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Chapter Twenty-Two
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Twenty-Three
Reese’s POVThe week sped by and they’d gone back to the waterfall three more times. They’d explored the island and hiked through the forest, ran in their wolf forms and spent the majority of the time attached in some way. They didn't talk a lot, sex always somehow seemed more important than talking.Their suitcases had been packed and Reese felt a sense of dread overcome her. She didn’t want to go back to reality, to the real world. The island had been fun, quiet, safe and she had literal stars in her eyes. She'd loved every moment of their time together.They walked down the jetty, hand in hand, and Troy helped her onto the boat. He’d taken their luggage earlier and she looked back at the house. “We’ll come back.”“We better.”Troy grinned then as he pulled her closer and kissed her. It was a kiss that spoke of coming passion and heat, his tongue dueling with hers gave her goosebumps and heat started building in her lower abdomen. She was breathless by the time he broke the kiss off
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Twenty-Four
Troy’s POVTroy stood looking at the closed elevator doors and his hands balled into fists. What the fuck had she meant by his mate? He’d realized their predicament the moment they’d left the barrier of that island. The rune Drake had given him had acted on his own wishes.He’d wanted to spend time with her, get to know her and fuck her. He’d wanted to fuck her again since that day he’d stood on her porch. The magic of the island did that, it brought forth inner desires and left no room for anything else.That only meant that Reese had wanted to try as well. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have responded to his touch like she had. They had chemistry, intense chemistry, but something had flipped the switch in her mind.Troy walked back into his quarters and grabbed their suitcases. He froze in the doorway of the master suite and closed his eyes. Amber’s scent swirled in the room and he inhaled deeply. It had been six years since her smell had enveloped him. It sent goosebumps rising all ov
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Twenty-Five
Reese’s POVJulian had left the pack borders and driven to another town nearby. Reese had been staring out of the window and wasn’t paying attention to their surroundings. When Julian parked the car in front of a dodgy looking place, she raised her brow.“I know it looks dodgy, but it’s not, I swear,” Julian said with a smile.The inside of the bar was gloomy after the bright sunshine on the outside but lively music was playing, a large television showed sports reruns and the bar was half filled with patrons. It was noon and Reese was surprised at how many people there were.“What do you want to drink?” Julian asked her as they sat down at the bar. It seemed clean enough and at least the bartender was a hottie. He wasn’t a patch on Troy, but he’d do as eye candy for the afternoon.“Rum and Coke.”Four shot glasses appeared in front of her and Julian grinned. “We’re already in trouble, might as well go big now before we’re hauled back to the big house.”“How are we in trouble?” Reese l
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Twenty-Six
Troy’s POVTroy’s fists clenched in front of him as Reese walked out of his office. She’d felt it, of course she’d felt it. They’d marked each other. He was pissed off that she’d kissed Drake but he was also incredibly turned on.He’d deserved it but fuck him if he liked the idea that Drake’s mouth had been on hers. She was his, only his and fuck anyone that thought they could take her from him. It wasn’t just the fact that they’d marked each other.He’d been in love with her even before the wedding. She was sensual and sexy, seemingly innocent but wild as well. She wasn’t vain or shallow and her touch had the ability to leave him breathless, brain dead and numb like an idiot.“Troy,” Drake began.“Don’t ever mention this, don’t even think of it and if you fucking masturbate to the thought of her kissing you, I’ll kill you,” Troy said as his eyes flashed darker.Drake barked out a laugh and shook his head. “If she dumps you, can I have her?”“Drake.” Troy’s voice had taken on a danger
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Twenty-Seven
Reese’s POVSweat beaded across her forehead as her feet pounded into the dirt on the forest floor. Her muscles screamed but she didn’t stop running. Sweat coated her back but with every step she could feel the anger swirling inside her, closely followed by confusion.Reese had been running for an hour and she finally stopped when she saw the lake. She was breathing hard as she leaned forward with her hands on her knees. She hated feeling so insecure and she hated not knowing what was going to happen.She sat down on the banks of the lake and rested her head on her knees. How the hell was it possible to be so attracted to someone she didn’t even like? They had chemistry, sexual chemistry and last night had been … erotic.Sex with Troy had always been good. She wanted to believe him so much, she really did, but Amber was his mate and she was back. She didn’t understand why Troy would choose her. Some small, bitchy part of her felt vindicated that he’d said it, but the laws of nature di
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Twenty-Eight
Reese’s POVThe office Troy showed her to was at the back of the packhouse and held two desks, one for Julian, as she soon found out. Since he was her Gamma, it was his duty to also act as a buffer between her and pack members wanting appointments, much like Drake did for Troy.They had a small kitchenette with a very nice coffee station and another door that led to somewhere. Troy gave her a grin and stood in front of the door. “I know your office is a little out of the way and normally you’d have the office next to mine, but …”Reese’s heart sank a little. If her office was right next to his then they’d be close the whole day. She didn’t want to think about what that meant. They hadn’t talked about Amber again and Reese wasn’t sure she wanted to.“Reese.” Troy looked at her and she blinked as she snapped out of it. “We needed more space for your lab than the other office allowed for.”“My lab?” Reese felt like she’d been sucker punched but with tingles and marshmallows of happiness.
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Twenty-Nine
Troy’s POV“Max,” Troy answered his phone just as Reese and Julian rounded the corner.“I hear congratulations are in order,” Max said and Troy smiled.“Everything’s going according to plan except that Amber has returned to the pack and she’s making waves,” Troy said.“Troy, if you want to back out, I’d understand. Marriage is one thing but Amber is your mate,” Max said.“The Oracle was adamant. Our survival rests on this. Reese needs to be here with me in Black Claw. I could never put our species in danger like that. I agreed to your proposal to marry Reese and I’m not backing out, not now,” Troy said.“Sounds like this arranged marriage is working for you,” Max said with a light chuckle.“She’s … she’s a good person. She’s smart and caring, she’s beautiful too and … she’s nice, okay.”Max laughed and Troy closed his eyes briefly. “You’re in love with her.”Troy wiped a hand over his face. “Yes, I am.”“So Amber being there isn’t a distraction?”“Not like I thought it would be. I can
Once rejected, twice shy Chapter Thirty
Reese’s POVReese was so engrossed as she studied the spores under the microscope that she hadn’t heard the door to her lab open. The flower she’d found in the late afternoon held her captive. It was a flower she didn’t know, which was odd in itself, and that intrigued her.“You do realize that you missed dinner,” Troy said from behind her and she let out a yelp and sat up straight so fast that the back of her head hit him on the chest.“Shit, Troy, you scared me!”He chuckled and placed his hands on her shoulders where she still sat on her stool. “What’s so interesting that you stood me up?”Reese smiled and moved her neck from side to side. “I’ve never come across this flower, not even in books and I hate that I don’t know.”Troy’s thumbs dug into the muscles of her shoulders and Reese closed her eyes as she felt the tight balls of spasms. She’d been sitting, hunched over, for hours. She hadn’t even realized that she’d missed dinner since she’d sent Julian away when the sun set.His
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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
