Thank you so much for your patience while my husband and I moved from the East Coast to the West Coast with our 4 children. It turned out to be more challenging than I had anticipated, but I'm happy to announce that we should be back on schedule for story updates. You can expect a new chapter ever Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until the story is completed. If you're enjoying this book, please go to the info page and leave a review to encourage other readers to check it out. I also always appreciate your gem votes as well. As always, I love hearing your thoughts on the story progression. Have an excellent weekend! Much Love, Anja <3
GINAShocked doesn’t begin to describe how I felt with Jericho rejected his pack to follow me. I wanted to speak up and stop him. I wanted to tell him not to waste his time, that I’m not worth it and he’ll only be disappointed, but my tongue was heavy in my mouth.My wolf, however, was leaping with excitement at the idea that our mate already wanted to be with us this badly without knowing anything about us. I rolled my eyes and reminded myself that Atticus also seemed to want us until he learned what we’d done.This mate will be no different. He will reject me as soon as he learns about my past. If he wants to leave his pack for me, that’s fine. He’ll just get what he deserves when he rejects me and then he’s all alone as a rogue.What I’m unsure about is Silas’ plan. I’m certain that he won’t let Jericho join our pack, but what is the point in having him leave his pack to follow us? What is Silas hoping to gain from my connection to Jericho?As we run through the forest, Sil
JERICHO I haven’t seen my mate, Giovanna, in weeks. My wolf is growing more agitated each day and clawing to get out and go find her. If I thought it was just Silas keeping us apart, I wouldn’t hesitate to fight to see her, but I’m still unclear on where she stands when it comes to us. It’s clear that she’s holding back, but I could also see the pull of the mate bond working on her the last few times I saw her. I don’t know her reasons for fighting the bond, but I know that forcing her to accept it will not work in my favor to win her heart. I’m trying to be patient, but my wolf does not understand. At first, I was camping out in the woods with limited resources, but Silas would send someone out to check on my food and water supply and to come get me when he wanted to talk, but after the first couple of weeks, he provided a cell phone that he can use to call me. I know they have been keeping watch over me, even when I don’t see them. When the wind was in my favor I could smell
JERICHOI follow the wolf to the meeting location, and it’s one of my least favorite places to meet. An old, abandoned shed with a rusty door and several holes in the roof.Entering the space, I see Silas standing and waiting with a scowl on his face.“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” He sneered.“I didn’t feel like it.” I respond, acting as if I have nothing to lose. I can tell that Silas is caught off-guard by my cavalier attitude, but he does a good job of maintaining his poker face.“Need I remind you that you are a rogue depending on us for assistance, not to mention your mate, Gina?”Of course, I knew he would try to use my mate against me as always, but this time he doubled up and made it seem like I couldn’t survive without them providing me with food, water, and other necessities. There was no way I would let him think he had the upper hand anymore.“Need I remind YOU,” I snapped back, “that I have a job and a house now that I have paid for on my own, not to mention, I
GINAKarli is fuming! I’ve never seen this girl get angry, but right now she looks like a cartoon character who’s about to have steam shooting out of her ears! It was endearing how angry she was for me and the fact that I had previously been rejected by my mate, but I reminded myself that she didn’t truly know me. She might be more understanding of my mate’s decision if she knew about my past, but I had no intention of giving her all those details.“Gina, I’m so sorry that you went through that,” she apologizes, “It totally makes sense that you would avoid any sort of relationship after that kind of hurt, but you must see that the moon goddess is trying to set things right by giving you a second chance mate.”I smile at her attempt to comfort and reassure me. I appreciate her concern for me but remain guarded. She might feel differently about me if she only knew the truth. I earned that rejection with my own stupid choices. I had already proven that I was not deserving of a mate
GINA“What the hell do you want now?” Jericho is standing there with the door open, but he’s not looking at me.He’s only wearing a pair of sweatpants, sitting low on his hips, putting his muscles on display in a way that makes my mouth water. His gaze is focused on the open book in his hand rather than on me, and I realize that it’s been quite some time since I last saw him. I can’t help but notice that his hair has grown longer. It hangs down past his eyes, blocking my view of them, but his hair has more wave in it than I remembered. Maybe my memory is a bit fuzzy, or maybe it’s the extra length that allows the body to show more. Either way, I take a moment to study the man in front of me.There is a bit of stubble on his face, as if he hasn’t bothered to shave in a few days, but I can still see the lines of his strong jaw that perfectly match his straight sharp nose. He’s a very handsome man, and I’d be an idiot to deny that fact.Jericho sighs loudly as he closes his book an
GINA As I ran through the forest, back to my room, the cool night air helped to clear my head. I can’t believe I almost kissed him! So much for keeping my distance and remaining neutral. Half of me was kicking myself for letting my guard down, while the other half was upset that I didn’t move in for the kiss sooner before I had to leave. I was a mess. The next day I prepared myself to go with Silas and see Jericho again. Jericho and I had already discussed how this would go and what we would say to one another, so I wasn’t worried about that part, but after the way I ran out on him last night, I was nervous about seeing him again. When Silas and I arrived at Jericho’s house, my heart felt like it would beat right out of my chest. It was probably a good thing because if I seemed too calm, Silas might be suspicious. Jericho played his part perfectly and the meeting with Silas went exactly as we had planned. I kept Jericho “on the hook” without fully giving in to the mate bond,
GINA “What are you doing out here?” Mathias mind-links me. If I play it cool and act casual enough, there’s no reason for him to bring it up to Silas or anyone else. “Just out for a run. I needed a break, so I let my wolf take control.” “Well, we have patrols to keep an eye on this rogue here,” he tips his head back indicating the house in the clearing behind him. “We have to make sure he isn’t doing anything suspicious, like making contact with his old pack to give them a heads up about us.” “Good idea. I’ll head back now. Have a good night.” Quickly taking off back towards the pack house, I make sure that Mathias sees me leaving just in case it comes up and there are any questions. If Silas does find out I was here, he should believe that my wolf brought me here without my knowing about it. He knows about the mate bond and how strong the pull can be, and I can truthfully tell him that I left when I realized where I was. Although now, I won’t be able to stop thinking abou
GINAKarli and I went over the modified plan about eight times before we had to go our separate ways to fulfill our pack duties. It rained a bit as well, which was a stroke of luck! I was back in my room by 9:00 PM, but couldn’t stop fidgeting and thinking about the task ahead of me.Everything must be perfect, or it will all fall apart, and I can safely assume that I’ll never see my mate again. I’m not sure how he would do it, but I’m convinced that Silas would find a way to keep us apart indefinitely.Watching the clock, the hours crept forward at the slowest pace I’ve ever experienced in my life. Finally, 11:30 PM rolled around and it was time for me to head out. I need to make it to the first checkpoint before midnight.After double checking my satchel for the elixir, I snuck out the east entrance. Upon entering the more dense section of the forest, I glance around to make sure no one else is out or watching me, then I take off running at a steady pace.The woods are quiet a
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