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He Hurt Me, But He Needs Me 115
ViolettaDespite Ferrara’s reassurance, I still couldn’t get over the strange looks he was giving me. When Kenzi arrived in the middle of the afternoon to see if I wanted to go for a run, I gladly accepted. Even she looked taken aback that Ferrara didn’t ask to join. To my surprise, Kenzi wanted to run on two legs and not four.“What? It’s good to keep in shape,” she said defensively when she started to stretch.“I’m pretty sure our wolves keep us in shape.”She rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. I like to run to clear my mind.”“And you wanted me to join you?” When she didn’t answer, I wrinkled my nose. “Is Ferrara making you do this?”“Look, I’m trying to take my new role of being his third seriously, and that means getting along with you. I’m making the effort on my own. You don’t owe me for saving you. That was my job. Now I’m just trying to bond with you a bit. Do you want to run, bitch, or not?”It was all I could do not to laugh. “I guess I want to run.”“Good. You are so difficult,
Last Updated : 2025-01-04He Hurt Me, But He Needs Me 116
FerraraSaul’s frustration was etched on every inch of his face. London looked ready to howl, and Ava and Janelle glared at each other as we all stood in the hall and looked through the window. Makayla was in human form but non-responsive.“My theory is that her wolf put her in the coma. We were having a conversation, and I saw a tinge of blue, and then she collapsed,” Saul said tiredly. “Her system is shutting down. I’m considering giving her a half dose to see if that will buy us a little more time, but I’m worried about the damage it will do in the long term. I’m sorry, London. I truly thought we’d have a few more days before she would need another dose. I still haven’t figured out what those last two compounds are.”“Her wolf?” I interrupted. “Not the creature on steroids?”Saul nodded. “The effects wore off enough that she seemed to realize what was happening. As it was, we were discussing a medically induced coma to see if I could put her in some sort of stasis.”“Can her wolf h
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ViolettaDoing my best to hide my horror, I watched as Ferrara’s wolf came out and grew right before my eyes. He was easily bigger than Makayla’s wolf, but with the same issues. A hunched back. Dark patchy hair. His muzzle was the wrong proportions, and when he settled on all four legs, he roared.“Ferrara,” I snapped and moved so I was directly in front of him. “Stop that right now.”His eyes narrowed, and my heart skipped a beat. When I looked into his eyes, I didn’t see a speck of Ferrara in there. Still, I didn’t move. “Don’t panic. Don’t run. Just listen to me. You know me. You love me.”Those words were hard to say out loud, but I found our mating bond. It was still there, healthier than ever. I pushed as much calm through it as I could, and he lowered his head. People were starting to gather, and I could feel the tension in the air.I never took my eyes off Ferrara. “I need someone to alert London and Cruz what has happened. Someone needs to tell security that there is a traito
Last Updated : 2025-01-04He Hurt Me, But He Needs Me 118
ViolettaSaul pulled so many samples from me that I felt like a pin cushion. He did eventually have to stop once Ferrara’s growls started to sound more animal than human. When I offered to go to a different room, Ferrara’s hand wrapped around my arm and refused to let go.For a weak shifter, he was still very strong.“This will do for now,” Saul said. “I’ll be in the lab if you need me. Do what you can to keep him human. Makayla started having issues with shifting, and I imagine Ferrara will too. Remember, the longer he stays human, the more time we have.”I sent Amelia on a trip to round up as many items of entertainment as she could find and climbed into the bed with him. He was so damn pale, and I feared that I wasn’t going to be able to hide my panic for much longer.“You can do this. I stayed a human for months once,” I reminded him. “But then, I always did suspect that I was a little stronger than you.”Ferrara rolled his eyes and shifted to make room for me. I was careful not t
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FerraraI managed to catch her before she hit the floor.Mate.My wolf came tearing out of me, but unlike last time, I did not hand over the reins. Grounding myself at the surface, I roared as I shifted. The bed broke under me, and I clutched at Violetta’s body.Something had happened. Had she been poisoned? How could someone have gotten to her?Healer. Healer, now.I agreed with the monster living inside of me. His own fears of his mutation were stowed. Violetta was in trouble, and we needed to help her. Holding her as gently as I could, I kicked the door down and roared.The door opened at the end of the hall, and a woman I didn’t recognize stared at me in shock.Danger. Surrounded by danger.Clutching Violetta, I howled and barreled toward the woman. With a scream, she jumped out of the way, and I entered the main part of the infirmary. Frantically, I searched for Saul’s bond to call for him only to remember that I’d broken it off.Kenzi.I pulled hard on her bond and turned my hea
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Ferrara"You should rest."I glanced down at the woman in the wheelchair. "You're one to talk. You look like hell."Makayla wrinkled her nose. "There was a time we both looked like hell, and this is not that time."It was true. We were both running around like wolves on crack and steroids, which was uncomfortably close to the truth. The only difference was that I'd been shot protecting Violetta, and she'd willingly taken the drug.As I stared down at her, I had to remember that it was not her fault. She'd done it to save her sister, and in the end, thanks to Saul, she had. Both she and her sister were on the mend.I stared at the closed door. On the other side was a guest room in London's house where Violetta's unconscious body lay. After a week of staring at her in the hospital bed, I'd had enough. She wasn't sick. She wasn't injured. There was no need for her to be in the hospital except that Saul was worried she'd suddenly injure herself.In the end he caved, and we moved her. At t
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Ferrara"No."I growled into the phone. "You don't get to tell me no. I'm your alpha.""And I'm not a wolf," Irene said succinctly. "Look, I like Lunessa. And I love Violetta. I owe her everything, and if you'd told me what was happening sooner, I might already have an answer for you. Three weeks!""For the record, I was in a coma for two of those weeks. Her vitals are good.""Great. Give me more time.""But I don't know what's happening inside her mind. Sometimes her heart is racing like she's terrified. Other times it's calm. If I can't find a way to pull her out soon, she could go insane. Her magic is eating away at her, Irene.""Half a witch," Irene whispered. "I've been inside her mind, Ferrara. I never saw a single spark of magic. Hiding magic is incredibly powerful. Most of us find other ways to get around it. There's no way she did this as a child. She wouldn't have had the training. Someone cast this spell with her magic, and that is...Ferrara, I can't imagine what we're up a
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FerraraRolling her eyes, Lunessa pointed to the door. "I think they might find it difficult to get in now. How've you been, London? You took Ava in as your witch? Really?""She's ten times the witch you ever were," London snarled."Now you're just lying, and that's not like you."I'd never seen Lunessa like this. She'd always been so regal and calm.In the face of London, she was downright petty.I turned to Irene and helped her steady herself. "Are you all right?""Yeah." Irene glared at Lunessa. "Once I told her where we were going, she dropped me. I barely clung to her."To her credit, Lunessa reddened. "Sorry," she muttered. "It wasn't intentional. I was just a little surprised when you said where we were going."Rising, London turned his wrath on me. "You did this? You can pack up your wolves and leave. Today. Your sanctuary has been revoked.""I'll be going with him," Amelia said softly. "As will Saul. And Violetta.""I don't care," London snarled. There was a beat of silence,
Last Updated : 2025-01-10
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He Hurt Me, But He Needs Me 163
ViolettaAnother night without Ferrara. I wasn't sleeping well, and as I trudged up to my room after a late night dinner in the mess hall, I considered calling Jenson and asking some more questions about the operations that were not day-to-day. Pulling out my phone, I remembered that he was planning to spend the night with Irene. So far, Maeve had not made another appearance, but I knew Irene was scared.She needed Jenson more than I did.Pocketing my phone, I turned down the hall and stopped short. There were noises coming from my bedroom.Loud noises.Squealing?Laughter. It abated, and I opened the door cautiously. Amelia, Kenzi, Cindy, Janelle, and Ava had piled onto my bed. There was a huge spread of food on the table, and music playing from a speaker somewhere."Hi," I said dumbly. "What is happening here?""Girl's night!" Janelle called out. When I stared at her, she frowned. "You've never had a girl's night, have you?""Did Jenson put this together because he was tired of me c
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ViolettaOne by one, I bonded with the others. Lucy, Raven, and Carla. I was desperate not to show it, but bonding the four women in quick succession drained me. Finn and Kenzi left to shower and rest, and Jenson escorted me back to my room."When was the last time you've eaten?" he asked in a low voice."I had a box of crackers on the way here," I claimed proudly. Okay, a box was stretching the truth. I'd had maybe five or six crackers."Rest. I'm going to have food sent up to you," he ordered.I was tired, but that didn't mean I was going to shirk my duties. "As soon as Finn and Kenzi have showered, I need to talk with them," I protested."They've been pushing themselves for days. They're going to need more than a shower. They're going to rest, and we can all have dinner together."He stopped at my bedroom, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "You are not supposed to order me around.""Uh-huh. I liked it better when you were a submissive," he sighed. "Rest. Eat. There will be plenty for
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Violetta"I don't understand. You accessed your magic in human form before, when your wolf forced you to use it. Do I need to fatally wound someone to let that happen?" Evalina snarled in frustration at my recent failure.Today's assignment? Offensive magic. All I had to do was move a stick.One lousy stick.Instead, I was covered in sweat, and the stick just sat in its original place in the grass, mocking me."I wouldn't risk it. I don't think me moving this stick is going to save anyone today," I panted and sat down in the grass. This was a better workout than any cardio. Muscles I didn't even know I had ached at the strain of trying to move that damn branch.I expected the Crone to force me up, but she just went unnaturally still, and her eyes grew vacant. Worried it was Maeve, I jumped to my feet, but she held out her hand. "It's Lunessa. They've made it to the compound. She and your mate are fine."Blowing out my breath, I relaxed. I knew Ferrara was fine. I could still feel him
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FerraraIt was Saris who put her hand out. "Please. I have told Broderick many times that his enthusiasm is enough to send anyone screaming into the forest. Eat your dinner. Stay the night. You will no longer be pestered with questions.""She is right," Broderick sighed. "I would never forgive myself if I scared you straight into the arms of danger."I let my gaze linger on Saris for a bit longer. She was pretty, almost in an ethereal way, and maybe that's why I sensed something odd about her. I'd certainly never met a human like her.Was she Broderick's mate? I didn't sense a mating bond, but she had some sort of control over him.Glancing back at Lunessa, I sighed and took my seat once again. "One night for your hospitality, we will try to answer a few of your questions in the morning. I will answer them," I amended. "And then we will be on our way."They seemed pleased with that, and we finished our dinner with light conversation. There were no more questions about Emerson. At the
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FerraraRelief swept through me when I didn't recognize the grizzled man at the head of the table. Not that he would recognize me, with this face, but it still helped. Lunessa clutched my arm as we were escorted to the table, and I pulled the chair out for her."Thank you for your kindness," I said quietly. "My mate and I have had a difficult journey. My name is Kenrys, and this is Luana.""To be true to ourselves, we must extend our hand to those who need it," the wolf said in a gravelly voice. "I am Broderick. The man to my left is Henry, and the lovely lady to my right is Saris."Broderick's wolf was powerful, and he didn't hesitate to unleash that power at the dinner table. I bowed my head and avoided meeting his eyes as I took the chair. My wolf, hidden behind Lunessa's magic, grumbled unhappily, but he didn't try to break free. He knew what we were doing here and what he needed to do.Henry was a witch. I could sense the magic in him, but Saris seemed completely human. Not a dro
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FerraraLunessa was exhausted. We were within several miles of the coordinates given to us, and she already looked the part in the role that we were about to play. Dirt streaked her face and clothes, and dark circles hung under her eyes, and I knew it wasn't the glamour she'd donned. I'd seen her shimmer from her dark hair to blonde, from her dark eyes to blue, adjusting the structure of her body and even shortening her height and giving herself more curves.There'd been no dirt on her then. We'd moved as fast as we could, and the witch had lied about being all right with the pace we were making.Now she winced from the blisters I knew had to be on her feet. I could smell her blood, and the quiet whimpers she thought she was hiding were built from rock-solid determination.She had a stake in this fight. I didn't know if it was just about protecting the witches or her friends, and I had started to think of her as a friend, or something else entirely. Now that we were so close to the co
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ViolettaMindy was dead. I'd met her for the first time just a few days ago, crossing her path after one of my failed magic attempts. She'd smiled shyly at me and told me that I was glowing. The thought of that soft and sweet voice made my heart ache. She'd been on the guard for less than six months.But I couldn't focus on that now. There were rogue wolves pouring out of the woods, and they'd broken the first line of defense. Jenson and I met up with a wolf barreling our way before we could even reach the skirmish. I shifted instantly, launching myself at him. He was easily twice my size, but I didn't have to worry. While he pinned me down, Jenson slit his throat.Ruthless and efficient. I'd always known, but it was a little terrifying to see the second in action. Jenson shifted afterward and caught up with me. Together, we took down another rogue wolf before we happened upon Mindy's body.Rage filled me, and I ripped into the fray. Whatever the rogue's plan, these wolves were nothin
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ViolettaI had questions. Why was she asking? Who was she asking for? Amelia refused to tell me, and I hoped it wasn't for her. Whatever she and Finn were going through, she didn't deserve to miss out on the chance of having a mate. Especially when they were both so great.Ferrara and I had dinner alone. I peppered him with questions about the day-to-day operations of the pack, and he answered all of them patiently while reminding me that Jenson would also be here to help me.Not the other way around, which I strongly suggested.After getting settled in the bed, he pulled me across his lap and wrapped his arms around me. "We can drive for eight hours of the trip, but then we'll have to travel for a day and a half on foot. Lunessa will be hiding much of her magic so she just seems like an ordinary witch, and I'll be pulling in my power as well. Evalina is also providing us with glamour bags so no one will recognize us.""A witch might see the glamour bag," I said with a frown."It does
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ViolettaIt did not take me long to find Amelia. She was at her usual desk, hunched over her computer. Her eyes were rimmed red. I knew Ferrara was forcing her to take breaks, eat healthier, and sleep at night, so I had a feeling her red eyes weren't just from screen fatigue."How's it going," I asked casually as I hopped up on the desk.She didn't answer."So Ferrara is taking Lunessa to go after the cult. Weird that they didn't want to involve me, given that I'm the subject of the day and his mate. Instead, he thinks it's best to leave me here to run the pack with Jenson. You know, I don't think Jenson and I have had a single conversation out of the you don't belong here, you're not worthy of him crap he used to tell me before this. Now we're going to run a pack together. Are you worried, because I am totally not worried. Okay, I'm a little worried. Do you miss Finn? If you're worried that he and Kenzi are getting it on, I wouldn't. Finn's not an idiot, and only an idiot would get i
