I whip around and glare at him. “Slaves?” I growl. “What the fuck?” Archer merely shrugs. “It’s an ancient Hayes tradition,” he says. “All employees are members of the Hayes Court of Slaves. It’s a highest mark of honor.” “Fuck you,” I hiss and shove his chest. “I’m not wearing this shit.” “Yo
“I can’t believe you all!” I shout. “You’ve completely tossed aside this baby now that I’m here.” Beau snorts. “Isn’t that the point? We got you to take care of her so we can go about our normal lives?” “No!” I say. “A proper home needs both maleandfemale influences. Children learn separate thin
The next morning, Mia and I are the first ones up. It’s a brisk winter morning and I can see frost on the ground outside Mia’s room in the pyramid. I scoop her up and get her changed into her clothes for the day before feeding her. I make her some applesauce. It’s usually her favorite. Today, she’s
“You’re not supporting her neck or butt,” I say to Archer. “She won’t stop – ugh – moving!” Mia is squirming violently now. She’s about to slip out of Archer’s grasp when I swoop in and snag her. She immediately relaxes in my arms. She presses her palm to my cheek in a silent thanks. “You were
We arrive to the hospital in a flurry. I’m positive Archer was twenty miles over the speed limit with how fast he was driving. I rush through the double doors with four massive alphas behind me. Everyone in the hospital seems to know who they are and immediately runs over to us. The doctor is a sh
I slump in a chair next to Neil. He barely notices, too busy staring at the ground between his legs. I curl up into the chair and stare at the door, longing for someone to come back and tell me that my baby is okay. It’s about an hour later that someone does show up. The doctor breaks into the doo
It’s almost midnight by the time we get Mia home and in bed. The day has flown by in a flurry of hospital gowns and panic. I tuck Mia in her crib and she falls asleep almost instantly. The doctor said the anti-histamine they gave her would make her sleepy. I just didn’t expect it to bethatfast. I’
“Laura,” I say immediately, shaking my head. “It had to be her. She was the only one who had access to everything.” “Her,” Archer says. “Andyou.” “Seriously, Archer?” I sneer. “You’re still trying to put the blame one me? Even after all of this evidence?” “What evidence?” Archer snaps. He thro
I’m happy because I have four hearts beating alongside mine.“Do you feel it, too?” I ask. “My connection to each of you?”I blink my eyes open once more. I want to see their faces, their reactions.Neil has his hand over his own heart. “It’s strange. It’s like part of you is inside of me.”“Me, too
In the darkness of my mind, I floated, surrounded by the comforting embrace of love. Distantly, I could feel another presence, one that grew stronger and stronger, the more I focused on it: my wolf.As I thought of her, she appeared before me as if I willed her into being. Maybe I did. We are in my
Damn alpha wolves and their heightened senses.“I’ve already made my choice,” I say. “Honestly, I think I made it a long, long time ago.”Archer relaxes marginally. Steven starts to smile.Neil turns to me, worry still on his face. “You say that now, Chloe. But the pull could be strong…”“I don’t ca
The eve of my birthday, I rest in bed and stare at my ceiling. It’s late, near midnight, but I still have my bedside light on.With my feelings shared and grown with Neil, Archer, and Steven, I didn’t expect to spend any night alone, especially the one right before the day that could change everythi
I awake to a sharp knock on my bedroom door. Neil’s arm is still draped over me but some distance had inched between our hot bodies in the night. I’m able to slink out from under his arm without him waking.Naked, I quickly stop by the bathroom to throw on my fluffy bathrobe. Then, after glancing ba
They.Beau glances at me and see my incredulous look. “What do I need to go out every night? Can’t a man just enjoy staying home for a change?”“You can do whatever the hell you want,” I say.“Good, then.” Beau slumps down on the couch. He stretches out, lifting his feet up and into my lap. “Now tel
For the rest of the morning, I desperately try not to think about Neil. Whoever he’s in love with, I won’t be offended by it. The hurt I feel has nothing to do with this new person. She must be great for her to have won Neil’s affections.The hurt is my own loss, my own problem. I let my feelings fo
After Steven and I have cleaned ourselves up with a quick shower, we fall back into bed together, giggling and laughing all the way. My now, Steven has discovered a few of my tickle zones, which he is exploiting. As revenge, I touch the places I now know make him shiver.For a while, nothing seems l
His hands fumbled with the buttons of his own shirt. Such usually steady hands are rendered useless by his nervousness.“Allow me,” I tell him. I lightly bat his hands out of the way before replacing them with mine on his shirt buttons. My times with Neil have served me well. I’m able to undo all th