Allie POV
I looked back up, ready to thank Skye, but she had already gone. It was as though she’d disappeared into thin air. The horse suddenly spooked and took off. Josh swore under his breath and raced after it, but quickly realised it was pointless.
I unfurled my hand to reveal a smooth golden circle. It looked like a compass, but was the size of a watch face. It had no markings, directions or coordinates, just a single black arrow. When I turned in a circle, the arrow never lost its place, always pointing me in the same direction.
Josh looked over my shoulder, studying the navigator.
“I know what you just heard is a lot to take in, but it’s time to go home, Allie,” he said gently.
“What about Mulberry?” I replied, my
Allie POV I’d thought I still had a vague idea of where north-east was, but as I continued to walk on, my confidence was fading. Fear and regret churned in my gut. What had I done? I’d sent Josh home to protect him. I wanted to shield him from this crazy mission of mine, but there had been a big part of me that was hoping he wouldn’t leave. But he did. I couldn’t fault him for that, though. I’d stung him with my words and pushed him away. His family deserved to have him home, and he deserved to be with them. He’d done his job guarding me for this long. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! The realisation of what he was going home to suddenly hit me. Josh would be returnin
Josh POV Walking away from Allie was the hardest thing I’d ever done. ‘And the stupidest,’ mumbled Aster. He had been pacing in my mind ever since, on edge and antsy. He wasn’t happy with me at all. ‘She fucking dismissed me. Like I didn’t even matter to her. What was I supposed to do? Everyone back home thinks I’m dead. What will Mum and Dad be going through? I can’t be wandering through this fucking forest anymore, not when I have a way out right in the palm of my hand.’ ‘Go after her,’ he growled, causing a low rumble in my chest. ‘She doesn’t want me to! She made it perfectly clear. Enough!’ I blocked him from my mind and trudged on, following the direction on the
Josh POV I let Aster take control and shifted. He immediately went to Allie, nudging his snout into her hand. “Hi Aster,” she whispered, rubbing behind his ear. He was a complete puppy right now. He licked her face, making her giggle, then crouched down beside her. She was weak, and I was really worried. She slowly crawled onto his back, hugging his neck, and he rose gently. ‘Take it easy, Aster,’ I warned when he began to pick up the pace. ‘I know what I’m doing,’ he replied. ‘Really? How many naked women have you carried on your back before?’ He ignored me, and I chuckled to myself. It was getting dark, and the only thing I co
Allie POV Each breath was laboured, as though I had a weight sitting on my chest. There was a strange burning sensation in my lungs, and my throat ached painfully. I tried to move, to lift my arms, but my whole body felt weak, tired. I forced my heavy eyelids open as a surge of fear washed over me. Where was I? I looked down and saw unfamiliar clothes–some sort of nightgown. Someone had dressed me. Seen me naked. The room was empty though, I was alone for the moment. The room I was in looked nice, but so had the Obsidian King’s bedroom. I let out a whimper of fear, but with my throat feeling the way it did, it sounded strangled and pained. A familiar freckled face appeared from a doorway, and at the same time, what looked like the main door was almost ripped off its hinges as a large figure appeared. “You break it, you fix it!” Mulberry scolded Josh. He ignored her, his eyes firmly fixed on mine. She turned to me and smirked. “He’s been sleeping on the bench outside your room.
Josh POV Allie drifted off to sleep in my arms. It felt so right. Everything about her fit me. She moulded into my body, tucked safely under my arm, close enough to kiss her forehead as she slept. I couldn’t imagine anything feeling more natural. There was just no way that there could be someone out there who would feel better than this. The guilt moved in swiftly as the word ‘mate’ circled in my mind. If my mate could see me now, how would she feel? How would she feel if I told her about my feelings for Allie? It was like I was being torn in half. One part of me was enjoying this so much, and was determined that I was going to hold on to Allie and never let go. The other part was thinking about all the ways I was already disappointing my future mate. Her scent was everywhere when I woke up. There was long blonde hair in my face, her palm resting on my chest. Her face was higher, her nose snuggled right into the side of my neck. I lay watching her, the rise and fall of her ch
Allie POV He said he loved me. Did he mean to say that? Did it just slip out? No, he said it twice. And the way he was looking at me… had he been feeling what I’d been feeling towards him this whole time? I knew there was mutual attraction there, that was undeniable, but the shock and surprise that was registering with me as he said the word ‘love’ was a completely unique feeling. He was right. Once I had my wolf, the fairytale that I’d been clinging to in my mind would be over once and for all. I was an Alpha’s daughter, the future Alpha of the pack, and he was a guard warrior. Even without my wolf, I knew there was no way the Moon Goddess would pair us together. It was now or never. One chance to live out the fantasy I’d been dreaming of–vividly–all this time. Standing on my tiptoes, I pressed my lips to his, my arms wrapping around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to me. His mouth moved in time with mine and my whole body relaxed into his as he held me. His tongue trac
Josh POV There was no going back now. She was mine. I was hers. I’d heard all about sex from my brothers and friends, and it always sounded like best thing ever, but I never thought it could possibly feel like that. Like what I’d just done with Allie. No one told me that I’d want to sell my soul or a kidney, just to do it one more time. With her. I carried her into the bathroom and ran the water. She hadn’t taken her hands off me, and I didn’t want her to either. Her small, soft hands left goosebumps in their wake wherever they touched, and it didn’t take long for my cock to twitch back to life. I thought that being with her, relieving the sexual tension that had been building between us for a while now, would be enough. But it only made me want her more, with urgency. I turned off the water and climbed into the large bathtub. Reaching out my hand to help her step in, my eye caught our fluids that had mixed and were trickling down her leg. A possessive low growl erupted from me
Josh POV The elves woke us at dawn and the frustration that had been flowing through me yesterday returned, along with a new feeling of dread and resignation. We thanked Chieftain Wallace and Elder Myles, and now Allie and Mulberry were crying and hugging. Mulberry had brought along Spidey, and I noticed that there were plenty of elves who were equally wary of Spidey as I was, which satisfied me. Despite what the girls thought, I wasn’t a sook for being terrified of a giant fucking spider–it was just common sense to be scared of him. “Allie, I’ll never forget you. Thank you for breaking me out and helping me get home. I can never repay you.” “There’s nothing to repay. Thank you for being a friend.” She looked towards the sky. “As soon as the Obsidian Court is overthrown, I’m coming back to visit.” The elf warriors looked eager to leave, so I went to take Allie’s hand. If I left it up to the two girls to decide when to leave, we’d be here all day. “Thanks for everything, Mulbe