I hope the push-pull between Leo and Piper isn't too annoying or frustrating. It will become important to the decisions that Piper makes both in the upcoming chapters and at the end of the book.
(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.
(Piper POV)On Thursday morning, I woke up to the wonderful feeling of being wrapped in Leo’s huge, strong arms. His scent was all around me, and like always during that time period, it brought me a sense of comfort and safety.The last few days had been wonderful. In fact, they were the happiest days that I had had since leaving Blue Ridge. I still missed my family, friends, and my pack… and yes, even Xander… but I knew that I would soon get to see them again, right after the wedding. My excitement of finally being reunited with them easily overpowered my homesickness.With respect to Leo and I, things were going great. Our days had been mostly filled with wedding planning and entertaining the Brogans, though, which left very little time for us to simply hang out or talk about any of the serious stuff, including the secrets that he continued to hold onto. The little time that we got alone usually happened before bed or when we woke up in the morning. Because I cherished this ti
(Leo Bloodstone POV)After breakfast with my family, Piper and I went to see the pack doctor. I still had a bad feeling about Xander’s f&&king herbs, and I wanted to have Piper’s vitals checked again. I also wanted to find out if Dr. Tuttle or his nephew had come up with any viable plans that would allow Piper to stop taking them.Spoiler alert: They hadn’t.That was not the news that I wanted to hear, and I made that well known when I grabbed Kade-the-nephew by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Of course, my reaction had as much to do with Kade’s cocky attitude and the way that he continued to look at Piper as it did my frustration with the f&&king herbs.Dr. Tuttle was used to my temper, and he tried to calm me down. His nephew, however, seemed amused by it. “Alpha, if you are worried that you cannot take care of your bride, I would be happy to help,” he taunted.“KADE!!!!” Dr. Tuttle exclaimed.I pulled my arm back, ready to punch him, but Piper grabbed onto my arm
(Piper POV)As soon as the guard announced that there was a fire at Ingrid’s house, I saw and felt how conflicted Leo became.Given how horrible my one and only interaction had been with her —and given that Leo and I had not yet talked about who she was to him— that conflict hurt. However, I brushed my feelings away. I told myself that I was being selfish and that I had to trust Leo.“Go,” I told him.He looked at me, obviously unsure.“It’s okay. Go,” I repeated.“Little Pea, I ---”I reached out and touched his cheek. “We can finish this conversation tonight,” I reassured him. “I have my wedding dress fitting soon anyway. Go, make sure Ingrid is okay. Do what you need to do.”“It’s not Ingrid that I am worried about. It’s ---”I held up my hand. “You don’t have to explain right now. I can see how worried you are. Go. You can explain later.”Leo pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead tenderly.“Thank you, Little Pea. Have fun with my mother. I will see you for o
(Leo Bloodstone POV)I didn't want to leave Piper after that f&&ked up bombshell that she laid on me about Kade, but I didn't have much of a choice. When I heard that there had been a fire at Ingrid’s house, my brain went immediately to Axel. I had to make sure that he was safe; Goddess knew that pup had been through enough sh&t in his young life.Thankfully, Piper seemed to understand even without me explaining everything.As soon as I arrived at Ingrid's house, she appeared almost out of nowhere and threw herself at me.“Oh, Baby, thank Goddess you are here!!!!”I shoved her off of me. I looked around for Axel, but I did not see him anywhere, and the smoke from the fire was blocking me from being able to scent him. While continuing to look around for Axel, I spotted the chief firefighter, Donny, coming out of the house.“Donny.”“Alpha.”“Is Axel okay?”“He’s fine, Alpha. He’s with his nannies around the side of the house, by one of our trucks.”Thank Goddess.“Is the fire comp
(Leo Bloodstone POV)My parents agreed to both take care of Axel and entertain the Brogans while I took Piper out for our second date.I wanted it to be special, but after the crazy f&&king day that I had had dealing with all of Ingrid’s bullsh&t and its aftermath, I did not have a lot of energy left for a grand gesture. I decided to keep the date simple and traditional: a romantic dinner followed by a movie. I knew that I needed to use part of our date to explain some things to Piper, but I really hoped I did not have to spend all of the date doing so. I honestly just wanted to spend some time with her… and the last thing that I wanted was to give her any reason to run.I tried to remind myself that I had taken steps to avoid any unexpected problems, but —between the herbs, Kade, and Ingrid, and my own family’s constant questioning— my d&mned gut was on high alert again. And, as close as I was to the finish line, I could not help but worry.Thankfully —or not— those worries evapo