We will get back to Piper very soon.
(Piper POV)Kade and I made it to Moon Shadow Pack without incident. Well, I take that back. We made it to Moon Shadow Pack MOSTLY without incident.Despite the earlier tension between us, I was grateful that Kade was with me. During the long bus ride, he distracted me with stories about his puphood and about what led to him wanting to become a doctor. He also told me some of the worst werewolf jokes that I have ever heard. The jokes were so awful that I could not help but laugh; Buster McGee’s job was definitely safe from the likes of Kade. (How did the werewolf stop the recording? By hitting the “paws” button. How do fans support a werewolf’s social media page? Lycan subscribe.) For a little while, I almost forgot about my fear, anger, and heartache. I even forgot to worry about where I was going to go after everything was settled, now that I no longer had a family and now that I was no longer welcome at Blue Ridge. I felt free and clear-headed for the first time in a w
(Piper POV)I hesitated when I saw Moon Shadow’s border gates about 500 feet ahead of where we were walking.“What’s wrong?” Kade asked me, obviously concerned.I did not answer him right away. Instead, I looked down at my feet, which felt frozen in place as thoughts and worries began flooding my mind. It had only been two weeks since I was last here, and yet so much had happened. It felt like a lifetime had passed. I was technically still a member of Moon Shadow Pack, but in many ways, I felt like a stranger again.More importantly, the last time I was at Moon Shadow Pack, Asher was helping me run away. I could still remember in vivid detail what happened, and the horror that I felt when he was shot by Leo’s men. Leo told me that Asher had recovered, but I had no idea if that was true. After all, Leo also told me that my father was still alive. If Asher was still alive, would he forgive me for my part in what happened to him? Would Jonas? If Asher did not make it, would I be
(Piper POV)Beta Jonas gave Kade and I a funny look.“Why do you need to see the pack doctor? What’s going on?” he asked.I sighed. I really, really did not want to get into this with them. Especially right then and there. A part of me felt ashamed, and another part of me felt embarrassed. I had no idea why I felt that way, but I did know that we could only afford to spend a little bit of time at Moon Shadow Pack and I did not want to waste any of it. Dr. Hyder could help me with my medical issues when we got safely to his pack.“Nothing,” I said, cutting Kade off. “And we don’t need to see the pack doctor. We were just hoping to borrow a car. I know it is a big ask, but there is a chance that Alpha Leo may still be looking for me, so we need to get moving as soon as possible.”Kade shook his head. “No, Piper needs to see your pack doctor. She needs to have some tests run. Please.”I glared at Kade, but he did not seem to notice.Beta Jonas studied our faces for a moment an
(Piper POV)When I woke up, I was groggy. I tried to rub my eyes, but something was holding down my left hand, and there was an IV weighing down my other.“Piper! You are awake!” Maya exclaimed happily next to me. I quickly realized that I was in a hospital bed and that she was holding my hand.“H-How long have I been out?” I asked her.“Not long. Just an hour or so. You scared all of us. I am so glad you are awake now.”“W-Where is Kade?”“He’s just outside the room. He is talking to Dr. Hyder. He called him as soon as they got you stabilized.”“C-can you let him know that I am okay?”“You aren’t okay, Piper.”I squeezed Maya’s hand. “Yes, I am. I promise. But Kade and I need to go---”“You aren’t going anywhere. Beta Jonas called Alpha Aiden. He and Luna are on the way back now. You need to stay here. We will protect you, I promise.”“We?”“I may be an omega, but I will kick the a&& of any alpha-a&&hole who dares to hurt you again,” she said in a confident voice.“Ma
(Leo Bloodstone POV)Piper has now been missing for five days. Thanks to my mother and grandmother, I am doing better than I was at the beginning… but only barely. I want and need to get her back.After going through the video footage, and after having done several interrogations, I have a pretty good idea of what happened before Piper disappeared. However, there are still important pieces missing. And those missing pieces are the ones that keep me up at night.Unfortunately, the wolves most likely to have the answers are not accessible to me right now. Ellis is dead; Kade is missing along with Piper; Kade’s uncle had no information for me even after being subjected to an alpha-order; and Nick and Jenny Brogan sent an omega to collect their things after she was rescued from Blue Ridge.That leaves Ingrid. I have been resisting going to see her —afraid that my rage may cause me to kill her— but time’s up. I cannot wait any longer.A happily mated guard —one whose background check
(Leo Bloodstone POV)“What do you want?” Ingrid asks, suddenly seeming desperate. “Just tell me.”“Where is Piper?” I ask.Ingrid opens and closes her mouth a few times, but she does not say anything.I repeat the question slowly. “Where. is. Piper?”Again, Ingrid opens and closes her mouth. I can tell that the words are on the tip of her tongue, but she does not want to say them.I stand up and gesture to the guard to let me out.“Where are you going?” Ingrid asks.“I have things to do.”“But… you can’t just leave me in the dungeons, Leo! I have been in here for days already!!!!”I give her an indifferent shrug.“I don’t have time to play games. Either give me what I want or don’t. It’s your choice, at least for now. After your pup is born, I will alpha-order the answers out of you.”“You are going to leave me in here until then?” she asks incredulously.“I warned you that I would, didn’t I?”“I didn’t think you were serious!!!!”“Yes, you did. You have known me for a long t
(Leo Bloodstone POV)“How does Kade play into all of this?” I ask next.“Kade?”“The medical intern.”“Kade wasn’t involved. As far as I know, he doesn’t even know Ellis. Although maybe he does. I don’t know. We just f&&ked a few times.”Again, her eyes show sincerity. F&&k.F&&k, f&&k, f&&k. I really had hoped that I would come out of here with more answers. Now I feel like I am just running into more dead ends.I stand up to leave, but then it occurs to me that I need to ask her one more question.“Who is the father of your pup?”Ingrid points to her stomach. “This one?”“Yes, that one.”Ingrid looks down again. This time, she has the decency to look embarrassed.“Just tell me, Ingrid. I am going to find out eventually.”“I don’t know.”“Bullsh&t.”“I have been lonely lately, Leo,” she whines. “You have ignored me ever since Piper got here, so I have been getting attention from anyone who will give it to me. And there are a lot of males in this pack who find me to be sex
(48 hours earlier)(Addie POV)I am at the bar overlooking the pool, leisurely sipping on my spicy jalapeno margarita, when I hear the words that no she-wolf wants to hear on her mate-moon.“Baby, I have some bad news.”I look over my shoulder and up at my mate, who is quickly approaching me with his cell phone in his hand. He is wearing swim trunks, a t-shirt, and a frown.“You can tell me after we eat,” I tell him in an annoyed voice. “Our dinner reservation is in ten minutes. Go change and come back.”“No, Baby. It can’t wait.”“Aiden, we have been at this resort for five days. FIVE. I am tired of room service. I want to eat at least one meal —just one— at a restaurant. There are so many wonderful restaurants and views, so many wonderful people, and so many wonderful, spectacular shows and accommodations, and we have hardly experienced any of them. Whatever this bad news is, it can wait.”Aiden gives me a sexy smile as he wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me close to h