That night after we cleaned up, I sat at the dinner table while Jake and Viktor cooked. Sitting here while they cut up vegetables and chicken felt like I was watching someone else's life. Jake opened up the oven and leaned down to put the pan holding the chicken onto one of the racks.
“Have you guys made dinner together before?” I asked. Viktor looked at Jake and he looked at Viktor before looking at me.
“Yes, we have,” Jake said.
“It was a long time ago, though,” Viktor said.
“Hmm…”
“Does that make you jealous?” Jake asked. I blinked twice before the words formed in my head. He closed the oven and put his hands on the counter as he watched me.
“No, I’m not jealous but I do wish I could have been there,” I said.
“Jake and Jamie
KacieI didn’t really have a close relationship when I first came to the pack. He was always my mate’s friend and Beta. My focus was on Viktor most of the time as it should have been. I didn’t start spending much time with Jake until I started training. We spent more time together after that and then when Viktor left and he had to watch me, well the rest was history.I’ve always seen him as a protector and someone who always joked around. He flirted with me a lot and I couldn’t ever take him seriously. I was standing in between his legs but we were standing eye to eye. A rough warm hand slid up my thigh and around my waist. I wasn’t ready for the vulnerability that stared back at me.“This is all still so new and I think we’re going to have some kinks to work through,” I started, “we don’t have any boundaries set yet so we’re going to have t
Kacie“Now come over here and love me,” Jake demanded. A spark shot up from my feet and filled my body. Goosebumps broke out over my body and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Jake giving Viktor an order was making me tingly.Viktor’s smile was nowhere in sight but his eyes darkened and I knew lust when I saw it. He took his ever-loving time getting to his feet and I wanted to growl in frustration but I didn’t. I stayed still on my Beta’s lap as I watched my Alpha lean forward and stand on his feet.He looked so damn fine and I thanked the Goddess. I was the luckiest woman alive right now. He made his way around the table and walked over to us. Viktor stopped a few feet away my body tensed in anticipation. Jake was breathing heaving beside me and I didn’t miss the way his thighs clenched.Viktor had an effect on both of us and we were both g
KacieThe long-awaited moment was here and I was finally going to get some answers. I turned my attention from the food to Viktor. I needed to know if they knew why I was like this. Were there others like me out there? I had hoped he’d bring back news of someone else like me that I could talk to.The only other person I’ve met with control over something was Clara and hers were more like powers. When she was guarding me I didn’t think to ask about them. Now that I think about it, I doubt she would have opened up to me. She didn’t talk that much. Jake and I watched Viktor pick up his utensils and I waited anxiously for news.“The elders said there was a pack that had special abilities,” Viktor said as he cut into his chicken.“What? I mean, that’s something, right? I’ve never heard it!” I said. “Where are they? Who are they?
Kacie“Did you tell them about me and what I can do?” I asked.“If I’m being honest, I didn’t at first. Hearing that war was waged over these wolves and their power put me on edge. I didn’t want people to know about you… What if they came after you?” Viktor said.“If they knew about me maybe they would give us more answers!” I knew where he was coming from but I was upset and disappointed.“I struggled with it but on the day I was coming back home, I told them,” Viktor said. “They didn’t believe me at first. Everyone knows witches are the only ones with powers. After I explained how it happened to you on the field during training, they believed me.”“Did they offer any advice?” I asked.Viktor put down his cutlery and looked me in the eye.
Kacie We ate the rest of our food and Jake tried making jokes to lighten the mood. Viktor cleared the table and I focused on the dishes. Jake grabbed a towel and I left him to dry them. I felt Viktor’s gaze on my back as I headed upstairs. There were too many thoughts whirling through my mind and my head was starting to pound. I wanted them to stop and relief filled my body as I stood in front of the bedroom door. I walked into a spacious rustic bedroom, there was a beautiful stone fireplace and hardwood flooring. There was a California king-size bed with pilaster and acanthus accents, foliage filigree, and framed bed panels. I walked forward and ran my fingers along the frame. I looked down and beneath my feet lay a beautiful maroon rug covered most of the floor. I spied a walk-in closet that could hold our things for longer stays. I still can’t believe he did all this. “Do you remem
KacieViktor gripped my waist and I leaned into Jake for balance. I didn’t get to say a word with him at my back. In one brutal thrust, he was inside me and I cried out from the sudden intrusion. I’m impaled on his hard unforgiving length. The pain rips through me and I should tell him to stop but it reminds me of when we spent our first night. It hurts but it feels oh too good. I gripped Jake’s shoulders for balance as my breasts pressed against his hard chest.Viktor grunted. I was no longer thinking about anything else. He slowly pulled out of me and thrust into me again without letting me adjust. Sex with Viktor is everything, it’s hard and deep. It’s so intense it has me arching into Jake. I clenched around him as he started to fuck me hard. I moaned and Jake leaned down and swallowed up my moans like he was a starving man. Jake took a step back and Viktor’s hand found my back. He pushed me down
KacieI was exhausted as Viktor turned me to face him before holding me in his arms. I heard the sound of a cap popping open followed by hands in my hair. Jake lathered my hear and I closed my eyes to the sensation of his fingers dragging along my scalp. Viktor grabbed a loofah and squeezed a considerate amount of body wash on it. The material pressed against my skin and I watched my mate as he washed my body.They cleaned me up and took care of me. The act of them taking care of me brought tears to my eyes. I felt incredibly loved and cared for. My limps were jelly as I took turns leaning against them as they washed up. My hair smelled of mango and I fought the urge to fall asleep.Jake held me as Viktor turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. He came back with a stack of towels. He passed Jake one and started to dry my body off. One second, Viktor wrapped me in a towel, and in the next, he picked m
KacieWhen I open my eyes it’s morning. The light streaming through the window, the birds that fly by, the clouds in the sky. It’s a little cold and when I look around I realize it’s because my heat warmers are gone. I slept through the night but woke up still feeling tired.The smell of breakfast beckoned me out of bed and I dutifully got out of bed. After I was dressed, I sighed and threw the door open. My body was tired and pleaded for me to go back to bed but I ignored it.The promise of food grew stronger and I followed the enticing aroma as it led me down the stairs. The first thing I see is Viktor sauteing vegetables, he mumbles something and Jake passes him a few eggs. My eyes follow Viktor as he cracks the eggs in the frying pan. He’s wearing athletic shorts, a t-shirt, and an apron. The apron is a nice touch and I like it.My eyes slide over to Jake and I
My heat aches as the thoughts flit through my mind one after the other. Tears prick the corners of my eyes before filling them. My chest pangs with the need to be wrapped up in his arms. I know without a shadow of a doubt that Jake would do all of those things. He would care for me as he had before. He would look after me as my Beta, my partner, and the father of our child.My soul wept for him, my heart broke for him, and my mind went mad for him. I curled into a ball on the bed and grasped at the sheets as the pain poured from my body. I screamed as it became unbearable and my vision went white. I cried out, my cry turning into a scream, as the door burst open. It slammed against the wall, but still my vision remained impaired.I couldn’t see anyone, but I heard voices. I felt the rush of people around me and hands checking me and prodding my belly. I froze when I felt the warmth of a hand on my shoulder and a familiar scent I didn’t think I would ever smell again. I threw my head ba
Kacie I want to bury my head into his chest but I can’t. I can’t bring myself to look away. I continue staring at him as Viktor lays down by his side. He props himself up and stares down at him. The love and sadness in his eyes blend into one. His gaze darts back and forth between the two of us. A sad smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “I love you,” I whisper. “I love you,” Viktor says quietly. We shared stories, we cried, we laughed. I told him about one of the mornings after my Luna Ceremony when I woke up and found Jake naked across from me. He flexed and tried to show off. Viktor chuckled and shared a precious memory from when they first kissed. It was sweet and I wished I could have seen the look in Jake’s eyes if he had heard Viktor tell the story. The next memory Viktor shared with me was the look on Jake’s face when I walked out that first day in Ken’s house. When he smelled me and knew I was his mate, he only trusted Jake to be alone with me. That’s why he let him
Kacie“I have one request,” I said.“Anything my love,” Viktor said.“I don’t want him in the lobby. I want him in our room. Can we do that?” I asked.“We can do whatever we want Kacie,” Viktor answered.In the olden days, it was common for our kind to spend the dead’s last night with them. It was like a ritual, we clean their bodies with a cloth, wash their hair, and clothe them in something loose. After the ritual the body is placed in the living room or the pack lobby if the dead was an alpha. The family would then bring their blankets and pillows to sleep in the front on the couch or the floor. It’s the last night you get with the dead. It’s a form of closure and was done away with one hundred years ago, or at least that’s what Viktor told me. When he told me about it I clung to the knowledge and asked him if we could do it too. He admitted that he mentioned it to gouge my reaction. We looked into each others eyes and knew without a doubt that we needed to do it.It may have been
Kacie “I’ve failed. I failed and lost him,” Viktor said. The weight on his shoulders was large enough to make anyone crumble beneath it. Still, my mate stood firm. My heart broke for the mate we’d lost, but it soared knowing that he was safe. Instead of keeping my thoughts to myself I would make sure he knew. I would make sure he knew every day how much I loved him, how much I needed him in my life. I would make sure he knew how loved he was, but first, he needed to face Jake. He needed to come to grips with it as I have. He needs to make peace with it, so he can move forward. We both needed this. “Come here,” I said. I watched as he mentally drew back, away from me as if he would hurt me. As if he thought he’d lose me too if he touched me. I reached for him, my outstretched hand open in offering for him to take it. He had to take it. Viktor stared at my hand for a moment before his eyes darted to Jake on the ground between us. Desperation clear in his eyes when he looked back at m
Kacie In an attempt to feel whatever warmth Jake had left I pushed my body as close as I could to his. I ignored the unevenness of his body, the difference between it now and what I remembered. Everything in me came flowing out as my hair flowed out all around me. My hands grasped at his muddy shirt and my heart broke for the second time today. Jake’s body was hard and the finality of it pulled the sheet from beneath my feet. I was no longer able to deny the crushing reality. The warmth was seeping out of him as quickly as the clouds had formed above us. Footsteps squelched behind me announcing Viktor’s presence. My pain vibrated in his chest as he stopped behind me. It was enough to pull him away from mourning his sister. The curiosity outweighing the fear led him to me. I could feel his pain as he felt mine. I knew when he saw who lay beneath me because he made an unintelligible sound behind me. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to lift my head. I couldn’t look back at him. I couldn’
KacieI’ll hurt you.I don’t want to hurt you.I don’t want to hurt him. I wouldn’t hurt him. The urge, no, the need to make sure I don’t hurt him runs through my veins as the idea of burning him strikes me hard in the chest. It’s like an ice cold bucket of water and I feel like I’ve jolted awake from a dream. The flames protest against my will as my mind refuses to hurt the man in front of me. For the first time since becoming aware I look at him. My eyes wander over black hair, a sharp jaw, and full lips. Dark tired eyes filled with worry stared down at me. My mate reaches for me a second time and this time I extinguish the flames with the flick of my wrist as realization dawned on me.My mate.He’s okay.He’s alive.If my mate is here than why am I so hurt?My does my heart bleed?I lean in toward him and his hand gently grazes over my cheek, his shoulders relaxed, and relief stared back at me. I was safe. I was in one piece. I had survived. If he hadn’t gotten my attention things
Kacie My father’s breathing is haggard and strained beneath me. At my words he roars angrily. He’s weak, useless below me, unable to get away. When I straighten my back, lift myself up, and stare down at him. I take a moment to look over the expression of fear and regret in his eyes. I don’t bother with emotion because right now, I feel nothing. There’s only a high, a haze of bliss from his acceptance. It’s settled over me as I hover over him. The power of taking what I want, getting the revenge I sent out for. I’m hurting him, torturing him, killing him. I focus on this as he stares up at me. “All of this will do nothing. You may have killed my friends and you may have won the fight between you and I, but there’s one you haven’t and can’t win. You can’t win against death,” Charles chokes. I don’t want to hear anymore. I don’t want to hear the truth drip from his lips like poisoned honey. I won’t let him win and I won’t let his words get to me. I won’t change my mind and I won’t hea
Charles yanked his arm back but I didn’t let go. I did the opposite, I dug my nails in as he pulled, my claws dug into his skin and ripped. Blood pooled and burned, he yanked again this time, ignoring the bite of my nails as they pierced deeper. He wrenched his arm free, or what was left of it. I could feel his skin under my claws, chunks of meat between my fingers, as he cried out in pain. I take a moment to enjoy my work. His once scorched pink skin had turned black, blood ran down his arm and dripped to the floor. Charles turned to glare at me, and for the first time since meeting him, fear stares back at me. He clutched his injured arm and I watch as his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows nervously. Sweat pools on his temple and slides down his brow. I chuckle at this small victory. He must have thought that I would be an easy kill. The young girl he once knew died a long time ago. Did he think that his words would have weakened me? Did he think that his words would have an affect
KacieNow that I knew Viktor would be okay, I could give in to what I’ve wanted since seeing the devastation the Elders caused. Now that I knew that Clara would have Viktor, I felt the opposite of what I’ve before at the thought of them together alone. I felt relief. She would make sure he was safe. I turned from Clara and focused on that man I once called father.Answering to the call of my growing flames I dashed forward. I promised to give them what they wished soon. The need for blood, for sliced skin, and the smell of burning flesh drove me forward. I would have what I desired, I would have my vengeance, my revenge. My anger fanned the flames and they grew hotter than they ever have before. I screamed out in anguish as I rushed toward the man who should have been the father I deserved. He was nothing but a disappointment.Tears run down my cheeks before they dry up and evaporate. I don’t cry for him or what I’m going to do, no, I’ll revel in my father’s death. The tears continue