Jane’s POVI reluctantly peeled my eyes open, blinking slowly into the morning sunlight, feeling like I’d been hit by a truck. My whole body ached. With a quiet groan I lifted my head – and found myself staring straight into Colin’s eyes. I could tell he was laughing, even though he was trying to hide it, and my face flushed with embarrassment.“I… I… I…” I stammered, struggling to find the right words. “I can explain.”I couldn’t meet his gaze, so I grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to my chin, covering myself. But it was no use; he’d already seen my body and the marks that littered it. Marks he’d given me, biting and sucking my skin… I shivered at the memory, and my blush grew darker.I tried explaining again. “Yesterday, you got hurt. I gave you some medicine, which you took. It wasn’t labelled properly…” I set my gaze on the floor and ignored the burning in my cheeks. “It wasn’t medicine for your wounds; it was actually an aphrodisiac. A dangerous one. And then you needed… wel
Jane’s POVI glared at him. If looks could kill, he’d be a dead man by now.‘Oh, interesting!’ said Ina. ‘A sex slave, huh? I’ve never been a slave before, let alone a sex slave. It sounds exciting!’ Her eyes pricked, perking up as she considered what it would be like.I sucked in a deep breath, unclenched my fists, and tried to calm myself down. “Leif, right?” I said aloud. “I’m sure you aren’t really crazy, so please, don’t joke around.” I sneered at him. “How could you even think of such a ridiculous idea?”My temper burned hot. I wasn’t a violent person by nature, but in that moment I wanted to punch something. Had I been born just to serve other people? First I’d been an Omega with no rights, and now this man had stumbled in here asking me to become his sex slave? I ground my jaw.‘I think you’re wrong.’ Ina cocked her head to the side. ‘Not everyone can become a sex slave! Only the pretty people can. I’d take his words as a compliment if I were you.’ She smiled.I scoffed at her
Fake Colin’s POVYes, my name is now Colin – but I’m a fake.The real Alpha Colin had been left for dead near the Desert Assassin pack and was halfway to heaven after being attacked. But my Shadows saved him, and now he’s recovering in my hospital.Of course, he offered me anything I wanted in return for such kindness. I asked for his identity.I needed it to achieve my goals. It was my genius wolf Reg’s idea to make me someone else. Considering his numerous love affairs and the way the she-wolves leapt all over him, I went to him for advice. I’d exhausted every other idea and had no clue what to do!Back in those days, before I’d become Colin, I’d slept for only an hour or two a night, kept on my feet almost constantly by my pack and its members. My checks were repeated and thorough, and what I found surprised me.I’d thought I’d be able to end everything and go after her, after my Luna had given birth. But hell no – the Moon Goddess had denied me that opportunity, so I’d had to tak
Hunter’s POVAlpha Colin sat up slowly, rubbing his head and squinting up at me. My lip curled as I looked at his ginger hair, but I had to do this. For Jane.‘Exactly, Hunter!’ cheered Reg. ‘This is exactly the sort of thing Alpha David would do for Beth. You need to think bigger.’ He leant in close and winked. ‘You need to think like Alpha David. Besides – Jane hates you.’‘Thanks,’ I muttered dryly.Reg ignored me. ‘The only way to get her to love you again is to be someone else.’ He grinned, his tongue lolling out. ‘This was one of my best ideas ever! And for such a good idea I think I deserve a little repayment, don’t you?’It was my turn to ignore him. Reg started singing loudly in my head, listing the different kinds of ice cream he wanted. I winced and tried to focus on Alpha Colin, who was saying something I couldn’t hear over Reg’s rendition of Ice Ice Baby.‘Yo, VIP, let’s lick it!’ he sang, proudly out of tune. ‘Ice, ice cream baby!’‘I’m a bit busy right now, Reg,’ I bit
Hunter’s POVReg was whining in my head when I came to. All of me felt dry and dusty – even the inside of my mouth was coated with orange sand. I sat up, my head spinning, and spat out a cloud of dust.‘Why wouldn’t you fight back?’ he griped. ‘It’s not like you. It felt wrong. And I know you had to protect Jane by creating a distraction, I’m a smart wolf, you don’t have to explain that–’‘If you were really such a smart wolf, Reg,’ I groaned, ‘I wouldn’t need to explain any of it.’ I sighed. ‘My fighting style is too well known. People send their kids to me to train, right?’ He nodded slowly. ‘I didn’t want to blow my cover by fighting back, even in this form.’ I plucked at Colin’s tatty shirt, now blood-soaked and torn, and wrinkled my nose. ‘Besides, I knew they wouldn’t do me any real damage.’I stood up slowly, my vision blurring. Fuck. Maybe they’d done me more damage than I’d thought…‘Hello!’ Reg tried to snap his paws like they were fingers, but failed miserably. Instead he y
Hunter’s POVTrying to hide a smirk, I gazed up at Jane, still clutching at her, and put her hand in my mouth. I bit down it gently, planning to suckle on it – but she pulled it away quickly and hugged it to her chest.“What are you talking about?” She frowned at me. “You’re calling me Mom?”Sensing her hesitation, worry started to creep in. ‘Are you sure about this, Reg? What if she sees me as a child instead of as someone she could love?’‘I’m sure I’m sure! This is just phase one of the plan. Look how confused she is! That’s how you know it’s working,’ he said sagely. ‘Remember, Hunter: what would Alpha David do?’I blinked up at her. “Yes, Mom. That’s who you are. You’re my mom.”I wasn’t sure this plan was going to work – until I stood up, purposefully letting the blanket slip off me. Her gaze instantly dropped down to inspect my abs, which I tensed, giving her the full show of my muscles. As she drew her full lower lip into her mouth, her eyes going heavy-lidded with desire, I s
Hunter’s POVI looked around the market curiously. It was teeming with people, all rushing around with wicker baskets slung over their arms, all hurrying from stall to stall, all clamouring to find the best prices in town. Jane was lost in conversation with her wolf, so I slipped away from the stall and went to find her a present. That was the next step on Reg’s list of How To Win Over a Woman. Food first, then a heartfelt gift.“Roses! Come and get your red, red roses!” hollered a curvaceous woman. ‘That’s it, Hunter! Roses are perfect.’ Reg shooed me over to her stall.“Hi.” I grinned at her awkwardly. I still felt out of kilter without my own face. Colin had a goofy smile, the kind that endeared women, but he couldn’t pull off the cold mask I liked to wear or the smug smirk that got women on their knees.“You want some of my roses, handsome?” she purred, leaning over her stall and running her fingertip up my chest. I swallowed hard, glancing back at Jane. Was she watching? “I do
Hunter’s POVI grabbed the whip – and my stomach dropped down to my belly. Would she realise I hadn’t lost my memory? Would she know I wasn’t really Alpha Colin? Why would a stranger go to such lengths to protect her?“Let my sister go,” said the red-faced man with a horrible beard holding the other end, “and I’ll spare your life – this time.”‘Ew, Hunter! Why is that man wearing a squirrel on his face? Maybe I should chase it off!’Hearing Reg chatting nonsense made some of my tension ease. Jane didn’t seem to have noticed me, which stung a little but was ultimately a good thing. Her gaze was fixed on Squirrel Face, who was practically vibrating with rage as he wrenched the whip from my grip. “I only gave you a choice because I know you’re Ed’s niece. Don’t piss me off!”He lifted the whip, aiming it at Jane again. I darted to her side, standing between her and him. I wouldn’t let her get hurt – and I needed her to see that. Jane had to learn that men could be protectors, too. She h
Jane’s POV “Hunter?” I frowned at his back as he marched me up the stairs to our bedroom. “What’s going on?” He shot me a reassuring smile over his shoulder, but didn’t slow his pace. “I just need to talk to you.” We’d moved out of the pack house. It held too many memories for us both. Now, we lived in what was basically a small mansion on the edge of the forest, not far from Rose and S’s house. It was light and airy, all warm wood and draping ivy paired with gleaming, modern appliances and crisp, cream-painted walls. The kids had a room each: Owen’s filled with state-of-the-art tech gadgets, Ares’s with workout equipment, and Ava’s with easels and canvases and a drawing tablet. They had everything they needed, and more space than Owen and Ares had ever had, but most nights they dragged their mattresses into each other’s rooms and slept huddled together. We were safe now, but we’d all been through so much. Too much. I hoped my kids were young enough that they’d recover from the t
Hunter’s POVKim ran towards me, his jaw wide, his canines glinting in the weak sunlight. Owen and Ava clung haphazardly to his back. Fear flashed through me. I started towards them–But they were safe, and Jane was safe, and I was safe, and we were home. I sucked in a long, slow breath, and a forced a smile as they neared me. The smile took hold, tucking itself into the corners of my mouth, and by the time my children had reached me I was grinning at them. I opened my arms wide, and the three of them ran straight at me. We tumbled to the ground, rolling in the grass, laughing; Kim licked my face, and Ava and Owen scrambled into my arms.“Hey, kids.” I pulled back and ruffled their hair. Kim rolled onto his back, his paws sticking up in the air. Ava rubbed his belly.‘Wow,’ I said to Reg dryly, ‘he really is your son.’‘I saw Ares eat a salad the other day – and enjoy it.’ Reg shuddered. ‘I love him, but that really threw me.’I pinched the bridge of my nose. ‘Don’t remind me. Then
Jane’s POVTime passed strangely after that.There were noises out in the hall. Noises I probably should’ve listened to, made something of, but…What was the point? Hunter was gone. My heart, my soul – my life – was dead.My throat closed up around the words I’d spoken. I’d bared every important moment of my life to the Moon Goddess, bound my prayer in my story, and she hadn’t listened.She hadn’t listened.I knew Ava was still with me, still clinging half to me and half to her daddy, and that was the last straw for me. Her pain became glass shards, which scraped at the raw edges of my own wound.For a while, my hurt was so immense that I felt nothing at all. If Nina or Ava spoke to me, I didn’t hear them. I was numb, frozen to the spot, Hunter’s lifeblood going cold and sticky on my palms.Beneath the frost of my numbness, though, a fire roared. I was terrified to start feeling again, to start moving. The second I moved my aching legs and stood up, time would start again.And the sec
Jane’s POVI shifted out. “No!” I wailed. I fell to my knees, then crawled over to him. My fists pounded the cold, metallic floor with every weak, shuffling movement I made.“You can’t be gone,” I whimpered, tears streaming down my cheeks, a lump forcing my throat to close around the words. “You can’t be.”But I knew that he was. The mate bond writhed and shrieked within me, screeching out for the severed other half of its soul.“Hunter?” I choked, grabbing him gently. His head lolled back as I moved him. His eyes were open; their blue irises were cold, so cold, and his pupils were unseeing. Cuts nicked his face.I pried him away from his father. Hunter’s body was merged with Reg’s: his hands were furry and clawed, but the rest of him was human. I wished he had human hands I could hold.It was that thought that shattered me entirely. I would never be able to hold his hand again. It was silly, and childish, and pathetic, but it was that notion that broke me. Not that I had lost my ma
Jane’s POV I was torn between my sons. Owen was safe – for now – so I turned my attention to Ares. His wolf, Kim, hit the ground. I bit back a cry– Kim rolled over, tussling with his attacker. He snarled, revealing huge canine teeth, then dove his muzzle at the other wolf’s neck, again and again and again. Blood spurted, slicking his fur coat. Then they were rolling again, slamming sideways into the thinning crowd of battling werewolves. The wolf on top of Kim was grey, and as big as him, but its size looked abnormal – the result of performance enhancing drugs, not nature, as Kim’s stature was. They fell back, circling each other. Kim’s upper lip pulled back from his teeth, revealing shining white canines with blood dripping from them. My stomach turned over. Beneath that fur coat was my sweet son, who wasn’t quite seven years old yet. He and his brother had seen so much – too much – already. Kim pounced. The grey wolf was a half-second behind, but lunged forward with a snarl the
Jane’s POVAlpha Dylan – or what was left of him – pounced at Hunter. A scream built in my throat, but I was helpless to do anything. He’d given me a chance to get our kids out safely, and I wasn’t going to waste it.I wasn’t even sure how I was alive right now. One moment, I’d been lost to the foggy darkness of unconsciousness, and glad of it, too, after all the pain I’d been forced to endure. Even in the depths of nothingness, I’d known that agony beckoned in the light.But there were other things there besides the pain. Love, in all its many forms, waited for me here. My children. My mate. My friends.So I clung to wakefulness with everything I had and prayed that whatever was keeping me awake would keep working for another second, another minute, another hour. I needed every moment I could steal to get my kids to safety.Amy kicked the door open. My view of Hunter disappeared as Carl pushed me through it. The last I saw of him was his own father grinning at him, sick, twisted, sad
Hunter’s POVEverything moved in a blur. My eyes were fixed on my father, his mutated wolf filling my field of vision as he moved swiftly towards me. But, from the corner of my eye, a sudden burst of movement snagged my gaze.Jane sat bolt upright. She looked like a zombie, her wounds unhealed, her eyes blank – but she was moving, scrambling to grab the kids, crying out my name as my attention was forced back onto my dad.His jagged claws caught the edge of my shoulder. I shifted out before he could claim the upper hand, letting Reg’s powerful body burst out of mine.My father sneered down at me. The knobbed ridge of his spine seemed to snap as he bent low, his sickly orange eyes meeting mine. I could smell his stale breath. “You always were weak,” he said, his voice a hollow growl. It didn’t sound like it had; it was all wolf, vicious and as broken as he was.Suddenly, I wasn’t a grown man, a strong Alpha, a mate, standing before a weak and unwell old man who had clearly gone to desp
Hunter’s POVIt was too late. My hand was on the doorknob and it was already swinging open.There was no turning back now. Reg wailed. ‘I can smell her blood! Jane’s hurt! Jane’s dying! Jane’s dead!’The buzzing in my ears drowned out his mournful howls. Everything was moving in slow motion as I finished easing open the door. I took it all in whilst observing nothing other than the most heart-breaking thing I’d seen since… since...The present was so horrifying it eclipsed even my darkest memories.Jane was lashed securely to a metal table. My heart broke and, somewhere through the haze of my heartache, all I could think was: she must be so cold.Her limbs stuck out at odd angles. Blood covered her. But worst of all was her face. It was empty. It was like someone had made a perfect physical copy of her but had left out the most important part: her soul. The waxy figurine atop the metal table looked like Jane, broken and bruised but still my Jane, only without the bright spark of de
Hunter’s POVI expected for my world to spin off its axis at those words – but it didn’t. In fact, I felt very little. Nothing at all.I’d never clicked with Obie. I’d always been drawn to Ava but never to him. In my mind, she’d been my daughter and Obie had been Amy’s son. Huh. Now I knew why.That was why I fixed Carl with a cold stare and said flatly, “I know.”Compared to the other revelations I’d been through lately – hell, even in just the last few hours – this barely made me bat an eye. Maybe it was because I cared about Jane and Ava and her sons, but maybe it was because, deep down, I really didn’t care about Amy or Obie. ‘Hunter!’ gasped Reg. ‘How can you think that about a poor, innocent baby?’‘That’s the thing. I don’t think anything about him. Anyway, he’s nothing to do with me. Not really. That takes the matter out of my hands, don’t you think?’Reg muttered under his breath that I was horrible and unfeeling, and that was probably also true, but I still couldn’t make my