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“It’s more…” That was the moment the pressure became too much and the cracks in my heart couldn’t take it anymore. I shattered into a thousand pieces. I wanted to run, I wanted to scream, I wanted to bury myself in my bed and never get up again. Brent reached for me with sad eyes, but I stepped back again. This time I turned and ran back to the dorms. Hopefully everyone will be out since it’s the middle of the day on Sunday. I didn’t really want to be seen like this. Everything I thought I knew about Brent and our relationship; I was now viewing through a different lens. He had slept around before we dated. How did I not know that? He cheated on me with Amanda. I should have been more suspicious of her from the start. I should have paid closer attention to how Brent responded to her. I’m sure there were signs and hints that I missed. I wonder how many people knew these things about him that I didn’t. Did they all assume that I just didn’t care, or were you they laughing
The next day I woke up early and was feeling pretty good about getting back to training. I didn’t know what Brent was going to decide, but I was ready to face the day. Until I walked into the gym and saw Brent. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with emotions again, and my feet carried me straight to Brent without my permission. He smiled at me, but it didn’t reach his eyes. For the umpteenth time I felt my heart drop. Had he already decided what he was going to do?“Hi,” I say softly while looking down at our feet. Brent curls his index finger under my chin and lifts my face, so our eyes meet. I’m looking into the same soft turquoise eyes that hold all the love and affection I’ve gotten used to seeing, but there was something else there. He looked indecisive and tormented, but I wasn’t ready to give up. Brent opened his mouth to respond, but then he paused and looked over my shoulder. He quickly pulled his hand away from me and took a step back, putting distance between us. I tur
The drive back to the training complex took longer than I would have liked. While Trevor was resting his hand on my thigh and rubbing his thumb up and down, I had a few minutes for my shifter healing to start working through the alcohol I had consumed. By the time we arrived, my buzz was significantly less, and the fog from my lust was wearing down slightly. My confidence wavered and I started thinking of a way to back out of this without completely embarrassing myself or offending Trevor. It’s not his fault that I said yes and then had doubts. We pulled in close to the building where the guys bunk and my heart started racing. I hadn’t come up with a good enough excuse yet and I’m running out of time. While I sat there in a panic, Trevor came around and opened the door for me. He was being such a gentleman. Taking his hand as I climbed out of the car, our eyes suddenly locked. As soon as I was standing, he wrapped both arms around my waist and pulled me in close. “Don’t be n
Since Trevor and I hadn’t really talked much before and never ran in the same crowds, I didn’t have his phone number. I saw him plenty during the week at trainings and around the complex, but I wasn’t sure where to find him over the weekends. I knew I could have used the mind-link to reach out but dropping in on him like that just felt wrong considering the circumstances and the nature of the conversation I wanted to have. I thought it was important to have this conversation in person, and I didn’t want to come across as desperate either. I did my best to remain patient in hopes of running into him casually, but it was Sunday night now, and I hadn’t seen him since I left his room on Saturday morning. Maybe he went home to see his family for a day or two. If that’s the case, he should be back already, or headed back soon. Everywhere I went, I felt like people were staring at me and whispering about the rumors that were circulating. I’d heard a few of them. One said that Brent w
*Back to Present Day*(A week after the prologue) After more than a year of carefully cultivating my reputation, I was happy with where I landed. The men in the pack respected me and treated me well. They knew that if they wanted to use my services, they needed to follow my rules and expectations. As much as I wanted to help men who were struggling or in a bad place, I did not tolerate disrespect. There were a few men I had to put on my blacklist, but the others quickly learned from their mistakes and helped to spread the word on how to stay on my good side. The women in the pack were a different story. They didn’t like me or trust me. I often caught them whispering to each other when I was around, but it was easy enough for me to ignore them. People can be ignorant and there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s not worth my time and effort to try and change their minds. They knew that I didn’t sleep with mated wolves, but they still looked at me like I was trying to take their
Broken Warriors?!?! Is that what she thinks of all these men? Men like my father? That they are broken. I bite my tongue to keep from saying anything and I can taste the coppery tang of my own blood. I can’t believe Jill just said that, especially to me. I made it clear and explained to her in great detail from the beginning how I witnessed the way it helped my father to cope, and I knew that it could help other warriors as well. I always knew she disagreed with my choices, but I thought she at least understood them. If I didn’t have another purpose in the pack, maybe this is what I was made for. I’ve already been hurt enough that I’ve learned how to keep my emotions out of it, and I’ve seen the way it has helped so many warriors clear their heads and move forward with their lives. Yes, there was the occasional jerk that couldn't be helped by what I offered, but most of the men I serviced showed vast improvement after a night with me. All through dinner I was stewing over Ji
Jill wasn’t kidding when she said the dress she designed was perfect for me. She created the most stunning gown I’ve ever seen in my life and when I tried it on, it fit me like a glove, as if she’d had me there for fittings every step of the way. She’s too good to me, and I don’t deserve a friend like her. My dress was a glittery gold fabric that sparkled like diamonds. It had a sweetheart neckline with a swath of fabric that draped over my right shoulder. The fabric disappeared behind a small gold belt at the waist, and there was a high slit that went to the top of my left thigh. The hem line hit the floor perfectly in the front, and began to pool around the sides, and became a train in the back. The night of the Blue Moon Ball had arrived, and Jill and I agreed to face it together. She was starting to feel disheartened because she had attended every ball since she turned 18, and she still hadn’t found her mate. I, on the other hand, was terrified because I had never attended
“Mate.” It was the most sensual sound I had ever heard, and the desire was evident in his voice. I hadn’t even seen his face yet, and I was already falling hard for this man, but I was terrified to turn around. What if this was an elaborate ruse to set me up for humiliation? What if he takes one look at me and is disgusted, or worse, he has already chosen a mate and plans to reject me. Images of Brent flash in my mind. That’s exactly what we planned to do. I’ve barely begun to experience the mate bond, and I can already understand why it was so hard for Brent to resist. As much as I dislike Heidi, suddenly I feel like I can empathize with her as I imagine my mate rejecting me for another. The thought sends a sharp pain to my chest, and I stumble forward, but large warm hands reach out to steady me. My skin exploded with pleasurable tingles that made my lower abdomen tighten. This is obviously not a joke or a trick. You can’t fake the effects of the mate bond. He doesn’t sa
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