HycinthMorning dawned. And with it, a flood of memories from the night before crashed over me. Oh, no...what had I done?The vivid scenes played like a movie in my head. Leander's passionate words right before he placed his mark on my neck, a symphony of wolves celebrating Nature's course, letting go of my inhibition at the shifter bar, caught up at the moment.LaughingTouchingLovingThe realization caused guilt to ricochet through my belly. I was wrong...so wrong. What I'd done was despicable. It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair for me to lead Leander on, to give him hope that didn't exist. I'd given the bond free reign. I allowed it to make me forget my reasons for being here...and why I had to leave.I had to stop this damaging behavior. I was leaving because I couldn't be with him, but seeing him hurt, hurt me as well. I couldn't stop it. It was as Nature had decreed. And I didn't want to make that pain any more severe than it would already be. I dreaded that moment...telling h
And now, as much as I understood I shouldn't have let it go so far, I also understood it would not help his mentality for me to constantly be telling him I was going to leave. For now, we just needed to get through the next four weeks on friendly terms, and I would face our goodbye when the time came. I decided to change the subject."Did Alpha Cyril and your mother complete the ceremony?" I asked curiously.The abrupt change in his demeanor was startling. Tension rolled through his body. His spine went rigid. He let me go and backed away. I spun around to face him. "I'm sorry! You don't have to answer that."He'd lost his mother about six months before we met. Apparently, it was still a tough subject for him.He stared with darkened eyes. It was like he was staring at me but also staring through me at the same time, lost in his memories. A muscle in his jaw twitched.I waited silently, not knowing what else to say, worried I might say the wrong thing.After a long moment, he purposef
LeanderI knew the moment I woke up and Hycinth was gone, we were right back to square one. Maybe it was unrealistic, but I'd hoped the progress we made the night before would continue. I'd hoped when she saw how good we were together, how good the bond was for both of us, she'd want to choose me.I should have known better.Fantasizing about our future together was not a good idea, not if I wanted to survive after our four weeks was over. The pain in my chest nearly suffocated me. Hope was a bitch when it was torn away, and the only thing left behind was cold empty despair.But I had her in my arms now.And I would do everything in my power to keep her there.I kissed her on the forehead. She looked up, lake blue eyes finding mine. Stepping back, I took her hand. "I want to show you inside." She nodded and walked with me through the wide opening.Every aspect of the interior of the cottage had been carefully thought-out and crafted. I gestured to the floor, walls and exposed beam cei
HycinthLeander's eyes blazed as he walked to stand right in front of me.I didn't care. I wasn't going to be intimidated. Hands on my hips, I hissed, "How many times are we going to have to go through this? I've already told you nothing happened between us. I thought you believed me!"Leander ignored my question. Suddenly, his eyes unfocused, his stare utterly blank.My mouth went slack, confused by his abrupt change. It was like he was staring at me but through me at the same time. What the hell was he doing?I studied him, trying to interpret his unusual body language.And then I understood. Oh shit.He was inside my head!I gasped, "Are you looking at my memories?"He didn't deny it, his expression unapologetic.I couldn't believe his audacity. "Thank you for having no fucking trust in me! I do not speak lies. And you are a hypocrite!"His darkened gaze turned hard. A muscle in his jaw ticked.My hands ached to strangle him, but I settled with pointing my finger at him, my anger g
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
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