Allie POV
Josh reached out to take my hand, but I pulled it away. I was trying to keep a clear head while I searched for the truth, and the last thing I needed was the mate-bond zapping my self-control any more than it already was.
“In here, baby,” a feminine voice called out as we reached the bottom of the stairs.
Josh cringed as he pushed open a large swinging door and we entered the kitchen. It was so… homey. It was hard to believe we were in a packhouse and not some large country farmhouse.
Mr Tanner was standing at the kitchen island kneading bread dough. In the forest, Josh had told me his dad was a baker and his older brother was going to take over the family business. I chewed the inside of my cheek.
Allie POV There was a collective intake of breath from around the table, and I felt the mood shift. Josh had told me that his family valued the mate-bond above all else, and here I was crapping all over it in front of them. Stella growled at me in my mind, but I pushed her to the side. “Allie, I understand my son’s actions were anything but ideal. He’s broken your trust, and ours, but his intentions were good, just misguided,” explained Leo. “We’ve been trying to find a way to reclaim the forest for many years now. It’s our only access point to trade with a neighbouring pack, and we have lost far too many pack members over the years, who have ventured into the forest and never returned.” He paused and looked at Josh, the pain showing in his eyes. He truly thought Jos
Josh POV We drove in silence. I hated the fact I was taking her to Ellis and her father. I hated the fact I’d have to leave her there. I hated the fact I wouldn’t know if she was ok. I fucking hated it all. She was my mate. Mine to protect, and I wouldn’t be able to do that from two hundred kilometres away. When she’d said she wouldn’t ask me to accept her rejection yet, the relief was immense. She wasn’t going to give up on me so soon, she just needed time. I didn’t like it, but it was the only way to keep her in my life. The closer we got to Viridian Creek, the more Allie fidgeted in her seat. Her delicate hands were being wrung in her lap, and I desperately wanted to take one in mine and comfort her. Only it would no longer be a comfort. She wanted space, and it was the least I could do to try to give it to her. We reached the border and the guards came out to the car. Their faces paled as though they’d seen a ghost when they spotted Allie. “Let my father know I’m home, ple
Allie POV I watched Josh drive away while Stella whimpered. Everything ached. My head, my heart, my chest. I wanted and needed space, but it didn’t mean the mate-bond was happy about it. It was going to kick my butt. “Why don’t you go settle in, and we can talk later,” said Ellis as we entered the foyer. “I want to see Mum.” “I will call the nurses and find out if she’s feeling well enough for visitors,” replied Father. “Go and do as your Alpha instructed.” Ugh. My Alpha. Ellis. Walking through the familiar corridors of my home caused a sadness to form and settle in the pit of my stomach. This was my home, my pack, yet it felt cold, quiet and lifeless compared to the happy chaos I’d experienced this morning in the Tanner packhouse. Another twinge of pain pulled at me. I made my way up the stairs without seeing a single person and opened my bedroom door. I took the card Josh gave me out of my pocket and picked a supernatural creatures textbook from my bookshelf, hiding the card
Josh POVBy the time I drove back through the gates of Teal Valley, I was a mess of emotions. Aster had been quiet. At first I’d thought he was angry at me, but quickly realised he was just resigned to the fact that Allie needed to do this and we needed to let her, as much as it sucked for us.My feet felt like lead as I climbed the steps, and I prayed I wouldn’t run into anyone. The border guards would have let them know I was home, but I just wanted to sleep the rest of the day away.Mum was standing near the base of the stairs as I walked through the foyer, and I felt bad that I stifled a groan. I loved her dearly, but I didn’t want to talk.She pulled me close and kissed the side of my head. “I asked the housekeeper not to touch the room Allie was in.” She kissed me once more, then wandered off towards Dad’s office.I made a beeline for the guest room and opened it to find Allie’s scent still lingering. The only scents in the room were mine and hers. I kicked my shoes off and jump
Allie POVI made sure to miss breakfast the next morning to avoid Father and Ellis and instead made my way to the pack hospital. I was enraged when the nurse had to call ‘the Alpha’ to get permission for me to see my own damn mother, but Ellis allowed it.The nurse led me down a bland, depressing looking corridor and opened a door, motioning for me to enter. The room was just as bad–everything was white and unstimulating. I wondered if Mum went crazy, then they put her in here, or if they put her in here and then she went crazy… this space was not Mum at all.She was sitting in an armchair near the window, just gazing out blankly. Her blonde hair hung limp, and there was a vacant expression on her pale face. She didn’t appear to register our presence in the room.“She’s been like that since the night of the attack, I’m afraid,” whispered the nurse. “Take as long as you want. There’s a buzzer over here if she needs anything.”I grabbed the spare chair and carried it over to sit opposi
Allie POVStella woke me, howling, the next morning. My head was throbbing with a migraine and she wouldn’t let up. She was trying to do everything in her power to get me to acknowledge the mate-bond ripping my chest in half, and go back to Josh.I convinced her to settle down long enough to go for a walk. She was desperate to shift for the first time. I could feel her need vibrating through me, but I knew I didn’t want to shift on my own.My father had never let me roam the pack freely before. Ellis was at least giving me more freedom, although I felt like I was being watched and had no doubt he had guards following me.I guess there was no reason for me not to mingle with the pack anymore. All the secrets they’d been keeping from me were out in the open now.The pack was so different from what I’d briefly seen in Teal Valley. There was no buzz or excitement, no pups running and playing outside. Walking past the shop fronts, there were no colourful signs in the windows advertising pa
Josh POV‘Josh, are you awake?’ came the mind-link from Dad, waking me from another shitty night’s sleep.‘Am now, what’s up?’ I replied, stretching.‘Come see me in Nate’s office before breakfast.’‘Sure, I’ll be down in ten.’I closed the mind-link, then showered, shaved and dressed quickly. It was longer than ten minutes, but no one came to hurry me up. As I stepped out into the hallway, Aster stirred in my mind and started going crazy.‘Mate!’ he shouted.I inhaled deeply. Allie. She was here.I followed her scent, racing down the stairs so fast I almost stumbled a few times, but I didn’t even care if I broke my neck, I just needed to get to her as quickly as possible. I reached the bottom of the stairs on the ground floor, where Dad and Nate were waiting on either side.“She came back!” I shouted, as her scent got stronger and my excitement grew. My heart felt like it was going to burst with happiness. She came back for me.“We need to talk to you first. My office,” said Nate.“N
Allie POV“Can I ask you a question?” asked Cole, walking alongside me.“Is it about Josh? Because if it is, I’d rather not.”The three of them snorted and grinned. They were taking me to another training field down the road so I could try to shift for the first time. When Aster had come to me, I could feel Stella trying to break through and force me to shift. She wanted him so badly.“Isn’t it hard to deny him, though?” asked the super huge blonde guy, who’d been introduced to me as Deacon, Josh’s best friend.“Yes, it’s hard. I fell in love with him before I even found out he was my mate.”“So wh