Holiday here today, so probably just this one chapter. At least it is a happy one. Please do not worry that I left them unmarked because I plan to cause chaos for them. I mean, there will be a little more chaos, but they will be marked soon. In fact, I originally wrote the chapter with them marking each other, but it just didn't seem right for the characters. It was too much too soon. Playing out this way made much more sense.
(Brady POV) I was not happy when my father walked into my office. We had been fighting constantly since the pack was attacked, and the fights only got nastier after I told him about my fight with Evelyn. We have had four arguments today alone. In retrospect, I wish I had not told him about the
“Son, I know that you have feelings for Lily, but James is her mate. The Moon Goddess intended for the two of them to be together.” “Lily does not want James, Father. He hurt her.” “He has changed, Son. I was skeptical at first too, but he has. And the two of them deserve an opportunity to see
(James POV) The past three days with Lily have been intense. You have heard about the alpha sex drive, but I can now confirm that the luna sex drive is just as high. Every time I wonder if Lily might be getting too sore or tired to go another round, she initiates that next round. I have start
“I have a shift at the girls’ home this afternoon. It is my last one.” “Lily, I am not comfortable with you being away from me right now, especially unmarked. With how weird Derek was the other day….” “I will be fine. Charlotte says that she and Derek have been going out every day, and she is
(Derek POV) I came to Ravenswood as a favor for a friend. Specifically, a very powerful and rich friend. He was opening a gym, and he believed that the more celebrities that came to the gym for the pre-events and the grand opening, the better. I love money, power, and fame —and this friend was not exactly someone you say “no” to without a valid excuse— so of course I agreed to attend. Hindsight being 20-20, however, I wish I had gotten the flu. Or chicken pox. Or a migraine. Adult werewolves do not typically get any of those things, but I wish I had claimed to have one of them anyway. My friend does not know that I am a werewolf, and faking an illness would have saved me the heartache of everything that happened after I arrived. My problems started when I walked into the Blue Moon Lounge on my first night in Ravenwood. I was immediately hit with an overwhelming smell of sugar cookies and chocolate, which are not scents common to find in a bar. They are, however, two smells
(Derek POV) I already mentioned that I take on side jobs. Almost all human celebrities do; that is where the real money comes from. The most common side hustle is to endorse products and film commercials, but I find most commercials demeaning, and I legit could care less about what brand of soap some f&&ing human wants to use. After trying —and failing— to fake my way through a few bullsh&t commercials, I discovered almost by accident that I was uniquely qualified for a very different type of side hustle. Even better, it pays a ton better than commercials. Specifically, desperate wolves from around the world pay me big money to travel around human territories, enter populated areas, and locate missing (or hiding) werewolves. Here is why it makes sense, and why I am uniquely qualified: Werewolves are inherently social creatures, and while in human territories, our subconscious tends to draw us to any other wolves that may be nearby. Given that subconscious draw and the fac
(James POV) Of all the f&&ing nights for Brady to show up in Ravenwood, he had to pick the night that Lily and I finally planned to mark one another. Because of course he would. It was like something in Brady had been pre-programmed to irritate me as much as possible. I had no idea how Brady figured out Lily’s address, and I had very little time to ask. Instead, I had to remain focused on controlling my temper and preventing Luke from taking over and doing something stupid. As much as I hated the guy, he meant something to Lily. Because of that, hurting him was the last thing that I wanted to do. After demanding to know where Lily was —and after a few choice words with me at the door—, Brady angrily pushed past me into the apartment. I did not try to stop him; the last thing that I wanted was to get into a fight with him in the middle of Lily’s apartment complex. I could not tell if Brady did not know how close I was to losing it, or if he simply did not care. Either way
“What the Goddess is going on here?” I demanded angrily. James let go of Brady and gave me a strange look that conveyed both guilt and male pride. Once released, Brady stood up straight and came running over to me. He wrapped me in a hug and lifted me off the ground. James immediately began growling. Meanwhile, realizing that I was not hugging him back, Brady placed me back on the ground and looked at me in confusion. “Lily, I am here. We can leave. You do not have to stay with this a&&hole anymore. I can protect you now. My dad is looking after the pack so you and I can go anywhere you want.” I walked over to a chair and dropped my purse and shopping bag down as I tried to collect my thoughts. Although I was angry and confused about what I had walked in on, when my eyes landed on the candles and roses everywhere, I softened a bit. I looked at James and gave him an appreciative smile. “Thank you. It looks beautiful in here,” I told him via mind-link. “You are late,”