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
His WorthinessHycinthI still couldn't wrap my head around it-tomorrow I would be in heat.The concept was impossible. Unfathomable, even.Before Leander captured me several weeks ago, I never thought I'd consider the remotest possibility of mating with him.I hated him.How foolish I'd been...I'd had no idea just how confounding the mate bond was, turning my thoughts from utter loathing to a feeling dangerously close to love. It scared the hell out of me.And now...here we were.As the day drew near, Leander gave up all of his administrative Alpha tasks, his Wolf not allowing me out of their sight even for a moment. Hell, getting him to agree to bathroom privacy had been a full-blown argument.But I'd put my foot down. I did not need Leander hovering over me while taking a shit. Just the thought made me cringe with embarrassment. And it wasn't like I was going to magically 'poof and disappear' once the bathroom door closed.Even now, Leander's darkened gaze shifted frequently betwe
LeanderRight in the middle of my conversation with Ever, I knew something was drastically wrong when he glanced over my shoulder and sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes widening larger than I'd ever seen them.Spinning around, it only took me a second to identify the problem.Hycinth wasn't where I left her.Nope. Not only was she gone from Gwen's side, but my little mouse had taken it upon herself to sidle up to two unmated males and stare them down as though they were beef selections on a platter for her choosing."Oh, fuck, no," I snarled.Ever wisely remained silent as he followed me across the training center.Reaching Hycinth, I wrapped a hand around her elbow. "The fuck are you doing?"If I wasn't already shocked enough by Hycinth's behavior before I reached her, I was outright stunned when she jerked out of my grip, Wolf in her eyes, and bared her teeth at me!She gave no answer. Just stared....expectantly.The fuck??My Wolf was a little bit quicker on the uptake, snarling, "
Keeping my hard gaze trained on him, I took a calculated step to the side. "Planning on getting your dick wet inside of my female?"Hycinth sucked in a sharp breath.I didn't even try to contain my toothy smirk. Guess my little mouse didn't plan on my lewdness. Well, I didn't plan on proving my physical prowess today, but here we were.Oliver grinned, "It seems like your Wolf is in need of some male...attention."His dig was perfectly clear.But he had another thing coming if he presumed I was lacking...in any way. "And you think you can give her what she needs, Buttercup?"Wolves snickered around us."I'm certain-."I had no idea how he planned to finish that sentence because I abruptly cut him off...with the heel of my foot to his throat, crushing his larynx.And that was all it took to get the party started...Oliver lurched back and landed on his ass with a heavy thud, coughing and sputtering. He struggled to his feet, spitting blood, but I could no longer focus on him because all
Hycinth inhaled sharply. Eyes still glued down to the floor, her chin went up, her neck extending to the fullest. It was the ultimate gesture of submission, a promise her life was in his paws, he could do with it whatever he chose.My heart raced in my chest because now I suspected his next move. He was going to take what belonged to him. He was going to mark her!I tried to slow him down, make him see reason. We still had no idea if Hycinth even planned to stay after the next three days.But he wasn't listening.He'd fought......and now he would have his prize.I tried to contain my panic. My Wolf marking her was not previously agreed-upon. Hycinth had never explicitly said she was okay with it. But her posture radiated consent. She was too smart not to realize the potential. Did this me she'd changed her mind?!Fuck, my nerves were shot.My anxiety wasn't restricted to only her response. If Hycinth allowed him to mark her, our bond would grow...his attachment to her would substanti
Could she do it any slower??It was like a fucking striptease.And why was it so damn hot in here anyway?Oh yeah...the steam from the shower. Sure. That's the story I told myself.Topless now, Hycinth unbuttoned her pants and lowered the zip. Hooking her thumbs into the waistband, she gave a little hip wiggle as she pushed the garment down over her hips.He gave her an approving nod and growl.I wanted to chew one of his paws off.The last thing to go where her pretty lace panties.Even he couldn't stop the full body shudder that coursed through him as he drank in the shewolf in front of him.Hycinth stared shyly, unsure what to do next.With another dip of his head toward the shower, he made his instructions known.Biting her lip, Hycinth opened the door and stepped inside. She moved to the left so he could join her.Fuck!So, we were really doing this?? It appeared so. I really needed to get a grip on my hard-on. Shit, maybe that wasn't the best way to phrase it. Now, all I could p
Sweet LunaHycinthMy heart beat out of control. Skin-to-skin. Tingles cascaded up and down my spine. I tried to pull away.Immovable arms tightened around me. "Shh... I'm not going to try to take it farther," Leander's whispered words, breath hot on my neck. "Just be with me...let me hold you."Just hold me? Was that even possible for him? Our bodies were pressed together, no space in between, just hours away from my heat-a potent cocktail just waiting to explode. But as I stood in Leander's arms, my tension bled away. I trusted him. He'd never lied to me."Good girl," he praised, feeling my body relax against him.After a long moment, he finally relaxed his hold and pulled back. Maybe I shouldn't have, but I just couldn't stop myself, my eyes drifted down, unexpectedly finding soft curls of dark hair. He'd let his pubic hair grow out since our date at the shifter club. And shockingly, by some incredible feat of self-control, he'd kept himself from having an erection.My surprise mus
The beast pulled his front paw and hind leg off of me, giving me a brief reprieve from the overwhelming heat, but in no way, was he allowing me to get up. I knew because his canines scraped against the soft flesh of my neck.Searing heat shot through my belly.In my head, my Wolf pawed at the ground and shook her ass at him. She wanted his attention.Oh, we had it...Leander's Wolf focused on the skin of my shoulder, his warm tongue flickering out to taste my flesh.I inhaled sharply.With purpose, he shifted position slightly and began to lick down my spine.My breathing shallowed, coming in short pants when he reached the crest of my bottom...and continued lower.A knock at the door interrupted us.Reluctantly, he pulled away. There was a displacement of air behind me, and suddenly, Leander's hands held my hips. He pressed his forehead into the curve between my shoulder blades and groaned, "This is going to be a long day."I couldn't say I disagreed with him. I worked to control my
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