We drove up some mountains and down a small trail that just about fit our car. The road was bumpy and if I was being honest, it did not suit the luxury vehicle we were in. But the nature around us was beautiful. We came to a stop just outside a large cave opening that looked a lot more ominous and off-putting than its surrounding of tall pine trees with sunlight streaming through it. The birds chirped all around us and the gentle wind brushed through the trees like a whisper. Craig went to the boot of the car and got out some flashlights and what looked like a gun. Normally, the gun would have freaked me out but I had seen so much in the past two weeks, that not much fazed me. I looked at the large opening of the cave. Up until this point, the trip had been easy and fun. But now, it was about to get a whole lot heavier. I didn’t know if I was fully prepared to find out what we were about to see. “Ready?” Craig came up beside me. His eyes then fixed on me. “You okay?”I no
I could not believe what I was hearing. “No.” I moved out of his hold. “Don’t do this to me, Craig.”His features softened. “I’m not lying to you, Dawn. You own me in every way a person can own a man. And I know you don’t feel the pull yet, but I’m sure you feel this…pull toward me. This unmistakeable attraction.”“I…” He was right I did feel the attraction. Was that what all those sparks were before? The mate bond?“I don’t know if I can believe you,” I continued. “After all the lies you have told and truths you have hidden, how do I know that this is for real? How do I know that this isn’t just another ploy to keep me at your side?”He surged forward and took hold of my hand in his. Immediately, small little sparks prickled my skin and my body reacted to him in the way it always did.“Trust this, trust this feeling.” He brought my hand over his heart. I could feel the fast, yet steady beating of that thing in the middle of his chest. “My heart beats for you. I breathe
*Craig*I was bound in steel to a metal chair with electrical pads pasted to my chest. I was surrounded by four concrete walls with no windows and no bars, just a small wooden door that led to I don't know where. The only source of light was a light bulb that high above my head like a spotlight. When they had transported me here, they had drugged me, so I was knocked out for the entirety of the journey. Serena leaned against the wall, looking as smug as ever. It infuriated me and my wolf. "A little far from home, aren't we, Serena?" I lifted my head to look at the corner where she stood. "You shouldn't have come all this way only to be told 'no.'"Nothing. She gave me nothing. All she did was stare at me through the shadows. "The great bloodhound," she tsked. "How the mighty have fallen, all for a little piece of pussy."I pulled against my restraints, but the more I pulled, the more the wolfsbane scarred my skin. "Fuck you, Serena!" "Oh, but then that would make your
I stared at the dean of the university like I had seen a ghost. Wrinkled face. Potbelly. A face only a mother could love.Edgar. I never liked the man. He thought of himself too highly and enjoyed making others squirm. I oculi break the man with the snap of my finger but I knew I had to play nice. I was not in a place where I could act out. I hated it. But his time would come soon enough. "Rescue me?" I said, tilting my head sideways."But of course." He set his mug down. "She was so worried about you. She thought that you were dead." "What are you talking about, Edgar?" "Who else would have the idiotic inclination to want to care for you? Dawn, clearly. The poor girl was hysterical when she woke up and couldn't find you. We had to sedate her to keep her from harming herself."I growled. "Where is she?"If he had harmed a single hair on her head, treaty or not, I would rip his heart out of his chest and feed it to him. There were few things in this world I
Chapter 36: Homecoming Six hours later, I was back on campus grounds. I had contacted Jared to let him know of the situation here and asked him to hurry with any and all intel he had on the bond between Jason and Dawn. My wolf had had enough time to cool, and all my anger had depleted. I would deal with Serena at a later date, and Edgar would likely have words for me, but right now, my sole focus was my mate. The sun was setting beyond the horizon, which meant that Dawn was likely in her room, but when I went to knock and check on her, it was her roommate who answered the door."Oh, it's you. Aren't you supposed to be on some fancy island with my friend right now?" Candice leaned against the doorframe in sweats looking like she was only just getting out of bed. Her head was a close replica of a bird's nest, and I was sure she had residue makeup on from the night before. Was this truly the company Dawn had chosen to keep? Oh well, who was I to judge?"Are you going to
*Craig*I would be lying if I said that it didn't hurt because it did. It had been three days since I had my talk with Dawn, and my heart was still trying to play catch up with my brain. She didn't want to think about us as mates at the moment, and I had to respect that. I had to keep my distance and give her the space she needed to breathe. But all the while, my heart was in shambles over the prospect of possibly losing her. Her birthday was two months away, and the competition was due to finish in 35 days. I was running out of time. Last night, we were given our new assignments. We were meant to present a piece that depicted harmonious conflict but to do it through a different medium from our chosen one, which we entered the competition in. Surprisingly, we both came to an agreement that we should do oil painting. It was something we didn't at all do, but we're quite skilled at. The first session was nothing but pure torture for me. I found myself staring at her more
*Dawn*For two weeks, we worked on the art piece. Oil painting was not my strong suit, but I did my best. I was worried that I would be the weak link in this one. I had practiced and practiced before I finally worked up the nerve to start the real thing. Craig was amazingly rough the whole process. He had helped me to sketch out everything and make sure that it all melded together. But I won't lie; having him so close was hard for me. Keeping things strictly platonic took a lot of effort on my part.I was completely enamoured with him. Everything he did was entrancing. His smile, his laugh and his gaze. I was merciful to the pull between us. There were many times I questioned if I had made the right decision in telling him I couldn't give him what he wanted. Because the truth was…I wanted what he wanted. I wanted him—us. What did that say about me, though? The man had massacred my people in cold blood, but yet, I still looked at him like he had put the sun in the sky and r
“You really didn’t have to do all of this,” I noted. The wind from the jet engine blew my hair all over the place. Craig and I stood on the tarmac while the jet waited for me to board. “Nonsense. If I have the money, I should spend it. Besides, you’re my mate and if I don’t spend on you, then who would I spend on?” He laughed it my sideways stare at the word ‘mate’. “It’s fine, Dawn. And I would feel better anyway having some of my men looking out for you. It’s just a shame they can’t take you all the way to your aunt’s house but they will get you as far as they can.”I nodded. “Thank you Craig, for everything.”A boyish grin took over his face. “Come now, why are you acting like this is goodbye? You will be back in a few days.”I nodded but I didn’t know why I was getting so worked up over this. It wasn’t like I was leaving for a long time or maybe it was the fact that I would be seeing my aunt after I had basically told her to get out of my life forever.I bit down o
*Dawn*I had stared outside by the pool area where Craig stood over Jason’s body. He held Jason’s heart in his hands like it was it was squishy toy. Bile rose from my stomach and made my way up my throat. I used all my might to keep it down. It was over. The war was finally done. The enemy was defeated and now, I was free to be with the man I loved without having to look over my shoulder. So, why did I feel like this was only just the beginning? My hand absently when to the place Craig had marked me the other night. Coincidentally, it was in the same place my mark that I had shared with Jason was. When my finger touched the still healing wound, my body shuddered. I didn’t know if it was the old mark or the new one but something moved from my skin all throughout my body. I pushed down then ominous feeling and drew my mind back to the present. Craig must have felt my eyes on him because he lifted his gaze to the window and found me. His features softened when he saw my f
*Craig*There were three things I was sure of in this life: 1.Dawn Fairborne was my mate. 2.I loved Dawn Fairborne more than life itself. 3.I enjoyed having sex with Dawn. For the past 48 hours, we had spent our time entangled with one another. And in between the mind blowing sex we had—in every room in the cabin mind you—we broke away for food and to explore the forest. It had been the best two days of my life. The girl was this drug that I just couldn’t quite get enough of. I was a goner from the first ‘hello’. Now, she sat on my lap as we watched the sunrise beyond the horizon on our second day here. I felt so complete. I knew that this was the place I was meant to be.We had a whole host of problems to deal with outside of this place, but I knew that as long as her hand remained in mine, we would be okay. Dawn drew circles on the inside of my palm. I kissed the top of her head, breathing in her sweet scent. Her hair was still a little damp from the sh
Our lips crashed together again, the heat only increasing. Craig lifted me from the marble countertop and started moving. I was so preoccupied with his lips, I didn’t care where he was taking us. All I cared about was him and the throbbing between my legs. I felt us climbing some stairs and heading down a long space before a door clicked open. Craig laid me down on a soft bed, not once breaking our kiss. I had changed into sweatpants and a large hoodie after the cave, but I wore no underwear. I could feel the slickness against my leg already. Craig broke our kiss allowing me a chance to catch my breath. He used his elbows to hover over me so he wasn’t crushing my body beneath his. Our hot breaths mingled together into one small cloud of passion. “We will take it slow,” he assured me. “But it will hurt.”I shook my head. “I don’t need slow. I just need all of you.”I was out of my mind thinking that I could handle him at first go without being tentative. But I was
*Dawn*We sat in the car, my hand in his over the console. His thumb absently rubbed the back of my hand gently. I felt whole and complete being with him like this. I watched the trees move past us as we went up the winding road on the side of the mountain. He hadn’t told me what we were going to do, but I had an inkling of how our night was going to transpire. I was nervous but I was also excited. I was ready for this. I was ready for us. Wherever we were going was hidden away from society, or at least it seemed that way. The large pine trees acted like walls on either side of the road. The sun peaked just beyond the horizon as it gave way to a new day.So much had transpired within the last 24 hours, it was crazy. I had almost died, Jason was lamost killed, I had come to accept Craig as my mate, and Serena was redoing Craig’s pack against any retaliation. The mark was also gone from skin and now, I was free to be claimed by another. I was hopeful for our future. But ther
I lifted Jason by his neck and held him in the air. I held onto his neck making sure to give him just enough oxygen to keep him alive but also closing in on his pipes so he felt the pressure. “Tell me,” I growled. Even with his face turning red, the bastard still smiled at me. “Craig, he is baiting you. If you kill him, then we lose the ability to help Dawn.” Serena was right. I threw Jason onto the floor and scowled at him. I had to pull my wolf back to keep him from murdering the man he so desperately wanted to kill. “How do I remove the mark, Jason? I will only ask you one more time.”He coughed trying to rid the pain from his throat. I could see the sausage like bruise marks on his neck. “I can tell you how to remove the mark. But what will I get in return?”“Your life,” I seethed. He looked up at me with those pitiful eyes of his. “You think yourself to be God, but you are nothing in this world, Craig. Just because you stopped me today, doesn’t mean that I
*Craig*We moved through the cave as quietly as we could. I could hear the faint mutterings of a male voice that I was sure was Jason. Serena was right behind me with her hand on my shoulder. The darkness was slowly fading away as we neared the end of the cave. I could see the yellow light from flame torches mixed in with the bright blue hue of the moon. “Alpha, we are almost ready.” I recognized that voice. I peered round fhe corner of the entry way to the dome structure and saw Dawn’s aunt Cassie. What the hell was she doing here with him? As far as I knew, Dawn and her had come to an agreement when she left after her visit. Had she not told me the whole truth? My eyes moved from Cassie, who stood in a long white cloak, to the woman was was laying on a stone tabel with her arms and feet bound to it. It was Dawn. Her eyes were wide open but she wasn’t moving. For a second, I thought she wasn’t breathing, but when I saw the rising and falling of her chest, I soon
*Craig*The only thing that was left in this fucking rooftop was the dinner table that he had set up for her. I had felt her and I had heard her voice call to me. She was in danger and she needed me. I had wasted no time getting here, but it was too late. They were long gone and I was left to think of a way to track her. I was trying to keep a level head but the fact that he had her had my entire body in knots. The man was psycho and I knew that he was plotting and planning something. I should have never allowed her to go. I should have just gone with my instincts at locked her away and hid her from him. So, what if she was angry with me? At least she would have been in my care and by my side. “You need to calm down,” Jared tried to reason with me over the phone, but it was no use. When I came to rooftop, she wasn’t there. “You being this angsty will not help her.”“And neither will me standing here and doing nothing!” My anger was not toward him and he knew that. But I
I was about to murder the last family I had. The rage that poured into me was unhealthy and it heated my body in every vein, cell and nerve. All I could see is red at the moment. I don’t fully remember getting up but one moment, I was on the ground and the next, I was lunging at my aunt. She was lucky that Jason got in between us because I was ready to take her down. The anger building inside of me was unlike anything I had ever experienced. The tears that had pricked my eyes seconds ago were completely gone now. Now my gaze was laser focused on my aunt who hid behind Jason like the coward she was. She had crossed the line. I mean she had crossed it far before this, but now, it was too much. She had cried tears of pure agony and regret and yet, here she stood, next to the man who was trying to capture me and make me his prisoner. “I trusted you! I forgave you!” I shouted.“I'm sorry,” she cried. “But I had to. This is for the good of the pack and all those involved.”“Not
As the words left my lips, I knew that I had made a mistake. His nostrils flared and his eyes raged with an anger I had never seen before. His fists were balled on the table as he held onto his metal knife for dear life. The man looked like he was ready to murder me, or at the very least, maim me. Shit.I had messed up dismally and now, I was about to pay the price for what I had done. “I have been nothing but patient with you, Dawn. I have taken your disrespect and I have even allowed you time to frolic here without a single care in the world. But you have taken it too far. Do you not understand how many sacrificed their lives just so you could be breathing right now?”The ice in his words hit right in the centre of my chest. “You think that this man will love you? That he will treat you any better than a common whore?” He slammed his fist only the table sending the food in my plate flying. “You are far more stupid than I had initially realized! How can you not see his tr