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
Allie POV My eyes opened to see that we were running. Fast. My wolf was breathing heavily as it ran, and its head was darting left and right as we bounded through the forest in wolf form. I could hear shouts behind me, but my wolf paid them no attention, focusing only on forward momentum. All of a sudden, she yelped and then howled as she hit the dirt, sliding along on her stomach until she came to a stop. I shifted back to human form and looked down at my right shoulder where the handle of a long spear was protruding, the cold metal blade lodged deep in my flesh. Only, it wasn’t my shoulder. It was masculine. I could see the veins bulging in the perfect biceps. A large, calloused hand reached behind my–or rather, his–shoulder and ripped out the spear, grunting through the pain. In an instant, we were up again, spear in hand, continuing to run like the wind. I could hear his footfalls, along with his laboured breathing. I heard a whizzing sound and felt a vibration through the ai
Allie POV “Your eyes look like the forest clouds,” said Cole, his eyes not leaving my wolf’s once. “You’re the Jade Wolf,” Nate said, echoing my mother’s words in awe. “What the fuck is that?” asked Cole. ‘Stella?’ I asked, my voice high-pitched and sounding weird. ‘It’s true,’ she replied, still sounding awestruck, but I could feel her deep excitement and pride come to the surface. ‘A Jade Wolf only manifests after you shift for the first time and you view your imprint.’ ‘What the heck is a Jade Wolf?’ I asked. ‘It’s us, Allie!’ She was so excited, but I was nothing but a ball of confusion. Being in wolf form, I couldn’t communicate with any of the guys. I wasn’t sure if I should shift back or stay as I was. Nate and Cole were still gawking instead of giving me some kind–any kind–of direction. ‘Let’s run!’ laughed Stella. Before I could argue against it, she leapt, sprinting across the field and into the forest line. I heard the pounding of paws behind us as she ran and wa
Allie POV After showering and dressing, I answered a knock on my door. I’d expected it to be Josh, but as I got closer, I scented Leo from under the door and immediately felt guilty about the way my shoulders had drooped. “Hi sweetheart, Nate filled me in on your first shift, and it looks like we’ve got some things to talk about. Shall we go downstairs?” Leo was always such a… a dad. He had such a reassuring vibe about him; the way he smiled, the way he held himself, the way he spoke. And from what Josh had told me about him previously, he was everything a person could want in a father. I followed him downstairs and back into Nate’s office. Nate was behind his desk with what looked like a textbook in front of him, his brows knitted together in concentration. He glanced up as I sat across from him with Leo. “You ready for a mini history lesson?” he asked. “Always,” I replied, a little too excitedly. One side of his mouth curled up as though he were trying to stifle a smirk. “Yeah
Allie POV For the next couple of days, my routine remained the same. Eating, training, studying and sleeping were the only things I had time for–as well as fielding texts and phone calls from Ellis. I was making progress with my training, but a few days would never be enough. At one point during training this morning, Max had spoken to me without venom or disdain in his tone, so I figured I was making progress, even if it was small. Josh and I would chat each morning over breakfast, but for the most part, we’d been avoiding one another. He was giving me the space I’d asked for, but I could also see the physical pain the incomplete mate-bond was causing him whenever we were together. Seeing it etched on his face was making my own pain increase tenfold, so the distance helped both of us cope. The knowledge that I could end that pain for him, and the conflicting desire to save him from any further pain if I died, was causing a war inside me. Gianna and Zoe were sitting eating lunch
Josh POV It all happened so fast I barely had time to register any of it. The pain etched on Allie’s face as she shifted back and fell to the ground made my stomach drop. A fury erupted within me as I watched Cole touch her, and then Mum and Gianna were whisking her away. As her scent passed me, a pure, unbridled wave of lust slammed into me like a truck. Aster was immediately pushing forward, wanting to shift again, but Dad was right in front of me forcing me to remain where I was. What the fuck was going on? ‘She’s in heat. We need to mark her and complete the mate-bond. It’s been too long,’ growled Aster. Heat? Oh, shit. When Dad finally let me go, I entered the kitchen and saw Zac helping Zoe take big bags of ice from the freezer. Gianna came downstairs and directed them up to Allie’s room. My mind was in utter fucking turmoil. How were they all so calm about this? It was almost like they were prepared for it. “It had to happen eventually,” Gianna said, patting my arm. “I’m
Allie POV A thin sheen of sweat was covering me from head to toe when my eyes finally fluttered open. I was in bed with just a sheet covering my naked body, and I could smell him everywhere. I rolled over and spotted him in the armchair at the foot of the bed and sat up against the headboard, keeping the sheet wrapped around me. Now that the heat was only simmering below the surface, I remembered everything. Begging him. Oh, Goddess, how embarrassing. I begged Josh to mark me, but he didn’t. I begged him to have sex with me. I threw myself at him. Anything to get rid of the pain. I’d never experienced anything like it, and never wanted to again, although I knew it was only a matter of time before it flared once more, pushing me back into his arms. “You should come eat something before it gets worse again,” he said, echoing my thoughts. I took the sheet with me, sitting on the chair across from him. It felt silly covering myself up, but the alternative was sitting eating roast be
Josh POVI practically floated down the stairs to the kitchen on cloud nine. My muscles ached–I’d noticed since making the deal with the dark witch my training sessions took longer to recover from, even with my wolf healing–but at least this time I was sore for the best possible reason.The last twenty-four hours with my girl had been amazing. She still loved me, she still wanted me. I hadn’t completely fucked things up irreparably.The danger that lay ahead was still at the front of my mind, but having her under me, on top of me and in my arms all night allowed me to ignore it and just enjoy every second with her.Once Aster knew she still wanted us, it took all my self-control not to mark her like he was begging me to. I understood that her love for me was the reason she wouldn’t mark me, and it killed me inside to think of her going into that fight and not coming out alive.I pulled some leftovers out of the fridge and zapped them in the microwave, humming to myself. She came into
Allie POVEllis and my father were similar people. They liked control, and they liked to hold all the knowledge and power. For that reason, I knew Ellis was not happy at being blindsided by the fact that not only did I have a wolf, I was the Jade Wolf… and I was challenging him. I was certain it would be affecting every part of his being.He lunged at me, starting the battle, but I easily dodged. Nate said my best strategy would be to let him lead, watch his moves carefully, and try to spot any weaknesses that I could take advantage of later. Stella was light on her feet, so it was a simple task.Ellis’ overconfidence began to show. His wolf growled and snarled as it snapped its jaws at me, and his moves became sloppy as he interpreted my hesitation for fear rather than observation. He lunged again for my flank and Stella finally made her move, dodging left, then pouncing on his exposed neck. He evaded the hit to the neck, but couldn’t move quick enough to avoid Stella’s teeth as the