My fingers tremble as they twist my long hair into two French braids. I don’t know if it’s the service we attended today or what, but I’m homesick. This is the first date that I’m getting ready for where Val isn’t here to help. I called her when I came up to the room, but it only made me miss her more. She can’t leave school to come visit me, and I can’t leave Colin to visit her. I pull on my black ripped jeans that Val said would give Colin easy access to my sweet spot. She laughed when I cringed. I pair them with a simple v-neck. One that shows my marking spot easily. Colin and I still haven’t marked each other. I’ve been in Aurora Flame for a few weeks now. How much longer does he want to wait? Does he not want to mark me at all? It has been crazy with drama, so maybe he’s just distracted. To be fair, you told him you’d give him a chance. You never asked him to mark you. Maybe that’s what is holding him back, Ash’s voice echoes in my head.
I wake up, tangled in the cold bed. Colin never made it to bed. I tossed and turned all night. He probably just slept in his office. He’s working all the time now. I pull myself up. My head throbs with every step I take. My appearance in the mirror illustrates how well I didn’t sleep last night. I brush out my long hair, and I pull it into a bun. I don’t change from my sweats and hoodie. I knock on Colin’s office door to tell him I’m leaving the packhouse, but there is no answer. I peek inside, only to find everything empty. Weird. I check my phone; there are no messages from him. My heart rate spikes. Where is he, and why didn’t he tell me he wasn’t coming home at all? My confusion only heightens when I see Harrison laughing with Tally at breakfast. I walk into the dining hall, and it falls quiet. The eerie silence gives me goosebumps. I look at Harrison and gesture for him to come. “Where is Colin, and what is going on?” I ask.
Colin’s words pierce my heart. “W-what is wrong with you?” Colin stares at me. He’s a ghost from the man I knew yesterday. The woman stands in front of him. “I’m his second mate. I’m a witch. My name is Kat. It’s nice to meet you, Luna.” My world falls down around me. I’d be crying if I wasn’t so pissed off. “Second mate? That doesn’t exist.” “It does, but don’t worry. We’ll make it work. I’m sure of it.” She smiles. “Paige, go home. Let me figure this out with Kat. Then you and I can talk.” “You know what? Going home is a good idea. She can be the mother-fucking Luna. I hope you two are happy together. I’m done.”
Days have passed since, but Paige’s face when she found out about Kat is still burned into my brain. She was so hurt. I could feel her pain, and it only amplified my own, but I felt so paralyzed. By the time I could make it to the packhouse, she was gone. She left me. I wanted to be mad that she did, but I couldn’t. I would’ve left me too. I’ve called her a hundred times, and she won’t answer me. Her family won’t allow me passage into Onyx Moon to talk to her. Dom won’t stop whimpering because he misses his mate. He is adamant that Kat is not our mate. I’m starting to wonder about that myself. Her touch no longer sends sparks through me. The desire to mate her is gone. Not that Dom would’ve let me if I tried. Something just isn’t right about her. It doesn’t help that the pack is angry with me for hurting their Luna. I thought the accusing stares were bad before. Now everyone believes that I’m my father. Why wouldn’t they? I did the one thing I promised not to do. It’s fun
It’s been a week since I left Colin. The pain hasn’t eased, but I’m trying to learn to live with it. My phone rings, and I don’t have to look to know whose name is on the screen. I hate the way my heart flutters every time he calls. I suspect he’s only calling so that he can accept my rejection and live a happy life with Kat. That’s why I can’t bring myself to answer. A part of me isn’t ready to face that reality. My family has been really great. They’ve kept me distracted with day trips and training. The nights are the hardest. Even with Val staying over, the nights are when I feel the most alone. I pull Val’s wild blonde strands from my face. The girl sleeps like she’s the only one in this bed. I get up and nearly trip over Thomas, who’s been sleeping on my floor so that he doesn’t have to be away from his mate. He’s such a sweet guy. He reminds me of Colin before everything turned sour. Bricks of memories fall onto me. The way his raven hair always
I’m exhausted as we make our way into Colin’s office. Things with us are still tense, but at least we’re working together to find Charles. Alex told me yesterday that Colin has a second mate named Kat and that Paige left because of it. I’m honestly sad about it, but I’m also excited. I really want to run to her and be the knight in shining armor. I want to be her shoulder to cry on. I can’t help but be attracted to her. She’s extraordinary. She’s a classy warrior. But she’s also Colin’s mate and, therefore, I’ll keep my distance. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a mate of my own someday. My grandma and I wait outside the office door for Colin to answer. When he finally does, he looks like a heaping mess. He moves to let us in, and his office looks as bad as he does. “So, I take it you’re not handling Paige’s rejection well?” I say. “Go to hell, James.”
“Damn, I had hoped to keep this charade up longer.” Kat smirks. “I bet you are good in bed. Too bad your wolf is stronger than I thought. I would’ve loved to put Paige through that pain.”“What is your problem with Paige? She’s the most innocent one involved.”“It’s not me that wants Paige. Nope. I’m just under orders.”“Hard to believe,” Nolan retorts.“What is my father planning? Why did you need me to believe we were mates?”“Well, that wasn’t a part of your father’s plan. I just really wanted to see if you were as good a ride as your dad. Your dad just wanted me to deliver her to his devilish door. He had his own plans for her. Too bad she left before I had a chance
I shovel cereal into my mouth. I’m mostly alone in the dining hall. Only the Omegas stay to work on the meals for the rest of the day. It’s quiet for once. I guess I should be late to breakfast more often. For the first time since I left Colin, the storm in my soul has calmed. I don’t know what it is, but I feel better today. Maybe I am getting over him. A tiny tap on my shoulder disrupts the peace I’m enjoying.“Jonah? What are you doing here?” I ask.“My mom doesn’t have a babysitter, so she takes me with her everywhere,” he says, “Can I have some food please, Luna?”“Uh yeah.”Tally and Harrison walk through the door, looking frantically for Jonah.I wave to them. “He’s over here.”“Sorry, Luna. He just took off when he fo
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