Still in the thread of Sage's thoughts. Sophie groaned.Tunnel, dark, too dark, and magical. Then a flickering light.She followed it.Slowly. She followed the light.*****In the bed.Sage moves back, and I can’t stop the sound of protest. From the look on his face, he feels the same way. I just want to be closer, closer, closer. The last few hours have been beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. I don’t want it to end, even if it’s simply a pause while we move from one birthday to the next. We marked each other, and our wolves howled in joy. But—there were so many buts, so many questions, so many "what ifs."Yet, each one takes us closer to the end of this night, to the moment when he pulls me out of him and in for the last time.What a depressing thought.Sage gathers me up. I might laugh at his insistence on carrying me around, but honestly, I like it. I even liked it when he tossed me over his shoulder and hauled me out of whatever place I was in. I’m going to miss this, too.God
Waking up was a nightmare, Sophie hadn't anticipated the dream, or maybe it wasn't just a dream, maybe it was Sage’s thought. Confused, she tried to open her eyes. Odd. Scary. Hot. Damn! It was just a dream, but somehow it felt like it happened. Or maybe it will happen in the future, but Sage going rogue just to save her? Just to keep her safe? No! She would never let that happen. Never. This was Sage’s pack. If what she saw was indeed a vision from the future, then there was still hope of altering it and making sure it would never happen, it would be her greatest nightmare if Sage became rogue because of her. Her conscience couldn't handle it. With renewed passion, she woke up with a start and attempted to fix her thoughts. I would never allow it to happen, Sage. She thought to herself. Sophie kept her head held high as she walked into the center cabin for the next hour. Any other time, she would have had a small breakfast in her own lodge. For one, she was very far from a mornin
"Let me help." Sophie gently cradled Wanna’s face, pushing some healing energy into the infant. Through the same link Sophie had just opened, Wanna’s pain traveled to her. "There." Drawing back, Sophie smiled at the baby, who tugged on her hair with a chuckle."What did you do?" There was no tension in Shenna, unlike the others, who had turned stiff as boards the moment Sophie had touched Wanna. Like she’d ever hurt a child."I took the pain away." Sophie cupped her own jaw then, wincing. "It really does hurt."Sage spoke then. "So, whenever you heal someone, their pain becomes yours?" His wolf didn’t like the idea of her being in pain."Yes, but it eases off pretty quickly." There. "It's already gone.""Thanks, doc," Shenna rose to her feet. "How about a tour, Sophie?" Shenna asked. Sage asked Shenna, "Can the tour wait till after lunch?" "I have some things to do this morning.""You don’t need to come with us." Shenna gently handed Wanna back to her mate."Sophie’s under my protec
Sage finished his lunch and proceeded to Sophie's cabin, leaving the duo to argue as the rest of the pack chimed in here and there. He persuaded himself that it was just to check on her. That had nothing to do with the fact that his wolf was hassling him to accompany her to her abode. It had nothing to do with the fact that Sage wanted to see her.He rounded the lodge when his knock on the front door remained unanswered and found her reclining in the hammock, listening to her phone. Is it possible to tune out everything? Her fragrance entwined itself around him, causing his shaft to twitch."Everything okay?" she inquired, turning down the music.Since her T-shirt had ridden up a little, she flashed him a view of the swirly tattoo on her navel—no, it wasn’t okay at all. He found himself wanting to trace it with his tongue. "Shenna told me you plan to hole up here."Sophie sighed, "I figure that’ll make it easier for everyone."Sage knew it would be difficult for her. Werewolves were s
Present timeSavannah’s Pack Temple"What do you mean, stop Landon and Cherryl?" Sage grumbled. He wasn't sure what Sophie meant, but if she was seeing a vision, it had to be something he could believe in or simply ignore. In fact, he wasn't sure if he could trust this woman. For a reason, he despised seers.Sophie quipped and looked him in the eyes.She wished she could tell Sage what she saw for their future together, but would it ruin everything? Was she willing to put everything on the line? Was Sage now doubting her because she knew Sage and his patrol team despised seers for a cause?Sophie bit her lips before saying, "I know that Landon and Cherryl will run away today.""How are you sure about this, Sophie?""My visions were never wrong, Sage."He sighed.Could he trust this woman?What will happen if Landon—No! "This is not happening," he thought to himself.Was there some perversity in his DNA that made him want the things he could not have? And then, when forced to recogni
"Beta Sage?" Sage turned to find one of his father’s councillors standing in the place that had moments earlier been occupied by his brother’s messenger. "The master alpha wishes to speak to you, Sage." Sage got to his feet. "Did he know?" The old man tipped his head. "And how is he?" "He is in the royal mansion. Um—angry… very." * * * * * The last occasion he had been summoned to the Master Alpha’s offices Sage had been left to cool his heels in an outer office for half an hour. On this occasion, the doors to his father’s rooms were open, and he was shown straight in. Sage struggled to contain his shock. The man had always worn his one hundred fifty years comfortably, and, other than the thickening around his middle and the grey showing in his neatly trimmed beard, he looked much as he had one hundred years ago, but he seemed to have aged visibly since the previous evening. Werewolves age slowly, but now, looking at his father, Sage sighed. "Landon—" "I no longer have a son
The Master Alpha paused then breathed in heavily, "The elder council is briefing the press now. I want you to make an announcement to the guests, Sage. It is very important that we are on the same page to minimize the damage, so we will liaise with the Savannah's and smooth things over. Your stepmother is with them now, and then, after a decent interval, it can be announced that you and the girl, Sophie, have decided to get married.""Father—""Sage, the kingdom needs a savior; the people need someone to step up from your brother’s mess," the old man added. Sage looked at his father with knowing eyes. He was angry. More than furious. Sage might have consoled his father, but he knew better not to show concern. The angry ones create their own ghosts to chase, their delusions of who they were. So let them run; let them exhaust themselves. Ignoring them was the only sane response.Sage closed his eyes for a moment before saying, "I always knew you were ruthless, but the factor—does it act
So here they all were in the south chamber, and after half an hour, all the talk was going pretty much nowhere. Sophie looked at the clock ticking away in a corner, her eyes fixed on the hypnotic swing of the pendulum. She knew she should be feeling more; after all, she was the one who had been humiliated. Something she was not likely to forget as her mother kept screeching the information at her every few minutes. Where the hell are you, Cherryl? There were so many questions, her wolf was agitated. The beast was worried. Would anyone even notice if she weren’t here? Sophie unclipped the veil—a family heirloom—and dropped it to the floor. She would have stripped off her finery there and then if she could have, but then someone might notice she was there. A naked woman in the room generally got attention. As usual, she was nothing but a trophy, a decoration. They didn't even acknowledge her presence. She fought the temptation to tear at the massive, shimmering jewels that felt h