House of CardsLucky"Nooo!" Sydney dropped to her knees in front of me.I didn't need to explain.She fully understood just from my reaction. Arms wrapping around my shoulders, she held tight. Her voice quivered, "I'm so sorry, Luca."We sat on the floor for several minutes while I composed myself. Sydney was silent...just there with me.Kneeling for so long caused my legs to feel numb. I shifted position so that I was sitting on my butt with my back against the couch, my elbow resting on my bent knee. My head felt heavy, and I struggled to keep it up, finally just dropping it back on the couch behind me with my eyes closed.Sydney's voice came soft, "I want you to keep it."Lifting my head to look at her, I found she was also still sitting on the floor across from me. Her eyes glistened with emotion.I looked down at my still tightly clenched fist and opened it to reveal the tiny gold treasure. I was desperate to keep the little locket, but I didn't know Sydney's sentimental attachm
At her words. memories of Hycinth floated through my mind...her barely able to get out of bed and the haunted look in her dead eyes. I shook my head sadly. "Hycinth may have had the willpower to walk away, but what good is it when she's left miserable without him?"Sydney studied my expression. "Hycinth really wants to come back?"Bringing my other knee up, I rested both elbows on them and nodded. "She'd been making strides...grieving and facing the past. I hoped it would only be a matter of time before she was strong enough to make the decision on her own, and I think she was getting there slowly but surely. But she's devastated after everything the Oracle told us yesterday. Alpha Grant hurt so many wolves in his effort to manipulate her future. Right now, she's internalizing guilt for all of them and can't see how anyone would want her when she was the catalyst for all of the pain."Sydney contemplated my words. "The pack is hurting now without their Luna and the effect her absence
Hycinth was carrying the second-chance baby...which meant I would bet everything I owned that Leander's sister was the first-chance baby whose life was tragically cut short.Sydney continued quietly, "Every loss of life is tragic, especially one so precious and innocent, but we just couldn't understand if her destiny was to change the world, how could she have died? Our hope died that day with her. We didn't get it back until the week after Leander's mating ceremony. When all ten mated-pairs conceive, we felt it again. We don't know what it means. We've reached out to Memoree, but she has refused our requests to talk."I had the answers she was seeking......but there was no way I could tell her before Hycinth told Leander."How was your Luna pregnant without all of the packs knowing?" I don't remember even ever knowing that."We kept it a secret, trying to protect her and the unborn child.But Isabelle was too softhearted. She believed the lies when your mother reached out with a fal
FeralLuckyA storm was coming......and when he arrived, he would burn the world down to get to Hycinth.There would be nothing and no one who could stop the devastation he left in his wake.I just hoped he got there before Dagger could carry out whatever diabolical plan he had for her. I'd seen the craziness in that male's eyes. He wasn't right in the head even before Leander maimed him.I snapped out of my dark thoughts. I still had work to do. There had to be a way to trace the license plate. I worked to keep my fingers from trembling as I dialed Tommy's number."What's up, Whiskey?" Tommy answered on the first ring, his voice instantly wary. I didn't normally call him, and certainly, not late at night.My throat was bone dry as I gritted out, "I need your help.""Fuck, "he swore. "What's going on? Is it Abby? I mean, Hycinth. Is she okay?"I worked to keep my emotion at bay. "No, Tommy, she's not.Someone abducted her. I got the plate, but I don't have any resource to run it."Wi
Abruptly, my father's audible voice came from my behind me, "We'll be out of mind link range. Do you have phones on you?"I spun around to face him.But Ever answered for me, "Yes. We've pack communication and back up power." He finished zipping up the bag in front of him and turned to assess the progress of his team of wolves. Most were ready to go.Walking to Ever's side, I said quietly, "If you want to stay..."His expression hardened, making his answer clear, but I continued anyway, "You know this might mean an imminent attack on our border. You have a pup on the way." I wouldn't take this choice away from him, not when he had so much at stake.A muscle in his jaw flexed. "Leander, I belong by your side.Cyril, Asher and the other warriors will protect what's mine."My throat tightened. I gave a hard nod.The rest of the warriors were silent now, prepared and ready to go.As we made our way out the door to the waiting vehicle's, Sydney was just entering the compound. What was she
"The way she said it," I replied, still trying to wrap my head around the truth. "Hycinth had been adamant that she knew everything. And her wording could have been taken to be consistent that she did.""Well, fuck." He exhaled heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "Honestly, it makes more sense that she wouldn't know that particular aspect."My hand clenched into a fist. "Does it really matter? Maybe she didn't know, but it still doesn't change the reason she left me-I killed her parents.""I don't know if it would have changed anything or not," he admitted in resignation."Maybe not," Sydney said softly, "but according to Luca, Hycinth has been just as miserable away from you as you have been away from her. He's been trying to help her grieve and finally let go of the past. We didn't get into the details, other than for him to confirm she wants to come back to you. Didn't she call you? Isn't that where we're headed?"Hope flared so sharply in my chest, I couldn't breathe. Gulping
Plan in MotionLeanderFace twisted with obvious disdain, the ridiculous human male snapped at me, "Are you the no good prick who knocked her up?"For a moment, all conscious thought fled my brain. I was utterly lost. My Wolf was equally frozen in my mind, standing stock still, not even a tail twitch. The human's words didn't make any sense. Of course, I understood the question and the implication, but the concept was just too impossible to wrap my brain around. Was it really possible? Could Hycinth be carrying my unborn young? Every indication from the male's narrowed eyes and combative expression to Luca's quick intake of breath pointed to the shocking truth.Abruptly, my Wolf sprang back to life, sending out a surge of Alpha dominance I'd never experienced before......every Wolf in the room dropped to the ground.The force of it shocked even me.The snarling animal in my head vibrated with out-of-control animosity. He wanted to have his mate and his pup...and he wanted them now!I
"Diversion?" Sydney suggested. "A false trail to stall us.""Maybe," I acknowledged.As I contemplated, the biker Luca had referred to as Frank walked to a nearby table with an open laptop. He sat down, his fingers running across the keys, before grunting, "What's the address, Tommy?"The male holding the phone repeated the question into the receiver. The caller rattled off an address. Tommy relayed it back to Frank whose fingers flew across the keyboard.Both Ever and I walked to stand behind Frank. His spine tensed at our approach, but he didn't take his attention away from the monitor. Placing a finger on the screen, he muttered, "Here."We stared intently at the map he'd pulled up.Ever took out his phone and keyed in the information. Lips pressed into a hard line, he muttered, "Yeah, about an hour away. But this is too easy.""I agree," I scowled. Dagger wouldn't make it that easy for me to find him.But if not there, then where?My Wolf paced in the back of my head, his impatien
HYCINTH’S "It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was doing perfectly fine until Cade set his eyes on me. I'm really sorry for the trouble." I said, walking alongside with Leander and taking steps farther away from the warehouse. My wrists continued to ache along with the rest of my body. There was a stiffness that I needed to get rid of."It's completely fine." Leander replied. The silence and the quietness gloomed in his voice. We barely uttered any words to each other ever since he untied me from the warehouse.I glanced over at him once more, remembering the face before my eyes diverted back to the ground.I didn't know what to feel. I was certainly shocked and consumed by the idea of Leander, my mate, being present beside me after a long year of nothing. We made no contact, not a single word or a call to one and other.When I stepped out of the warehouse, I quickly recognized the location-the outskirts of the city where no one ever came. There was a dock nearby. The smell of ship
HYCINTH'S MEMORIES"Oh!" I sucked in a startled breath as I found myself straddling his lap on the wide seat, my hands pressed flat against his bare chest for support.Skin against skin.Tingles ran from my fingertips straight to my core, making me squirm.He groaned in appreciation and tightened his hold, one large hand gripping my hip, the other wrapped around the nape of my neck. Swirling violet and cerulean orbs stared up at me. Deep. Darkening.Under his intense stare and scrutiny, I felt incredibly alive.I was entranced, caught in the raw intensity of his gaze. The invisible force that drew us together tugged at my defenses, threatening to break down my walls and demolish my resistance. It was kinetic. Glorious and warm. It flexed, pulling us closer, refusing to be denied. A pulse of truth rippled through our connection -this beautiful male belonged to me. He was mine.For this moment, I was okay with that. I welcomed it. I embraced it. I didn't want to think about tomorrow-whe
HYCINTH’S POV Leander My mate.It wasn't hard to forget your mate, especially when there were cruel memories attached with them. I had seen it all with him, the good times, and the terrible times. There was nothing else I needed to see.He was a man, of my past.I let my head fall back on the ground as the men began leaving the shady warehouse. Cade simply grinned at me before departing. My pleads became useless, inaudible as soon as he recalled that he can't kill me because Leander will come for him.Shuffling with the restraints, I groaned and kicked my feet out of frustration. I still had enough time to run away before anyone could get here and find me but the only problem I had was setting myself free.Memories of Leander snapped into me like a whip, forcing me to face my past once more and open my eyes wide to see the reality. His face flashed through my head, I closed my eyes and breathed. It had been a long time since I had seen him, since I had spoken to him and since I had
I remembered screaming for a minute before my world blacked out and I lost consciousness. When I woke up, the first thing that struck me was the thick scent of death and blood. I didn't want to imagine where I was or who had taken me but there was an idea in my head.Just an hour before I was blacked out, I recalled a man I knew warning me that they were coming for me. I ignored all the flags waving in front of me and continued with my life.The Alpha of the Night shade pack Cade.He had me.I placed my hand underneath and pressed my palm against the cold, unknown ground. My eyes opened wide, but I couldn't see anything. It was pitch-black and silent as a graveyard.And my hands were tied.The ropes were digging into my wrists as I tried to break free. My hands were tied behind my back therefore every time I stood up, I fell back on the ground without any hope.A few seconds later, when I began feeling my sore legs, I quickly realized that my feet were tied together. My shoes were ta
In the middle of the morning, my phone began ringing and buzzing. I thrashed over the bed, my eyes still closed and a pain sweeping through my head. My hand stretched and reached for the phone. I wanted to silence and cut the call, but a glimpse of the unknown number at the caller ID tore the sleep right through me and forced me up.I picked up the call and heard heavy breathing on the other end for a few seconds before the man spoke up. "They are onto you." He said, giving me a warning. "Be careful."I didn't say anything but I knew the person who had called to warn me. A few more seconds passed before the call ended. I pulled the phone away from my ears. My heart thudded hard against my chest.Fuck. I groaned at myself while rubbing my forehead, hoping the throbbing would leave me for a minute.They were onto me.By saying "they" , he meant Alpha Cade of the Night shade pack. He was also among the Alpha's that worked with Dagger to bring me down. He was among the bastards that wante
HYCINTH’S POVThere was no peace.Not in this world. I had no peace and I no longer wanted it.I think I had cried for exactly six months before wiping my own tears and setting my focus on something else, my revenge. There wasn't a single day I hadn't thought about my unborn child that was viciously murdered by someone who had a grudge against me. I had mercy before but right now I didn't have that in me.I wanted that bitch."Please, please, don't kill him. He hasn't done anything to you." The naked woman nearby begged, her hands clasped together and meeting with her chest.I never looked in the direction of weakness. Not since I ran away from Leander and came here, hoping to find peace. The world ahead of me was red, full of blood, death, and an urge to kill. And I wanted to revenge for everything. Yes everything happened, l lost my unborn pup but luckily the moment I left Leander the moon goddess helped me and gave me back my wolf.Before getting it, I spent nights and days cryin
LEANDER'S POVEverything good had to come to an end.It was how the world worked. Even with all the riches and power, no one could save anyone from death. There was no such thing as immortality or giving one a life. There were two instances where I had ever cried, one was where my mother died, where I couldn't do anything to bring her back, where I felt the weakest of all, where I felt nothing could help me and the second time was when my unborn child was killed.Same feelings.Same emotions.Different people.Different deaths.One's grave was big and the other one was small. The tears were the same and the pain was the same. But I never thought I was ever going to cry for someone who was living, breathing right next to me. It took courage and a lot of strength to love someone and seeing them going through pain was worse than the pain of any death.When I held Hycinth in my arms after her surgery of abortion, I wept like a child while she struck her fists into my chest, screaming how
Every body moved away, creating a path for us as l moved quickly. I clutched Hycinth to my chest as she writhed and began to groan in pain. The guard's eyes widened as they saw Hycinth spitting up blood in my arms. “Guard around the pack, no one in , no one out , there might be a reason why she is vomiting blood”, l shouted at my beta, Ever brushing past him to run.I didn’t wait for his response.Gwen was running behind me as I raced for the pack’s infirmary. My heart was beating painfully in my chest as l pushed myself faster than I had ever moved before. “Lay her on the bed here”, Gwen gestured to the first open bed and l gingerly laid Hycinth on bed. I held her head to the side so she wouldn’t choke on the dark colored blood. “Hycinth my darling, can you hear me?”, My voice was strained as l held her face and brushed her hair back from her forehead.A cold sweat was forming on her face and she continued to spasm in pain. Somehow her cloudy eyes seemed to find me and her lips moved
I wasn't sure if Hycinth's surprised response and rapid heartbeat were related to Sydney's actions or my reference to her as my Luna. "I can only tell you what I've seen. I really do think her punishment changed her perspective, and again, we will discuss it with her to confirm exactly where she stands now, but she has held you in her lap while kissing your hair and whispering softly spoken sentiments of affection. She watched over you whenever I was forced to leave your side and whenever I returned, she never failed to whisper a loving goodbye to you.Hycinth blinked, her eyes taking on a glistening shine. After a long moment she said softly, "Okay."Transitioning back to our original conversation, I asked quietly, "Were there any other reasons you kept our daughter from me?""No," Hycinth whispered. "I've always known you would be a good father. I knew you would come for her...you would save her." Expression turned glassy, utter anguish radiated through the bond.Still connected to