(Two Hours Earlier)(Xander POV)“Xander, what is this?”My heart stops. I have just gotten out of the shower at the hotel, and Amanda is holding up three large prescription bottles… the ones with the herbs that I brought for Piper.With how clingy Amanda has been lately, I should have known that something was up when she did not insist on joining me in the shower. Sex has been a big point of contention for us lately, and her missing an opportunity to get me naked should have been a huge red flag.“What were you doing going through my stuff, Amanda?” I ask angrily. “Answer the question, Xander. What is this stuff?”Ignoring her, I snatch the bottles out of her hand and put them back in the zipper compartment of my suitcase where they had been. I then quickly throw on a pair of boxer briefs, jeans, and a t-shirt.“I am waiting for an answer, Xander.”“You had no right to go through my things, Amanda.”“I was looking for condoms.”“Like hell you were.”Amanda puts one hand on her hi
(Xander POV)As I successfully made my way to Moon Shadow Pack —first on foot; then by taxi— I could not keep the big, goofy smile off of my face. I was incredibly excited about seeing Piper again, and I felt like the Moon Goddess was finally, FINALLY, answering my prayers in a positive way.The last two years without Piper had been awful, and I did many things that I was not proud of. However, it would all be worth it in the end.More importantly, I knew that, very soon, I would get to see my girl, the love of my life. Instead of fantasizing about her from afar, I would be able to hold Piper in my arms and tell her how much I loved her. Even my anger about what she did a year ago… and my fear about what Amanda may have up her sleeve… could not overshadow my excitement. All that mattered was that I had once again managed to get away from Leo’s men, and that I was now in a position to secure what I wanted…. and what I believed and hoped Piper wanted too.All the way to Moon Shadow
(Xander POV)“Mate,” the she-wolf repeated, this time with a slight edge to her voice.I looked at the she-wolf in complete confusion. Why was she identifying herself as my mate? I certainly did not feel a mate bond pull to her. I asked my wolf what he thought, but he was just as confused as I was. I checked my hands for open wounds, silently wondering if I had gotten something on my hands or in my system that would explain this situation. However, I dismissed the thought as quickly as it came to me.“I’m sorry, who are you?” I asked.“You don’t remember me, do you?” the she-wolf asked, almost bitterly.“No, I don’t.”“Well, I recommend you start remembering fast, because I’m best friends with Piper and I’m sure she is going to have a lot of questions about us.”Best friends with Piper? That did not make any sense. She looked to be a little older than both Piper and I. Plus, I had not met any of Piper’s friends at Moon Shadow. Heck, I did not even know if she had any friends b
(Amanda POV)Thank Goddess that Xander finally left the hotel.It was honestly a relief to see him go. The idea of spending two weeks alone with him had been starting to make me feel nauseous. If it had taken him any longer to get out of the hotel, I might have gone insane. Hence the reason I decided to help him and give him a little “push.”Don’t get me wrong; I used to enjoy spending time with Xander. Dating him was fun. He was easy to talk to, and he laughed and joked around a lot. The sex was exciting and enjoyable. Back then, I really did think I loved him. And I was sincerely disappointed when I realized that we were not mates. In fact, for a long time, I held out hope that we could become chosen mates. I even found myself frequently daydreaming about being called “Luna Amanda.”But that was then. Only a fool could not see that Xander changed. The changes started right before Piper ran away, and they only got worse after she left.It became heartbreakingly obvious tha
(Leo Bloodstone POV)I punched yet another hole in the wall of the office, and I made quick work of destroying yet another desk. As I did so, Addie was leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Her arms were crossed as she watched me with amusement.“Feel better yet?”“No,” I growled.“Ready to tell me what is wrong?”I glared at her. “They lost Xander. Again.”Addie stared back at me as though it was no big deal.“I thought you wanted them to lose Xander.”“I NEVER WANTED THEM TO LOSE XANDER.”“Yes, you did. You specifically said that you wanted them to lose Xander so that he could lead you to Piper. It sounds like they did that. Now just look up Xander’s location w
(Leo Bloodstone POV)I let go of Piper’s father as I tried to make sense of what he just said.Xander had been hiding Piper in a pack belonging to her mother’s rapist. Xander had been hiding Piper in a pack belonging to her mother’s rapist. Xander had been hiding Piper in a pack belonging to her mother’s rapist.Those words continued to echo through my mind, and I felt my blood boiling with rage.All this time, I had believed that Xander was hiding Piper from me because —in his twisted, messed up mind— he cared about her. Hell, I was almost convinced that he loved her. But to hide Piper in a pack belonging to her mother’s rapist? That is not something that you do to someone that you care about. There is a special kind of hell for someone who thinks doing that is okay.At that point, I no longer cared if Landon killed Henry. My father obviously did not either, because he let go of Landon’s other arm.“Does Piper know?” I asked. A part of me hoped that she did, so that at least
(Xander POV)I am currently in a guest office at Moon Shadow, waiting for Piper to be brought up to see me. It is hard to believe that, after two years, I am finally going to see her.I have been dreaming of this moment for a very long time, and my heart is pounding in anticipation. I have wanted nothing more than to see her for so very long.…And yet, my gut is screaming at me that this is a bad idea. That I should walk away. The words “ABORT MISSION” are raging through my mind. My wolf also seems unsettled. Nothing about this feels right.There is simply too much going on. Too many things have gone wrong already. I am too angry —at myself, Piper, and the situation generally— to meet with Piper right now. I do not want to say something to Piper that I will regret. And now there is Daphne to consider too. How do I explain to Piper that she should wait for me to take her as my chosen mate when her best friend Daphne is my “fated”? What will she think of me when I tell her
(Xander POV)Piper walks into the office, and everything that I had been thinking about for the past hour immediately evaporates from my brain. Now, the only thoughts in my mind are about her. How much I missed her. How badly I want to hold her. How much I love her. How beautiful she looks, despite the fact that she has her blond hair in a ponytail, and despite the fact that she is wearing an apron and work clothes.“Xander?” she asks in disbelief.I smile at her.“Xander… is it really you?” Her eyes begin welling up with tears. “Are you… are you really here?”“I am here, Piper. I am here.”She runs across the office and throws herself into my arms. I wrap my arms around her and hug her as tightly as I can. I get lost in how perfectly our bodies fit together and how good it feels to finally hold her again. I can feel my shirt getting wet as she cries into my chest, but I could care less.“I missed you so much, Xander. You have no idea how scared I have been. I didn’t kno
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