The minute I’m out the front door of the pack house and out of sight, I break down. I block out the mind-link before I crumple on the steps of the massive house and just allow the tears to flow. My body shakes violently as sobs take over and I lose all control. I have nothing left. My first love, Brent, left me for his mate. I honestly don’t even want him anymore, but the memory of everything I lost when he chose Heidi over me is still painful. Then, my fated mate, my true mate, rejected me. This was the worst physical pain I’ve ever felt in my life. I understand the mate bond a little better now, but it still seems crazy to me that I could be so devastated over someone I never really knew to begin with. The mate bond was strong and deeply imbedded in me. I couldn’t have fought it if I wanted to. Sadly, I didn’t want to, but I have no idea how Atticus did it. I was excited about meeting my mate and I looked forward to having a real life with him. Now that that dream was cr
It only takes a few minutes before I’m approaching the pack house, but I have no intention of going inside. I’m downwind, so I can scent and hear some warriors outside guarding the building and all those who are safely inside.Making a wide loop around the building, I’m able to avoid any warriors, and I continue to head south. I’m feeling nervous and excited at the same time. I can’t believe I’m about to do this, but from the moment the idea popped into my head it made perfect sense.I’d rather live alone as a rogue than stay here where I’m unwanted and unappreciated. There’s nothing left for me here, so I’ve made up my mind. I’m leaving.The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Everyone is distracted with the rogue attack, which allows me to sneak to the southern border where I can reject the pack and leave. I only packed a few things because I didn’t have much worth taking with me, and I didn’t want to carry a large heavy bag. I have no idea where I’ll go, or how long I’ll have
There were no packs anywhere near this area as far as I could tell. I was very cautious to avoid pack lands. This man wasn’t just a wolf, he carried the aura of a ranked wolf. He might even be of alpha blood, but I couldn’t tell for sure. All my muscles were coiled, and my body was prepared for fight or flight mode, but when his eyes met mine, he looked just as surprised as I did at the idea of meeting another wolf here. His nose crinkled slightly before he schooled his expression and gave me a friendly smile. I can’t smell myself, but I’m sure to other wolves I’m starting to give off the stench of a rogue. It doesn’t matter how often I shower or how hard I scrub my skin and hair, without a pack, I will gradually smell more and more like a rogue. I’m not sure how quickly the stink grows but based on how easily he was able to hide his disgust, it must not be too strong yet. “Hello there,” he greets me with a deep gravelly voice that I can feel to my bones. “You’re new around he
Silas didn’t waste any time. He made arrangements for me to meet him for dinner the very next day. I couldn’t imagine why he was so eager to meet with me, a rogue wolf, or what he thought the result of that conversation would be. It was a challenge to keep our plans a secret from Norah, but I couldn’t give her any sort of false hope that she was correct in trying to make a match between us. I might not know what he wanted to talk about, but I did know that it wasn’t that kind of a dinner. There was another lodge, Wolf Creek Lodge, west from Lost Elk Lodge. Driving, it would take about two and a half hours to get there but running through the mountains as a wolf could get me there in half the time. Silas assured me that it was safe for me to run straight through, and I wouldn’t encounter any more of our kind in the area. He also said there shouldn’t be any humans hiking in this area either, but I should be cautious anyway. Preparing for the trip and the dinner, I packed a small
He leads me to an old, brown, beat-up pickup truck in the parking lot. “I though alphas always had nice cars?” I ask as I’m examining the car wondering if it could even make a ninety-minute drive in these mountains. “I think you’ll find I am quite different from the other alphas you have known,” he chuckles as he opens the door for me, “and my pack is quite different from the other packs as well.” Smiling he closes my door and walks around the truck to the driver side. We talked a little during the drive to his pack, but it was mostly silent. He didn’t even turn on the radio or any music. I got the impression that he didn’t want to reveal too much before we arrived, so I kept my eyes trained on the view out the window as we wound around the mountain roads. Occasionally I’d glance over at Silas, but he kept his eyes focused on the road and didn’t seem bothered by my eyes on him. Ninety minutes later, just as he promised, we pulled up to an old metal gate that didn’t look like i
The rest of the evening was more casual. We all hung out and got to know each other a little better. The two other rogues present were Darius and Paula. Darius has been a rogue for 5 months, but he’s been here for about two weeks now, and he’s almost ready to join the pack. Paula is newer like me. She’s only been a rogue for 3 months, and she got here 8 days ago, but she already seems pretty comfortable. Many of the pack members had taken chosen mates within the group. I still recoil inside at the mention of mates, but I hope that I’m hiding it well. Someone asked me if I had been mated and I just smile and shrug while raising my eyebrows without answering. I’m not ready to talk about it yet and I don’t want anyone questioning me. Thankfully, they dropped the subject and didn’t press further. Time flew by and soon it was almost midnight. I was supposed to work at the lodge at 7 AM, and it was going to take me at least 2 hours to run back from here. I started saying my good
The next two weeks passed by too quickly. I had been thinking about Silas and the Blood Eclipse pack constantly, but I still felt unsure about if there was a future with them for me. Silas didn’t come by again to visit after our last chat, and I appreciated that he was giving me time and space to consider his offer of spending time with the pack before making a decision about whether or not to join them. Today is my last day at the lodge and while Bill and Norah know that I’m leaving, no one knows where I’m headed next, including me. I’m sure they assume that I have a destination in mind and I’m just not sharing that information, but the reality is that I haven’t been able to come up with a plan. My bags are packed and I’m ready to head out, but I hesitate as I’m saying my goodbyes. “Are you sure you won’t stick around long?” Bill inquires as he scratches the back of his neck. “I’ve really enjoyed having you here. The place isn’t going to feel the same without you.” “You and
Karlie was overjoyed that I decided to join them, but I could tell that Silas was a bit skeptical of my sudden change of heart. He knew I was not interested in joining a pack right now, and I can’t blame him for wondering what changed.I considered telling him about the men at my motel, but a part of me worried that if he knew about them, he might not let me come along. After all, if they were trying to remain inconspicuous, having someone who was being hunted would not help their covertness.When they asked about my things, I just waved it off. “I’ve got all my money on me, and I only had a small bag with a few clothes, but I didn’t really like them anyway.”Silas was weighing my every word, but in the end, he didn’t stop me from joining the group. He even smiled and welcomed me to the pack, unofficially of course. I reminded him that I still wasn’t ready to commit to joining the pack, but that I would use this as my trial period to help me decided.We were on the road about an
JERICHO The older wolf speaks up for the first time, and his voice is much rougher than I expected. “You’re her mate and I trust that you know what’s best, but where should I wait?” “There’s a dinner down the road, you can go eat lunch there, and one of us will come for you when we think she’s ready.” Mr. Akir nodded and turned to leave, but I saw the disappointment in his eyes and dejection was evident in his posture. I felt for him, but Gia is my priority right now, and I don’t want to overwhelm her with too much all at once. Once he’d rounded the corner, I quietly opened the door and stepped inside. Jill followed me and I asked her to wait in the living room while I go up to check on my mate. Before I even reached the bedroom door, Gia was exiting the room sniffing the air with her eyes wide in shock. She paused and looked at me, a million questions swimming in her golden gaze, but she didn’t say a word. Gia took a couple hesitant steps closer to me and began sniffing my c
GINA“…You’re settled with your mate, and soon you’ll have a pup.”As soon as the words left his lips, my mouth dropped open, and my hands instinctively went to my stomach. Could I really be pregnant?! I look down while simultaneously lifting my shirt to reveal my well-defined abs. I don’t look pregnant, but of course you wouldn’t be able to see anything this early.Suddenly, I could feel and hear the little fluttering heartbeat of the pup inside my womb and time stands still. I wanted to laugh and cry and panic all at once.“How did you know?” I whisper in awe as my fingertips lightly graze the taut, tan skin of my mid-section.Jericho just laughs, “You’ve seemed a bit distracted lately, always looking around like you’re on high alert, so I’ve been listening for the last couple of days, attempting to hear an extra heartbeat.”Everything makes sense now. My heightened senses are an obvious sign that my protective instincts have been turned up a few notches.“And you’re just NOW telling
GINAProving myself to the alpha and luan was my top priority. They agreed to let me recruit help, and Karli and Matthias were at the top of my list. I’d never gotten to know them as well as I should have, but now that we’re working together, I’m taking advantage of the opportunity.We have spent so much time together over the last several weeks that, now that I’m not holding back like I used to, we’ve gotten to learn a lot more about one another while we work. We’ve been using a meeting room in the pack house so we can keep all the information is a safe and confidential location.We started out by discussing the Blood Eclipse pack members who we knew without a doubt would love to be a member of a pack that would actually value them and look out for their best interests. Even when I was keeping my distance from everyone, I could tell that some of the pack members were honestly just looking for a home. They didn’t deserve to be caught up in Silas’ power struggle.Next, we had to compare
JERICHOI had no intentions of mating with Giovanna tonight. My only goal was to earn her trust and further break down her walls that were keeping me at arm’s length. I’d been fighting against my wolf all night, trying to remind myself that we needed this to be different.Everything changed when she said she wanted me to mark her. My wolf surged forward, and I gave up on fighting to hold back my instincts. I took her up to our bedroom, and slowly explored every inch or her beautiful body. I took my time memorizing every curve, and finding the perfect spots that drive her wild.Based on what she told me, I doubt she’d ever experienced what mating could be like when your partner gives of themselves without selfish ambitions. I wanted this night to be something she would never forget, for all the right reasons.It was just after the fourth time mating that my canines extended, and I sank them into her flesh, forever marking her as my mate. She immediately returned the favor, and the pain
GINAJericho kissed me, and my heart stopped. I sat there frozen as his perfect lips caressed mine and the tingles from the mate bond spread across my face, down my neck, and kept moving until my whole body was alive and thrumming.He didn’t seem deterred by the fact that I wasn’t kissing him back. I could feel his passion, his desire, and his determination. He slides his tongue along the seam of my lips, and I automatically opened up and allowed him to explore my mouth.It was amazing how he could kiss me with so much passion, yet it still felt tender and romantic at the same time. I slowly began to move my mouth returning the kiss when I heard him growl, “Mine” in satisfaction.The kiss felt amazing, but just as he was moving to pull me closer, for reasons I couldn’t understand or explain, I pulled back. I looked down at his lips, which had already begun to swell up slightly, and I was tempted to dive back in.When my eyes moved up to lock with his, I could tell the mate bond w
GINA I wasn’t expecting my ability to join the pack being dependent on my mating and marking Jericho. What happens if he rejects me? Will the pack reject me too? That’s it! I can’t handle the stress of not knowing anymore, I have to tell him tonight. I can’t put it off any longer. It’s time to rip off the band-aid and stop procrastinating. If it goes horribly wrong, I can leave tonight. I’m not sure where exactly I would go, but I’ll find somewhere. When Jericho pulled back to look at me, I could feel the emotion welling up inside, but I did my best to not let it show.“I’m sorry, I should have asked you…” he stumbled over his words, “You do want to stay and join the Silver Eclipse Pack, right?” Although he was asking my opinion, he didn’t phrase it like a question. It felt more like a statement of expectation and him looking for confirmation. The shock of it all was too much, and I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. What do I even say to that? When I didn’t an
GINA Jericho must have noticed my lack of appetite, and he seemed concerned, but he didn’t say anything. As we left the diner and headed to the pack house, he continued to hold my hand and comfort me with his touch. The walk back to the pack house only took a few minutes, but by the time we arrived, I was so stressed out that when the beta greeted us at the door, I immediately asked to use the powder room. There was one just around the corner from the entry, so Jericho let me know he would wait by the door for me to return before heading for the alpha’s office, though he was reluctant to release my hand. While I didn’t feel as if I would vomit, my body continued to heat up, and the knots in my stomach refused to release their tension. After splashing cold water on my face, I stared at the reflection of the woman in the mirror. This is the first time I’ve really stopped to examine myself in, I don’t know how long. So much has changed over the last seven years. I haven’t changed
GINA I hadn’t realized how exhausted I was until Jericho left me alone in the cottage. After he took off for the training grounds I contemplated getting up and cleaning a bit, but I just couldn’t seem to force my legs to cooperate. I resigned myself to taking a short nap and then I’ll get up and do some cleaning while exploring the rest of this house. When my eyes opened it was barely light out, and I thought I’d done a great job of taking a short nap, but the moment I felt Jericho’s heavy arm draped over my waist, and smelled his sandalwood and Irish whiskey scent, I realized that my short nap must have actually been hours. Now that I’m paying attention, I feel significantly more rested. It must be dusk. My eyes scan the room for a clock of some sort so I don’t have to get up and disturb my mate. He must be even more exhausted than I was. He had to take off and work on something while I got to lay here and sleep. My eyes stop when I notice a beautiful bouquet of flowers sit
JERICHO Since I’m unsure what the gamma wanted me for, I decided to quickly change before heading to the training grounds. I quickly grabbed a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt from the laundry room and trade out my jeans and dress shirt for the more casual outfit. Arriving at the training grounds five minutes earlier than I promised, I have a few moments alone to think about what I might have been called here for. I know the Alpha and Luna are still busy at the pack house receiving condolences from all the pack members who are grieving the loss of our previous alpha. Gamma Emmitt is in charge of the training and warriors, so my best guess is that this has something to do with either training or the prisoners who are currently overflowing from the various holding cells that are scattered around the territory. It only takes a couple minutes for the gamma to appear, and I’m thankful that he’s so punctual. “Hello, Gamma.” I greet him with a smile and a nod. “Hey, Jericho. So