“Why isn’t she marked yet? She was with Colin for a month.”
“I honestly don’t know the answer to that. That’s something that we’ll have to ask the pups.”
I was confused by that too. I may not have met my true mate, but I’ve seen enough pairs to know that marking one another happens within the first few days of meeting. Shaking John’s hand, I excuse myself. I catch a glimpse of Colin sitting on the stairs outside of Paige’s room. His black hair looks as if he’s been pulling at it for hours. His eyes have dark circles underneath the red puffiness. My heart aches for my nephew. I have sat in his place before, every single night that Nicole was forced to be near Charles. I sigh and start making my way up the stairs. I pat Colin’s back, but he doesn’t even look up. I can hear Paige’s heartbeat before I knock on the door. My guess is she’s just on the other side, looking about as
I push my body to run further and further as the sun illuminates the sky. I couldn’t sleep. Being near Paige is a calm torture. On one hand, I’m glad she’s near me and I can protect her. On the other, being so close and not being able to touch her is driving Dom mad. He’s getting harder and harder to rein in. I’m dense into trees when the smell of a swamp hits my nose. Dom perks up. He’s been itching for a chance to kill rogues.“Rogues! Eastern border!” I mindlink Nolan and Alex. I trust them to let the other Alphas know.I let Dom take control and shift. He follows the trail, the nasty smell overwhelming our senses as we inch closer. I count five heartbeats. Dom pushes forward, careful not to alert the rogues. Their own stench is so powerful that they don’t notice our scent. The wolves come into view. The group is made up of three small brown wolves, kids if I had to guess
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” she sits up. “I mean, how do you fix choosing someone else over your mate? How do you fix breaking your mate’s heart to be with another? I’m not so sure there is a way to fix it, Colin. You chose Kat. Even if she is gone now, you still chose her. How am I supposed to know you’ll be different in the future?”I can hear the tears forming in her eyes. My fists flex at my side. They’re desperate to punish me for hurting her. Desperate to punish me for being exactly like my father.“I’m not making excuses, but what Kat did affected my mind. I took her to that cabin with the intention on finding a way to break that bond. I thought I could do it and then tell you. That way, I handled the problem, and we could move on. But I was wrong. I was so, so wrong. I don’t know what Kat was doing or what happened, but I didn’t even realize I was yelling
I trace the healed gashes over his chest. I wish I had gotten there earlier to help him. Smelling my mate's blood sent a surge of fear through me like never before. Suddenly, nothing else mattered. Instinct took over, and rage blinded me. I knew then that I would not give him up. Even after learning about Kat’s death, I wasn’t sure that I wanted this. Maybe it’s because of the title that comes with it. Maybe it’s because I’m scared of giving my heart away. But in those seconds of seeing him hurt, I knew that my heart was no longer mine. It never had been.“Time to get up. It’s almost five. We can’t miss dinner.” I stretch my arms over Colin’s face.“Well, good morning to you, too.”“It’s actually good evening.”“Oh. We’d better go then. I bet your parents have been wondering about us.
I had planned to tell my family at dinner tonight, but the conversation never strayed from the heavy problem on our hands. I feel nauseous with every second that passes. I know my family is going to be pissed, but this is best. Everything will be okay, I hope. Claire sits in my lap behind the desk. Her fingers stroke my hair. She’s always so calm, and I’m always a mess. She would be a fantastic Luna. I feel guilty for not being able to be the Alpha she deserves.I look at all the faces I invited. My family looks rather concerned. Colin’s family looks at me with support. Good, maybe having them here will keep my dad from killing me. My hands are soaked with sweat no matter how many times I wipe them on my jeans. I inhale Claire’s scent before standing up. Claire stands by my side, giving me an encouraging smile.“Claire and I have some news we want to share.” I pause. “
Dom’s paws pound against the dirt. He’s going as fast as he can, but it doesn’t feel fast enough. I’m regretting allowing Paige to go off with her own warriors. Not that it would’ve mattered had I said no, but now she’s in more danger than she even knows.If you had just marked her, we would be able to warn her by now! Dom seethes.I know he’s right, but it’s not like I can force my mark on her. I had planned to ask her on our date that I set up, but because of my stupid ass, that date never happened. Oh, how different our life would be if I had just kept that promise. The smell of blood has Dom skidding to a stop. The wolves who followed me do the same. Through the trees, we can see Ash on the ground with claw marks down her side. Ash dissolves into Paige’s form.“I’m gonna have fun breaking you,” Charles utters those words whi
I stand in the midst of madness. Dead rogues lay at my feet. Hugh’s brown fur absorbed back into my skin. The gush of wolves has ended, at least for now. I look around. It’s clear that our warriors were victorious, but this is far from over.“Beta?” Rita’s voice fills the air, but I can’t find her anywhere.“What is it, Rita?”“Get to the southern border now. Hold Charles off the best you can. I’m on my way.”Hugh takes control, leading a fresh wave of warriors into battle. Screams bounce off around the woods as we near our destination. My wolf doesn’t slow down to assess the situation. He bursts from the tree line, his eyes locked on the wolf that we used to call brother. He stands in front of Colin, doing his best to strangle him. Hugh charges at Kurt, knocking him down as if he’s a bowling pin. Co
I shift as soon as I know Kurt is dead. His death deconstructs the miserable cage I’ve been in since my parents died. The shadow clinging to me for the last thirteen years has evaporated. I’ve never felt alleviation like this before.“I have to get to the hospital. Paige needs me. Can you two handle this? Offer refuge to any rogue who wants it. Let the peaceful ones leave if they wish.” Colin yells.“Go, Colin. We’ll be fine,” I say.“Thanks. James, for what it's worth. I’m sorry for what my father did to your family.”“Thank you.”The field is riddled with rogues who didn’t concede. There are hundreds of warriors wading through the bloody maze. Some are cleaning up the bodies, and others are helping wounded rogues to a medical tent. I scan the crowd until I land
I’m wrapped in a cocoon of darkness. Everything is so peaceful here. I’m tempted to stay. My body floats up, and I can hear muffled sounds around me. The voices are arguing.“I’m her mate!”“And I’m her best friend! I’ve been in her life longer; so I win. Go deal with pack problems!”I know who that spunky voice belongs to. Val. She is still angry at Colin for how he handled things. Val and Thomas have been away from our pack for the last few days. Thomas wanted a vacation. He took it at a convenient time, too.“Val.” My mouth feels like it’s been full of sand.“I’m here. I’m here.”“W-w-water.” My jaws feel rusty.She tries to help me sit up, but a stabbing pain invades my insides. My ga
I follow him through the woods, letting him guide me to whatever he has planned now. Colin walks us to a small clearing between the trees. It’s decorated with a tent and roses. Twinkling lights highlight my smile.“What is all this?”“The date I owe you.”“It’s beautiful.”“Not more so than you. But I’m glad you like it. Alex and I worked on it all afternoon.”“I’ll have to remember to thank him.”“Nah, he only helped a little, but you know if you want to thank me. I wouldn’t be mad.”“In that case, let me show you thankful I am.”He yanks the tent open. It’s filled with blankets and pillows. I crawl in and plant myself on the soft pile. Colin falls n
“My name is Elder Kai Fury, and I’m here to oversee the Luna ceremony tonight, but first, Alpha John has an announcement to make.”My hands tremble. It’s time to break the news about the merger. I don’t know what I’m expecting, but I’m not sure it’s good.“Good evening. Thank you for all being here to celebrate my daughter and her mate. Before we continue with the ceremony, I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you how proud I’ve been to be your Alpha. Truly, it’s been an honor to lead you, just as it was for my father before me and his before him. That said, there comes a time when every Alpha must retire.” John pauses. “Traditionally, the title would be taken by my son Peyton. However, he’s chosen to go down a different path. He’s on his way to fatherhood. His mother and I couldn’t be prouder of him. I mean it, Peyton. You’re going to be a wonderful father, and I respect
“Nicole! You came!” I try to get up and hug my mother-in-law, but the hairstylist pushes me back down.“Of course! I wouldn’t miss this.” Nicole stands in front of my mirror and wraps her arms around my neck. “You look beautiful.”Mom says, “Wait until you see her dress!”She hugs Nicole and then drags her off to only Goddess knows where. I down my fifth glass of champagne, trying to keep my enormous bundle of nerves at bay. I wish Ash were here with me. She would be so happy to become Luna. Goddess knows she was always in support of it, even when I wasn’t. I call for another glass of champagne. I give a mental toast to Ash wherever she is. After hours of sitting in the awful plastic chair, the stylist is done. My fiery hair is twisted and braided into a bun that sits on the top of my head. A few stray hairs have been curled around my fa
“Welcome to our home,” Margot says.“Thank you for having me. My name is Kai Fury, but just call me Kai.”He shakes everyone’s hand but lingers on Paige’s a little more than I like. I have to turn my head as he lightly kisses the back of her hand to avoid a fight.He’s an unmated male touching our unmarked mate. Kill him. Dom growls.He’s an Elder; violence won’t get us far. Margot leads everyone into the sparkling packhouse. She introduces my family to Kai, and I catch a glint of jealousy in James’ eye. So, it’s not just me, good to know. Once the tour is finished, we head to dinner. We’re eating in the private Alpha’s dining room tonight. Paige and Margot thought it best because it’s much more formal and elegant. But if we were in the dining
“What are you doing?” Colin asks.“He helped us, Colin. We have to help him.”Nolan barely looks up at us when he opens the door. I don’t like what I see when he does finally returns my gaze. Nolan’s eyes are cold and empty, something I’ve never seen from him. Even when Nicole was in the hospital, his eyes held so much emotion.“Nolan, how are you?” I ask.“I’m wonderful.”“I can tell. The broken desk looks like it’s had a ball with you.”He flops on the bed with nothing but a sigh. He seems to be sober, despite the room smelling like a hurricane of bourbon hit. Guess it wasn’t strong enough for his werewolf genes.“Nolan, do you remember what you said to me? You told me that Colin couldn
The last four days have been insane. Every day there has been something happening to pull off this last-minute Luna ceremony. Right now, I’m feeling overwhelmed by the number of dresses the designer brought. Three racks pumped full of dresses stand before me, and I’m supposed to choose one. Ugh. Most of the dresses are black, some are green, some are white, and there are some gold ones stuffed in. I grab the first green dress I see; it looks like a sequin monster threw up on it. I shake my head in disgust. I’m not even trying that on. I keep combing through the racks until a dress catches my eye. I pull it from the hanger and try it on. It’s beautiful. The emerald green matches my eyes. I slip it over my body, and I know that it’s the one. The dress is tight in the right places and flows at the bottom for effortless movements. I walk out into the room where my mother, Cassie, and Claire are sitting. Their gasps tip my lips up into a bright smile.
Hugh bristles as soon as Nicole leaves our room. He’s not a fan of letting her out of our sight, ever. For a woman who isn’t our fated mate, he’s really protective of her. Then again, the love we share is strong. It’s growing every day. Maybe we’ll be mates after all. I count the seconds until my southern region calms down. I’m already missing Nicole. I just want to get downstairs and hold her again. Scratch that. I need to get downstairs. Nicole needs me; I can feel it.A sweet honey scent hits me when I get to the stairs. Hugh immediately perks up, and I feel my heart fall. That scent isn’t Nicole, but it is my mate’s. My feet hit the bottom stair. I peek into the dining hall. Nicole’s back is to me. My gaze moves to the woman in front of her. The doe-eyed, stunning woman who Hugh says is our mate. Her brunette hair is pulled into a bun, making her look taller than she is. My body gravitates towards her, despe
The room is covered in ideas and fabric by the time we finally nail all the plans down. It’s a good thing too; I thought Paige was going to explode on her mother a few times. I wave goodbye to the girls and run to my room to make phone calls. It takes me two hours and several thousands of dollars later before I have everything ordered. Pushing away from the desk, I rip the ponytail from my vanilla hair. It cascades down my aching shoulders, nibbling at the tops of my scars. The fleshy stripes that I should hate, the blemishes that should remind me of the man who tried to kill me. But all I see is raw proof that I’m strong, that I survived twenty years of torment. “You are gorgeous, Nic.” Nolan leans against the doorframe. I smile at him, so grateful that the Goddess gave me him. He wraps his arms around me, and his crystal blue eyes darken just a shade. If I didn’t know any better, I could swear a mate bond was forming between us. He smells sweeter to me with every day that passes. H
“How long has Ash been gone?” Rita asks, gliding around her room to grab a crystal.“Just since the battle. She was there, but when I shifted back, she was gone.”“So, she was there for part of it?”“Yes.”“When you were hurt, did you change by choice or by force?”“Force.”“Okay, I’m going to put my hands on either side of your head. This will help me get inside your head. I’ll try to find her or figure out what’s going on. It may be painful, but I need you to keep still.”I glance at Colin. His smile is uneasy, but he nods to me. His hand reassures mine with a squeeze, but they still tremble. My stomach flips when I feel her plump fingers land on my temple. I close my eyes and wai