Ryker
Ronnie did not dawdle, finding me in the living room after only a few minutes had elapsed. She wore a determined expression and began speaking the second she was seated beside me.
“I don’t understand what happened with Seth. I never got the impression he could do something as horrendous as what I witnessed with my own eyes, but we need to find him.”
She had informed me earlier about the head healer absconding after mistreating the males under his care when I had insisted on her giving me something to go on, and I pulled the rest of what I knew about the older male from Remus after the fact.
I wanted to murder him on principal for daring to make a pass at my obviously claimed mate, but beyond that, he was a dead man walking for knowingly harming another wolf in his care.
It was only a matter of time until his number was up, and I would gladly play the role of grim reaper when that moment arrived.
Al
Veronica I felt relief flood my system as I went over the conscious male’s vitals after clearing up his confusion. I had gotten Luke to tell me his name, and he had been conscious for a few minutes before he succumbed to the wolfsbane once more. I hadn’t been positive I would be able to help them with what Seth had done, but I was surprisingly treading water in that regard it appeared. I am not one hundred percent sure what he did outside of the obvious, but I had my speculations. Both wolves had been displaying worsened symptoms of wolfsbane poisoning from when I first examined them yesterday. Their wounds had begun to mend before Seth had administered the toxin from what I could tell, but I wasn’t sure which method or dose he had chosen. Be that as it may, I seemed to have landed on a mixture of herbs that was helping the wolves fight against whatever concoction Seth had created, but I would need to retrieve more chamomile from the clinic in order to keep treating the males and k
Veronica I could not help the nervous feeling that suffused my bones as I trekked the miniscule distance to the clinic. There were still happy couples meandering around the town, but there were noticeably less people about today in general. Everyone was probably getting ready for tonight or was already on shift for one of the extra patrols that Ryker had set. I had felt confident that I would be fine on my own for the trip to retrieve the herbs I needed when my mate had resisted my plan prior, in part because of the additional wolves that I knew were not far away. Yet, I could not shake the uneasy feeling that persisted in pervading my awareness as I made it to the clinic without any issues arising. Nothing looked like it had been disturbed when I entered the back room, but I remained cautious regardless, pausing in the doorway to scan the room at large with my enhanced senses before I retrieved the herbs. I bundled the chamomile, and several other herbs that might come in handy
Ryker I could not help but dart anxious glances at the clock every two minutes or so. I did not like the idea of Ronnie being out there on her own any more than Jax did with everything going on. The baleful looks he persevered in aiming my way weren’t helping matters either. Although a smile did tug at my lips when Roxi’s giggles erupted at Willow clapping her hands. The extra wolves patrolling the area did little to assuage my worries, but Ronnie was an adult and more than capable of making her own decisions. I knew I would always have my hands full in keeping her out of trouble, but I considered it part and parcel with claiming a she-wolf with so much strength and fire. All the same, I knew Ronnie was right when she had reminded me Roxi needed at least one familiar person in the room when meeting new people, but I could see she was speedily warming up to Willow. I could feel Ronnie was every bit as much of a wreck as
Veronica I had to admit I felt a hundred times better after showering, but I found myself still as weary as I had been prior with the adrenaline crash after Ryker departed to take care of Seth. I knew Ry would probably kill him for his transgressions, but I couldn’t find it in myself to mourn for his loss. I didn’t want to think about him ever again after what he had attempted today, so I wracked my brains for a distraction, looking around the room until my eyes landed on the bathroom door standing slightly ajar. I collapsed on the bed as I went with the direction of my thoughts, giving myself a moment to get lost in the lingering fragrance of warm sandalwood and sweet peppermint still bathing the humid air. My mind drifted to how Ryker had gently washed away the grime and blood that had dried into my skin from the ordeal. There had been nothing sexual about it in spite of the close quarters in my diminutive shower, just my mate carin
Veronica Ryker paused when entering the living room, and I followed suit as I took in the space before us from where I had stopped a step behind him. I scanned my eyes over the available seating arrangements while the others continued chatting softly, waiting for us to get situated before they quieted down. Jax and Willow were snuggled up on the love seat together, but I felt my eyebrows heighten when I took in Mari, perched rigidly in Asher’s lap in the only remaining unbroken chair in the room. She looked mildly uncomfortable, but I spied out of the corner of my eye Asher rubbing his hands up and down her back reassuringly. I shot her an encouraging smile before continuing to cast my gaze around the room for a resting place. My eyelids were growing heavy at an alarming rate, and I wanted to be sitting down before the next wave of fatigue rolled over me. My worn-out eyes caught on the couch as I debated
Ryker The memory of my mate cautioning me to beware of smoke bombs came roaring back to the surface when she reentered the room a few minutes later, producing a perfect replica of the containers currently littering every nook and cranny of the bunker Seth had chosen to entomb himself within. I heard Ronnie’s warning through mind link right before I pummeled Seth’s face to a pulp for daring to harm my other half outside the foxhole this afternoon, but I hadn’t truly processed the meaning behind her words until she shocked the room with her revelation. I suddenly wished I could bring the traitorous male back to life, just so I could watch him suffer all over again. It might be cruel, but I wasn’t exactly known as the most sympathetic of males for good reason. Conversely, I had been concerned the ambiguous mention of Seth’s death in front of Ronnie would upset her, but other than her muscles tensing for a second, she appeared unaffected
Ryker Ronnie had been sleeping deeply, but either the incessant ringing or me moving from her side had her waking up the second my feet touched the carpeted floor. I had a feeling it was the latter, but the how’s didn’t matter once she had been roused to consciousness. I gave it my best shot at getting her to stay home so she could rest more, knowing she still needed time to recuperate fully from the pollutant she had ingested, but she was adamant she come with me. Consequently, we slipped out of the house together a few moments later, meeting up with Asher who was already waiting on the front porch. I let my enhanced senses roam over the general vicinity. My wolf relaxed his aggressive stance once I took in the sounds of the warriors nearby, safeguarding the dwelling, but I remained alert, nonetheless. Next, I saw the look of confusion when the other male’s jade-colored eyes alighted on Ronnie, but I just shook my head and si
Ryker It didn’t take me long to pick up on Willow’s anxiety as the other two wolves drew closer. She was so on edge I could physically smell the acrid scent of her fear gushing from her pores, or it seemed that way with her near proximity at the very least. I didn’t push her, leaving my eyes glued to Roxi as she played in the multicolored leaves and ran circles around the small yard. I could see Jax comforting her out of my peripheral vision, so I let him take care of his mate while I pondered why on earth she would want to converse with me. The last I recalled from the night before was that she was coming over this morning to spend time with the other she-wolves. After she took several deep breaths, Willow began speaking without a hint of disquiet detectable in her voice as she said, “I was thinking about what you said last night, about not being able to locate any additional bunkers in the area if they exist.” She stopped, a
Hello wonderful readers, I am so sorry for any confusion, but all four books in this series will be separated. Unfortunately, my editor received some untrue information that was then passed on to me. To limit confusion, the order of the books is as follows: *Mated to the Alpha of the North *Mated to the Alpha of the South *Mated to the Alpha of the West *Mated to the Alpha of the East Thank you for your continued patience, understanding, and support. (I am also loving all the comments and encouragement. You guys are awesome! Thanks for sticking with me!!)
Veronica I was awoken way too early for my liking the next morning, but I wasn’t complaining once I realized what had brought me back to the land of the living. I could see the sun had already risen through my squinted eyes, but the fatigue seemed determined to stick around. The sensual feeling of Ry’s stubbled beard rubbing against my inner thighs as he gently ran his tongue in circles around my bundle of nerves had my hips rocking up of their own accord. My mate’s husky chuckle was the only warning I got before he suddenly sucked my clit into his mouth, slamming me into awareness as he brought his fingers into the action now that I was awake and fully onboard with his plans. It didn’t take him long to bring me to a screaming climax then, and I was enthusiastic to return the favor after I recovered from the stars orbiting my head and took a few moments to catch my breath, that was. Ry moved up my body while I was lost in all-
Veronica I was stunned when Ry’s voice intruded, anxiously warning of his impending arrival with a severely injured Ruby in tow. I had only just taken my seat to dig into the hearty stew Willow created, but I didn’t dither to explain to the others as I jumped up to meet him at the door. Even as I scurried forth, I couldn’t help but think there had been some type of mistake. Ruby had sworn to me she would not leave her house during the fighting. I knew she had chosen to stay behind, and I had advocated for her to join the patrol groups, but we had agreed she needed more training before taking on real adversaries. I didn’t give a damn that the bears had invaded early, I was pissed at Ruby for lying to me, but then I felt horrible for being angry at a wolf who was struggling to remain with us. I zoned my concentration in on her abdomen, where it appeared the most damage had occurred. There were multiple large gashes stead
Ryker My concentration was zeroed in on getting Ruby to my mate as I ran through the forest, but I also observed the fighting appeared to be over entirely as I pushed myself faster through the trees. I didn’t let myself ruminate on our victory or the losses we undoubtedly suffered, rather I diverted all my attention towards letting Ronnie know I was on the way. {Incoming! Ruby’s been injured. It’s serious. I’ll be there in two minutes time with her.} I could barely detect the girl’s shallow breath as I continued onward. The uneven beating of her heart had me frantically hurtling forward, dodging obstacles, and darting through the trees at a risky speed with the precious cargo I carried. It wouldn’t matter, regardless, if I couldn’t get her to Ronnie in enough time. Thankfully, Ronnie was waiting with the front door thrown open wide when I reached my destination, but she was advancing towards me in the twinkling of an e
Ryker Pain rippled down my spine as I transformed mid-stride, but it was forgotten as soon as the pinprick registered. My wolf’s keen eyes took in the dim tunnels as we ran onward, and I had to admit his vision was much clearer than mine was in my human form. On the other hand, I was having a difficult time discerning which direction Holden had disappeared with his scent seemingly surrounding me at every turn. Sight and smell were two of the biggest senses I normally relied on when tracking prey, but both were limited down here to my chagrin. Magnus’ and Holden’s scent trails were down every dark corridor I took, taunting me from every turn. I was forced to slow when I lost the elder again, but it did give me the opportunity to identify the subtle differences within the lingering scents. It didn’t take me long to narrow the options down to only two possible paths of egress he might have taken once I was focused, though I conce
Veronica Relief poured through me as my eyes alighted upon the weapon the former Southern Elder was brandishing. I wasn’t stupid. I knew it was dangerous after my own encounter with it prior, but I had something to fight back with now. Ryker and Jax blocked the older male’s line of sight, so he didn’t see me whipping out my own identical cylinder. Willow’s chocolate eyes turned up when she saw what I was holding, and her lips stretched into a victorious grin as she spoke up, giving me the opening that I needed. However, she also unwittingly aided our enemy in the process, forcing me to act quickly as the noxious fumes began to spew into the air. Ryker yanking me off my feet didn’t help matters, but I still managed to initiate the container in enough time to combat the unchanged one Holden had set off. I didn’t hesitate as relief at my foresight spread through me, reaching into my pocket, and instigating another cannister so we would be able to keep going. I knew Ryker would never
Ryker I wanted to say I was positive these tunnels hadn’t existed when I was a child, but it would be a lie. I never had the opportunity to seek out all the mysteries my father had masked from his family, especially regarding this house. It had been his pride and joy, and the ostentatious nature of it displayed that well enough. Yet, my father had been as suspicious as he was cruel, so it wouldn’t astonish me if he had been the one to install this underground network all those years ago when he’d had this abode built. It would make more sense than Zeke or the elders managing to cover up such a huge undertaking without alerting the rest of the population. Just the same, my ponderings were interrupted by the distinctive noise of life erupting from within, and I was climbing into the opening without a second thought. I did have the prudence to pause long enough to ensure my mate was on board with my present course of action, but
Veronica I took in the unanticipated strain in the atmosphere, but I didn’t say anything as I held up my hand in a staying gesture and darted to the living room in order to catch Nyla before she escaped upstairs. The younger wolf had her foot poised to ascend the first step when she halted, rotating at my voice as I said, “Hold up a second, Nyla.” I trudged closer before I started speaking again, and she helpfully met me in the middle of the room. “How is Remus doing? Ryker let me know he was up this morning, but I’m guessing that is where you’re headed now.” “Yes. He actually just woke up from his nap. Thank you again for everything. I don’t know what I would do if I lost my mate so soon after finding him.” I embraced her as she became teary eyed, squeezing her momentarily before pulling back to reassure her, “Don’t thank me, Nyla. You have been working just as hard as me to help our patients heal. Everyone should be
Veronica I shot up in a flash, dashing to the bathroom to relieve myself as I was slammed back into consciousness with the realistic dream my mind had conjured up as the remnants of the wolfsbane left my system. I could still feel the sweltering heat as the mighty inferno raged on internally, but the particulars of the nightmare slithered away before I could commit them to memory. I belatedly realized I was alone when I stumbled out of the washroom after taking care of business, which explained why my mate hadn’t been laughing his ass off at my morning sprint to the toilet. Yet, I idly wandered whether it was morning after all when I caught a glimpse of the light peeking through the gaps in the loosely drawn drapes. I concentrated for a minute, taking in the competing stimuli as I tried to wake up. I could hear there were several people moving around in the common areas, as well as Ryker further out, outside in