Lilly's POV I'm not entirely sure if I am walking toward my destiny or away from it, all I do know is I feel like I am being pulled apart. As soon as I left the dining room, out into the crisp morning air, I felt the pull to go back... but something deep within me wants me to move forward also. I have never been so utterly confused before. Lo has been quiet during this who thing, which, from what I can remember, is typical of finding a mate. I am in this alone. My usual purposeful steps begin to waiver, and I am strolling around the side of the pack house considering if this is the right thing to do. Maybe this can wait. If my mate is male, he will either want my position... which isn't happening. If I am rejected because he doesn't want to be Luna, then I can't have my ceremony tonight. The further I wander around, the more my mind spirals. As I reach the corner of the building, I stop. Looked at the red brick, and bite my lower lip in contemplation. There is no going back fro
Violet's POVThe pulling would not ease up. As I made my way to my seat for breakfast, with Ce behind me, ever supporting me, I kept my eyes to the ground. Dread had begun to build in my gut as I made my way to my family. Please don't let it be Forrest I chanted in my mind. Although he is a lovely guy, I couldn't imagine being his mate. He and I are too dissimilar. He is all jokes and playfulness, which would wreak havoc on my already untamed wolf. As I sit, staring at my plate like it is the most exciting item in the world, I realise... this is not Beta behaviour! You are stronger than this! I chastise myself. I raise my head, looking around the table. I had drowned out the chatter among the parents in the room. Ever talking about business and warriors? Typical birthday breakfast then I smile to myself. I look to Ce, seated next to me with a stern look on his face. He points down with his fork to my plate with a scowl on his forehead. I realise he had served me a pancake while I los
Chapter 9Oakley POVI had wandered around the side of the packhouse when the pulling seemed to intensify. Knowing I couldn't go any further thanks to my damn wolf refusing to allow me back to my room for shoes, I stood there frozen. As I stare at the gravel of the packhouse driveway I realise how unappealing the walk across it would be, and would surely lead to serious injuries to my bare feet. I had been feeling my wolf pacing in my mind since I decided to pull away from this sensation, but now I can feel his smug happiness. The little shit has decided that now was the best time to become a demanding little…UGH. I just cannot accept another loss. If I turn around and throw myself at this sensation, only to realise it's a random rouge attack, then I will be broken once again. I suppose if I go back, and it is some random rogue, I can take out my frustration on the idiot that dare step foot in our pack lands. I heave a sigh knowing I don't have a choice in this. I have to turn aroun
Leo's POVIt felt as though time had slowed down as we barrelled through the forest towards home. I knew Kai was trying to reach me through the mindlink as we weaved through the trees, but my mind couldn't process a single word. The anticipation and anxiety over what I was returning to were eating me up inside. Who was my mate? What if it isn't my mate and Kai has gotten my hopes up for nothing? Will I ever get Sky’s arrogant ramblings back in my head if this isn't the mate bond? Although he hasn't retreated into the back of my mind, he has been unusually quiet. He has stayed with me so I can shift and run home, but will not tell me what is to come. Luckily, as he hasn't left me, I am able to sit in the back of my mind and give him control, but as we reach the border, I become aware that he is circling the territory. Although he hasn't slowed at all, he suddenly takes a sharp left, leaving Kai and me confused and flustered.‘Sky, where exactly are you going?’ I ask, but he doesn't rep
Lilly’s POV As unimpressed as I am that my newfound mate whipped me behind him like a damsel in distress, I can appreciate that his instinct took over. He found us less than five minutes ago, and although I know he has seen me train, that doesn't mean his wolf likes the idea of losing me before we have even had a chance to be together. The apologetic look he gave me as he glanced over his shoulder was enough to make me realise that he understood that he fucked up. Hopefully, that won't be an argument we continue to have in the future, because I will be nobody’s Luna. He will need to learn that I am his Alpha, and he cannot push me around, mate or not. I know I already love him. His broad shoulders and rippling muscles are… everything. He has trained with us for years, and Oakley is a beast. I worry that Violet will not be content with such a quiet and level-headed mate. She can be quite volatile and needs talking down from the edge more times than I can count. Although we are best f
Leo’s POVAs I grew closer, I could instantly recognise the future Alpha and Beta. Once Oakley reached me, I could instantly feel our bond snap, and although I am overjoyed to have my mate in my arms, I can't forget that he had his hands on them seconds ago. Now I have staked my claim, those damn she-wolves thought they could come back to him? No. He is mine and they will fucking learn their damn place. Alpha or not… I will not let her touch my mate again. After my growl, they both froze. But Lilly’s returning growl was clearly full of warning. Oakley places his hands on my shoulders, releasing a tingling all over my body. Clearly, he is trying to calm me, which, although it is working, I am slightly pissed off. Is he really trying to protect them? I am his fucking mate! I don't care what his damn problem is with me going toe-to-toe with these two, other than the prospect of them handing me my ass. I know they could… but I would go down swinging for my mate! Why won't he let me stak
Violets POVWith my pinkie finger locked around Lillies, and Leo’s arm around my waist, we walk back towards the packhouse. If we stayed out there much longer the whole pack would be witnessing much more than just a steamy kissing scene. All of my mates have me weak at the knees. Now, we have to inform our parents. As the current Alpha and Beta couples, they need to know we found our mates as soon as possible. The fear pumping through me is a result of our unusual mating situation. As long as I have been alive, there have never been more than three in a mate bond. To say that I am worried this will go badly is an understatement. Although my mates are happy and appear relatively calm, I can feel their apprehension through our bond. Knowing they can feel my consuming fear adds a hint of shame to our shared connection. How can I ever stand as Beta… or stand beside these amazing mates of mine… knowing that I will never equal their fearlessness? They are all prepared to face whatever is t
Lilly’s POVWe walked calmly to my mother's office, and I could feel my mate's anxiety. I know my mother better than anyone… other than my father I suppose. She is just going to be happy that the goddess has blessed me with my mates. Clearly, we will have some discussions about positions, as we have never had an alpha trio… not alone an Alpha Quad. I would be happy for Vi to continue to ascend to the Beta position, as long as they understand we will be sharing a home and a life together. Knowing that knocking before entering an office that would be mine in less than 9 hours would only incite a rant from my mother, I grab the door handle and stride in. Oakley keeps his hands on my hips as I enter first, trailed by my mates. My mother is sitting behind her glass desk, in her office chair, chatting on the phone. As we enter, her face lights up, as she turns to take in the view. I knew I could count on my mother to be understanding. Vi’s worries were all for nothing, for none of the elde
Selene's POV I had created some stubborn wolves in my time, and I knew Aspen was one of them. She could be energetic and fun loving, but also demanding and headstrong. I love all my wolves equally, and they all hold a place in my heart, so when I paired her with Violet, I thought I was doing the right thing. Violet can be quick to shut herself off from others and can be equally as stubborn as Aspen. I thought they would grow together and bring out new aspects in each other. I had overlooked how selfish and fearful Violet can be. We all have some selfishness to our personalities, and that’s ok, but this young Were is going too far these days. I had to watch one of my wolves, my children, being locked away and punished for being who I created her to be. I watched her whimper in this void, alone, time and time again. Aspen will always hold a special place in my heart, as I had sat in here many times and held her as she wept. She could never understand why her human couldn’t accept her
Violets POV That damn wolf locked me out. Is she shitting me? I am locked in the darkest recesses of my mind and cannot get out. I have tried. Pushing and slamming against the mental block she has me behind, but she's just too strong. The endless darkness is driving me crazy and being here naked isn't helping me much. I huff and slam my body down onto the floor... or what I assume is the floor, as it's all just bloody darkness. How could she do this to me? It's my bloody body and she knows that the human counterpart can get lost here forever if left for too long. I cross my arms across my chest and huff out a breath in tantrum. I don’t know what the benefit of that is, other than to just let this darkness around me know that I am pissed off. Why would she do this to me? Aspen cannot see past the mate bond and is letting it rule her. I won't allow that! We cannot sacrifice the lives of our pack, the future of our people, for the sake of one mate bond. And Goddess knows what this so
Leos POV I grip Aspen to me hard. Although Violet is being a pain in the ass, that doesn’t mean I want to lose her. So far, other than the ten minutes I had with my mates on the packhouse lawn, my mate bond has been sizzling with emotion and pain. I am physically and mentally exhausted, and I know my mates feel the same. “Are you sure about this Lilly? We could lose her.” I say to her with a crack in my voice. “I can't see any other way, Leo. She needs to realise what she has done. What she's doing and putting us through. None of us will mark her until she's back. That’s obviously something we need her to consent to.” she says with a loud sigh. I look at Oakley with pain in my eyes. I can't mark my mates? That fucking hurts. He holds Lilly tighter to his chest and can see he is struggling to maintain his composure right now. I know the feeling. Aspen wriggles her bare little ass on my legs where she's sat, and it takes all my control not to pull her up onto my crotch. I take a de
Lillys POV My mates fear and pain radiate through the bond to me. I haven't felt Violets for a while, so she's either numb, or has cut us off, and I am not sure which pisses me off more. I slammed her with my aura mainly to get her to stop hurting us. Hurting me. Oakley and Leo were boiling with pain, and I couldn’t take it. My Alpha blood responded to any one of my mates being in pain and even Willow is snarling at her. ‘Shes cut off Aspen’ Willow growls in anger. Shes slammed her wolf shut? Is she kidding? What right does she think she has to make decisions like this without her? “I always knew you could be fearful Violet, but I never knew you could be so selfish and cruel.” I growl out at her. I hear Leo and Oakley take a collective gasp, which would be funny if it weren't for the circumstances. “I... I'm not” she gasps out around her pain, and I don't let up. If I need to put her in her place, then I fucking will. “Yeah... then why are you hurting your mates? Why have you
Violets POV I can't help it. When he gets all Alpha asshole on me it's fucking hilarious. This whole situation is hilarious. I feel like I woke up this morning down the rabbit hole and I am the only sane person left on the planet. But I am cracking. I can feel the splintering of it in my soul. I haven't been able to connect to my mates properly since I fled the office. I think my acceptance of this being temporary has allowed me to cut them off. They are letting each other's emotions rule how they feel. If they took a second to think rationally, and not with their damn hormones, they would know I am right. I can't breathe for laughing and my lungs start to ache. I place my hand on my chest and realise, I am still naked thanks to my shift earlier on. Sitting here on Lilly's leather sofa, stark naked, laughing my ass off while my mates glare at me, and all I can think is ‘They are staring at me sat here in my birthday suit... on my birthday’. Tears start leaking out of my eyes at that,
Leo’s POV Things had just been getting fun when I felt Lillys emotions plummet. I haven't been feeling violet as strongly since her little escape, and I hadn't tried to tune into her. I am still too pissed that she has done that in the first place. I get that she needed time. I even somewhat understand she wanted space... but this girl has a knack for hurting us all. So far, she hurt Lilly when they met... Oakley when they met... me and my mates when we all met, with her fear when going to announce our mating to the Alpha... and again... by running. She didn’t even speak with us. Who does that? Lilly lets go of me and Oakley and goes to stand by Violet on the sofa. Me and Leo edge a little closer, supporting our mates in this confrontation. I see Lilly plant her feet and rest her hands on her fucking delicious hips. This raging hard on is going to kill me. These mates of mine need to get shit sorted so I can have my way with ALL of them, leaving my mark on everyone's neck, or I swear
Lillys POV “We need to stop my Alpha, or our mates will not like that we continued without them.” Leo growls at me. I am still pinned between his body and the wall, panting and wanton. He kissed the shit out of me, effectively ruining my underwear and any chance I had at sanity today. I know he is right, but that doesn’t make me anymore frustrated that he pulled away from me. With my legs wrapped tightly around his waist, I can feel the effect this little session has had on him, and he is just as affected as I am. It takes everything in me not to just tear his clothes from his perfect body and devour what's mine, but I know he's right. Violet and Oakley need to be here. “UGH. I know but it doesn’t mean I am happy about it.” I say, looking into his deep brown eyes. It's unfair of the goddess to bless a male with such perfect eyelashes. They are jet black and frame his deep eyes perfectly, splaying out over his undereye when he closes them. Any she-wolf would kill for those lashes. H
Violets POV Every step he took jolted my stomach, and the closer we got to the pack house, the more anxiety I felt. I know running wasn’t ideal. I know I hurt my mates. My wolf Aspen wouldn’t let me forget it. It was hurting me too. The pain was slicing through my chest the entire time. It was worse for me, as I was the one causing the pain. I just needed to run. To think. To breath. To exist without their decisions and emotions playing with my mind. Today has taken everything out of me. My whole family was a lie. My mate bond could risk my pack. My parents and their mates have denied themselves their full bond because they did not want to face what was to come. The destiny that has been put upon me. If they were this scared, then how the hell would I deal with this? I couldn’t. I know I couldn’t. My mates are going to hate me, but I just don’t think I am strong enough. I am not even strong enough to stand as Lillys Beta. It should have always been Ce. ‘Would you shut the hell up
Oakley's POV I knew I had to be the one to go after Violet. The moment she fled, I had to do the maths. If Lilly goes... She was too mad to be able to chase her. That would have been a damn nightmare. Leo was needed for Lilly. She was emotionally spent, and I know she needed him right now. So, I chased after her, with my Wolf River barking at me to move faster. I bolt out of the office after her, hearing her sobbing as she flees. I know shes horrified by what's happening. It's hard on all of us. But she doesn’t get to bolt on us. The three of us have been seared with pain since she stood up and bolted, the pain still ripping through my chest as I try to chase her without falling three flights of stairs. Whoever put that damn office so high up in this building, did not think it all the way through. As I hit the bottom step, I see her. Shes stood outside the packhouse front door. Hesitating. Her tight leggings hugging her perfectly round ass, and her shoulders heaving from the run do