's not that. I've never shared it with anyone. Sometimes I thought there was no way I could shift completely, until now."He nodded. "I think it's this place. I think being among other wolves and not being different ha
Fagua was conked out in the hotel bed and I stepped out onto the balcony, allowing the moonlight to wash over me. I couldn't believe that we had mated. And running with her in our wolf forms felt so right. Hadn't even known a half-breed like her could shift. But then again, maybe I'd had more wrong than I'd once believed. Fagua was making me see things in a new light.Maybe I could open up a little more to her. Trust in the fates, or whatever Sky called them.I chuckled, shaking my head, and leaned my elbows on the railing. Vegas stretched out with twinkling lights and a warm late summer breeze. They said New York was the city that never sleeps, but whoever had coined that saying had never been here.Gamblers, drunks, and party goers would be carrying on until dawn. I glanced back at Fagua, who hadn't stirred since I laid her on the bed. I wanted her again, but she was sleeping like she was in a coma. The best I could do was wait, even if I was being impatient. I had to leave her alon
I felt something familiar, the same feeling I had when I first mated with Winter. A feeling of exhaustion, as if every last piece of energy had been taken from me. I couldn't control these gnawing feelings that were constricting my thoughts. I sucked in a breath of air and I felt as if I was slowly waking from a dream. My body felt cold and numb.I tried to open my eyes—it was as if I'd lost all sense of time—but it felt as if I’d been in a coma. One that I was desperately trying to awake from. Though I couldn't see properly, I knew that I was alone. Husk had brought me to the hotel and left me. I wondered for a split second if I was in the casino. Nope, the room was rustic and antique. A wooden table, red carpet, and deep red matching curtains hung from silver rings over the floor-to-ceiling windows. Nothing about this room was familiar. I tried to sit up, to get a better view so I could draw the curtains and take in my surroundings, but I felt so weak. I realized that mating with
"Say something! Anything, for fuck's sake. What is wrong with you? You saw that I was sitting and talking, yet you just left and you didn't even say a word!" Fagua screamed as she entered, then slamming the door behind her with her final word. "You're gone more than half the day, don't call, don't reply to my text, then you storm off like that?"And I wanted to say something to her. I wanted to say everything I was feeling because I went from being on such a high after imprinting on her to a low after hearing her conversation.I didn't know if this relationship was for me. I thought our spending time together alone and imprinting on her had brought out a new lease of life within me, something I didn't even know I possessed. Then in the space of six hours—or however long it had been since I left the hotel—this flame inside of me had turned to ashes.Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she waited for me to respond to her question with a tilt of her head. I tried to say something,
Sparks danced around Fagua as she took a step closer to her mother. My wolf shuddered as the power rolled off her in waves. The other wolves felt it too because they snarled and howled, shaking their heads and scampering backward.Husk was on the ground, unconscious, but he was too far for me to check on him. Winter and I had our own issues with wolves surrounding us and Fagua's mother able to use magic.The power around Fagua grew thicker. Her eyes were as bright as two fiery coals. The heat of her magic seared through the air."What is taking so long?" Fagua's father barked. "Kill all the wolves except our daughter.""You're not worthy of being an alpha," Fagua spat. "You're not even a wolf; you're a monster.""A monster who has saved us.""At what cost?" Fagua gestured to her mother. "She—you killed my mate."Husk was dead? A pain hit my chest and I couldn't breathe.Her father roared, throwing his head back. "None of these are your mate. I've agreed to your bonding with the Storm
Winter fought a cluster of wolves while I bit another attacker and tossed its mangy ass across the street. Sky, in his human form, grabbed two wolves and flew up in the air with them. Their snarls turned to whimpers and yips as he let go and they crashed to the ground. Everywhere I turned, wolves were attacking us and Fagua's friends.Blood and fur flew.A huge wolf lunged, mouth open with long teeth glistening. I hopped back, just avoiding its teeth.I lunged and sank my teeth into its throat. Blood spurted as I ripped it open.The wolf shrieked and I choked, the blood hot and salty in my mouth.It fell, legs kicking, and then went still, a second body to add to the heap.Stones rattled under my feet and I looked up to see a huge magic ball hurtling through the air directly toward me.I dodged out of the way and the boulder crushed the wolf I'd just killed. It burst from the hips, shards of bone and stone mixed together.Another magic spell whipped through the air, striking a gray wo
All too soon, Sky kissed my shoulder to rouse me from sleep. It was still pitch-black outside, but instead of groaning and snuggling down into the covers, I leapt out of bed. My nerves raked my insides as I quickly showered and dressed. My hands shook as I brushed out my hair.As much as I knew this was the right thing to do, going against my father and the pack wasn't going to be easy.My entire life, I thought he was a great alpha. Now I'd seen why he'd kept me in SmallHeath like a cage. Used my mom's magic to keep me trapped. How I'd wanted to go to Vegas ever since I was a teenager, except every time I got to the limits of our small town, I had an overwhelming desire to hurry back home.It had been him keeping me where he wanted me. Until Keith. A human who had snuck into our town, paid by Winter, Sky, and Husk, to get me out. I hadn't thought it odd when he asked me to marry him and I said yes. I'd never been so impetuous in my entire life. We had a slam-dunk wedding in Vegas. B
It was nearly dawn and I hadn't been able to sleep much at all after my fight with Husk. And I was too freaked out about facing my dad. I needed to get some energy out, something physical, but both Winter and Sky were passed out and sleeping.I needed to get some fresh air. And I hadn't gone on a run in a long time. The guys would chew me out if I went alone.Husk.We both needed to work this out. I needed to spend more time with him. To give him another chance as he would die if I didn't. Having his death on my conscience wasn't something I wanted. I would be the bigger person and hold out the olive leaf. Though it was hard in times like this to do so when I felt like he didn't meet me halfway. Like when we had the magical moment in the woods and made love, it was so open and raw and I couldn't help myself.Our flight was early tomorrow and this might be the last chance we had to patch things between us before going back to SmallHeath. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least
"Oh, I thought Sky was here," Fagua said as came in, wearing a black lace lingerie set that left nothing to the imagination. Her breasts and nipples were on display, and I wanted to leap up and touch them, but I couldn't. Not after my erection, which appeared at the mere sight of her, was put down the moment she asked for Sky."It's just me," I barked as I walked past her. Trying not to be intoxicated with her perfume. Her hair was tied up and she had on light makeup—not that she needed it—and all this effort was for Sky, not me. She reached out her hand to stop me from leaving her room. "Sky was going to join us, but he said the tension between us meant that maybe we should be alone again."I shrugged. "Maybe it's because of the time I locked you up. I've apologized, but we don't seem to get past that."She turned away from me, avoiding my stare. It infuriated me even more. It was as if the sight of me repulsed her. "Apologized? I must have been absent for that," she whispered, as
I checked on Fagua, who was sleeping in Sky's arms. My brother was softly snoring while the TV was showing the end credits to a movie they'd been watching. After I clicked off the movie, I pulled up the blanket over both of them.A shadow drifted on the other side of the glass doors and I tensed. Husk.He was out on the balcony, pacing like a damn caged lion. I joined him outside and cracked my knuckles, readying for a fight. He and Fagua had argued over an innocent phone call, and I was Team Fagua right now because he'd crossed the line."Your ego is going to fuck you up one day," I said, leaning against the iron railing.He nodded his chin in her and Sky's direction. "How can you deal with that? Knowing that she's sleeping with all three of us?""She's a beautiful woman. She could have as many men as she wants." Maybe I was biased since I was with Fagua first. That she chose me without the sickness hanging over my head that Sky and now Husk dealt with."I wish she'd just pick one of
Fagua stared out of the window at the pool. It was weird because usually, she would be out there doing laps or simply soaking up the sun. She wouldn't be looking at it as if she was pining to swim but had been shut in here. "A penny for your thoughts," I said, walking up behind her.She jumped up as if I'd awoken her from a dream. Then she rushed into my arms. "Hey, what’s up?" I was going to check the back room, but I could see that my girl wasn't happy. That wasn't good. "Here, here," I whispered as I hugged her lightly, and she squeezed me tightly, but not like before. I could feel that she was using every force inside of her. Yet, she felt so light. I didn't know what to think. I dismissed it, thinking that her trip with Husk had probably tired her out. "Nothing." Her voice hitched. She was so emotional and her gaze raced around the room. I hadn't seen her like this in weeks. "Fagua." I smiled and pulled her closer. "Are you okay? I’ve never seen you like this."She nodded, s
I pulled the car into my normal parking space. Then, I sat in my car as if I were in a trance. I just couldn't get over the change in Fagua. One minute, it was as if she were dead. Then, all of a sudden, she just sat up and looked at me.What the fuck happened? I was so confused at the time, and I still am. I let out a deep sigh, trying to make sense of it all. I remembered her talking and then leaving the car. I looked at the seat that she once sat in, to confirm if it was a figment of my imagination. I should go inside and check on things, but then again, I was sure Winter and Sky were taking care of everything. The one fucking thing I had to do, and I couldn't even do it right. When did I get weak?"Fucking hell!" I shouted. As I looked to my left, there beside me was Winter. Tapping on the window and scaring the shit out of me. He backed away as I took off my seatbelt, then opened the door and walked toward him."Are you okay?" Winter had a look of concern on his face as his e
I had to pretend I didn't know what Husk was talking about because if I told him the truth, then he would panic and think I couldn't use my magic at all. I knew I could, or so I thought, but something had changed. I wasn't as strong as I used to be, but I assumed within a matter of time I would be. I had mated with Husk, but then at the same time, it felt like we were back to square one. No, we were even worse than before. At least before we had some kind of rules; by keeping our distance, there was no conflict. Now, we'd mated and it felt as if we were being forced to be something that we could never be.I just had to get over the idea that he was neither Winter nor Sky. This morning, it was like a rude awakening, that for over six weeks, we'd hardly spent any time together, and the little time we had, all we'd done was fight. It was as if we were enemies, being forced to be lovers.How do you make that change so quickly? We had to forget the past and all the tension between us in