Juniper felt very nervous about seeing Adara again. She had made it clear at their last meeting that she wanted nothing to do with her. She couldn’t really blame her, could she? “I don’t know if she’ll show up.”On Friday morning Juniper woke up early and took a shower. The water was nice and hot. She took her time washing her hair. She turned the shower off when she felt the heat dissipate. She dried her hair and took care with her make up. She got dressed and was about to open the door when Adrian hammered on it.“What’s taking you so long?” he shouted through the door.She opened the door with an apology and sat down in front of the paper bag Adrian had brought in. She took a donut and ate it with relish while sipping the terrible coffee.“At least you look much better.” Adrian walked past her into the bathroom and Juniper smiled as she heard Adrian curse at the cold water while focusing her gaze on the terrible coffee and sipped it. The man really had terrible taste in coffee. He
Adara stood on the outside of the restaurant and wondered what Juniper had meant. Why use the back door? She walked up the block and peered around the corner. She saw a man standing in the parking area with his back to her, clearly shouting at Juniper. Juniper got into the car and he drove off in a hurry. She felt like she knew him and thought maybe he could be Adrian Peters but she wasn’t sure.She felt a stab of betrayal as she saw Juniper with the man that had killed almost her entire pack, if it was in fact him. She looked at her watch and hurried to her car. She didn’t want Kiran to arrive home before she did.On the drive home Adara chastised herself. What was Juniper’s plan? Why was she helping Adrian? Was she planning on doing something to her? All these thoughts played through Adara’s mind. More importantly, she wasn’t sure how she was going to tell Kiran about this.She parked her car in the driveway and quickly went inside. It was five to two. Kiran and Christian would be h
“Beware the wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Malachi repeated Karani’s warning.I looked at Malachi with a frown. “You think Juniper is that wolf?”“Who else?” Malachi said and I thought about it.“She gave Adara a Rune necklace that apparently belonged to her mother.”“Perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps Juniper is trying to make amends. She was quite shocked at the truths she heard at the tribunal.” I wasn’t convinced enough not to be mad anymore.“She still should have told me when Juniper phoned her. Why go meet her behind my back?” I said finally and got up again. I held my hand out to Malachi and pulled him up.“That you will have to ask her.” Malachi landed three shots to my rib cage before I could blink. I grunted and held my hands up.“Enough for today. You’ll break me!” I said to him and he laughed. Our time was up anyway and I went to find Christian.“See you at home?” I asked him.“Ten minutes.” Malachi said to me and I left the gym.I found Christian sitting in the foyer eating ice-crea
Adrian had yelled at Juniper all the way back to the campground. “I should just shoot you!” Her eyes were wide with fear.“How was I supposed to know that she would just leave?” Juniper tried to reason with him. He was beyond angry and for the first time in a long while she was afraid for her life.“What did you say to her?” Adrian’s voice was calm now and that frightened her more than his shouting. “Tell me everything exactly like it happened.” There was a warning to his voice.“I congratulated her on her wedding and asked her if she was happy.”“Something must have happened for her to leave so quickly,” Adrian argued.“I gave her a necklace that used to belong to her mother. Maybe she was emotional over that and decided to leave.” Juniper kept her voice even to cover her tracks of deceit.Despite her sins of the past, she didn’t feel right letting Adara walk into Adrian’s trap. She had a lot to atone for and this might be the first step in the right direction if she was ever going t
With a smile on his face, Adrian drove to the daycare; it was quarter to two. He sat in his truck parked down the street and waited. Kiran’s Jeep parked up the street right across from the daycare. Adrian looked at his watch and he was pleased to see that Kiran kept to a routine. It would make his job so much easier.Kiran was on his phone, smiling as he got out of the Jeep and walked across the street. A bell rang in the distance and he watched Kiran walk into the school building. He came back a few minutes later carrying Christian in one arm and his backpack in his other hand.They were laughing and Adrian could tell he was relaxed as he drove off with Christian in the direction of their house. Adrian had been waiting for that. A relaxed Kiran meant Malachi and Adara would also be relaxed and once he kicked off his new plan they wouldn’t know what hit them. He loved it when a plan came together and this time he would have the upper hand. They had no idea that he was back in Seward a
Things at home were tense. Adara and I barely spoke and when we did it was in monosyllables and only when we had to talk to each other. I was still furious with her but we were both equally stubborn and refused to give an inch.She hadn’t yet told me the full story and my patience was wearing thin. The Alpha force in me refused to stand down and the downside was that Adara ignored me as much as I was ignoring her.In the mornings I’d take Christian to school and go to work. I immersed myself in my assignments and poured all my energy into work and meetings. In the afternoons I’d pick Christian up and come back to the hotel without stopping at home.We would train with Malachi and some days without him, depending on his own schedule. We would both shower in the hotel’s gym and go home for dinner. After a few days even Christian picked up on the tenseness at home.“Why are you mad at Adara?”I was lying next to Christian on his bed and we’d just finished his second story of the night. “
Adrian opened his eyes and a smile appeared on his face. He felt rested, invigorated and ready. Today was the day. His warehouse project was complete and he woke Juniper up with his special blended coffee with a spring in his step. His plan was perfect. He couldn’t help the tingle of pleasure that raced up his spine. It was the same tingle he got when he was close to orgasm. If he had more time, he’d find relief in the bathroom, but he was pressed for time as it was.Juniper looked at Adrian and felt another shiver go up her spine as he handcuffed her to the chair and stuffed a face cloth in her mouth before taping over it. He seemed very happy and she heard his whistling all the way to the car.Adrian bided his time and an hour after Kiran had dropped Christian off at daycare, he parked his car in front of the building. He walked inside with a confidence that only he could muster and smiled at the receptionist who smiled back at him.“Hi there, can I help you with something?” She was
Christian was sitting on the bed, looking around. He hadn’t yet touched the water and he just sat there quietly, holding on to the tattered blue rabbit like his life depended on it. Satisfied that everything was going according to plan, he headed back to his car.He drove the car out of the warehouse and left it running while he pulled the big doors of the warehouse closed behind him and drove off. A while later he stopped at the campground and unlocked the cabin’s door.Juniper still sat on the chair, her mouth taped shut and her hands handcuffed behind her. He pulled the tape off roughly and Juniper winced when he pulled the cloth out of her mouth and then uncuffed her hands.“Pack your stuff, we’re leaving.” Adrian never asked her to do something, he just gave instructions.“Where are we going?” Juniper asked him.“Just do what you’re told!” Juniper jumped in fright as he snapped at her.She got her suitcase and packed her clothes. In fifteen minutes she was ready to leave and saw
Adara and Kai were discharged the next morning, and I was eager to take them home. Her healing had kicked in and they were both doing really well. The baby room had been ready for weeks and my sense of duty and responsibility toward them came naturally.Our first night at home was spent in Kai’s room. Adara and I stood by his crib and just watched him as he slept. He was absolutely perfect.“Thank you, Adara. I hope he got the best parts of both of us,” I said.“I’m sure he did,” she said softly.I kissed her and kept my arms around her. She yawned and I nudged her toward the door. She needed sleep more than I did and she sighed with contentment when I pulled her against me after we got into bed.“I’ll always love both of you,” I whispered.The pack had gone overboard with their congratulations and Malachi had instant love in his eyes the first time he held him. I could only imagine how he’d felt the very first time he’d held me.It was a love so instant that it scared you, the fear w
Life was as it should be. Normal and boring. I finished up in the study that Malachi had now handed over to me, but it felt odd to say that it was mine. It was almost midnight as I checked the doors and windows. I did this every night, it still bothered me how Bryan had so easily entered our house, twice.I climbed into bed next to Adara and she automatically moved towards me. I put my hand on her stomach and I felt little bumblebee kick in response. I smiled as I closed my eyes. I must have slept for three hours when something woke me.I sat up in bed and listened. The house was quiet. I got up and ran to the bathroom and vomited into the toilet. My head pounded and I felt dizzy. Something was wrong somewhere. I sat on the bathroom floor and after ten minutes the nausea went away. I splashed water on my face and went back to the bedroom. I was just getting back into bed when Adara sat up, she was in agony.“What is it?” I asked her suddenly.“The baby… it hurts!” She screamed loudly
John looked disapprovingly at me and Malachi was in my head instantaneously. “What the hell did you just do?”He was anxious and nervous. I looked around me, the whole den was quiet, and everybody looked at me because I had killed a man that had tapped out. John walked into the circle.“Kiran! Do you care to explain? He tapped out and still you killed him!” John’s voice was stern as I still stood over Alexander’s body.“Wolf law nine, no claim shall be made on an Alpha’s position without due cause.” Malachi frowned slightly as I spoke to John.“That’s your excuse? An unlawful claim?” John shook his head as I smiled.“Subsection nine point twelve, any unlawful claim proven to be false shall be reverted back to the original pack with immediate effect without the Alpha having to defend his position, should a claim fight be the result, it shall be a fight of dominance.” John started laughing.“Quite right, that law hasn’t been used in many years.” John stated, and looked at me.Bryan look
I didn’t tell James or Adara about what had transpired in the kitchen in the late hours of that night. I wasn’t even sure that I believed it myself. Could it really be possible to get our pack status back?Malachi had also kept quiet and nine days later we received the summons to gather our pack at the den. John had informed Malachi that The Council would be present at this claim and that he would take charge of it himself.This time Adara and Shoran and Christian went to the den with us. Our whole pack gathered with us there and I was nervous. I hadn’t told her yet that I would be the one to fight Alexander and become Alpha of our pack. I didn’t think anybody besides us four in the kitchen that night knew.We stood in the den as Bryan brought in Alexander. He wasn’t pleased at being brought in by The Council. John Whitcombe and the other members were seated behind a table pretty much in the same way they had when we had been accused of murder. The difference this time was that we wer
Malachi had returned to work and there was a new energy around him. He smiled more until I had to sit him down one evening and have a talk with him. Adara had read Christian his story and they had both fallen asleep in his bed. I had carried her to our room when I went to check on Christian.Now I sat in the kitchen and waited for Malachi to return. It was eleven pm when his car finally drove into the garage. He walked into the kitchen and looked at me and I nodded at the chair next to me.He sat down and started laughing. “Why does this seem so familiar?” I laughed as well as it brought back memories.“I want to talk to you about drafting a will for me.”“Yes, it’s a good idea to make sure everyone is cared for should something happen to you.”We’ve had too many run ins and one day my luck would eventually run out and I wanted everything to stay in the family. I wanted to ensure that the children especially were looked after.“We should do it as soon as the baby is born.”“Thanks, Da
Jessica was good for his soul. Malachi found that he really liked her, all of her. She didn’t block anything from him and she was brutally honest. They spent as much time together as they could and after two months Malachi realized that they were a couple.“You do realize that technically we’re a couple.”They were laying in her bed one afternoon as Malachi played with her hair. Jessica laughed and turned her head to look at him.“Dude, we’ve been a couple since that day in your office.”She made him laugh and she made him feel good about himself without asking anything of him in return. She was just there, and he started laughing as he realized that he was in love with her.“We should tell Kiran.” Malachi sat upright in bed and checked his phone. It had been on silent the whole afternoon.“Why? Do we need his permission?” Jessica licked her lower lip and Malachi smiled.“No.”Jessica pushed him back down on the bed and bit his earlobe. “You are way too serious, Malachi.”“Why hide it
Malachi and Jessica held hands all the way back to Seward and she directed him to her house. He stopped the Navigator in front of the house and Jessica turned towards him. Malachi wanted to kiss her, undress her and touch every inch of her skin.“I like you, Malachi, but there is one more thing I have to tell you.” Jessica swallowed nervously.“It can’t be that bad.” Her nerves had him on edge. She didn’t come across as someone fearing anything but he knew whatever she had to tell him, it was important and likely to change things between them.“I slept with Kiran.” She watched Malachi’s face intently for some sort of reaction.“Okay…”“We were seventeen, he had just broken up with Sarah. We were both wasted and it just happened.”Malachi looked at her, listening; it was the truth he heard. Jessica’s mind was so open and she hid nothing from him, certain things were off limits, he could sense it and he didn’t delve deeper than what she was ready to tell him, but what she did show him w
Malachi smiled as he walked out of his office and found Jessica leaning against the front of the Navigator, looking care-free and young. She was young and he wasn’t so young anymore. She was also beautiful, intriguing and intelligent. She was still too young for him.“Took you long enough.” Jessica removed her sunglasses and smiled.“You are something else.” Malachi unlocked the doors and Jessica climbed into the passenger seat.“You can take me to dinner or a late lunch or whatever you want to call it.” She made herself comfortable in the seat and put her safety belt on. Malachi felt at ease, calm and happy. That emotion shocked him a little because he never thought he’d feel that again.Malachi could only smile as he drove out of the parking lot and headed towards the highway, heading out of Seward and in the general direction of Sterling.“Where are we going, handsome?” Malachi laughed as Jessica winked at him.“You know, I’m much too old for you.” Malachi glanced at her. She was d
Malachi sat in his office and thought of the events that had happened the last two weeks. He still couldn’t believe that they had escaped unscathed. If George Haynes had been a different Alpha, he and Kiran would both be dead.Malachi wiped a hand over his face. He had wanted to die that night; he’d wanted to die ever since Karani had died. She had been the other half of his soul and he saw no reason to go on without her.Even though he was an outcast now he knew that their pack would always remain intact no matter what status they had. He didn’t want to die anymore and he didn’t want to be Alpha either. He only regretted that Kiran would suffer the same consequences. He would’ve made a terrific Alpha.“Sorry Malachi.” Tim Oakes had been on his phone, leaving Malachi alone with his thoughts.“No problem. We can finalize the contract next week and you’ll be the proud new owner of the beach front cabins.”“Thank you. I really appreciate all the hard work you’ve put in.”Malachi and Tim