LOGINShare
Chapter Sixty-Four
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
Related chapters
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Sixty-Five
Troy’s POVThe scalding water reddened his skin, but Troy remained under it. He was exhausted, pissed off and he had a lot of shit to deal with. He needed to find Amber, sort something out for Cleo, because she couldn’t remain in his pack. He had conference calls to make, the High Council to deal with and his mate decided to fucking run off.He finished up in the bathroom and walked to the dressing room to get dressed. Reese was still on the bed and she looked shaken and worried. He wanted to comfort her but his wolf had decided on tough love and he couldn’t go against him.Troy walked out of the dressing room in a suit and he straightened his cuffs as he looked at Reese. “Your parents are in the morgue. Please speak to Drake about any arrangements you want made.”“Troy …”He turned back towards her. “What?”“Can we talk about what happened, please?”“I have work to do, Reese. I already missed a full day’s work because you ran. You’ve made your stance pretty clear from the moment you
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Sixty-Six
Reese’s POV“How are you feeling?” Reese tucked a strand of Cleo’s hair behind her ear.“I’m okay, really,” Cleo said.“Why the fuck would you reject Drake? After all this time when you thought you had no mate! It wasn’t the kind of distraction I had in mind, Cleo!”Cleo smiled sadly and shook her head. “I didn’t reject him because of you. I went to Troy’s office for said distraction and when I walked in Drake was kissing another woman, like full on kissing her and I just lost it. My wolf snapped and attacked.”“Oh goddess, Cleo!”“He belittled me, Reese, and then he turned back to her, to make sure she was okay, so I rejected him.” Cleo sniffed and wiped a stray tear from her eye.Reese moved closer to Cleo and hugged her tightly. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”They sat like that as the minutes ticked by, each lost in their own thoughts of sadness and turmoil. Troy had sounded so cold when he said Cleo was on her own now and would face punishment for attacking his cousin.“Cleo
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Sixty-Seven
Reese’s POV Reese headed straight for the infirmary, not in the least surprised when Russo fell into step next to her. He moved silently, but with the new bond between them, she could feel his presence, much like Troy’s. “Where are we going?” Russo asked her. “The infirmary.” Russo hand latched onto her arm and she was forced to stop walking. She turned towards him and she saw his eyes roaming over her. He seemed worried and then she could feel that pushing towards her, looking for something. “Are you hurt?” Reese almost started to laugh. “No, I’m not hurt.” “Okay, why are we going to the infirmary?” Reese sighed and lowered her gaze. She had hoped to do it alone, to grieve in peace and make the necessary arrangements. She would have preferred it if Troy had been next to her instead of Russo, but she knew that was wishful thinking. “Reese … I’m sorry. You don’t have to do this. Speak to Drake and he’ll take care of it for you. I’ll even do it,” Russo said gently. “I don’t wan
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Sixty-Eight
Reese’s POV After her run with Russo, she went back to the Alpha suite and had a very intense and honest conversation with herself. If she was completely honest with herself she didn’t want to lose Troy. She liked him as a man, as an Alpha and he was a good husband. Every marriage had its ups and downs and Amber was just another hurdle. She had to push her own insecurities behind her and embrace the life Troy could give her, the life he wanted to give her. She had to fix things between them. With that decided, she headed to the shower and washed her hair, shaved her legs and went through the painful process of giving herself a bikini wax. She cursed and yelled and winced and eventually with the hot wax kind of getting everywhere, she ended up waxing everything off. She raided the packhouse’s kitchen and went back upstairs to cook for Troy. She wouldn’t bother him because she knew he’d be busy having missed two days of work. She’d wait for him patiently, surprise him with dinner and
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Sixty-Nine
Reese’s POV She’d left Troy’s office in a daze. He wanted a divorce. She had no idea how she got back to the Alpha suite but she found herself just inside and sank down against the closed front door. Hot tears spilled from her eyes and she lowered her head to her hands. It just cemented her earlier revelation. She didn’t want to lose him and she didn’t want a divorce. How the fuck had she ended up here? Two days ago she’d have gladly signed divorce papers, but now, now everything was different. She pushed her wolf to the back of her mind and fought to shift. She needed to clean the remnants of the dinner she’d planned. She didn’t want him to know what she’d planned, not after he said he wanted a divorce. She really was a failure. Her mate rejected her, the one person that was supposed to love her and then when she found a man that loved her for her, she pushed him away to the extent of divorce and another rejection. The food all went into the trash bin, her appetite long gone. The
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Seventy
Troy’s POV He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it had happened, but during the previous day, things had shifted for him. He’d taken the time to try and stand in Reese’s shoes and what he’d seen and felt, had left a bitter taste in his mouth. His feelings didn’t matter much to him. He was used to being less important, it was the Alpha’s curse after all. He would always be a slave to his pack and to his people. He would always choose them above his own needs. He’d targeted Reese because of the Oracle’s vision. He’d taken her from her home and used Justin as an excuse, because in all honesty, Justin had no idea who she was and his father had never met with her about a union between them. Justin only knew her name, from the documents he’d submitted to the Elders for approval of his arranged marriage. That night in the bar, he’d wanted to fuck her and he had. He’d taken her to Saxon Island because he knew it would soften her resolve, get her in his bed and it would make their bond stronge
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Seventy-One
Reese’s POVThe day sped by and Russo proved to be an asset. He helped Reese with her samplings and organized seeds and roots and at one point he’d disappeared for four hours. Reese hadn’t really noticed because she was busy separating stalks and petals.All her focus went towards plants and flowers that held respiratory aids and she winced slightly as she straightened up from the stool when Russo returned. He was sweaty, slightly out of breath and had a huge grin on his face.“Are you okay?” Reese asked him.“Yeah, no time to talk, come with me,” he said and walked out of her lab into the adjoining office.Reese frowned but followed Russo out of the office. He threw his arm around her shoulder and she made a gagging sound. Russo barked out a laugh and pulled her closer, pushing her face into his armpit.“Ow!” Russo said loudly when Reese pinched the soft skin there.“That’s for being a stinky asshole,” she said and laughed at the hurt look on his face.Russo made a face and pulled he
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Seventy-Two
Reese’s POVTroy was fast asleep on his side of the bed by the time she finally emerged from the bathroom, hot and bothered. She only had herself to blame for her predicament. She’d told him not to expect sex from her, to get used to his hand. She could kick herself right about now.She found her saran wrapped sandwich on the kitchen counter and made a face before putting the plate in the fridge. She had no appetite anymore, at least not for food. Her nipples were still hard and brushed against her pajama top uncomfortably.Trying to sleep didn’t help much, not so close to Troy, who seemed oblivious to her presence. She couldn’t even blame him for being a dick, because she’d been a dick first. She clamped a hand over her mouth as the laughter threatened to burst through. She could do with a dick now.Her sleep was restless and dreams of a naked Troy haunted her. She woke up with her hand down her pajama bottoms and her own arousal flooding her panties. Troy wasn’t in bed anymore and s
Latest chapter
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter One Hundred and One
Reese’s POVWhen the air fryer pinged, she pulled the drawer open and turned the basket over onto a bowl. She started grinding up the dried petals. Russo just watched her as she kept it up until the petals were ground into a fine powder.She mixed it with a little water and mixed it until it was a smooth paste. She didn’t let up or rest once, she just kept on working. After an hour, she was finally happy and she sat down on the swivel chair and wiped her forehead with her arm.“What now?” Russo asked her.“Now we administer it and wait. I should’ve known sooner, Russo, so many people died because I couldn’t figure this out,” Reese said.“Let’s go see if it works,” Russo said and stood up.He carried the tray with the small bowls Reese had separated the paste into and they headed back to the infirmary. It was nine pm and the streets were quiet as Reese power walked to the building in front of them.She headed straight for Troy’s room and Russo placed the tray down on the trolley table
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter One Hundred
Reese’s POVFor a few moments outside of Troy’s room, Reese couldn’t move or breathe. She wasn’t sure what it was but she was certain that maybe their baby had something to do with Troy wanting to get better. It was one of the biggest blessings for an Alpha, a son to take over from him.“Let’s get you back, Reese. It’s been a long day for you,” Russo said.“I want to check in on Max as well. He has no family here and Troy would want me to,” Reese said softly.“A quick check in, you need to go rest, this emotional rollercoaster isn’t good for the baby,” Russo said.Reese gave him a small smile and nodded her head. She did feel tired and the constant hope and worry were wreaking havoc with her system. She wanted to take a long, hot bath and sleep. Every night she had the same hope, that Troy would magically be awake the next morning.Russo led her just three doors further and opened the door. Max lay alone in the room, looking much the same as Troy had. His oxygen had lowered to 39% and
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Ninety-Nine
Reese’s POVNothing changed over the course of the next week and Reese felt like there was nothing more she could do to help. She’d exhausted all her options and every mix she could think of had no effect on the patients.Her stomach had gotten a lot bigger over the last two weeks and she’d felt her baby move. Dr Tyrell came up to the Alpha Suite, after Russo had made sure that he was completely sanitized, to do ultrasounds and check on her.They had over fifty people in the hospital now as the flu spread and Reese cried herself to sleep every night. She was the key, so why wasn’t she finding it? She was pissed off at the world and her biggest fear was that Troy would die.Russo had limited her to one visit a week and she was due to go see Troy again after lunch. News had spread and the whole pack knew that Troy and King Maximilian were in isolation rooms and that they were stable for the moment but incapacitated.Drake hardly seemed to leave the office and a conversation with Emily h
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Ninety-Eight
Reese’s POVThe combinations she’d been working on had kept Max from deteriorating further but it wasn’t healing him. It kept him in a sort of limbo and Reese was grateful for that at least. It gave her some time and she spent every free hour in the lab.Reese pushed herself away from the microscope and her hand rubbed over her chest. Russo was at her side instantaneously, his hand at the small of her back.“What’s wrong, Reese?”“I don’t know. It’s a weird sensation …” Reese turned wide eyes towards Russo. “It’s not me, it’s Troy, something’s wrong with Troy!”Reese was physically lifted from the floor as her legs automatically started moving towards the door. “No, Reese! I can’t let you expose yourself!”“Russo! Put me down immediately!” Her nails clawed at Russo’s arms but he held firm.“Not a chance, Reese! You are my first priority. Troy’s in good hands!”A scream tore from Reese’s throat and her body sagged against Russo’s. He didn’t let go of her, he just tightened his arms and
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Ninety-Seven
Reese’s POV“I’m okay, Reese, I promise. It’s just a cough and you know Tyrell. He’s going to monitor me and everything will be fine,” Troy said.“I’m coming to see you,” Reese said.“No! You are not coming anywhere near this infirmary. I’ve given Tyrell permission to intubate me the moment I collapse. Keep yourself and our baby safe, promise me, Reese.”Reese tried not to cry but the tears didn’t obey her silent order and they ran down her cheeks unchecked. “I will, I promise.”“Good. It’ll only be for a few days. Drake will be acting Alpha and he has orders to lock you in our suite if you don’t do this for me, okay?”Reese nodded her head, knowing full well he couldn’t see her and she clenched her eyes tight. “Okay,” she finally whispered.“I have to go now,” Troy said with a sigh and the call ended.Reese sank down against the wall and lowered her head to her knees and cried. In that moment, she hated Amber with everything in her. It was her fault that Troy was sick, her fault that
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Ninety-Six
Troy’s POVTroy ran down the hall when he reached the other side of the floor and the door opened as he neared. Max was sitting on the couch, fully alert now with an oxygen mask over his face. He was a little pale and his hands shook but otherwise he looked okay.Max pulled the mask away from his face and looked at Troy. “I’m not going to the infirmary.”Troy gritted his teeth as he looked at his long-time friend. “Yes, you are. You are not dying, Max. I won’t allow it!”“If I get any worse, I’ll go but not before it’s absolutely necessary,” Max said.“Fine,” Troy relented and leaned against the wall.The other men in the suite didn’t look pleased but they refrained from saying anything because Max was their King and his word was the law. Troy didn’t like it one bit. Max needed to be monitored because he couldn’t let Max die on his watch.“The moment he so much as wheezes, I want him in the infirmary, you hear me?” Troy’s eyes darkened as he looked at each man.“Yes, Alpha. I’ll drag
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Ninety-Five
Reese’s POVThe week progressed slowly and then on that fateful Friday morning all hell broke loose. Amber was the first one to die from the flu. Her body was moved to the morgue and Dr Tyrell had taken precautions even in the autopsy room and wore protective gear to do her autopsy.They all knew the cause of death would be carbon dioxide poisoning. It had taken Amber eight days longer to die than victims from other packs and that was due to Reese’s plants. She hadn’t liked Amber, but she hadn’t wanted her dead.Troy hadn’t reacted, at all. He nodded his head and went to his office. Reese felt morose and knew that he had to feel something. She was sure that he was hiding his emotions so as not to upset her but this wasn’t something she’d be jealous of.He’d loved her at one point and they had been mates with no rejection between them. She wished he’d talk to her and tell her how he felt. She watched him every night as he ate. The exhaustion was there because Troy never stopped.He wor
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Ninety-Four
Drake’s POVThe days seemed to drag by. Work was trickling to a slower rate although they were kept busy with conference calls and meetings over Skype. They still had business dealings out in the world and they couldn’t just stop working. Humans weren’t affected by this flu epidemic and it made things difficult for them.At night he’d lie in bed next to Emily and think about the rising numbers of deaths in other packs and wondering what made them so special to hold the key. He’d already figured out that Reese would somehow come up with a cure.It was taking time though and he was worried about the sick warriors they had in the infirmary. He didn’t want any of his people to die, except maybe Amber. He didn’t care if she died, not after the shit she pulled.He shifted on his side and stared into Emily’s open eyes. Her hand cupped his cheek and he gripped it tightly. “What’s bothering you?”Drake sighed internally. “Besides the cock talk? Not much, really.”Emily smiled and his heart flu
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Ninety-Three
Reese’s POVRusso dressed Reese in a rainsuit with a mask, a plastic shield over the mask and a hairnet. She had to wear medical grade gloves and make her way to the lab in the mornings. She tried to stifle her laughter as Russo trudged behind her, the plastic of his own rainsuit squeaking with each step.“What’s the hairnet for?”“I have no fucking idea but it covers your hair, don’t bitch about it,” Russo said and adjusted his own hairnet.Reese laughed as she stopped inside her office and Russo started disinfecting everything. He did that every single day, even though nobody else came into their office or lab. She felt fine and even Troy had been cleared by the doctor.The number of sick had risen to twenty, all of them warriors that had worked shifts in the dungeon and had had contact with Amber. She was their patient zero and for now it seemed that the many respiratory plants were helping and the patients in the infirmary weren’t doing too badly.“All clear,” Russo said and took
