LeanderHycinth couldn't hide her response to my provocative words.ExcitementDesireAnticipationAll filtered through the bond.I lifted her chin with my fingers, forcing her to look at me. Liquid blue irises revealed the truth. No matter what her mind claimed, her body and soul hungered for something else entirely-she craved me.And I desperately wanted to give her everything she yearned for.Hycinth worried her bottom lip between her teeth, tongue flickering out to wet her lips. So fucking sexy.I suppressed a groan.The moment lingered, singularly focused on each other, nothing else existed.From behind Hycinth, Luca grumbled, "So, yeah, I'ma have to interrupt this heartwarming eye-fucking moment before I toss my lunch."I glanced at him. Mouth twisted in distaste, he did look kind of green. I chuckled and loosened my hold. Hycinth blushed and worked to disentangle herself from my embrace. I didn't let her go far, twining my fingers into hers to keep her by my side."Thank you,"
She hesitated a moment, pulling her thoughts together. "I'm just surprised Sydney's here."I pulled her to a stop. She hadn't seemed bothered before, but maybe I'd read her acceptance of Sydney's presence wrong. We were far enough from the competitors not to be heard. "Do you not want her here?"She shook her head. "No. I don't care that she's here. Her presence was just unexpected. They hadn't gone easy on her.""True," I acknowledged, unsure where she was going with this. But she spoke the truth. Sydney's punishment had been significant.A little shudder ran down Hycinth's spine as she admitted, "It was bad enough when you spanked me with your hand over my clothing. I can't imagine how Sydney handled Cyril's strikes with a paddle over and over on her naked butt, only to find three more wolves wanted retribution for her behavior as well. She heals faster as a werewolf, but not that fast. Her punishment was less than a day ago."Oh, I understood now. "Sydney has her faults, as you've
HycinthEven as I chatted with Gwen, my attention was never far from Leander. He and Ever stood off to the side, silently watching the activity around us.However, about ten minutes later, he walked away, without even a word to me.My heart twisted.I'd rejected him again. I shouldn't expect anything than his rebuff, but still, it hurt. I wrapped my arms around my middle, trying to hold myself together. Abruptly, Gwen squeezed my knee. I looked up to find her brown eyes soft, silently trying to give me strength, but there was pain in her expression as well.For the first time, I wondered if it wouldn't just be Leander I hurt when I left. Gwen and I had become close over the short time I've been there. I'd forgotten how wonderful it was to have shewolves as close friends. Even though I knew it was the right path for me to take, I didn't relish becoming a lone Wolf again. No one to understand me and no pack to call family.My Wolf howled mournfully in my head.But it didn't have to be t
LeanderThree weeks had gone by.For the most part, Hycinth and I ignored the elephant in the room, the upcoming ceremony, preferring instead to stick to less emotionally-charged subjects. But if anything, three weeks of lighthearted banter and fun just further cemented the truth of what I was going to lose.Because no matter how much closer we became, I could still feel Hycinth's resistance. She wouldn't let go of the wall between us. Over the course of her time here, I'd shown her everything I was and everything we could be together.It just wasn't enough.Ever lifted his beer, eyeing me speculatively over the bottle. "What's going on?"I stiffened. Hycinth, Gwen, and Willow were having a girl's night, so Ever and I had made our way to a local bar. I needed the release. I needed to take the edge off and planned to get completely wasted. Ever's too-intuitive gaze remained locked on me, but talking about my problems was not on the agenda for this evening. Maybe if I acted like I had n
HycinthI stared down at Leander's large frame on the bed, out cold, snoring softly, his clothes from the night before wrinkled and disheveled.The competition was beginning today and I couldn't believe he'd decided last night was the opportune moment to get drunk off his ass. What was he thinking?I let out a little cough, struggling to breathe with the suffocating scent of alcohol in the air. How the hell much did he drink?Moving to the window, I pulled open the curtains. Sunlight flooded the room. Leander let out an irritated growl in his sleep and burrowed his face in the pillow. I shook my head.Unlocking the window, I slid it open. I took a moment to poke my nose outside and inhale deeply, refilling my lungs with fresh air.Turning to face him again, I placed my hands on my hips.And just how the hell was I going to get him out of the bed?As a matter of fact, given his alcohol drenched body, how did he even make it to bed on his own? Ever had to have helped. And probably Asher
LeanderHot water rained down on me in the shower as I pressed my forehead against the cold tile wall. I let out a low groan. Why the hell had I thought drinking until I was arse over tit had been such a good idea? It, sure as fuck, didn't feel that way now.Just breath, I coached myself, letting the air fill my lungs and release slowly. Deep breaths.I could do this...I could stand long enough to take care of a rudimentary task such as cleaning myself.Finally, I pulled myself together enough to stop nuzzling the wall.Squeezing some shampoo into my hands, I began the mundane task of washing my hair and let my thoughts drift. The competition began today. I hadn't looked at the time before stumbling into the shower, but more than likely, I'd already missed the morning session. That was okay. Sydney and Luca had managed to work together without killing each other, just barely. Both were still alive and kicking, and I was confident they had everything under control.I look forward to s
HycinthAll of the surrounding matches halted. Every Wolf's attention riveted to Sydney and Luca. I couldn't believe my brother. I didn't like Sydney, but Sydney had submitted to the mated pair's punishment without question, and she'd acted with the utmost respect around both Leander and I since, eyes lowered, obedient.Pack law wasn't about holding grudges. We were supposed to be better than that. Correction and punishment were for purpose of bringing a Wolf back into accord with the pack. Which was why, I couldn't understand Luca's continued insistence on goading her and publicly rubbing her nose in Leander's rejection. Every confrontation I'd witnessed -and there had been many over the last 3 1/2 weeks- had been unprovoked by Sydney so what point was he trying to make?I'd also been surprised to see the extended stare between Sydney and Leander. That suspended look spoke volumes regarding their history. Leander may have broken it off three years ago, but it was clear, they'd been m
LeanderDamn. I thought Hycinth and I had a complicated relationship, but I wasn't sure what to call the exchange between Luca and Sydney I'd just witnessed.Pulling out of my embrace, Hycinth strode to Luca. Her voice was low but still clear for me to hear. "What the hell was that, Lucky?"Jaw clenched, he replied, "Nothing.""Bullshit!" Hycinth hissed. "That wasn't 'nothing." You deserved a beat-down for those below the belt comments. Is this about me? Because if it is, I'm not a little girl anymore. I don't need you to fight my battles.""No," Lucky snapped, a vein in his neck pulling taut. "She just...gets under my skin."Hycinth's hands found her hips. "And so you harass her? You do realize that's pubescent werewolf behavior, right?—I like her, so I'm going to annoy her to death.""I don't like her," he growled."Really?" Hycinth's brows shot up. "So, shoving your tongue down her throat, was what? Punishment? The literal enactment of a 'tongue-lashing'?"Luca raked a hand through
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