Mel's POV"Your mate punched me." I lift my shirt halfway so Patrick can view the full extent of the damage. "Then, she broke my ribs with a single kick."Elinda whips around. "Oh my Goddess, are you okay?"I nod with a grin. "Yep, she's going to be a badass warrior. I don't mind getting my ass whooped on my birthday, only by her of course."Bliss's face is red as hell as she sits down in her mate's lap. "Hmm, a badass? Show me some of that energy later," I hear him whisper in her ear."Eww guys, we can hear that," I pretend to gag.Elinda places plates of spaghetti in front of us before sitting down. "Time to eat, y'all!"I didn't even realize that Moon disappeared, but she runs into the room with Ava trailing behind her. They sit beside each other at the table."Babe, I can't wait until Melanie meets her mate tomorrow. She's going to be hanging off of the dude's nut sack," Pat teases.I roll my eyes. "Yeah okay. Ya’ll do know that my mate will try to take me away from y'all, right?"
Mel's POVI can smell his addictive scent on the shirts. That means he picked them out for me personally instead of having one of our warriors fetch them from the mall.My heart begins to beat way too hard and fast. It's like I can actually feel it breaking as I hold the Evanescence shirt in my hand.Elinda must have noticed the despondent look on my face because worry lines appear on her forehead as she stares at me. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she asks softly."I...I just need a moment," I croak, running out the back door. I lean against the railing on the porch as I take deep breaths, trying to pull myself back together.The waning gibbous in the sky is shining as if it's reminding me that the full moon is tomorrow. Within the pitch-black woods, five pairs of eyes watch me steadily. The warriors' are on babysitting duty like their Alpha ordered them to do.Asshole. He gets me the best gifts I could've asked for, and I can't even thank him in person. Why couldn't he be here tonight? He
Jaxon’s POVWe have been searching for Damon since Saturday night, but every time we pick up a trail, it gets cold. Like he's purposely baiting us to follow him and hiding his scent when we get too close.All I can think about is getting back to Melanie. I saw the disappointment on her face when I told her I needed to leave, and it fucking tore me in pieces. It took everything in me to walk out of that exam room. She was already injured and now instead of spending last night with her, I'm deep in the forest of Colorado hunting for a monster.Shadow has been howling in my head on and off for the past twenty-four hours that we need to go back and make sure she's okay, but I keep reminding him that we have a job to do. How can we be okay returning to her knowing that her father can try to kill her again at any time since he freed himself?While Ameer and I hide within a clump of trees with thick underbrush, Dusk and Rubeus perch in the trees above us. They haven't spoken a word all night,
Jaxon's POVWe come upon the cabin. It's still standing, but there's tall grass and rogue vines and other greenery from years of neglect.I can't smell him, but I can sense his dark presence from all the way out here.Ameer, Dominic, and the creepy brothers stand on the side, so he won't be able to see them right away."Damon, I know you're in there," I say calmly, listening for any movement in or outside the cabin.I count silently in my head and once I get to three, the door creaks open and out walks the man I loathe with my entire being. He's only wearing grey sweatpants as he leans against the porch, biting obnoxiously loud into an apple. There's a crazed look in his eyes that I immediately recognize as one I've only seen in werewolves who have lost their mate. He has no more cards to play. Nothing else to lose. "Jaxon, I've grown tired. We've been playing cat and mouse for six days now. Won't you leave your poor father alone to rest?""You are not my father!" I growl.His eyes fla
Jaxon's POVDamon shifts and immediately lunges at me, knocking us to the ground. I don't hesitate to sink my canines into his throat as we tumble through a grove of trees.Every attack has to be timed perfectly, Shadow. We miss, we die.We will make it back to our mate, he promises.The only advantage he has over me is more experience. Shadow is about the same size as his wolf now, and he can't use his Alpha tone to bitch me around anymore. It's as fair of a fight as we're going to get.The sounds of claws, teeth, and the shredding of flesh and fur fill the air. I can feel every wound he creates beneath my fur, but the adrenaline running through my veins is so powerful, the pain hasn't registered yet.Only once does he pin me down underneath him, but within a heartbeat, I’m able to flip him off. My nails dig up the earth as I retreat to a safe distance.I crouch defensively, preparing for another attack.We're both panting hard now. Blood, my blood, drips from his canines as he mirror
Jaxon's POVThe sun is just going down as we arrive back at the pack house. There is no trace of the party from last night. Only Bonnie and the other Omegas stay in the kitchen cleaning and preparing to leave for the night. That means Melanie must have left already.Ameer and I head upstairs to get ready for the Ball. I take a long shower, scrubbing off all the blood. My wounds are all nearly healed now. Watching the red liquid run down the drain, an image of Damon's mutilated body flashes in my mind and my veins instantly run cold despite the hot water streaming on my skin. I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking the image away.No, he isn't going to haunt me. Not tonight.I put on my purple tux, neaten my curls, and pull the small black velvet box from the top drawer of my nightstand. I saved this birthday gift to give to her personally. I hope she loves it as much as I do her.Ameer meets me at the foot of the steps wearing a black tux. He looks nervous himself, which is unlike him. "Have y
Mel’s POVI walk around the huge, spectacular castle holding a glass of sparkling cider. Like it's supposed to be, alcohol is prohibited here so no one loses control of their wolf and everyone can focus on finding their mates.Maybe alcohol would've helped though, I feel like a nervous wreck.My off-shoulder, royal-purple ball gown seems to be catching a lot of attention. Guys keep walking past me brushing their fingers across my arm, hoping to feel a spark. It's like I'm the prize jewel here and everybody wants to claim me. I'm also assuming they know who my father is and that I can produce strong heirs for them. That's all she-wolves are good for, right?Is that your anxiety or mine? I ask Nina.I think both. I feel like I'm going to fucking throw up. Well, keep it together. Our mate doesn't need to see or smell that!Easy for you to say! I retort.As an Omega walks past with a tray of sparkling cider, I grab another glass. Maybe if I drink enough, I can trick my mind into thinking
Mel's POVA slick sense of trepidation washes over me. I grab onto the nearest chair to steady myself.I'm going to throw up. Or pass out. Or have a heart attack. Maybe all of the above.Is this how the mate bond is supposed to feel? As he comes closer, my breath catches in my throat. But then he veers off to the left.My bad, false alarm. What the hell, Nina? This is the one of the most important night of our lives. Can we please take it seriously? Is that really how you're going to react when we do meet him? she asks, completely ignoring my question.I wasn't prepared. You just yelled it out of nowhere and that guy was looking right at me!Sorry, I thought I felt something. She sounds sincere so I let it go. This is the most I've ever heard her talk. She must be as anxious as I am to meet the asshole the Moon Goddess thinks we belong with.I suddenly notice a hallway of doors two mated pairs disappear down. "What are those for?" I ask some random she-wolf that doesn't seem to hav