Last one for today! Tomorrow we will see how the memorial wedding plays out.
(Author POV) Finally, it was “show time.” Guests were seated on all three floors of the large opera house, while presenters, members of the wedding party, and a few other important guests waited in rooms backstage along with their (admittedly necessary) security details. Each backstage room was
(Author POV) Stephanie and Sheila continued to glare at one another. Given the way that the stage was set up —with thick red curtains on either side of them— they had no idea that anyone else could hear them. Nor did they realize that Jenny had her cell phone recording their interaction and live-
(Author POV) “Did you really think that I didn’t know?” Jenny asked. “Know what?” Stephanie asked in both confusion and fear. “What the two of you were doing. Who you were hurting. My bedroom was right next door to yours for years, Sheila! And you are my little sister. Do you two really thin
(James POV) As Dr. Hyder speeds towards Black Moon, my heart is racing. I frantically try calling and texting Lily, but I am unable to reach her. I know that she is strong, but I have never seen her fight. Plus, until she marks her chosen mate (hopefully me), she will remain a valuable target.
**** (An hour later) “What the f&&k do you mean that you do not know where Lily is?” I scream as I press Brady aggressively against the wall in his office. “Get off me, James.” “F&&k you, Brady. TELL ME WHERE MY MATE IS!” “I already told you! I do not know.” “How long has she been gone, Bra
(Nick POV) After the disastrous wedding memorial event, I somehow made it back to the packhouse. I really do not know how I got here. I am sure that I was ushered back by one of the security guards, but I honestly cannot remember. I do know that, ever since I got back, I have been sitting by mys
(Nick POV) I ended up sitting in that d&&n chair in the packhouse until three o’clock in the morning. It was only after the activity around me quieted down, leaving me by myself, that I finally I decided to drag myself home. Jenny and I have a small cottage near the pack house. My grandparents
(Beta Robert POV) Losing my daughter, Stephanie, was one of the hardest things that has ever happened to me. Her death almost killed my mate, and it almost killed me too. No parent should ever have to deal with the loss of his or her pup. Did I sleep with Sheila? Yes. I am not proud of it. B
Author Note: The Inspiration Have you ever wondered where the inspiration for a story comes from? I know I have... and for this book, I promised you a while back that I would tell you. So here goes. I mentioned to a friend in passing that I wrote "My Mate's Wedding Drama." That one was written as sort-of a fun, funny project. Not very serious. Something VERY different from my day job. She asked me, "Is that some sort of therapy for you?" "Therapy for what? I don't need therapy." "Well, with your dad in town... and everything with your mom and sister...." "Oh.... Ohhhhhhhhhh...." And somehow that was literally all it took. Mated in the Shadow of My Sister was born. I feel sort-of disingenuous saying I wrote it, because it largely wrote itself. More often than not, the characters took over my keyboard as I typed, or they started yelling plot points to me in the shower or while I was driving. It was sort of a wild ride, to be honest. To get this book done, I have gott
I could not believe that they had done all of this for me. We spent the next few hours eating, dancing, and laughing. I did not think the night could get any better, but then it did. James pulled me aside. “Sweetheart, I don’t know if you noticed the colors of the decorations…” “They are beauti
(Lily POV) (A few months later) Something is up, but I do not know what that “something” is. What I do know is that everyone has been acting really strangely today. It started when James brought me breakfast in bed… that he had taken the time to cook himself. Then, after we had both eaten, he
When she did not say anything for a few minutes, I decided to go ahead and give her the message I was supposed to deliver earlier. “Evelyn, this may sound a little weird, but I had an opportunity to talk to the Moon Goddess several months ago.” “Because you are the chosen one,” she said, not lifting her head off of the table. Ok, it is definitely the jailhouse newsfeed. “Yes. She gave me a message that I was supposed to give to you when I saw you. I am sorry that I did not give you the message earlier, but everything sort of happened really quickly…” “What was the message?” Evelyn asked. Her head remained sideways on the table, but her tone was curious. “She said that you sometimes ask her a question when you pray. It is usually the same question, and she wanted to answer it for you.” Evelyn sat up. “What… what was the answer?” “Yes, she will and more.” Evelyn began smiling and crying at the same time. “I assume you understand the message?” I asked curiously. Evelyn nod
(Lily POV) After I arrived back at Black Moon, I met Charlotte for a quick lunch. We then headed to the dungeon visiting room together, where Evelyn was already chained to a table waiting for us. Like Stephanie and Sheila, she was being taken good care of, but she nevertheless looked awful. “How are you, Evelyn?” I asked. “As good as can be expected, being this pregnant and in here,” she sighed. “You wanted to meet with us?” I asked politely. “Yes, thank you. I know it may seem crazy for me to reach out to you after everything that happened, but my wolf trusts you. And Charlotte, Sammy talks so highly of you every time he comes to see me.” For the briefest moment, I half wondered if we were in the right visiting room. This was not the Evelyn that called me and Charlotte whores as recently as her trial. This Evelyn seemed very, very different. “What is going on, Evelyn?” Charlotte asked. Evelyn sighed. “This pup is going to be arriving soon, and I need a plan. I ori
(Lily POV) Another couple of months have passed, and the trials in both packs have finally all been completed. I am currently on my way to see Evelyn at Black Moon. I need to finally deliver to her the message that the Moon Goddess gave me, and she also wants to talk to Charlotte and I about her plans for her unborn pup. Like all of the other trials, Evelyn’s trial is now over. She was sentenced to 25 years in the dungeons. That was a harsh sentence, but she did not lose her wolf. When I talked to Edy, she told me that she wanted to stay with Evelyn. She said that Evelyn had lost her way, but buried under all of the jealousy and pain, she really did have a good heart. Interestingly, those sentiments were very similar to the ones that I received from most of the wolves that I talked to. In fact, with the exception of the council member wolves that I freed on the night of the takeovers, the only other wolves who wanted to be freed from their humans were those belonging to Ste
Am I done dealing with the past? No. There is more work to be done and issues to be dealt with —including Sheila’s pup; Stephanie’s pup; my father; and Evelyn. But for now I will take a short break from the drama and celebrate.... because tonight is an important night. It is both my mate’s birthday, and Brady and Charlotte’s pre-wedding bash. **** (James POV) If you told me a few months ago that I would be spending my birthday voluntarily enjoying a beer with Brady Hyder, I would have checked you into a mental hospital. And yet here we are. Joey is here too. The three of us are currently at the bar, watching our mates on the dance floor, taking bets on which one of us is going to cave and go to them first. It is amazing how things can change. It is also amazing how much I actually like Brady now… at least most of the time. Of course, it helps that our mates are such good friends. It has forced us to learn to get along. Lily, Charlotte, and Jessica have all practically a
(Lily POV) It has now been five weeks since the pack and council takeovers. Since then, there has been a whirlwind of activity both inside and outside of the pack. Randall and Jane’s belongings were boxed up and moved to (separate) storage units, and James and I moved in to the alpha suite. Meanwhile, the belongings of my parents and Stephanie have also been packed up so that Joey and Jessica could move in. All photographs and shrines to Stephanie have been taken down and repurposed, and the Steffie Garden has been given a very not-sexy new name: “Staff Break Room.” Additional tables and benches have been added to accommodate the re-purposing of the space. Similar changes have occurred throughout the pack. The individual trials are well underway. My mother’s trial was first. I decided to recuse myself from any decision making related to her punishment, both because I am both her daughter and one of her victims. I also decided not to attend the trial, sending James to obser
“Yes.” “I discovered that I was pregnant. I came to your office with the pregnancy test. You threw $500 at me and told me to have an abortion. I want to know Alpha Randall… why you did do all that? I was not the first one or the last one who was raped. Today you have made it seem like your onl