I Can't BreatheHycinthAs the highest ranking member, Tommy, the Grimm MC's Sgt. in Arms, rode point with Leroy by his side. Luca and I followed behind him with the Enforcers surrounding us and Frank positioned at the back.Keeping my head tucked down in the back of Lucky's neck, I clutched his torso tightly. Eyes squeezed shut, I let the familiar rev and vibration of the motors block out my chaotic thoughts. I had no idea how to explain to them what had happened to us. Two hours later, we pulled into a diner. Lucky slowed and eased the motorcycle to a stop. Climbing down from behind him, I desperately worked to pull myself together, swiping my thumbs over my damp cheeks and smoothing hair out of my face. As we walked together into the diner, Lucky kept his body positioned slightly in front of mine. His frame was locked tight, stretching to his full height, chest puffed out, presenting himself as a formidable deterrent to anyone who might make the mistake of coming near me.The dine
Was I done with Leander? The memory of Leander's hurt and betrayed face flashed before my eyes. Yes, I was done...I didn't have a choice, not anymore. I swallowed thickly, trying to generate enough saliva in my mouth to speak. It didn't help. Lifting the cold drink to my lips, I took a few sips of iced tea before setting the glass down. "Y-Yes."Tommy's intelligent gaze remained trained on my face. From his expression, it was clear he hadn't missed the conflict in my response but then seemed to let it go, lifting his drink to his lips. Ice clinked in the glass as he turned it up and swallowed the remaining liquid inside.The conversation at the tables transitioned to much less serious subjects, gruff laughter ringing out intermittently as the bikers finished their meal.Luca's voice carried an undertone of stress but he did his best to engage in the banter. I preferred to remain silent, comforted by the familiar voices around me and thankful for their unspoken understanding in giving
I Need YouHycinthEyes wide, I stared at Luca in stunned silence. There was no way he could have just said what I thought I heard come out of his mouth!How could I be pregnant?"But I, he..." I stuttered, "I can't be...you have to be w-wrong."Absinthe eyes swam with concern. Squeezing my fingers gently, Lucky shook his head. "I have never been more certain of anything in my life.""How do you know?" I whispered, my voice quivering. It wasn't until recently that I even knew the steps for mating. I had even less knowledge of shewolf pregnancies."I can scent it on you.""I smelled the pregnancy?I inhaled deeply, letting the air saturate my lungs, trying to find the scent.Nothing. "I don't smell anything.""Males can scent an in utero pup six days after mating; however, females do not discern the pregnancy until the eighth day. In two more days, you will smell what I do.""You have to be wrong," I insisted, shaking my head in denial. "This just couldn't happen. Leander pulled out ev
Everard Our first chapter in Ever's POV!Four weeks had gone by since Hycinth had left and as expected, Leander had deteriorated quickly. His righteous anger and fury that Hycinth had chosen her dead parents over her soulmate, knowing their cruelty, had worn off, leaving only abysmal devastation behind. He couldn't think or function past his pain. He didn't want to.I stood to my feet when Sydney and one of her apprentices, Heidi, entered the study. Crossing the room to them, I asked quietly, "What news do you have?"Sydney's eyes cut in Leander's direction and then back at me. "Should we talk about this...here?"I understood her hesitation. I looked over to Leander. He was slouched in an oversized chair, legs apart, head back with his eyes closed. For the moment, his breathing and heart rate was regular, none of the usual hitches and spasms I'd become accustomed to hearing. He was asleep. But even slumbering didn't guarantee a break to his agony. Most nights he woke up roaring, fight
They salivated for it, like the sick wolves they were. And now, Hycinth's actions had not only left Leander emotionally maimed, but she'd put hundreds of lives at risk. Innocent males and females would die...even young pups and newborns, if her vile pack breached our borders. I shuddered hard to control my fear. But I should be afraid. The memory of what they'd done to that innocent baby after they'd cut it from its mother womb still tore me up inside. They'd proven beyond a shadow of a doubt there was no deed too diabolical, no blood too sacred to shed. I swallowed down the bile that crept up my throat.And as far as I was concerned, every drop of blood shed now was on Hycinth's hands.She'd set these events in motion....She was the daughter of the cruelest Alpha to ever breathe. We'd thought her innocent. Hycinth had been so young, only fifteen when her father died. We'd assumed he hadn't had the chance to instill his thirst for war into her. But we'd been wrong. She'd played us al
It HurtsLeanderMy Wolf's thoughts were a jumbled mess...WorthlessUnwantedUnlovableSome vital component had disconnected inside his head the moment Hycinth had left us. His self-hatred radiated through our bond, cutting me to the bone. The marrow of his being was bleeding, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do to staunch the flow. Not that I had enough strength of my own to even try to keep us both together. His agony was mine, and mine was his.Dazed and confused, he ran.No goal in mind, no destination.He just knew he had to run because standing in one place hurt too damn much.Through the forest, careening around trees, paws barely touching the fleshy earth beneath his feet, an ominous silence played in the air around us, a distinct lack of birds calling and squirrels chattering. Even the hum of insects was absent. All creatures, substantial and insignificant, somehow recognized the devastating imbalance of the feral predator flying through their midst and wisely kept them
Push Me and SeeHycinthThe room was dark. Velvety curtains, the color of deep cobalt, hung over blackout blinds and ensured virtually no light penetrated the space.I liked it that way....dark.It was how the world should be because color and light just made me feel the pain of everything I had lost. I couldn't take it. I burrowed deeper beneath the covers, wishing to blend in with the blackness, to fade into an empty void of nothingness where I just stopped feeling.But it didn't work......it never worked.I couldn't shut off my thoughts and emotions. I couldn't stop grieving the past and fearing the future.Luca had been right. Within two days of his stunning revelation that I was pregnant, I was able to scent the tiny pup growing in my belly. My little male or female. The idea was shocking. I was a mother. And within a few months, there would be a little life completely dependent upon me. How was I going to care for a child when I could barely get out of bed?I reached out to my
War Is an Ugly ThingLeanderPain...Everything in my body hurt.From my scalp down to my toes, no area was exempt from the throbbing agony that devoured my attention and stole the breath right out of me. I tried to take shallow panting breaths to regain my air but it felt like someone was sitting on my chest, gleefully stabbing a white-hot poker in my lungs on each inhale. I had to have a broken rib, probably several, if the unbearable ferocity of pain was any indication.The stench of blood consumed the air around me and overwhelmed my sensitive nose. Instinct demanded I recoil from the offensive smell, but even if I could move, there was no avoiding the foul scent because the fresh tang of metallic iron flowed freely from my own skin."Make sure every damn one of our healers is present and ready to treat him by the time we get back!" Ever barked out orders."Got it!" someone grunted.I couldn't see who he spoke to. From the location of Ever's voice, he must have been hovering over
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