QUINN"Does it ever get better?" My father let out a long sigh. He wrapped his fingers tightly around the necklace he wore. Every time he became anxious it was his go to action. He took a deep breath before looking my way. His eyes bounced as he struggled to see me. Lycanthropy hadn't been able to completely delay the effects of albinism for him forever. He was steadily becoming blind and it broke me to see."Honestly? Not really. You just become used to the new normal," his frown deepened as he spoke. "I spent years drowning myself in sadness. Killing myself over what ifs. What if Analise hadn't killed my true mate before I met her? What if I had worked things out with your mother before she met Matthew?"My father shook his head, looking away," don't let the what ifs kill you, Quinn. Atticus and Marie still need you at the end of the day. Don't make the same mistakes I did. You won't find the solutions to your problems at the end of a bottle or a rope."Fuck. My thoughts were rac
MORDECAI"What?!" Harley bellowed in disbelief. His dark brown eyes widened as he listened to Julian speak. His wolf-like ears flattened and he shook his head.I moved my head slowly, feeling like the world was spinning. The old chair I sat in swallowed me up as the wolfsbane numbed my primal system. This was punishment for nearly going on a rampage after I'd chucked my wedding band at a retreating Gideon. If Eloise hadn't become hysterical I probably wouldn't have snapped out of it.Orion's parents were in attendance. His fathers were off to the side whispering with Gerwulf and his mother was attending to a still crying Eloise.Harley started pacing, rubbing Kailani's back as she rested wrapped to his chest. Philian was off by himself on the couch playing with his tablet as usual. In the weeks he'd been here I hadn't heard the kid say a single word. I still had no clue why either Harley or his child showed up. Any time the subject was brought up he had a way of diverting the convers
MORDECAILiving amongst thefaewas hard for me to get used to. Even after four years I was finding it hard to adjust. I was so used to being a wolf that taming mywilderinstincts made itnearly impossibleto make friends at first.Thefaewere very reserved and proud
GIDEON"You're not getting any younger," my father stared me down from the other side of my desk. He had his large arms crossed over his broad chest like he always did when we had one of these conversations.I was currently staring at the many photos and files he'd lain out across my desktop. Pictures of men
MORDECAIAshton and I had spent the rest of the day planning how it was exactly we were going to leave the veil of thefae. The gate was rarely opened for people to leave unless you were a trader or invited in. It left us little opportunity to sneak out. We would have to find a way to run out when the guards switched patrols either on the night shift or in the early morning hours.
GIDEONTwo weeks. It had been two miserably long weeks sinceNovuhad appeared in front of me and given the news that my mate was to come soon. Their version of soon and mine differed greatly apparently.'You're just being impatient
MORDECAIThe strange creature had guided us through the swampy forest that surrounded Small Leaf. The further we had gotten away from it the more I felt I could breathe again. It wasn't until we reached the forest edge that my mind snapped back into complete consciousness and the figure disappeared. My leather shoes were completely soaked in mud by the time we found any sort of roadway.Mira and Ashton were way too excit
GIDEON"You look like shit," Orion greeted me bright and early. We were setting up to greet the packs that would be arriving for tomorrow's celebration. I glared hard at him. No amount of body paint he'd applied could hide the amused smirk he sported.I tossed one of the wooden bowls that held paint into his
MORDECAI"What?!" Harley bellowed in disbelief. His dark brown eyes widened as he listened to Julian speak. His wolf-like ears flattened and he shook his head.I moved my head slowly, feeling like the world was spinning. The old chair I sat in swallowed me up as the wolfsbane numbed my primal system. This was punishment for nearly going on a rampage after I'd chucked my wedding band at a retreating Gideon. If Eloise hadn't become hysterical I probably wouldn't have snapped out of it.Orion's parents were in attendance. His fathers were off to the side whispering with Gerwulf and his mother was attending to a still crying Eloise.Harley started pacing, rubbing Kailani's back as she rested wrapped to his chest. Philian was off by himself on the couch playing with his tablet as usual. In the weeks he'd been here I hadn't heard the kid say a single word. I still had no clue why either Harley or his child showed up. Any time the subject was brought up he had a way of diverting the convers
QUINN"Does it ever get better?" My father let out a long sigh. He wrapped his fingers tightly around the necklace he wore. Every time he became anxious it was his go to action. He took a deep breath before looking my way. His eyes bounced as he struggled to see me. Lycanthropy hadn't been able to completely delay the effects of albinism for him forever. He was steadily becoming blind and it broke me to see."Honestly? Not really. You just become used to the new normal," his frown deepened as he spoke. "I spent years drowning myself in sadness. Killing myself over what ifs. What if Analise hadn't killed my true mate before I met her? What if I had worked things out with your mother before she met Matthew?"My father shook his head, looking away," don't let the what ifs kill you, Quinn. Atticus and Marie still need you at the end of the day. Don't make the same mistakes I did. You won't find the solutions to your problems at the end of a bottle or a rope."Fuck. My thoughts were rac
GIDEON"Hey sweetie. Dada misses you so much," Mordecai's voice faintly filled the air. He was trying his best to stay quiet while he thought I was sleeping.Harley had been calling in daily so he could see Kailani. Several times he had tried attempting to get me to join but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I felt so much guilt surrounding her existence that I couldn't even look at her.How horrible of a parent was I destined to be? Wallowing in self pity and unable to conquer my trauma. She was almost a month old and I hadn't even held her.I was no better than my father.'Stop it,' Otto scolded.'You need to go see that therapist again when things start settling down,' Philo spoke a bit softer.Hot tears stung my eyes as I listened to Mordecai happily speak to Kailani while Harley relayed their day. By the time the call ended and he came back to the room they had dried up."How long have you been awake?" He questioned. Carefully he sat next to the bed and stroked my messy hair. His
MORDECAI"Can you get my thighs too?" I let out a sigh of relief. Rolling my shoulders, my back cracked loudly and I relaxed. Gideon's gloved hands stilled against my lower back as the ointment began sizzling."Roll… over…" he struggled to speak. The rut was quickly taking his ability to think clearly.Gideon's hands trembled as he pulled back to let me move. I carefully maneuvered around him, laying my thighs onto his as I sank into the pillows. His breathing picked up, eyes taking in every inch of my skin. His scent became stronger to the point I had to cover my nose."Gideon," I spoke softly, nudging him with my knees. "Thighs, please. I promise you can have me after this."This seemed to do the trick as both Otto and Philo peered through at me. Quickly the older man lathered his gloves in the ointment before pressing them to my skin. His fingers pressed roughly against my muscles, making sure to drive them deeply.As much as I wanted to skip this, I knew it would be stupid. My bod
GIDEON"You've missed a lot," Harley frowned as he watched me rummage the kitchen for every blood pack it contained. Kailani was in a sling against his chest, sleeping soundly."So I can see," I spoke quietly. Otto's hunger was in overdrive. Philo was going nuts knowing what was coming. The first waves of my rut was enough to wake me and the two were trying their best to get me to wake Mordecai.After the doctor had left I found him sleeping peacefully on one of the sofas. Guilt hit me deeply when I saw the bandage on his face knowing I'd missed something so significant.Kailani let out a big yawn and Harley started gently patting her back. A small smile crept onto his features as he cooed at the small fae. His tail was slowly swishing to show happiness."You're attached to her," I spoke up. My fingers finally graced another blood pack in the fridge. Warmth didn't matter at this point. Otto was just happy to get anything. "I'm surprised he let you around her enough to get to this poin
MORDECAI"Stay still, boys," Harley tsked as he walked between us with a first aid kit.Brody looked at him with no emotion whatsoever on his face. The blood was slowly coating his cheek yet he acted as if nothing was happening."Congrats by the way," he awkwardly made small talk. Picking up the alcohol he pressed against Brody's new rank mark. "Sorry if you lost anybody you were close to. Could never watch those tournaments myself. Always makes my stomach twist.""Stop chattering and just hurry up," Mason snapped from behind the tiny omega. He had his arms crossed with a stern expression etched into his features."Cranky old bastard," Harley snapped back. The two stared at one another for a hot second before breaking eye contact."Mason the necklaces and packs are in the office. Why don't you go grab them while Harley finishes up?" I suggested, no demanded, as he kept staring daggers at Brody. Listening to them bickering the last few days was torturous. Mason would rip him to shreds
MORDECAI“She won't stop crying," I rasped. It felt like at any moment I would join her. Tears and all. "I don't know what to do.""You have to support her head," Jennifer reached out, trying to help me with calming down Kailani. However the exact opposite happened the moment Jennifer moved her blanket to the side, uncovering her arm just the slightest. The tiny fae erupted into a mess of uncontrollable wails, making us all cringe."Do you want me to go get Harley?" Levi had a rare moment of speaking up. He frowned as he uncomfortably fidgeted in place.I let out a long sigh," fine." Throwing in the towel was the best thing I could do currently. It had been days since the attack and I was still mentally a mess. Gideon hadn't woken up, I had to host the yule ball by myself, start plans to rebuild structures that become casualties, and now we'd gotten some bad news.Early in the day border patrol had found a newborn pup wrapped in bloody clothing. Brody happened to be on duty and sadly
GIDEON"Reveal yourself!" I demanded. The imposter, disguised as a child, quickly dropped their arms. They were playing their part well. Whomever sent them must've paid handsomely. This shifter was trained to stay in character so well that it reminded me of my council days.Fierce anger coursed through my body as the thought sunk in and the creature continued to stare at me with innocent eyes."Daddy?" He repeated again.A wail broke through the air and dragged me back to reality. My parents' house was a total wreck and the thick scent of blood was in the air.Taking a quick glance I found Jade cradling Quinn's massive form. Simon was ripping off his shirt trying to bandage up wherever he was hurt. Orion looked like he'd seen better days and my father looked ready to attack."Gideon…" Mordecai's voice called to me. He sounded scared, and when our eyes finally met it was confirmed. He was indeed scared. Blood was dripping down his lips and heavy bags were under his eyes. Instantly I so
MORDECAI"He'll be fine, dear. Sadie cooked him up something good so I can't imagine he'll be awake any time soon," Eloise gave my arm a soft squeeze as Julian cradled Kailani and Gideon snored quietly on the bed.Every bit of my being was on edge at the moment. We'd only been home long enough to clean up before Quinn kicked up a fuss over that weird ass kid. Ryder requested a moment of my time, and with our pack alliances… it was more like a demand.'We should be home with our pup. Nobody can protect them better than us,' Dusk huffed and bristled."Mordecai," Eloise spoke a bit more sternly. "We raised ten, so I think it might qualify us as reliable babysitters." The small woman gave me a warm smile as Julian chuckled."Fine, but if one tiny thing goes wrong you get in touch with me immediately. Okay?" My voice becoming more stern than necessary.Instantly Julian wrapped an arm around Eloise, bringing her into his side protectively as he cradled Kailani with his free arm," you'll be