HANNAHThe first thing I noticed the moment I stepped out of the vehicle was the absence of people. For some reason, the guards that had been stationed around my house for as long as I could remember, were not there. Frowning, I wondered why. Had the Wallace's called them off? I honestly doubted that. My mates took my security very seriously."Did you want to go somewhere else?" said the driver from behind me.I turned, found I was still grasping the car door handle."No. No. I'm good," I said.I stepped away from the car and the driver drove off. I reshouldered my backpack, half of mind on the amount of homework I had to do. As I stepped over the threshold, I froze. I opened my mouth to scream.The man standing opposite me with a wicked looking dagger at my mother's throat put a finger to his lips, motioning for me to be quiet. He was tall, built like a barrel. There was evil etched on every line of his scarred face. My head spun. I was in danger. My mother was in more danger. What
Before I could respond, he grabbed my hair, forced it to bob up and down. I shuddered at the thought of the picture they had painted. I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep the sobs in, but the tears ran down my cheeks.What did these men want? What was going on and most importantly, where were the guards who were supposed to be protecting us?The other man laughed. "I think she's gotten it now. Look at her shake like a frightened little mouse."I heard the scarfaced man's joints pop as he squatted in front of me. "In two days, at the meeting with the Alpha- Ah. Yes. You have finally figured what this is about, haven't you?" I felt my eyes widening, bugging with horror at the realization of what was happening. Asher had sent these people here. My mother had been right. The meeting really was a ploy to manipulate this situation to their advantage. Only the goddess knew what horrors Alpfay Dawson had in store for me and my mother now.I was brought back to the present by a stinging sla
HANNAHThis was it then. Today was the day I got to ruin my life with my own mouth. I was helpless to stop my fingers which were twisting and knotting and shredding the already frayed hem of my blouse. Never had I ever wished for a day never to come as I had done for today. And yet, the day I dreaded the most had come. There was no way out now and though my mother who sat beside me and kept shaking her head whenever she met my eyes, I was aware that even she knew there was no way out for me. There was no way I could stand by any let her get killed because of something I refused to do.I bit my tongue hard to keep back an agonized groan. How I wished something, anything would happen that would postpone this moment. For what I knew was the last time, I thought hard of a way out of this situation while the silence of the room settled on me like a heavy blanket. The more I thought, the more a sense of hopelessness crept in.Asher's harsh voice cut through the silence like a whip. "Are w
"I'm sure you heard her all right," Alpha Dawson said dismissively. "She just chose my son."He was trying so hard not to look gleeful and succeeding mostly, but Asher was a different study. He was grinning from ear to ear at the Wallace's discomfiture."What the hell has come over you, Hannah?" Cade bellowed, finally finding his voice. "How could you choose him?"My lips trembled. Why were they making this so hard? Rejecting them once was bad enough. Reaffirming my decision was pure agony. But I had to make this convincing."I'm sorry but I have made my choice," I said. "I'm sorry if I- if I led you on."Chase, muttering angrily to himself, kicked his seat. Jace was the only one who hadn't moved. His eyes were fixed on my face. The hurt I saw there broke my heart all the more.Asher pushed to his feet, looked haughtily around the room."I think we have had enough of the drama for today," he said. "This meeting has come to an end. Hannah, my mate..." He paused to savour the words when
CADE"Master Cade." The servant curtsied and held out a glass in which was some cold liquid. "Before you left, you wanted-"The blood roared in my ears. Damnit! Couldn't she read the room?"Get the hell out of my way!" I bellowed.She flinched and scurried away with the glass, half spilling it's contents on the floor in her haste to get away. It was a good thing she was a woman. If she were a man...I shut my eyes briefly and imagined it was Asher I was in such close proximity with. I would rip him limb from limb. I supposed it was a good thing for him that my father and his had been in at the meeting. I would have given an arm to have wiped the smirk of the son of a bitches' face.I strode angrily in the house, a bundle of rage.'I choose Asher as my mate,' she had said.Those words kept reverberating in my head. I stopped, whirled around and slammed my fist into the wall. My arm muscles trembled with the effort it took to clench my fists to keep from pummeling the wall over and over
My brothers and I, mumbling imprecations under our breaths, stomped away with me in front. I headed to my room. My brothers probably thought it was as good a place as any to talk so they followed me inside.Then followed a bitter discourse over what had just happened, but no matter how many times Chase and I asked ourselves why Hannah had changed her mind, we couldn't make head or tail of it. While Chase and I talked, I noticed Jace sat in a corner quietly and appeared to be deep in thought."Jace," I said, finally getting exasperated over his continued silence. "Are you going to say anything at all about what just happened or do you plan on sitting there and sulking all day?"Jace roused himself with an effort."It doesn't make sense," he said half to himself.Chase and I exchanged a look."What doesn't make sense?" I asked him. "What are you talking about?""I have been thinking-""Obviously," Chase said dryly.Jace shot him an impatient look. "In my head, I've been going through e
HANNAHThe room was spacious, but mostly bare. It still had some of the trappings of luxury that could be seen in every corner of the pack house, but most of it had been removed, no doubt on Asher's orders. He wouldn't want me to have anything too good.And though the room was comfortable, I hated it with a passion. I hated these four walls. I hated Asher and his father and most of all, I hated myself for being too weak and too helpless to get myself out of this situation."But what was I supposed to do?" I groaned as the tears slipped down my cheeks to mingle with the others already there.My mother's life had been on the line. But the even the fact that none of what was happening was my fault didn't make me feel the least bit better.With a sob, I buried my face in my hands and wondered why the moon goddess has condemned me, of all people to such a cruel fate. Hadn't I suffered enough with my father being banished and all? Why did Asher have to be my mate and most importantly, why h
"I don't want this life," I murmured.Asher, who had been walking towards the door stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he turned."What did you say?" he asked quietly. A few seconds of silence ensued. "Come on. Talk to me. Repeat what you just said. Don't be shy. Talk or I swear I'll force it out of you!""I said I don't want this life. Please let me go. I don't want you and... I know you don't really want me. You have Julia. She wants you more than anything in the world. Please go be with her and leave me alone."I saw his eyes glint dangerously and knew I had made a mistake in speaking up. I saw him raise his hand but I wasn't prepared for the slap, the force of which knocked my head against the wall. With an open mouth, I sat there, with my hand pressed against my cheek from which waves of pain were radiating. It hurt so bad I couldn't properly draw a breath."How dare you speak to me like that, you filthy bitch," Asher yelled. "Who are you to tell me what to do? You, who should be knee