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Chapter 153: Yellow Blankets
Lady GwenIs it possible for me to get you all to love Xander by the end of this story? It would certainly be a challenge. But I like challenges. I suppose the question is whether that is the challenge I've taken on in this book. Time will tell. Hee, hee, hee. Next up will be another significant reveal, and then we will go back to Piper again.
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Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 154: Fated Mates
(Xander POV)Ellis and Daphne came to my parents’ room together about ten minutes later. Daphne handled me a small bundle of clothing, which I quickly put on.Once dressed, I told Daphne to wait outside. I needed to talk to Ellis about the counteragent, and the last thing I needed was for Daphne to hear our conversation and have one more thing to blackmail me with.“But I’m your mate. I should be in here with you,” she protested.I rolled my eyes. “No, you aren’t. Now leave.”“To everyone out there,” she pointed to the pack hospital hallway, “I am. It would look strange if I left. So I stay.”“To everyone in here,” I replied tersely, “You are not. So leave.”Ignoring me, Ellis sat down in a chair and pulled Daphne onto his lap.“She stays, Xander.”Ellis spoke as though he was the boss, and the one in control. It pissed me off.I glanced at my parents, briefly wondering if they could hear what we were saying while they were in their comas. I decided to lower my voice, just i
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 155: Deal or No Deal
(Xander POV)“They ARE dead, you f&&king idiot,” Daphne said from behind me, in a taunting voice. “Now can we get on with the rest of this conversation, please? The werewolf council will be here soon and I need time to get ready.”The harshness of Daphne’s words began to re-play in my head almost on a loop. After a few rounds, they successfully and finally cleared the denial and fog in my brain.My parents were dead.Dead.My parents —the male and female werewolves who had given me life, who had raised me, and who had loved me— were dead.They were dead, and they were not coming back.Leo Bloodstone had been f&&king right. Ellis had set me up. He had earned my trust and gotten me to instill him as beta of my pack. He then sent me on a suicide mission to Bloodstone Pack, fully expecting Leo to kill me, and while I was gone, he had killed my parents so that he could take over Blue Ridge as alpha.Mother f&&ker.“If you are done sulking, could you please return to earth so that we c
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 156: The Deal with the Devil
(Xander POV)“No deal,” I repeated for the third time. “In fact, as far as I am concerned, you can go to hell.”Ellis had more to lose than I did. He could not expose me without exposing himself as well, and he was definitely the bigger villain in the story. It might be a game of chicken we were playing, but I would not and could not bargain with him. Period. It just wasn’t right.“Don’t be foolish, Xander,” Ellis warned. “This is a win-win for both of us.”“You tricked me into killing my own parents,” I sneered. “You set me up to be killed by Leo Bloodstone. Half of our best fighters are currently being held in Bloodstone dungeons. And you reported an un-noticed war to the werewolf council, which I am guessing was some sort of insurance in case Leo did not kill me quickly enough. Where exactly in all that is the win-win?”“You can still have Piper. She never has to know any of this. Once she is marked and she is on the werewolf council, you will be set for life. You won’t
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 157: Get the Ring Off
(Piper POV)I am still sitting on the bar stool on the patio area when someone touches my shoulder. I have no idea how long I have been sitting here, and I barely register the touch.My mind is filled with various thoughts, and my body feels practically numb.I am an orphan. My father and brother are dead. Leo lied to me. Xander hates me. I am the other woman. I slept with a male who is mated with a pup and another on the way. My father and brother are dead. My mate, if I even have one, is a million worlds away. My father and brother are dead.How did any of this happen? How did I manage to make so many bad decisions? Why, even now, does every ounce of my body want to trust in Leo and in his love for me? I know he lied; I know he has kept secrets from me; and yet… and yet…I suddenly realize that while I still trust Leo, I no longer trust myself or my own judgment. At least not right now.My eyes glance down at the engagement ring on my finger, and I remember what the rin
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 158: Paging Dr. Hyder
(Piper POV)The three of us —Nick, Jenny, and I— walk in silence to their room in the packhouse. My emotions are still all over the place, but thankfully the numbness has returned so I’m not as much of a walking mess as I was before.When we arrive in their room, they invite me to sit on their bed. Jenny sits next to me holding my hand, and Nick begins to pace back and forth.I do not say anything. I just watch.Eventually, Nick stops in front of me. He kneels and studies my eyes. I feel like he is trying to look deep into my soul. A part of me feels self-conscious, afraid that he will hate whatever it is that he sees, but I do not look away.“You wanted to cut off your finger,” he says curiously. “To get your engagement ring off?”I sigh. While he was pacing, Jenny must have been using the mind-link to fill Nick in on what had happened downstairs.“Yes.”Nick rubs his temples.“Why? I have been watching you and Leo together. Jenny and I both have. The love between you is o
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 159: The Windex Test
(Piper POV)Nick leaves the bedroom and tracks down an omega, who helps him quickly find another bottle of Windex.While Nick is gone, Dr. Hyder —who probably still senses my skepticism— explains what he is doing.“The council estimates that there are less than 500 witches left in the world. Most of those witches live in human territories, and they usually prefer to have little to no contact with werewolves.For these reasons, encountering a spell is pretty rare. However, it still happens from time to time.In a hospital setting, being able to quickly differentiate between conditions caused by spells versus conditions caused by illnesses can be really important. It used to be that you could only tell the difference if you had a witch come and identify the magic. However, several years ago, a witch I befriended taught me a trick to do it on my own. I do not understand how or why it works, but it has never failed me.” “We have the Windex, Sir,” Nick informs Dr. Hyder as he comes
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 160: After She Woke
(Piper POV)When I next woke, I was completely disoriented. I had no idea where I was or how long I had been out.I was, however, vaguely aware of voices in the background. Those voices became clearer as the grogginess cleared from my mind. I decided to keep my eyes closed and listen. As they talked, I began to remember coming to Nick and Jenny’s room and finding out that my engagement ring had more than one spell on it. Wanting to avoid panicking again, I reached up and grabbed my mother’s locket. I rubbed it, hoping it would bring me a little bit of comfort.“Is she awake yet?” a voice I now recognized as Dr. Hyder asked.I did not know if the phone was on speaker phone, but given my werewolf hearing and Dr. Hyder’s strong voice, it did not really make a difference.“No, not yet.”“Make sure she eats something when she does. She is going to need her strength.”“Yes, Sir.”“I have been doing some digging, and there are three potential ways to get the ring off.”“That’s great!”
Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal Chapter 161: The Long Short Trip
(Jenny Brogan POV)When Nick and I first arrived at Bloodstone Pack, I thought that the mistakes that I made in the past were long behind me.It turns out that I was wrong. Although Nick, Luna Lily, Alpha James, and the others had long since forgiven me, I realized that I had never completely forgiven myself. That was and is a problem. In fact, I think that is why I have so far resisted the idea of having pups with Nick. I have not only worried that I did not deserve to have any pups, but I have also feared that I would not be the kind of mother that my pups needed me to be.Where did all these epiphanies come from, you may wonder? Piper. Well, not really her per se. More like helping Piper. The more I help her —and the more that I think about ways to help her— the more I feel like I am somehow redeeming myself and my soul. That I am earning back the Moon Goddess’ trust and faith in me.I admit that I came on a little too strong at first, but I backed off. I chose to instead
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