Kit’s POVLetting out a groan of frustration, I duck out of Alpha Tate’s reach and throw up my arm to block his kick, wincing as it makes contact with my elbow.“Keep your arms up!”“I am!”I practically spit back at him, raising my sore arms higher and leaning backwards to avoid another punch, then taking one more step back…and slipping in a pool of my own sweat, falling hard on my ass against the mat.With another low groan, I struggle onto my knees, my palms flat on the mat in front of me.I don’t want to get back up.Everything hurts and I am exhausted. I lower my forehead onto the mat and close my eyes.“Can we please stop now? I physically don’t think I can even stand up again.”My voice sounds muffled and wobbly as I refuse to look at Alpha Tate, who hasn’t even broken a sweat since we started all those hours ago.And once again, everyone else is long gone.“We can stop.”I look up in surprise.Alpha Tate holds out his hand, which I eye suspiciously before I slap my own into it
Kit’s POV After a few minutes, I stagger up from the floor, wincing at my sore thighs. If Alpha Tate hasn’t come banging on the door by now, he probably won’t come at all. Which I am so glad about. Shuffling over to my bed, I snatch my phone from the nightstand and quickly type out a text to Colin. Miss you. How’s it going there? He must be there by now. He said it wasn’t too far away and Alpha Tate and I were training for hours. Colin’s reply is fast. Miss you more. It’s extremely dull here. Wish you could have come with me. We could have found a way to make the time here a lot more interesting. He ends the text with a winking emoji, and I grin at it. We’ll just have to make it interesting when you get back. Deal! I smile wider as I read his response, then lower my phone and feel the smile slide off. Damn Alpha Tate! He couldn’t just let me be. Now he’s in my head, which is probably exactly what he wanted. Tossing my phone onto the bed, I start to pace back and forth,
Alpha Tate’s POVGripping the front of my hair as I stroll through the hallway, I struggle to find the best way to describe the strange swirl of emotions coursing through me.Something that keeps happening ever since this chick came back to the pack.Not sure how I kept my cool with Kit back there.Keeping calm hasn’t exactly been a strong suit of mine in the past.And she is not the easiest to keep calm around, she’s got quite a temper herself and doesn’t mind using it against me, that’s for sure.Can’t believe she threw a shoe at me.Who throws shoes at someone? Let alone their Alpha.“Hey, what are you grinning about?”Turning my expression into a scowl, I glare at Peter, whose own grin instantly slides away.“What have you heard?”“Nothing. They didn’t find anyone yet. Picked up on a scent around the perimeter, but nothing crossed into the territory. Could just be wandering rogues.”Scratching my jawline, I stare past Peter at the wall behind him, an uneasy feeling creeping in.Ar
Kit’s POVMy body aches, freaking screams at me to move the rest of way to meet Tate’s perfect, and no doubt delicious lips.And I almost do, leaning forward just slightly…but then quickly ducking under his arm and away from him.Tate’s hand drops from the wall as he looks at me, his expression unreadable.Still not even sure that I don’t want him to kiss me, I meet his gaze silently, the air seeming to crackle between us.My pocket buzzes and I reach for it, grateful for the distraction.“Colin is coming home early.”Reading the text out loud, I wonder why there’s just a teeny twinge of disappointment tainting my excitement that my boyfriend will be home late tonight versus in the morning.Meeting Tate’s eyes, I know exactly why.“You should go.”I know that.He’s totally right.Doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt my feelings that he suggests it.Nodding, I back up, scanning the room for the exit.“Kit?”“Yeah?”“If you ever change your mind, you know where my room is.”Gulping as my b
Kit’s POVSomething’s wrong.Bolting upright from my deep sleep, I blink in the dark.Throwing the blankets off, I slide off the bed, my heart racing, and tip toe to the bedroom door.Cracking it open, I cautiously peek out before slipping through and sneaking down the long hall.It’s dark.Quiet.There’s no real indicator that anything is wrong except I just feel like it is…Passing a wall clock, I read the time at just past 1:00 AM.Which means that Colin should be home by now.Cami should be home by now…Walking past her door, I hesitate, then lean against it to see if I can hear any movement.It’s silent and there’s no light coming from the sliver under the door.Picking up my pace, I head downstairs, not sure why, just following my intuition.Which leads me to Alpha Tate’s office door, with the lights clearly on.Hesitating, I lift my hand, then give it a quick tap with my knuckles.The door swings open almost instantly and I give a choked cry of relief as I throw myself against
Alpha Tate’s POV“Jody, walk with me.”Jody glances over his shoulder at me with a frown, not removing his arm from around Cami’s shoulders.“Can this not wait until the morning?”“No.”Jody leans even closer to whisper in his mate’s ear, kisses her on the forehead, then watches as she continues down the hall to their room without him.“She’s safe here, Jody. Don’t worry. Step in here with me.”Gesturing towards the library, I move inside and wait for Jody to join.“Hey, are you okay? Did something happen between you and Kit while we were away?”Jody’s astute observation surprises me, but I wave it off.“It’s fine. She’s just worried about her sister, understandably.”“Yeah.” Jody mutters, rubbing the back of his neck.“Jody, I need to know…are you sure they were rogues? Are you positive it wasn’t a set up?”Now that Cami isn’t with him, I need to see if his answers are the same or if he was just trying not to frighten her.Jody meets my gaze and nods.“It wasn’t anything like last ti
Kit’s POVWell.Clearly, I didn’t think this through.Once again, my irrational behavior has gotten me into an uncomfortable situation.I just wanted to get away for a moment.To let out some frustration.Scream without being heard.To put distance between me and Alpha Tate, who has me feelings things I shouldn’t be and acting like I don’t have a lick of sense.Right now, I feel like a complete idiot.Sitting by the lake, my knees pulled up to my chest, completely nude, and unable to even think about my next move.Because if I think about my next move, I have to shift to my wolf form to go back through the forest for training, which I don’t want to do, because as my wolf, it hurts even worse that I am near my mate, yet I’m not with him.The alternative is to walk around, naked, until I find clothes hidden somewhere, and risk running into everyone from training starting wolf combat somewhere out here.Not ideal. I am still not comfortable with being full on nude around everyone. I’m al
Kit's POVI don’t recall having any conscious thought that I should do it, but my hands seem to act on their own and are now splayed against Tate's sexy torso, greedily moving upward as I meet him the rest of the way to press our lips together.My fingers clutch his shoulders, and his strong hands catch my hips as my body goes weak, hanging onto his as he deepens the kiss, his touch, his scent, everything about him is creating a fire inside of me that I desperately need him to quench.Tate lifts me, wrapping my legs around his waist, pushing my back against the wall, his manhood poking my thigh.I know I shouldn’t…I know it…but there is no rational thought in my head right now. Just mad, uncontrollable desire.Reaching down, I wrap my hand around his thick rod, letting out a moan against his lips as I stroke it’s very impressive girth.“Kit…”Gasping, I pull back, meeting his gaze as I line him up between my legs, giving my hips a wiggle of invitation.I don’t know what has gotten ove
Kit’s POV“This was a great idea! It’s so much fun! I’m glad that we are doing this.”Cami smiles at me over her shoulder as she jogs along the path winding through the woods, her high pony swinging behind her.“Yeah…so fun!”Two steps behind her, I frown as thoughts of Tate pop into my head, again. This time it’s how hot his grin was as he looked down at me just after he got me to climax for the second time this morning.My foot catches on a root and I trip, nearly face planting before clumsily righting myself again.Cami glances back.“What happened?”“Tripped. I’m fine.”Actually…“Cami, can we stop?”I slow to a walk and wipe the sweat off my forehead.Cami jogs in place as she spins around to look at me, clearly wanting to protest, but then nods and throws her arms into a stretch over her head.“Okay, so we will take a stretch break, then keep going? If we head back now, that’s only ten miles total.”Only ten miles?Sighing, I flop onto the grass and prop my back against a thick
Alpha Tate’s POV“Be safe out there and good luck. Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”Jody frowns at me as he shakes my hand.“No, you stay. Keep the pack alert and ready for another attack, just in case.”Jody nods solemnly.Turning to go, I hesitate and turn back toward him, glancing around to make sure no one is listening.“Kit is excused from training today. Cami as well. Perhaps she can keep Kit distracted while I am away?”Jody looks confused, but nods his consent.“Sure…” He tilts his head to study me curiously, opening his mouth to ask about something that I really don’t want to go into right now, so I cut him off.“Thanks. I’ll keep in contact.”Noticing the dismissal for what it is, Jody steps back and holds out his hand for Cami, who is standing a few feet away on the porch, and she hurries to attach herself to his side.With a final glance at the packhouse where I just left my mate, who finally seems to be open to giving me a true chance, I can’t help but to f
Kit’s POV“I don’t want to, I really don’t want to leave you, but I have to go…”Tate kisses my neck and gives me a squeeze as he rolls away from my side with a heavy sigh.Nodding silently, I admire how the muscles from his shoulders all the way down to his calves seem to flex tantalizingly as he strolls to his dresser to pull out clothes.Even after nearly an hour of nonstop, magical bliss, I feel like if he crawled back into bed, I’d already be down for another round…The mate bond is quite insatiable. His arms already inside his shirt, Tate turns to grin at me before he tugs it over his head and, much to my disappointment, covers his perfect torso with it.“Hopefully I won’t be gone long. Feel free to stay right there and wait for me if you want.”Sitting into an upright position, tucking the blanket around my chest, I start to grin back at him, then frown, the full reality of what he is leaving to do hits me.Rescue his kidnapped ex…because they thought she was my mate’s Luna.“
Kit’s POVOh god.The moment that Tate’s lips connect with mine, I know there’s no stopping this time.No.This time I am going to let myself feel, without any reservations, exactly what this mate bond is made of.Because if I am truly honest with myself, I want this. I want to feel this. To know this. Even if it is for the one time only.Running my palms up Tate’s muscular chest, I tug his shoulders so that he leans closer, gasping as his own hand slips around my waist, palm flat on the bare skin of my back. At the same time, he grabs under my thigh with the other to hook it around his hip and hoist me up onto the cold counter.He exhales my name before he pushes my lips apart with his tongue and pulls me tighter against him.His lips taste so good…they mold perfectly against my own…but now I want more than a goodbye kiss. I need more.Lowering my hands, I hook my fingers into his waistband and tug so that they slip off his hips and fall soundlessly to the floor, his thick rod spring
Kit’s POV“Good morning, beautiful.”Smiling as Colin kisses my cheek, I reach behind me to run my fingers through his hair, giving it an affectionate tug to guide his lips to my neck.His hand slips down my side to grip my hip under the blanket.Rolling onto my back in response, I spread my knees and wiggle against him.Colin chuckles and teases me with his fingers.“You didn’t get enough last night?”“I always want more.”His eyes flash lustfully as he slides on top of me, holding himself, his arm muscles bulging in a tantalizing way.I run my finger down his chest, his abs, and nearly to his morning wood when he says something that makes me pause.“From me, right?”“What?”“You always want more from me, right? Not from…someone else?”“Colin!”His words make me feel self-conscious and a bit hurt, especially after the amazing night we had last night, so I awkwardly cross my arms over my bare breasts.He grimaces and rolls so that he collapses beside me.“Sorry, didn’t mean to kill th
Colin’s POVI start to pull away from Kit, but she doesn’t seem ready to let go since she mumbles breathily, ‘not yet’ against my lips.Lifting higher on her toes, she grabs my hair and tugs me close again.As much as I want to embrace her, carry her upstairs to bed and forget all about tonight while I explore every inch of her body with my tongue, I have to take care of something first.I kiss her back, but after only a few seconds, I grab her hands from my hair, kiss her forehead reassuringly, then pull Kit against my side as I look at Tate.“I’ve done all I can for tonight. We are in need of more supplies, and soon, or we could be in big trouble if we have another attack. There’s about half a dozen staying in the healing center overnight.”Kit must notice the faint smear of blood on my cheek, she tries to wipe it off like I had hastily tried to in the mirror I passed in the hall on the way here, but it’s dried on.Her hand still on my cheek, she tilts my face towards hers and gives
Alpha Tate’s POVEyeing the piece of paper in Lacey’s hand, I finally take it from her, carefully unfolding it while Lacey holds her breath.“You can go, Lacey.”She doesn’t immediately go, and I can tell she is hunting for an invite to spend the night together, but I have other things, more pressing things, to tend to.“Thank you.”Spinning on her heels, she exits.Taking a deep breath, I inhale Kit’s comforting scent and read the note.We have your mate. If you want her back, surrender your pack to us by midnight tomorrow or she dies.Dropping the note onto the desk, I rub my temples.It would be almost laughable if it didn’t make a new worry grip my very soul.This, this right here is just another reason why I couldn’t ever be with Kit.Even though this pack is just a bunch of morons, had they not been, it could be Kit that they have right now instead of Sarah.But they got it wrong. They thought the woman who was acting as my Luna for years was my mate.They have no idea that my r
Thirty minutes later, I tug a blanket around my shoulders as I look out the window, unable to see anything in the dark but a few feet of lawn.“Anything?”Shaking my head, I step away and move to the chair across from Cami, where she has a thick blanket tucked around her and is holding a mug of tea, black lines from mascara on her cheeks.“But that’s bad! We haven’t heard anything! They could be…”“Stop. They are fine. Don’t get all worked up over nothing.”Cami looks uncertainly into the fireplace, and I pick up my own mug, but don’t drink it.It’s one thing to give advice, a totally other thing to follow that advice yourself.How could I not be worried?Obviously, something is wrong.Intrusive thoughts race one by one through my mind.“Kit.”I meet Cami’s eyes, her lips tremble.“What if we finally find happiness only to immediately lose it…just like we lost mom and dad.”“This is nothing like that. It’s fine. Don’t…don’t think like that.”Cami doesn’t look convinced as she turns ba
Alpha Tate’s POVGlancing darkly at the closet door rattling in a rhythmic pattern, I decide it’s time to call it a night.In the morning, I will let Kit reject me back.I was fooling myself to even think that she might ever want to be with me.There is no way to earn her love like she has for Colin, who never damaged her like I did.To hear the way that she explained how she truly feels about me…a resistant attraction that she despises, and how she not only adores, but loves and desires to be with Colin and only him…I cannot put her through that torment anymore.She deserves happiness. Even if it isn’t with me.And I don’t deserve my mate at all after what I have done to her.Slamming my bedroom door shut, I consider working out, getting all the frustration out.But that doesn’t seem enough.Maybe more alcohol?There isn’t enough in this giant house to make me forget how I feel about Kit.My eyes fall on my bed.Perhaps that is the distraction I need, but not Sarah.Never her.Not af