The last place I visit before heading to the office is the holding cell. In less than a minute my presence was registered by the occupant and he shuffled backwards attempting to hide without my reach. Veron's head is lowered in submission but also shame. He shouldn't be here. "Alpha. " I just stare at him, hands folded, leaning against the cells. "You're an idiot. If she was my mate, there would've been nothing stopping me from tearing your throat out. Trust me. " Fear and remorse crosses his face as he hangs his head. "I didn't know she was his mate. " "It's not a matter of whether or not she is. It's the fact that she was already under our protection from his order. The only reason you're in one piece currently is because he's more distracted with keeping her safe and the rest of the pack. That and the fact that her injury wasn't life threatening. " "He trusted you, Veron. Your actions are disappointing. When you're out carrying out your own agendas, how do you expect the res
When I awake from slumber, Rider is gone and the spot where he fell asleep beside me cold against the sheets. I'm not even sure when he switched our sleeping spot. I was probably too high on the warmth of him to probably give a damn anyway. I've got a soul mate. Rider is my soulmate. The thought still stirs as ridiculous in my head. That something so predestined actually existed. It's completely inhuman. He's a wolf, my mind reminds me. "God I'm mated to an animal, " I mumbled running a hand across my face. The fact sounds even more ridiculous out loud. How am I supposed to explain my new relationship to my parents? Oh hey dad, mom, uh this is my mate and we'll both be living in the woods happily ever after. "What could seriously be worse than this?" I muse. He could've been a vampire, my mind responds and I bite my lip. Oh, right. That probably would be creepy. Having your boyfriend drinking your blood to keep him alive. That was a walking oxymoron. Bright side is that Rider
RIDER We walked together, Halie glancing about curiously as we headed back to my cabin. Her fingers clenched tightly around mine and I could see the tension between her shoulders. "Do you want to go rabbit hunting with me?" Her feet pauses as she turns slowly to regard me, her expression twisted into both confusion and alarm. "What?" "Rabbit hunting, " I reply. "It's fun. " Halie tugs her hands from mine folding them across her chest. "I know what you said. I'm just appalled that you'd have the gall to ask. " "They're just rabbits. " I say shrugging. "They're also very cute Rider, " She shot back. "I can't believe you'd ask me to murder innocent fluffy animals. " "You eat chicken don't you? What's the difference? They'restill innocent. " "They're only cute when their chicks. " she responds as if that should make it more acceptable. My eyes sweep the forest floor before floating baçk to my mate, a smile immediately falling to my lips as I pull her into my arms. Her cheeks ins
RIDER I conceded. Really I was left with no choice. Halie's idea of making it up to me was singing. Not a nightmare I'd like to relive anytime soon. As I walk towards the saloon, I wonder if this was how my father felt, being wrapped around my mother's finger. A man that's bent on discipline and a creature of habit. He seldom leaned towards anything that wasn't issued by our Alpha. I was still weary of the idea of having Halie without my reach especially given Jax's warning. I sigh. Halie's right, I have to trust her. The door to the saloon swings open with a squeak revealing men all getting shit faced, pining away their misery in drunkenness. My heart went out, subdued by the darkness that loomed over the room. I shouldn't be here, but hell, the least I could do was not ostracize myself from them. I found Oliver drowning himself likewise- not even sure why I'm not surprised at this point. "Joining the piss party?" He asked after taking another swing of his drink. "Not that I ca
I know what I did, leaving Rider and disregarding what he said was stupid, but he'll get over it. He has to, he was not going to let me stay here and have anxiety attacks about whether he was fearing well or not. Especially not after the last time he went out and got shot! And Jax was with him last time- just saying. I caught up to Quinn just as the last set of wolves shifted and disappeared into the forest. Damn they moved fast. "You're not gonna shift too?" "How will you keep up if I shift?" "Good point" "You know if you keep disregarding him like that he'll eat you one day. " "What?" I exclaimed alarmed. "You guys eat people?" Quinn shrugged nonchalantly as if this shouldn't be a bother to me. "Sure. But only on full moons. " he says grinning. I took a large step back, contemplating whether I really wanted to step foot into a forest crawling with carnivorous animals. I mean sure wolves are carnivores but I didn't expect that human flesh was a delicacy. Quinn takes in my pa
"Drop him!" Yelled the man at Quinn. "Drop him now or I'll shoot!" What! My mind yelled. Quinn growled in response, his teeth sinking further into the man's shoulder as he dragged him further across the ground while the latter squealed in pain. He wasn't laughing now, was he? I thought. It didn't feel so hot either, having teeth in your shoulder. My eyes darted between the two enemies, neither willing to become a prisoner or surrender and between both, this was about to get down right bloody and ugly. "Hey, " screamed the nervous man. "Didn't you just hear what I said? Spit him out!" He stomped his feet and I rolled my eyes. Honestly what did he think that would achieve? As much as I wanted to just stay hidden, I couldn't. The man cocked his gun this time and when he pulled the trigger, I had an instant headache. I fell to my knees seeing Quinn fall over, thinking of how much blood he was actually losing. My mind had conjured so many episodes of this, except accepting the real
GUTTED That's how I felt. Deeply and irrevocably GUTTED. Did Rider really just run away from me? Tears stung the back of my eyes but I refused them clearance. I stuck my foot into the ground, grit my teeth and marched back over to Quinn feeling like a complete mess. I knew he wasn't happy with me tagging along and maybe he thought I was a nuisance, but I was his mate. That had to count for something right? I thought we were making progress. Sure he wasn't happy with being on his own last night but I needed to sort my feelings with Moi. I've got a boyfriend that's literally half an animal. That's not news a girl can swallow without having a nervous breakdown. On top of it all, I didn't know what any of this meant. Did it mean I'd have to stay here with him, would he come back to school with us? And to top it all off, there's a maniac that's obviously interested in me for some weird reason. Sure I haven't seen Ragna since the night he claimed he wanted me as his mate but....he ser
RIDER That was it. I had e-f***ing-enough. Every fiber of my being was pricked with awareness while my vision saw red. Damn rogues. Tonight wasn't the least fit for anything. Between fighting with Halie and the hunter I was beyond spent, now this?! My lips curled back into a snarl as I watched my opponent. What the hell was Ragna's goal having them come after us like this? His little mongrels were all over the place. Was the pack alright? No, they were fine, Jax would do everything in his power to ensure the remainder of our pack would survive. Wouldn't exactly be his happy number taking on that deranged wolf on his own but our hands were tied. Still, it places me on edge to no end to know we were out of communication range with him. F***ing hunters! We had bigger problems, right now, I reminded myself. More so Halie, than anyone else. We were some distance apart, which means I'd have to think carefully about how to get to where she is; before one of them decided to have her for
RIDER I hurried home, running through the living area and headed for my room grabbing my travel bag. I hadn't seen Halie since she left, haven't heard from her, wouldn't even know who to ask. But I had promised that we'd only be apart temporarily and I meant it. 'You're leaving!!' Quinn's voice screams in my head. 'When were you planning on telling me this?' 'Hopefully before you had the chance of screaming my ear off' I responded in the link. 'I give up my position too' Oliver says joining the conversation. I pause, grabbing a shirt and then two more. I wasn't sure how long I'd get to stay with her- not that I was hurrying, but I couldn't put off going to find Jax either. The asshole hadn't left a clue about his whereabouts and I pray to Selene that he hasn't gone Berserker either, but I'm almost sure he might have said something to Moi about where he might be. And that's what I'm counting on. 'No you can't' I reply to Oliver. 'What? You just walked away from yours'. 'I'm thi
RIDER I watched as Halie left, feeling the longing in her heart to stay. I wanted her to stay but she couldn't. With Jax gone, my father and the new Alpha would try to keep both her and Moi in holding. It had to be something special why an Alpha of all ranks chose a human for a mate. I haven't even divulged that she was my mate. But I wasn't gonna wait around for either secs to accept it. I only stayed to ensure there was no abuse of the Red Devil pack members. I was standing behind Halie's oath to give them safe passage. Which is what the argument between us is. "We rebuilt most of the destroyed buildings, men are working on the fences to get them up again. " Oliver explains. He is just as exhausted as I am at our Alpha's stubbornness. He might have been his father-in-law, but I swear Oliver rolls his eyes and mutters beneath his breath 'If it wasn't for Allison and the pup'. No one wants to deal with either of them. Neither my father or the current Alpha and the fact that I was
I was still pissed that Rider took his ex along but I knew he didn't do it on purpose. It's not like he could send her back. Besides the whole fact that I can't even think straight, Moi is dead and in the heat of things, Rider decides to admit that he loves me. Now, his pregnant ex tags along. I've been avoiding him for days now ever since we started the journey back to his pack. It's not that I dont love him, I do, but I'm confused as to where we go from here. If Gale hadn't rotted me out, I had agreed to leave Rider be. The guilt still gnaws at me, especially after what we shared last night and some part of me thinks it would be the right thing to do. Especially with a baby on the way. Sam would only continue to be petty and would likely require Rider for everything, even lifting a cup of water. I walk around checking on the pack members, smiling at the little kids. They were all so terrified. I had eavesdropped on some of their conversation a little earlier, hearing someone ment
RIDER I can't move. I think I might have broken every bone in my body, plus the additional ones that were broken prior to embarking on this adventure. Now that I had the time, I felt every radiation of f**king pain soaring through my body. "Hey, " Halie whispers, her face contorted in concern as he held onto me. "You're going to be okay. There's so much blood" She chuckles nervously. "So much blood but you're going to be okay, I promise. " 'Okay' I told her, even if she couldn't hear me. But I trusted her. I can hear Veron, thank goddess he was still breathing, Quinn still in enough shape to make jokes. I can almost smile at the thought. I can't believe we actually won a f**king war, killed Ragna. I killed a Red Devil. Yeah I was never going to live this one down. Something cold slips into my veins, my eyes opening momentarily finding Halie still beside me. She glances up with a smile, her eyes moving back to whatever she was doing. Her small hands skim my fur, chest relaxing as sh
RIDER It's a small jerk, then another and then the sound of sputtering that pulls me from my reverie and to her side. I lift my mate, helping her to sit forward as she coughs up water swallowed from having gone under. Halie immediately wraps her arms around my neck, shivering, pressing her mouth to mine and I return her kiss in fervor. Maybe she didn't think I'd make it while I was losing hope that she'll remain alive. Halie pulled back, staring into my face for a while, tears streamed down her cheeks, lips trembling and I pulled her closer, squeezing her against my chest. She didn't need to say anything. I already knew and understood. "You actually came," she whispers. "For me. " "I promised I'll always find you, didn't I?" "That's so corny. " Halie chuckles against me and I soak everything up, determined not to let these memories slip. I decided here and then that I was going to do better, be better for her. Believe in her. "Erhem, " Someone coughs from behind me, and Halie pe
RIDER Ragna was dead. I wanted him dead and unidentifiable beneath me. Halie was mine and now she was his. He stole her from me, ripped her from my arms and now from my soul. Apart of me doesn't feel any different, I don't feel as if the bond I have with Halie has broken, but I'm so apprehensive at the thought that it makes me giddy and irrational. Ragna roars with anguish as he rips me from his hand that I had latched unto, taking a chunk of flesh with me as I roll, before hurrying back to my four paws. That molten feeling spreads through me once more, shoulders tense and pain radiates through every limb. Soon I wouldn't be able to control my actions anymore, but I don't want to. Not with this bastard. He walks around me going in circles and I watch him, my tail wagging excitedly. I've never felt this excited over a prey, not since the last time I had training with my father. The alarm that registered in his eyes when I tackled him to the ground, when I had only missed his main v
My body feels heavy, like lead, my mouth dry and when I open my eyes, everything is suddenly too bright. I lifted my hand to my eyes, feeling my body suddenly spilling over and I fought to catch myself, hands pulling me backwards instead. When I finally open my eyes, it's almost noon, and I'm strapped to a chair, a cream-colored lace grown attached to my person while women placed the remaining decorations in my hair. My feet are bare, my shoes confiscated and if I run away by some weird chance, I wouldn't be able to get far. Flower petals and blossoms line the way to some final destination, children running around happily as if sealing my fate with a monster was a royal decree. Eventually someone releases the bands that keep my body and feet hostage and I hold onto the chair, standing up. "How was your sleep?" Ragna asks, his unexpected presence making me jump. "What did you do to me?" "Nothing that you didn't cause on yourself, " He says looking me over. His eyes slid down my body
I glance up and down the hall ensuring that no one sees me before slipping into the room, hearing a groaning wolf toss and turn in her bed. Gale had given me monkshood a few days ago and I've managed to get a little of it into the she-wolf's water. I know it poisons, but just enough will render her powerless for me to do what I need. The door slips shut with a click and I hurry over when she moves to sit up groaning and clutching his stomach. "What the hell are you doing in my room?!" Celene hisses at me. "Careful, you're already in a bad state, don't want to worsen your situation do you?" Celene grits her teeth at me from her position against her bed, glaring at me. "You're the runt that poisoned my water?!" "I'm the runt that could potentially cure you should you heed my instructions. " Celene laughs, throwing her head back against the headboard. "Oh you've got some balls on you, waltzing into my bedroom with ultimatums. Who says I can't just rip your head off and do the ceremo
RIDER "Are we gonna talk about last night?" "No", I brushed Oliver's question to the side and kept walking, a scowl on my face. "Wait, " he grips my upper arm but I yank it away refusing to stand and talk. I already said no, he should just let it go. "Hey! " Oliver runs up blocking my path. "I get it okay. You don't know what to do about your mate, you don't know if you'll be able to save her. I get that. " "Really?" "Yeah, " he answers, either oblivious to the sarcasm in my voice or he chose to ignore it "No, no you don't get it. " "I'm a brother too, you know. I'm a part of the family. I get it. I'm the outsider between you and Jax. We all know you both grew up together. The only other reason I'm here is because Allison is my mate. So I get how you feel. It's the same way I felt when Jax took his sister away without even consulting me first. It made me feel insufficient, makes me question my role as the pack's Gamma. I wondered if he didn't trust me enough. But most of all, I