"Lift him to his knees so I can see his face," I ordered.Samuel planted a booted foot against Dagger's butt and gripped his shoulders from behind, jerking his upper body off the floor. He held him in place while I leaned down again to one knee so that Dagger and I were eye to eye. "Ready to be a good boy? How far you're willing to go to secure your freedom this time?"He whimpered and dropped his head.I grabbed his jaw and squeezed, lifting his head at the same time. He whined at the force I was using. Letting my Wolf's strength rise into the palm of my hand, I constricted my grip even tighter until the bones in his jaw snapped, dislocating it.Dagger screamed but the sound gurgled off when I placed my other hand over his mouth. "Pay attention. I have some questions. Now, since you have no dick, I know it wasn't your cock, so tell me which one of these wolves raped my mate."Sweat poured off of his body as saliva dripped out of his mouth. He tried to speak but wasn't able to make an
"Motherfuckers!" I cursed furiously.My Wolf howled his rage, ears laid back flat, his paws pounding the ground. He itched to get out but I held him back.I hated every moment but let the images play out. I needed to see for myself what happened.Before the second male could finish, Dagger jerked him away.Stumbling back, the Wolf muttered, "Hey man! What the fuck?"Hycinth hung limp and unmoving, her body swaying from the restraints."We're out of time," Dagger hissed. He turned toward the stairs. "Get her down and bring her upstairs. Sydney will be here in a few minutes."I shook my head, clearing my mind. That was enough for now. Hycinth's memories correlated that I had the correct two wolves who had violated my mate in the worst manner possible.And now they were going to pay....Lifting my head, I made eye contact with Ever. My thoughts filtered to him, "Lube."He nodded, leaned down to the bag at his feet and extracted a bottle of lubricant. He tossed it to me.I snatched it fro
Leander"How many?" I snarled.There was a beat of silence. And then Ryan responded, his response colored with confusion, "So far... only three."Three? Hardly a task force of substance. What were they up to now?"Are you sure?" I demanded. And then added, "Can you identify their rank?""Yeah," he replied shortly, his voice constricted with tension."Their Alpha, the Beta and the Delta."Nightshade's three highest ranking wolves?I spun my head around to strategically assess the current situation in the room. We held the upper hand. All of the enemy wolves were restrained in silver zipties. But who knew how long that would last now that new wolves were in play? I needed to thin the herd-remove the potential for these wolves to reengage in the fight against us. "Eliminate the Nightshade wolves now!" I ordered.There was no hesitation. Instantly, razor-sharp claws elongated and every throat was ripped out. Blood poured onto the dingy carpet.I strode toward the door. "Ever. Oliver. Foll
LEANDER'S POVTwo days had passed since we returned to the cottage, the den where Hycinth and I had mated, and conceived the tiny pup in her belly. And during that time, Hycinth had shown physical signs of improvement. Harsh purplish, crimson and black welts all over her body had turned to soft shades of green and yellow. The swelling in both eyes had reduced. And the fractures Grace found in Hycinth's lower spine, no doubt caused by a kick from one of those bastards considering the massive boot shaped bruise on her skin, had knitted back together.But Hycinth remained unconscious. And there was no movement from the vulnerable pup or sign from her Wolf.My heart clenched in my chest as I stared at her sleeping form. She looked so frail and weak. Restless, her little brows wrinkled and pinched tight. Sporadic breaths caused her chest to catch, lost to the torment inside her head. Lifting on my elbow next to her, I pressed my lips to her cheek and caressed her arm with my fingertips. "S
"They won't stay long, son," my father soothed. The irises of his Wolf shown in his eyes, the beast directing communicating comfort to mine. There was also a promise of violent protection behind his fierce stare. No question of loyalty in his rigid stance. At any cost, the beast would stand by his son to protect what was ours.His words helped. My Wolf still didn't like the presence of so many males, but he trusted our father Wolf. His anxiety eased a little."We know you don't want to be gone for long," Ever explained quietly as I crossed to the far side of the deck where they stood, "so we wanted to cover as many topics as possible to avoid multiple absences from your mate."I understood they needed to talk but first I needed an explanation from Grace. I turned to her and spoke through gritted teeth, "Now tell me what is going on. What couldn't you say in front of Hycinth?""Leander, you already know Hycinth should have woken up by now," Grace began, her voice low.She spoke the obv
"Are we done here?" I asked, impatient to get back to Hycinth."Wait. There is another thing.." Ever hesitated."What now?" A muscle in my jaw twitched.Asher came to stand beside him.Ever's voice deepened, "It's the...pack. I get why you didn't tell them the reasons Hycinth left, but she's back now, and they still don't know what's going on. Anxiety...is running high."I turned on them, a growl ripping from my throat, "No, I didn't share all the intimate details of my personal devastation with the pack. I'm their fucking Alpha. I don't owe them sorid details. All they needed to know was that Hycinth was gone and now she's back." It hadn't occurred to me that I might get pushback from the pack. Maybe I should have.But worse, I never anticipated Ever and Asher to stand against me the way they were now. "If either of you have shit to say about the matter of Hycinth returning, don't fucking hide it. Let's get this out right here and now."Pain washed over Ever's expression. His voice w
CareLEANDER'S POVCrossing the wooden deck in long strides, I quickly reached the door with Luca right on my heels."Wait," Grace interjected softly from her position next to the entrance. "Leander, it's important that we start Hycinth's treatment as quickly as possible, and you may not want another male on hand." Her eyes flickered to Luca for a brief second before returning to me.Luca's face fell. He immediately stepped back, his shoulders hunching. "Of course. I can wait to see her another time.""It shouldn't take more than twenty minutes," Grace reassured him.Luca's stricken expression shifted back to hopefulness. He waited for my response."As long as Hycinth remains stable through the process, I see no reason to delay your visit any longer." In my heart, I was hoping Luca's presence might make a difference. As long as my Wolf remained calm, I wanted him to see her as soon as possible. "Wait here. I'll let you know when she's ready.""Yes...of course," Luca agreed, sinking do
"This formula has a high nutrient and electrolyte content." Grace held up a bag of creamy, light-caramel colored substance for me to see. "It will deliver the nourishment Hycinth's body needs to maintain her own health and that of the young pup.""Okay," I murmured."Before and after feeding, we need to flush the line." Grace attached a small vial of clear liquid to the tubing and pressed down on the plunger.My Wolf's and my attention was riveted to Grace's every move as she then unscrewed the empty vial and deftly attached the bag of nutrition. We memorized the procedure so that we could re-create it when the time came.Grace hooked the bag to Hycinth's IV pole. She pointed to a small plastic piece on the tubing. "The nutrition is being fed via gravity but the flow rate is controlled by this clamp. It has six adjustable positions.""How frequently do I feed her?" I asked."We'll go slowly to start. We don't want to overload her currently empty gastric system," Grace responded. "Thin
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