Hi - just a heads up that my laptop completely died last night so updates may be delayed a little bit. Hopefully it can be fixed ASAP and I can recover the chapters that I've already been working on.
This story is honestly my favorite one yet (of course, it helps that I know where we are going). đ
I will get the new chapters up as soon as the computer geniuses can help me. Thank you for joining me on this ride!
(Leo Bloodstone POV)After spending several hours reassigning my men âI was pulling them from inside Blue Ridge but not away from itâ I walked into a tavern and sat down at the bar. The place was mostly empty. Despite the hour âit was just after noonâ it was dark and dingy inside. It was on human territory about ten minutes outside Blue Ridge borders. They did not cater to werewolves specifically, but I had gotten to know the bartenders there pretty well in the past couple of years. They knew not to ask too many questions. I ordered two beers and waited.Not even five minutes after I arrived, Ellis walked in and took a seat, leaving a barstool in between us.âGet your men sorted?â he asked.I ignored his question and continued to stare ahead, not bothering to even glance at him. âI ordered you a beer.âEllis looked at the glass in front of him. âDid you poison it?ââNot yet,â I replied coldly. âProbably should have.âOut of the corner of my eye, I saw him pick up the beer and
(Leo Bloodstone POV)I called my mother the second that I got back to the hotel. She answered on the fifth ring.âHey, sweetheart.ââIs Piper with you?âShe laughed. âI should have known that you werenât calling for me. Piper is in the garden having tea with the ladies. I was with her until just now, when I came inside to answer my phone.ââHow is she doing?ââHonestly, she seems a little off, and a little tired today. I think she had a rough night. But I am not too surprised. We had a little bit of a run-in with that witch Ingrid yesterday.ââWhat? Where?ââAt the bridal salon. The witch said that you knew she was working there.âI groaned. âShe told me that she had gotten a job downtown, but I had no idea where.ââWell, I had her fired. I didnât want her energy around the place while Piper looked for her dress.ââDid she find one?âI could practically hear my mother smile through the phone.âYes. It is perfect. She even cried.ââMotherâŚâ I growled.âRelax. They were ha
(Piper POV)Was I flirting with Leo on the phone? Yes.Did I enjoy it? Yes.Was there a part of me that really did hope that he would take me into the woods on our date and take advantage of me while we laid on top of a picnic blanket? Goddess, yes.Would I regret the flirting? Eventually, yes. I would regret it all. In fact, I would come to intensely hate myself for even thinking some of the thoughts that I was thinking that day, and I would hate myself that much more for expressing them. The dirty thoughts; the happy thoughts; the could-this-be-real thoughts.But on that day, in that moment? Based on the information that I had at the time? No. I had no regrets. I was simply following my heart, listening to the simplicity and beauty of my current circumstances. I was letting myself dream and be happy. The doubts.. the guilt⌠the voices of Xander, Aiden, Asher⌠all of that I too-easily pushed to the back of my mind.Part of that was because I really did want to be happy. A
(Leo Bloodstone POV)After getting back from Blue Ridge, I was eager to see Piper. However, before I could do that, I needed to see my boy. I also needed to have a word with his mother. âAre they both here?â I asked the guard at the entrance.âYes, Sir.ââAre they awake?ââThe nanny is up with Axel. We have not seen Ingrid yet this morning.âI checked my watch and sighed in annoyance. It was 9:30 in the morning. Of course, Ingrid was not up yet.Thanking the guard, I entered Ingridâs house. I was barely four steps into the place before Axel came running up to me.âUncle Leo!!!!!âI picked the little guy up and ruffled his hair. âHey, kiddo. How are you feeling today?ââI good! You play with me?ââI canât this morning, kiddo, but maybe later tonight?ââYEEEESSSS! We play space guys?âI chuckled. âSpace guysâ was what he called his action figurine toys. A few of the figures were astronauts and from space-age movies, which is how the toys got their collective name.âSure, bud
(Piper POV)The follow up appointment with the doctor is at 10:45. After another couple of rounds of really intense pain that started around midnight last night, I am more eager to see the doctor than I am to see Leo. Hell, I am more eager to see the doctor today than I was to see Xander all those months that I waited for him at Moon Shadow.Maybe that sounds awful, but I donât know if I have it in me to go through any more rounds of that pain. I wish I could describe it to you better, but suffice it to say, it is soul-crushingly awful. And what kills me is that Penelope feels it too. She has always been my strength, and I want to fix this for her even more than for me.After wracking my brain for answers, I am sure that it is just withdrawal symptoms from the herbs. Which is good and bad all at the same time. Hopefully the doctor has some sort of pill or treatment that can help.****Leo picks me up from my room around 10:25. That is a little later than I expected him, but the
(Leo Bloodstone POV)Something is wrong with Piper.I was so distracted and angry after that confrontation with Ingrid that I did not notice it at first, but there is definitely something going on. But for the fact that we are going to see the doctor, I would refuse to move another inch until Piper tells me whatever it is that she is holding back. Worried, I walk with Piper into the hospital. We take the elevator to the fourth floor, which is where Dr. Tuttleâs office is located.Just as the elevator doors begin to close, we hear a male voice yell out âHold the Elevator!!!!â. My instinct is to ignore the request, but Piperâs instincts are obviously different. She reaches out and pushes the âholdâ button.Moments later, a young male wolf jumps on the elevator with us. His clothes are disheveled and he reeks of sex. He is not one of my pack members, but I recognize him. He is Dr. Tuttleâs nephew, and he is here for the summer doing a medical school internship.âOh, hi Alpha,â h
(Piper POV)Ten minutes later, and we are now in Dr. Tuttleâs office. Dr. Tuttle is behind his desk, with Kade seated on his far-right side. Meanwhile, I am seated on Leoâs lap, which is the only place he would even consider letting me sit after he saw Kade sitting there. I briefly considered demanding that I have my own seat, because Leoâs jealousy and possessiveness were a little obnoxious. However, I figured it was easier to just cooperate with him so that we could focus on the meeting and getting the answers that we need.âAnd you like sitting on his lap,â Penelope reminds me. âYou also find his possessiveness to be a turn-on.âUrgh. Okay, fine. She is right. But Leo doesnât need to know that. No one else needs to know that either. Dr. Tuttle starts off our meeting with what should be good news.âThe lab ran several tests on the herbs, and Kade and I did research on this particular combination. It turns out that it was frequently used by wolf spies in the 1800s, befo
(Piper POV)Leo made no secret of the fact that he was not happy when we left Dr. Tuttleâs office.When we got back to the packhouse, we sat down side-by-side on a shaded bench in the garden to talk about it. Thankfully, no one else was around⌠although I am pretty sure that was because Leo mind-linked everyone to leave.âLittle Pea, you canât take the herbs again.ââYou said it would be my decision, Leo. And you heard what the doctor said.âHe rubbed his hand down his face. âI did say that. And it is your decision. But⌠not really. Iâm sorry, Little Pea, I really am⌠but I canât let you take the herbs again.âI glared at him. Was he really going to go back on his word? I tried to move over to put more distance between us, but he pulled me closer to him instead. I resisted, but he was stronger than me. He used one hand to tilt my chin up so that I was looking directly in his eyes. âLittle Pea, I know what I promised you. But my gut⌠it is rarely wrong. Those herbs are da