And we have finally reached that pivotal moment, in which the betrayal pains have started. Please note that Piper's perspective on things may change when the truth finally comes out. Maybe. We will see once we get back to the present day.
(Leo Bloodstone POV)After getting back from Blue Ridge, I was eager to see Piper. However, before I could do that, I needed to see my boy. I also needed to have a word with his mother. “Are they both here?” I asked the guard at the entrance.“Yes, Sir.”“Are they awake?”“The nanny is up with Axel. We have not seen Ingrid yet this morning.”I checked my watch and sighed in annoyance. It was 9:30 in the morning. Of course, Ingrid was not up yet.Thanking the guard, I entered Ingrid’s house. I was barely four steps into the place before Axel came running up to me.“Uncle Leo!!!!!”I picked the little guy up and ruffled his hair. “Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling today?”“I good! You play with me?”“I can’t this morning, kiddo, but maybe later tonight?”“YEEEESSSS! We play space guys?”I chuckled. “Space guys” was what he called his action figurine toys. A few of the figures were astronauts and from space-age movies, which is how the toys got their collective name.“Sure, bud
(Piper POV)The follow up appointment with the doctor is at 10:45. After another couple of rounds of really intense pain that started around midnight last night, I am more eager to see the doctor than I am to see Leo. Hell, I am more eager to see the doctor today than I was to see Xander all those months that I waited for him at Moon Shadow.Maybe that sounds awful, but I don’t know if I have it in me to go through any more rounds of that pain. I wish I could describe it to you better, but suffice it to say, it is soul-crushingly awful. And what kills me is that Penelope feels it too. She has always been my strength, and I want to fix this for her even more than for me.After wracking my brain for answers, I am sure that it is just withdrawal symptoms from the herbs. Which is good and bad all at the same time. Hopefully the doctor has some sort of pill or treatment that can help.****Leo picks me up from my room around 10:25. That is a little later than I expected him, but the
(Leo Bloodstone POV)Something is wrong with Piper.I was so distracted and angry after that confrontation with Ingrid that I did not notice it at first, but there is definitely something going on. But for the fact that we are going to see the doctor, I would refuse to move another inch until Piper tells me whatever it is that she is holding back. Worried, I walk with Piper into the hospital. We take the elevator to the fourth floor, which is where Dr. Tuttle’s office is located.Just as the elevator doors begin to close, we hear a male voice yell out “Hold the Elevator!!!!”. My instinct is to ignore the request, but Piper’s instincts are obviously different. She reaches out and pushes the “hold” button.Moments later, a young male wolf jumps on the elevator with us. His clothes are disheveled and he reeks of sex. He is not one of my pack members, but I recognize him. He is Dr. Tuttle’s nephew, and he is here for the summer doing a medical school internship.“Oh, hi Alpha,” h
(Piper POV)Ten minutes later, and we are now in Dr. Tuttle’s office. Dr. Tuttle is behind his desk, with Kade seated on his far-right side. Meanwhile, I am seated on Leo’s lap, which is the only place he would even consider letting me sit after he saw Kade sitting there. I briefly considered demanding that I have my own seat, because Leo’s jealousy and possessiveness were a little obnoxious. However, I figured it was easier to just cooperate with him so that we could focus on the meeting and getting the answers that we need.“And you like sitting on his lap,” Penelope reminds me. “You also find his possessiveness to be a turn-on.”Urgh. Okay, fine. She is right. But Leo doesn’t need to know that. No one else needs to know that either. Dr. Tuttle starts off our meeting with what should be good news.“The lab ran several tests on the herbs, and Kade and I did research on this particular combination. It turns out that it was frequently used by wolf spies in the 1800s, befo
(Piper POV)Leo made no secret of the fact that he was not happy when we left Dr. Tuttle’s office.When we got back to the packhouse, we sat down side-by-side on a shaded bench in the garden to talk about it. Thankfully, no one else was around… although I am pretty sure that was because Leo mind-linked everyone to leave.“Little Pea, you can’t take the herbs again.”“You said it would be my decision, Leo. And you heard what the doctor said.”He rubbed his hand down his face. “I did say that. And it is your decision. But… not really. I’m sorry, Little Pea, I really am… but I can’t let you take the herbs again.”I glared at him. Was he really going to go back on his word? I tried to move over to put more distance between us, but he pulled me closer to him instead. I resisted, but he was stronger than me. He used one hand to tilt my chin up so that I was looking directly in his eyes. “Little Pea, I know what I promised you. But my gut… it is rarely wrong. Those herbs are da
(Leo Bloodstone POV)Why did I take Piper to a comedy show for our first date? Because I knew things about Piper. Many things. Things that she did not even know that I knew about her. And those things included the fact that she had wanted to go to a live comedy show for a long time.Did I feel guilty about using what I secretly knew about Piper to make her start to fall in love with me? No. Not even a little bit. I was willing to use whatever trick I needed to use —regardless of whether it was dirty, ethical, or borderline— to get her safely where she needed to be, which was by my side.To be fair, securing Piper was not exactly easy for me. My eagerness to get Piper to fall in love with me included doing things far outside my comfort zone.Case in point: the comedy show. That was not at all what I had pictured for our first date. There was nothing formal or romantic about it. There wasn’t music or dancing. Most she-wolves that I knew would not be caught dead in the venue
(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
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