RYLEE My head hurt. It was the first thing I noticed when I gained consciousness. The place was almost completely dark and I could perceive the distinct smell of wine. Crinkling my nose, I tried to move my limbs. But, they wouldn't move. Heavy chains weighed them down and kept them immobile. I was sitting on the cold floor and the particles of dust in the air made my nose itch. 'Where am I?' I thought, my gaze fleeting from one corner of the room to the other. I noticed that there were two doors in the room and the walls were unpainted. There were empty bottles littered on the floor as well. I sneezed loudly, letting out a small whimper as the pain in my head spiked up. I had a feeling that Killian had locked me away and was only bidding his time. I dreaded what he was going to do to me. The memory of my mate writhing in pain on the floor, made me to worry about his safety. I wanted to know if Ava and Emma were alright. I didn't want them to get trapped in my problem. The ache in
VINCENT Pack members came to see Rylee when we arrived at the pack house. They all seemed elated to have her safe and sound. By the time Rylee and I retired at night, we were exhausted. We took a shower together. Thereafter, we laid down on the bed. Rylee was curled up into my side, her head resting on my chest. "I am contented," she whispered and I closed my eyes, her floral scent flooding my senses. "If I should die right now, I'll die happily," she continued, her fingers tracing irregular shapes along my torso. "You're not dying. Don't say that," I countered. She giggled."Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me for the rest of your life, Alpha Vincent." "Well, I don't mind.""How's your neck? Does it hurt?" She suddenly asked. "It doesn't. It's healing at it's own pace. I know you want to mark me and all. But, you have to be patient," I said. She sighed. "I wish you didn't do that though. Still, don't you think it's weird that you were only asked to get ri
RYLEE He stared at me with glowing red eyes. His wolf was intimidating but at this point, I was frustrated. I wanted to make him see how blind he was. How could he claim to want me and ask me to walk away, the next time? What were we? A joke? I was tired of going round in circles. Nothing was going to be fixed if we repeated the same thing over and over again. It was tiring."We need to talk," I said, fixing my gaze on Vincent in his wolf form. He stared at me for a moment. Then, he walked away. Determined not to give in, I followed him. He seemed to be walking with a purpose. But, the longer I followed him, the more I grew tensed. Vincent's wolf was extremely large and his fur was the color of the night. The fact that his eyes were blood red wasn't helping either.He disappeared into a cluster of trees and I struggled to keep up with him because of the dry branches and stem. "I can't avoid you now, can I?"I looked up to see Vincent. He was fully clothed. "I wasn't running away.
RYLEE Vincent was lying on the bed when I stepped out from the bathroom. Three days had passed since we got rid of Syke. Vincent had been having trouble sleeping and recently, his nightmares had worsened as well. I glanced at the window. The curtains were half raised and I could see the moon in the sky. She was a crescent tonight and the stars had appeared as well. My gaze drifted and rested on my sleeping mate as I put on a white night dress. Blowing out a breath, I pulled up my hair into a loose ponytail and approached the bed. Vincent didn't stir as I laid down on the bed beside him. I let my gaze rove over his good looking facial features, down to his pecs and abs. There was a necklace sitting around his neck. It was a simple looking one. But, he had never taken it off. On his right bicep there was a visible horizontal scar that was the same length as my longest finger. It looked like a knife wound that had once been inflamed. I stared at the burn that had replaced my mark, my
RYLEE "What?" He looked dazed. I bit my lower lip, clenching my fists.'Maybe, I shouldn't have said that,' I thought, my nerves already starting to get worked up. "Repeat what you just said, Rylee." Vincent's face showed no emotion of any kind but his eyes were glassy."I said, I'm pregnant." I sounded less confident at this point. Vincent stared at me, a thousand emotions in his eyes. I could barely read them. "You're not lying to me, are you?" He asked and I instantly shook my head. "I'm really p-pregnant," I stuttered this time. Vincent blinked. He stared at me, his gaze sweeping from my head to my feet and back up again. After a few seconds, he stormed off.'We are so screwed, Rylee. Why did you have to tell him that?' Sky said to me in my head. I didn't know the answer to that question either. But, I knew she was right. I was screwed. After Vincent had walked away from me, I spent hours in the gym with Emma and Ava. I was worried about the misunderstanding I might have sti
VINCENT When Rylee first told me that she was pregnant, I had felt more emotions than I'd felt within the past few years. I'd felt like I was dreaming. Unable to come to terms with my reality, I had stormed off. Several questions had filled my head. Was I good enough to father a child? Was I ready for one?Was I ready to raise a family? I had doubts and they were so many. I'd had a terrible childhood, I was worried that it would impact our child in some way. All I did was worry, not allowing myself to see the bigger and brighter picture. Right when I was almost over my head with worry, Noah had approached me. He made me understand that I could do it. I was taking care of several werewolves. They had been my family right from the start. It was time I raised a new family. Finding out that Rylee had suddenly passed out had scared me. Until I saw that she was safe and sound, I was worried that I might have hurt Rylee by my impassive reaction. "Marry me," I said, determined to go for
RYLEE Guilt and worry overwhelmed me as I stared at my mate. He had his eyes closed and the burn I'd desperately tried to get rid of, was staring at me. I had been unable to mark him. The dark energy from the burn had been too strong. Plus, I had been afraid of hurting him. It was the reason why I had pulled away from him as quickly as I could. The burn had darkened to the color of soot and my fang mark was nowhere to be found. Entwining my fingers with Vincent's, I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes."I'm sorry," I mumbled. There was an ache in my chest that stemmed from my failure. I believed that if I hadn't tried to convince him to get my mark, I wouldn't have hurt him. I raised my head from his chest when I felt a slight pressure on my hand. Vincent was awake. He had just squeezed my hand a little."You shouldn't be sorry," he rasped, his gaze warm."Are you feeling alright?" I asked, helping him sit up. He rubbed his eye and heaved a sigh."I passed out again, didn'
RYLEE "Look at him. He claims to be your mate. How unfortunate. He doesn't care about you at all. He only cares about his ego," Killian drawled. I refused to believe Killian's cruel statement. Vincent didn't love me. But, he at least cared about his unborn child and I. He had promised not to push me away again. "The burn on his neck is not controlling his thoughts and actions, you see. He is well aware of what he is saying. He is in full control of his emotions, Rylee Shaw. He doesn't want you by his side any longer." "You're lying! Vincent wouldn't!" I yelled and he tightened his grip on my arm. I winced and bit my lower lip to keep myself from letting out a sound. "Go on, Vincent. Tell her. Show her how much you care," Killian continued. My mate still didn't move. Killian burst into laughter. "See? How heartless."A lump had lodged itself in my throat, my unshed tears stinging my eyes. I couldn't help but wonder why Vincent would suddenly turn his back on me. Was everything we