Teagan's Point of ViewWe were a tangled mess of limbs and ragged breaths. Spent. Fully and wholly. Every muscle in my body ached deliciously. Screamed at me to get into a hot bath and just stay there.Ulrich's arm was beneath me. His other draped over my side. I could feel his eyes on my face. Feel him scanning me from head to toe."Are you alright?" He asked, face still cast into a blissful haze.There was no right way to answer his question. So many emotions roiled inside of me. Elation was one of them. But so was guilt. Harland would be here in a few hours time. And I was in the bed of another man. Had mated to him without him even knowing it.Because that's the reason he had bitten me. To mark me. Claim me as his. Without Ulrich knowing it, his wolf had taken over. Drove him to claim me.He didn't even know what mates were. Not fully. Because no Google search could fully prepare you for the responsibility we now had to each other. I wouldn't be able to deny him anymore. Couldn
Harland's Point of ViewAbout an hour before we landed, my stomach tightened into several knots. Lumps formed in my throat as I replayed the entire conversation Teagan had had with me.Then came the conversation with Ciaran. How I had to tell him she needed me urgently. After a lot of convincing from Alvara, he let me go. The drug-importing problem could wait.Everything could wait.My mate had sounded petrified with nowhere else to turn to. Nobody else to trust. And I was sure as shit not going to let her do anything on her own.Teagan was more than capable of handling herself, of that I was sure. But this seemed different. As if the entire world was caving in on her and she had no way of keeping the weight firmly on her shoulders.That's why I jumped at coming. Put everything I have been working on on hold. Because the world could break out into war and I wouldn't do a single thing about it if she didn't want me to.***Ulrich's Point of View"Michael, I think I fucked up," I said o
Teagan's Point of ViewTerror flooded my blood like ice. Sent shivers down my spine.Slowly, Harland let me go.My feet slid to the floor. Shame washed over my face as I tried to correct my clothes. Pulled down my skirt. Firmly looked away from Harland as I placed my hands on my hips."That's part of what I wanted to tell you," I breathed, letting my spine sag with the effort.Feet shuffled against the tiles, making me look up. Harland fell into the chair just as our eyes met. Disappointment and anger washed over his features. Melancholy. Every string in my heart was being tugged. Played.It took everything in me not to fall on my knees in front of him. Begged him not to leave me. Not to throw me away."Was it Ulrich?"I nodded and let my arms fall to my sides. Then moved them up so that I was clasping them over my stomach. My fingers intertwined with each other. Fiddled with the skin around my delicate manicure."But there is more to it-""Was it just a kiss or was there more?" He
Teagan's Point of ViewBellamy stiffened beside me. Arm squeezed my middle so that I was scrunched up to his side with a deathly grip. His eyes burned holes into the side of my face."I'm sorry," He said, voice soft. Smooth. A comforting tone I had never expected from him.Turning my head, I looked at him through bleary eyes. "What for? Not like you did this." I said. A sniffle tugged up my nose. Crinkling it a bit.Bellamy smiled at the weird gesture on my face.Tentatively, his free hand moved up to my face. Cupped my cheek sweetly as his thumb wiped away some of my tears."I'm sorry that you have to go through this. And I didn't make it any easier. I came to say that I'm sorry for just leaving you with Ulrich to deal with everything alone. Sorry that I abandoned you when you needed it the most. I knew you needed me and I just..." His bottom lip trembled.I placed my hand on his chest. Smiled sadly up at him."You had good reason to leave. I didn't make it easy for you to get close
Teagan's Point of ViewBellamy seemed lighter here. All the tension from his body was gone. A bright smile replaced his usually cocky grin. Even his footfalls were lighter. Softer.Pop was most definitely a good-looking man in his old age. Strong broad shoulders from years of lifting hay bales. Pearly white teeth that flashed when he smiled. Observant grey eyes framed my long lashes."About time you came to visit me," Pop said, angling his head backward as we followed him into the house. "I was wondering if he was keeping you away from this old ass." He said with a chuckle.Bellamy glanced at me from the corner of his eyes. An assessment was being made. Whether he had made a mistake to bring me here or not. This was his sanctuary and he didn't want it ruined."How could I stay away when all you do is shower me with love, old man?" Bellamy chortled, sarcastically.Pop turned on his heel. Faced us with a devilish grin. Jonah hadn't given Bellamy his grin. Not even his mother had. Pop's
Harland's Point of ViewIt wasn't difficult to find him. From the nostrils full of his scent I had gotten off of Teagan, I found it fairly simple. The cunt practically waltzed all around this town.Made a spectacle of himself, no doubt.I never thought she would actually go through with something like that. Mated another fucking male. The audacity of her. The sheer stubbornness. She should have known I didn't want her with him. Should have made sure to avoid him at all costs. But she had failed my test. Miserably, might I add.Maverick had been right. I shouldn't have expected her not to act on her urges. Shouldn't have placed so much trust in her, to be exact. The mate bond was a powerful thing to compete with. We had been together for years. Established a relationship outside of our mate bond before we fell into it. The same couldn't be said about Ulrich and Teagan.Which made the allure even more difficult to resist in the first place.The apartments I stopped at looked almost de
Teagan's Point of ViewBy the time we went back to the main house, Pop had already made dinner. Or rather, an entire buffet with several other uniformed people running about.Food was mass-produced. Drinks were prepared in jugs. It was utter chaos. Blissful, happy, chaos.No one was screaming or crying. No one was fighting. Everyone helped and handed each other things. Laughed at some obscure jokes Pop made. Cursed when one of them spilled a bit of cooldrink on the floor whilst someone else hurried along to get a rag to clean it up."Was it always this busy?" I asked, looking at Bellamy.He was smiling at them. Stopped short of fully coming into the house. Just watched from the door with admiration and happy memories on his face."When I was here, it was only Pop who helped us, so most of us had to make food for the rest of the group. Since I started donating to the project, he got helpers and I expanded the living quarters for the kids, so they began taking more kids. It was crazy w
Teagan's Point of ViewI made up my mind.It was not as simple as just saying I had. Took more effort than I cared to admit.But I had done it.Pop explained to me how a partnership worked. How it was a two-way street. One couldn't pass without the other. Couldn't function without the other.Harland had been wrong in telling me to pursue things with Ulrich, only for him to turn around and blame me for everything. If he had been honest, we could have spoken about it. Set boundaries and expectations.He hadn't.So, I owed him nothing but the truth. My truth.The fact of the matter was, no matter how much I kicked and screamed against my mate bonds with Ulrich and Bellamy, it wouldn't have been fair to me not to indulge in them. Our goddess was seldom wrong. Chose our partners for us wisely and meticulously. Granted, Harland hadn't signed up for this. Any of it, to be frank, but that didn't mean we couldn't adjust. Change just a few degrees of our trajectory without heading off course e
7 Months Later Teagan's Point of View "Who has the baby bag!" Ulrich screamed, flitting from room to room as he scrambled to get the one thing he was tasked with. "Already in the car," I mumbled, slipping out of my soaked nightgown. Although I doubted he heard me. No one could hear me above their panic right now. Who thought the baby would come in the middle of the night? Not fucking me. Not when I had finally figured out a way to sleep with such an enormous stomach. "Did you install the car seat like I asked?" Bellamy screamed back. I could hear him in the living room. He had forgotten to set up the spare cot downstairs. Thought now would be a good time to do it. Rolling my eyes, I slipped into a clean dress. Didn't bother with underwear. They were going to come off, anyway. "I can't find the fucking car keys! Who had them last?" Harland screamed. The house was echoing with their voices. Bounced around relentlessly. So it was no help to remind him that they were on the
Bellamy's Point of View"Where is he!" I screamed down the moist hallway. Down here in the earth, everything was damp. Which was strange, given we were in the middle of a desert.But that wasn't the problem right now. The problem was Felix. The bastard wasn't anywhere near the cells. Hell, his scent wasn't even here, which meant he had never made it down here to begin with. "Heir, sir, Alpha," The guard nervously stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. "From the list in the office, he was brought here right after you asked. The last man on duty here even swore he had booked him in."He had lied, no doubt. Or this little maggot was. Either way, Felix had never been here. No doubt thanks to all of his bribery. "Find him! The enemy is on our doorstep and you let our only fucking bargaining chip escape!" I roared and spun on my heels to march back the way I had come in. We had evacuated everyone in the town within an hour. Left only shells for homes and shops. Mariland and Keagan
Teagan's Point of View"Get most of the civilians to the ranch! Don't trust fucking any of the guards! The moment they try something funny, kill without mercy." Bellamy all but screamed as we stopped in front of the house.The two cars that had followed us from the desert were barely full, compared to when they left with us in the first place. So many of Bellamy's men had turned. Or died. "What do you want me to do?" I asked, clinging to his arm. Watched as his face shifted. Took in everything around us all at once.Those caramel eyes turned towards me. Blinked slowly."Why did you call my brother?" Bellamy asked in a whisper that no one else would be able to hear.Not with all of the commotion taking place around us.I stiffened. Twitched my eyes away from him.I knew he was going to be upset. I just hadn't thought it would come so soon. Not when we were still in crisis mode."Because I would rather take his help than see any of you in a grave. We need his man-power and he is more
Teagan's Point of ViewWe headed out into the eastern part of the desert with several guards in tow. The ones who stayed behind with Felix were informed of the situation and instructed to keep him shackled at all times.Killing him wasn't an option. Not until we could safely get Jonah back. The moment we had him or deemed him-I swallowed down the lump in my throat, shoving the thought that he might already be gone to the back of my mind.Bellamy was never going to forgive himself if he didn't say goodbye to his father. Especially after the note Jonah had left in his last file.As if he knew he was walking into his death."There... On the dune just past that large outcropping." Ulrich said from the passanger side.He was looking west now. Scanned the horizon fervently with the stars shining down on us.Out here in the middle of the night was the best time. With no light pollution, the air was clear. The Milkyway a shiny symbol above us.But in the direction Ulrich was looking, someone
Teagan's Point of ViewThe end note left my mind reeling. Shot a wave of dizziness through my body. Jonah knew. Knew about Harland being here and about Ulrich. Knew that we had taken some of his files. And he had done nothing about it. Actually counted on the fact that we might come snooping again.Now he was somewhere in the desert, likely dead, from what the note implied."We have to tell Bellamy." I breathed, feeling my lungs quiver with each word.Ulrich's eyes shot towards mine. Eyebrows nearly touched his hairline. "There is no fucking way I'm letting you go down there by yourself. We might not be able to hear what is happening but I can assure you, it isn't going to be pretty." "His father can be somewhere out there fighting for his fucking life and you just want to keep that from him when we can try and help?" I screeched, balling my hands into tight fists.A sheepish look passed over his face then. One of pain as well. "It's not like the guy is winning the Father of the Yea
Teagan's Point of ViewHarland moved closer to me on instinct. Shifted his weight to his dominant leg. Geared himself up for a confrontation if the need arose."What do you mean he can handle himself? Why would he have to?" I pushed more, feeling a shift of energy all around me.Felix gave me another long and cruel smile. Took one step forward before I noticed several men behind him. All tall and menacing. Brooding hulks that engulfed the space we stood in.None of them looked familiar. Or even scented to me that I knew them."Let's just say that Jonah isn't the only one fighting for his life right now." My heart slammed into my throat. Bellamy. He was talking about Bellamy. Harland sensed my urgency. Spun around and pushed me lightly to the staff door on the other side of the kitchen. "Go. I can handle this." He urged, fear lacing his voice.He was my mate and I loved him dearly. But he wasn't the best fighter around. Ulrich, on the other hand, was.I nodded and broke for the door
Teagan's Point of View Even with everything aired out, Harland barely looked my way. His shoulders were still sagging. Hair fell into his eyes. And whenever I tried to make eye contact with him he would look away the moment he noticed. The air wasn't clear yet. "He is going to be away for two days. I say we haul up in the pack house and start digging for whatever we can find on him. I told him I'm your new assistant, so he won't question my scent. Harland can lead the run tonight so that no one questions your absence too much. Get the shit and-" Bellamy shook his head in the driver's seat. Locked eyes with me in the back of the car. At least Harland had agreed to drive with us instead of walking. "No. I'll go lead the run. They won't expect Teagan to be there, seeing as the news of her pregnancy has spread like wildfire. Jonah can smell Harland in the house when he gets back because by then we will have everything we need to dethrone him. Just make sure that Felix doesn't j
Ulrich's Point of View Their family was fucked up. Beyond fucked up. Made me thankful that I had grown up in the foster system. Drama on drama on drama. Like there was no end to it. But it shaped Harland and Teagan into who they were. Gave me the greatest blessing I could ever have. Teagan. Our baby. A future where I didn't have to kill or maim. A stable home. Well, it was going to be a stable home the minute all of this madness passed. Died down. Which wasn't going to happen anytime soon, I was sure of that. "Harland. Wait up!" I screamed and followed him down the driveway. If he heard me, he gave no sign of it. Continued marching toward the gate and away from all the shit this place gave him. "Harland!" I tried again and upped my pace. Broke into a sprint. When I touched his shoulder, he whirled on me. Those were tears in his eyes. Snot peeking out from his nose. He was crying. And I could feel his pain as if it were my own. "Something wrong?" He asked, wiping his face
Teagan's Point of View Jessebelle brought out tea and coffee for everyone. Stood at the door and watched as the drama unfolded. Her little smirk of satsifaction upon seeing Mariland's distraught face was enough to make me smile as well. "Now then, we have something to drink. The mood in the room seems to be less intense. Care to explain what happened?" Bellamy asked, placing his coffee on the small table in the middle of the room. We were sitting around the living room like we were friends. Discussing the weather and upcoming plans. Like we weren't hoping the other would just fall over and die. Keagan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Placed on leg over the other. His eyes slid my way. Took me in with a remorseful look that had my bones aching. Was he ever as bad as Mariland? Not really. But he permitted it and that was all the confirmation I needed to not pity him. "When we mated, we tried for years to have a child. Jonah was freshly made the Alpha of Desert Sun and h