(Jenny Brogan POV)My mate, Nick, and I have finally arrived at the Bloodstone Pack. It is the 75th and largest pack that we have visited in the last year. From what I can see so far, the pack itself is beautiful, but I am exhausted and not really in the mood to be here.Our official reason for travelling so much this year is that Nick and I need to find a new pack to live in. That is definitely true, but it is only half the story.I do not like talking about painful memories, but suffice it to say, Nick and I have struggled the past several years. That is thanks, in large part, to some really horrible things that each of our sisters did. Although I eventually helped expose our sisters’ misdeeds, I made some huge mistakes of my own along the way, and as a result, the relationship between Nick and I almost fell apart completely. In fact, we lived apart for over a year.Thankfully, Nick and I eventually reconciled, and we are in a good place now. However, I am still haunted by some
(Piper POV)I woke up when I felt the enjoyable warmth of sunlight hit my face. I stretched my arms and legs, realizing that I felt well-rested for the first time in several days.I opened my eyes and rolled over, expecting to see Leo. He was not there. However, on his pillow, he left me a note:“Little Pea –Sorry for not being here when you woke up. I needed to get a workout in before our guests arrive, and you looked too peaceful to wake up.I will meet you for breakfast with our family at 8 am.Leop.s. I had a great time last night.”I couldn’t help but smile as I read Leo’s note, and his use of the word “our” when referring to his family made my heart sing. I started to wonder why I had ever allowed Xander to talk me into running away from my wedding. If I had stayed, could Leo and I have been happy together all this time? Could I have been with my family and friends, instead of missing them and worrying about them? No, Leo wasn’t my mate… but that did not seem to matter
(Piper POV)Obviously, I survived that round of pain. No surprise there. You may think that my fear that I might drown was an overreaction, and maybe it was. But I did not know how long the pain was going to last or how bad it was going to be, and the rounds that preceded it had been absolutely awful. I was not exaggerating when I said that it was really hard to move during them.Unfortunately, consistent with my fears, the “bathtub wave” of pain was probably the worst it had been yet. Thankfully, though, adrenaline helped me get myself out of the bathtub, and I was able to lay myself on the floor (in the fetal position) just in time. Also thankfully, this round of pain only lasted for about 15 minutes… although fifteen minutes was, of course, 15 minutes too long to listen to Penelope whimper inside my head.In any event, once the pain passed and Penelope and I were able to catch our breath, I quickly took a shower and got dressed. I also took an extra dose of the herbs, hoping
(Ingrid POV)Some days… most days… I really hate Leo Bloodstone. Today is one of those days. Ever since things ended between us, he has acted like he is better than me, like I am disposable, like I do not mean anything to him. And now he is also behaving like his precious blond is better than me too. Like hell any of that is true.To make matters worse, ever since Axel had a stupid little accident last year, Leo has also been judging me for my parenting decisions, and for the way that I run my sh&t show of a life. He likes to conveniently forget that I am raising Axel by myself, without a father, because of choices that he himself made. Despite what Leo likes to tell himself, any she-wolf in my situation would be behaving the same way that I am. I am certain of it.My phone rings, drawing my attention away from the pity party that I have thrown for myself. Answering my phone requires getting up off the couch —because my phone is currently plugged into a charger in the kitchen—
(Leo Bloodstone POV)“I don’t understand. Why is the werewolf council an off-limits conversation? Isn’t it going to be natural for them to want to talk about it, given who Nick’s sister is?”I sighed.After breakfast, Piper and I had stepped into a small conference room so that we could talk before we met with Nick and Jenny Brogan for the first time.To her credit, Piper was not angry with me when I asked her to avoid talking about certain subjects with them. However, she was genuinely confused… and I was not enjoying having to lie to her.“Yes, they probably will bring it up. But I will try to steer the conversation away from the council as much as I can, and I would appreciate it if you did the same.”Piper continued to look at me with her big, beautiful, confused eyes.“But… why?”“Because I do not want to talk about anything that might lead to questions about who you are and where you came from.”“But I don’t know anyone on the werewolf council, and I never have. Why would ta
(Leo Bloodstone POV)After taking a minute to readjust ourselves… and a second minute to steal another short kiss… Piper and I walked hand-in-hand to the large conference room. The room was designed with a large but cozy seating area as well as two traditional conference room tables. I used to think that it was strange that this room was designed that way, and even stranger that my father often used this room for welcoming out-of-town guests. However, I eventually came to appreciate the wisdom: the enclosed room offered privacy; the seating area provided for a welcoming greeting; the single entrance allowed control over who left and entered the space; and the large size ensured that my father could have many guards spread out, watching and on the ready without their presence seeming obnoxious or overwhelming.As Piper and I walked inside the room, we immediately spotted my parents sitting on a couch in the seating area section and we walked towards them. A young, nicely dressed
(Nick Brogan POV)Just before we separated into two groups, I took a minute to talk to Jenny privately. “What the hell were you doing earlier?” I asked her.“What do you mean?” she asked innocently.I scowled at her. “You know exactly what I mean.”She sighed.“Fine. But it’s her, Nick.”“I figured that much out.”“So then why are you upset with me?”Frustrated, I put my hands over my face.“Do you have any idea who the Bloodstones are, Jenny? They destroy other packs for sport. You were practically taunting them.”“I just wanted to get information about her while I could.”“You had all the subtlety of a pickaxe.”“Was it really that bad?”“Worse. You seemed like you were on the attack. Leo looked like he was ready to kill both of us. That’s why I mind-linked you to back off.”Jenny frowned.“Don’t you think it is strange, though?”“What?”“The marriage. She isn’t his fated mate, and she doesn’t smell like she is a ranked wolf.”“So? You weren’t a ranked wolf before we met e
I am SOOOOOOOO sorry for the lack of recent updates.Not to make excuses, but I am deathly allergic to lilies and lavender (true anaphylactic reactions)... and was inadvertently forced to officiate a wedding in a lavender field over the weekend (long story). The allergy attack and following migraine did not go well.I hope to get back to daily-ish updates tomorrow.I am sorry that this is the second time I've had to go MIA on this book.
I have NOT abandoned this story. 2024 just hates me.I am determined to finish this story, and do so as soon as possible.2024 willing, updates start again tomorrow.
(Piper POV)“Boss thinks it is time for you to go back to Bloodstone Pack.”I practically jumped off of the bench, almost throwing up right then and there. “What?!?!? You have to be joking.”Viper sighed. “No. I’m serious.”“No, you are insane,” I replied angrily. “How could you possibly suggest that I go back to him?!?!? After all that he has done?!?!?!”Even if a part of my heart still craves him, I added silently.“That is why I wanted us to talk. I need you to tell me what happened between you.”“You have been watching me for years. So you must already know.”“We are bikers not psychics.”I sighed and pointed to the darkening sky.“You really want to do this right now?”“Yes.”“Why?”“Again, boss’s orders.”“Which boss? Rooster?”“No. The one who hired us.”“And that was?”“Someone that loves you a lot. Someone who even you would have to agree has always had your best interests in mind.”I laughed bitterly. “And now I know for sure that you are lying. No one alive fit
(Piper POV)“How do you know about my connection to Leo Bloodstone?” I asked gingerly.Viper ignored my question. “Why did you run away from Bloodstone Pack?” he asked me instead.“Answer my question first.”“No.”“Viper ---”“Poison, this is important. Before I tell you anything, I need to know why you ran away from Bloodstone Pack. I’ve given you time and space the last few months to see if you would tell me on your own, and you haven’t. Now I need to know.”“Why now? In the middle of a run with everyone else?”“Boss’s orders.”Huh. That comment puzzled me. The boss/ alpha/ president of the club was Rooster. I had only met him a few times, and he only barely seemed to notice me.“Rooster knows about Leo too?”“Yes.”“Why does he care? Did Leo threaten the club?”“No.”“So why does Rooster care?” “Before I answer that, answer my question first. Why did you run away from Bloodstone Pack?”Just like that, the anger and frustration I was feeling towards Viper returned. I de
(Piper POV)As Viper and I continued to sit in silence on the bench overlooking the lake, the sky darkened, signaling a thunderstorm was on its way. At first, I tried to ignore the impending change in weather. However, after several raindrops hit my face and the first roar of thunder landed in the distance, I stood up and faced him. Regardless of whether I was ready to talk about my past, I knew that we needed to quickly do so and then get back on the road.“You said that you wanted to talk, so let’s talk,” I said softly.“We have been keeping secrets from each other,” Viper said in a serious tone of voice. “That needs to end today.”I gulped.“What do you mean?”“Don’t play stupid with me. We both know each other better than that.”“Well, I thought we did…”“Poison,” he said sternly.I sighed. “Okay, fine. Where do you want to start?”“First, I want you to tell me something. Do you trust me?” Viper responded.“That’s a weird place to start.”“Maybe. But answer the question
(Piper POV)I was silent for a long time after Viper told me that we needed to talk. I knew that he was right, but I was not sure who should start the conversation… him or me. Ten minutes earlier, I would have been sure that I was the one who needed to talk and confess some things. However, it was also ten minutes earlier that I had no idea that Viper knew anything about my past, much less about Leo Bloodstone’s connection to it. It was now clear to me that Viper had been keeping secrets of his own. Because, of course he was. All of the males around me kept secrets. URRRRGGGGGGHHHHH.I suppose I should back up before I confuse you any further. I forgot that I skipped ahead and left a few things out.As you already know, I had a car accident six months before this. Just before the accident, I stole a delivery van and ran away from Moon Shadow Pack. I thought that I had gotten away successfully, and I was planning to make my way to Dr. Hyder’s pack for treatment and help elimi
(Six Months Later)(Piper POV)I found myself lost in thought as I stared out over a large lake. It was still pretty early in the morning, so there were not a lot of people around. The only movement that I saw came from the water, the wind, and the birds.So much had happened in the past six months. In many ways, I was happier than I had been in a very long time. However, a big part of me still longed for my old home, my old friends, my (now deceased) family, and …as stupid as it sounds… for Leo. After all the time that had passed, and after all of Leo’s lies, tricks, and secrets, I was not sure why my heart still held on to Leo. After all, we had only been together for a couple of weeks. I tried to convince myself that it was just the lingering effects of the spells that he had placed on me. For her part, when I asked her about it, Penelope agreed with me that that was all it was. However, I think both of us knew deep down that it was more than that; we just did not want to
(Leo Bloodstone POV)“Where is she?” I asked.Addie did not answer right away. I could tell that she was beginning to fade. I began to worry that Addie would pass out or fall asleep any minute.“WHERE IS PIPER?” I repeated in a louder voice.“I don’t know,” she said in a sing-song voice.“How long has she been missing?”“I don’t know. A while.”“What happened?”“I don’t know.”Addie closed her eyes and leaned her head on one of her suitcases. No. I could not let her sleep. Not yet.I gently grabbed Addie by both of her arms. “Addie, this is important. Please concentrate. Where is Piper?”Addie shook my hands off of her. “I already told you, Leo. I don’t know!!! She was here, and then she wasn’t.”“What happened? Why did she leave?”Addie took in an annoyed breath. “I. DON’T. KNOW.”“I came all the way out here to get her, Addie. And I came because you called me. You’ve got to do better than that. You know how important this is. Give me something!”At that point, Add
(Leo Bloodstone POV)It was nearly 2 am by the time that my team and I finally made it to Moon Shadow Pack. It had taken me longer than I expected to leave, mainly because my father —despite doing better— was still not 100%. More on that later.I felt a mix of relief, guilt, and worry as we got close to the pack gates, and as I thought about Piper and all that had happened the past few weeks. But above everything else, I felt a sense of excitement. I genuinely missed her, and I could not wait to hold her in my arms again.I promised myself and my wolf that, once we found Piper, I would explain as much as I could to her. I would also never let anyone hurt her again. Nor would I ever let her go… even if I had to handcuff her to me this time.I was not surprised that Addie was waiting for me when we arrived. I was, however, surprised to see her sitting on the ground, waiting for me outside the border… by herself… while surrounded by suitcases and a few empty bottles of wolfsbane vo
(Piper POV)Luna Addie told Leo where I was. How could she do that? I really had thought that she had wanted to help me. Was I that bad a judge of character? I mean, yes, I had not completely trusted her …but I had trusted her a little bit… and I had never expected her to turn me over to Leo. Maybe she really did want to punish me for my relationship with Aiden, and her saying otherwise was just a lie.Goddess.No matter what, it was now clear that I could not trust anyone. Nor could I trust my own judgment.It was also clear that I needed to get out of Moon Shadow Pack. There was no way that I could stay now that Leo knew where I was.I raced as quickly as I could to my bedroom so that I could grab my duffle bag. Thankfully, I had not unpacked it at all and no one stopped me on the way to get it; everyone seemed busy with other tasks.Once I had my duffle bag, I went to Kade’s room on the next floor up to let him know that I was leaving. Despite being angry with me, I assum