“Can you just tell me what’s going on?” I finally ask, unable to take this any longer. “Deacon wants to scan you for compulsion or deception,” Axel says and my heart begins to pound in my chest. Deacon doesn’t trust me. After everything we have been through he still doubts me. The compulsion I can
Chapter 153** Josie’s POV **Deacon gets Mason’s attention, capturing his gaze. “Mason, relax, she didn't betray us. Don’t hurt them,” Deacon pleads, his words thick with compulsion. My wolf tilts her head curiously as she watches them. Mason stills and then takes in the scene with a look of confu
“Mace, hold him,” I say, motioning to Theo and he quickly wraps his arms around Theo’s weak body, turning him to face me as he supports him from behind. Theo closes his eyes as I bring my hand to hover over his bruised neck. I’m still not 100% sure what I'm doing but I let my insticts guide me and
Chapter 155** Axel’s POV **Walking away from Josie and leaving her alone with Mason was difficult after what he had just done. I do trust him with her 100% but it's hard to get over seeing him try to hurt her just minutes ago, even though I know it wasn't him, not really. Compulsion like that is a
“Cheers to that,” Mason says, lifting his glass of water in a gesture Josie had taught us. Josie lifts her glass, clinking it against his before taking a drink. “She also identified Cornelius as her father,” Deacon says and Josie shudders. “For the record, I see absolutely no resemblance between th
Chapter 156** Josie’s POV **Deacon gets to me first, lifting me off of my chair to sit on his lap facing the others. Four sets of heated eyes watch as Deacon's hands roam over my body. He cups my breasts from behind, pinching my nipples between his thumbs and fingers through the fabric of my top a
** Josie’s POV **After the amazing night I had with my bonds, I am not best pleased when I'm woken up at 5 AM. Deacon says we are meeting with the military commander and his team at 7:00. I begrudgingly make my way to the shower, almost falling asleep again under the soothing warm water. Luke steps
“I need you to promise me something,” Mason says, his gaze off in the distance.“What?” I ask.“If things start to seem like they're not going in our favour tomorrow, I want you and Theo to get out of there. Go to the cottage and we will meet back there if we get separated. I just can’t bear the tho
Chapter 235** Deacon’s POV **The minutes tick by at a snail's pace as every inch of the underground network is uncovered. Only the section my bond group had been in had collapsed, or more likely, had been purposely destroyed. We only find one more teen, who was not buried but had been trapped in
Chapter 234** Josie’s POV **“Luke?” I ask again, even though I know he won’t hear me. Maybe he is just knocked out and unable to respond, but then why can’t I feel him at all? Usually, I can sense all of my bonds, even when they’re sleeping. I don’t even want to think of what else could have him
Chapter 233** Josie’s POV **I can’t think of my daughter living in this place for weeks, and the thought of other kids living here even longer is breaking my heart. Children need warmth and a clean living space. They need a safe place to sleep that is not a thin mat on a filthy floor underground.
Chapter 232** Mason’s POV **The moment I’ve been longing for for weeks has finally come, and I can barely speak. I can’t tell my daughter everything I have been wanting to tell her. The words just won't come out. So, instead, I go into management mode. We don’t have the luxury of riding off into t
Chapter 231** Josie’s POV **Luke wakes us up in the best way possible. He’s found Harper, and she’ll be coming home soon. I can already feel the excitement bubbling inside me as I pace the kitchen, imagining the moment when I can finally wrap my arms around her. The thought that she is safe fills
Chapter 230** Luke’s POV **Once Harper’s initial shock of realising it’s me passes, a wide grin spreads over her face, and she steps towards me. A hand reaches out to grab her arm, stopping her.“What’s going on here? Do you know him?” The woman with the wild eyes that announced breakfast asks as
Chapter 229** Luke’s POV **I almost gag at the smell. These are awful living conditions and I hate that my daughter and the rest of these kids have been forced to live this way. It’s inhumane. They need daylight and clean facilities. “I don’t like it, they shouldn’t be here,” a gruff male voice s
Chapter 228** Luke's POV **Brent gives me a tour, which takes only a few minutes. There is a communal type area with dirty pillows on the floor and makeshift tables made out of wooden pallets. Brent tells me breakfast will be served here in the morning. There are stacks of board games and playing
Chapter 227** Luke’s POV **I take the opportunity of being alone to communicate with my bond group. I close my eyes, pretending to sleep in case anyone comes in to check on us. I open up the mind link. “Robert made it through the compulsion, but he’s not doing so well. He is sleeping,” I say, get