FLETCHER POV
The last week and a half has been hell, stuck in a constant stalemate with Cain’s men. Xander and Andrew are on the verge of losing their shit. I swear the pair are two fucking seconds from burning the entire world to the ground.
I love Xander like a brother, but goddess, I want to punch him right now. Walking between the tents of our men and women, a blonde pony tail I’d recognize in the pits of hell ducks past. Without thinking, Mars, my wolf, leads me to her.
Checking to see if Matt is inside, a sigh of relief escaping me when I don’t find his brooding figure within. He has barely left her side since we’ve stepped in onto the field.
‘Would you rather her be alone?’ Mars growls, reminding me that Matt isn’t as important.
‘Yeah,’ I return, ‘but does he always have to be up her ass?’ I question, salty that I haven’t been able to steal a moment of her time.
Ducking inside, I hear her sigh. “Matt, you promised to give me ten minutes.” Her shoulders tense, and I know what has her so frustrated, but whatever it is, it isn’t my business.
“Sorry, Fireball,” I return with a smirk, enjoying her wide eyes as she turns to meet my gaze. Her expression, making my thoughts drift to things they shouldn’t. Not yet, and not now. “It’s the more handsome one of us.”
“Fletch,” her voice comes out breathy, and every excuse I had shatters to dust. The reserve I have been holding onto so tightly, slipping through my grip.
Striding to her with a purpose, I grip the back of her neck and her hip with the free hand on her hip. Crashing my lips to hers, euphoria sings across my skin. Licking every inch of me. The most delicious mew coming from her, allowing me to deepen the kiss.
Our tongues mingling together, and I know if I died tomorrow in our next excursion I’d die a complete man. Whole with no regrets, having my moment with an angel walking among mere mortals.
As soon as it starts, it ends, her palms pushing me away. Taking her queue, I untangle my lips from hers, meeting the hazy and lust filled blue irises. Her question coming out in a husky whisper. “Why? Why now…?”
Grazing my finger along her cheek, my lips graze across the brow, my nostrils filling with her scent. I could bath in the cherry perfume with its spicy undertones. “If I died tomorrow, I had have to go to hell for that regret alone.”
She doesn't reply, but the wheels in her head turning, unsure of what to say. But the inner conflict and guilt are plainly written in the crease of her forehead. The brusque and brooding voice that is never far behind breaks through the moment.
“Charity?” Matt calls, standing in the opening daggers in his pitch black eyes. If looks could kill, I’d be dead. The little fireball in my arms breaking away, my cells begging for her touch again.
“Matt, I-” She tries explaining, but he doesn’t want to hear it now, dropping the tent flap and storming off. Turning to look back at me, torn on where to go and who to comfort.
“Go,” I say, through the lump in my throat. Her eyes softening, as she searches my face for any anger. “It’s okay, Fireball, seriously. Go talk to him.”
Nodding, she walks toward the exit before turning jogging back to me. Stretching on her tiptoes, she places a gentlest kiss on my cheek. Her voice sounding fluffy as the low hum of her voice is in my right ear. ”Thank you, Fletch.”
Before I tug her back into my arms, never letting her, she runs after Matt, calling after him, desperation in her voice. A sigh leaving my lips as I duck out of the tent in search of my Alpha.
THEO POVThe days have ticked by in agonizingly slow minuscules. Food and water only when further starvation would cause death. Fucking Zachary…why the hell is the fucker is alive is beyond me…The Beta heir from Tiberius’ reign of Silver Run.Eli should have killed him weeks ago and been done with it. Instead, he kept him around like a rat in a cage, able to escape with the help of unknown allies. What was Alpha Eli thinking? He wasn’t. That's the fucking problem.Ironic that I am the one now trapped in the cage like a rat…but I am the one who usurped the bastard’s position…in my defense, it is my birthright. My DNA contains the genes from decades’ worth of Silver Run Beta’s.The rattle of a baton being dragged against the bars makes me involuntarily flinch. Coming to associate the sound with pain. Damn bastards. The only thing I can rely on is my hearing. My eyes are so swollen, and my sense of smell completely dashed.Cerberus staying at the back of my mind, trying to protect himsel
NORA POVMy feet have burned holes in the carpet with constant pacing. ‘Viola!’ I call into my darkness of my mind, trying to wake her. ‘Viola, I swear to the Goddess, answer me!’'Yes, Nora?’ She asks, sounding sleepy and exhausted, nausea bubbling in my gut once more.‘Are we expecting a pup?’ I ask. I already know the answer, but I am desperate to be proven wrong.‘Yes,’ she answers, shattering my world slightly. Of all the times to be pregnant, now is the worst time of all. ‘I’ve been protecting the pup. I don’t trust that, Cain.’‘Me either,’ I shudder, thinking of his nice treatment lately, knowing it’s all a ploy to make me complacent. To make me feel safe, but truthfully, the nicer he is, the less safe I feel. It’s like the beautiful weather before a hurricane. Peaceful, but short-lived.‘Should we use the injections?’ I question, as I look out the window into the forest behind the house.‘For now, Cain cannot scent the pup….Taking the injections…’ Viola trails off in her expl
NORA POVMy stomach is sitting in my throat, the pressure from the anxiety making it harder to inhale. To find breath, to find calm. For the first time in the weeks I feel the fear bearing down on me, like a gunman does on its victim.Viola sleeping, resting, and reserving the strength in case we need it for the pup. Neither of us trusting Cain’s reaction when he finds out, and he will figure it out. There is no way to hide a pup, maybe for a few more weeks, but with the way I am vomiting, it’s not likely.Not to mention the way my body is already changing. I caught myself in the mirror after my shower this morning and lord have mercy. My boobs already filling out. Werewolf pregnancies move along faster than humans. In about six months, we will have a little Alpha running around.Instinctively, my hand rubs along my skin, a heartwarming feeling knowing I have Xander’s pup in my stomach. ‘Don’t worry, baby.’ I say silently, not risking the warriors outside my door hearing the comments.
NORA POVTaking the cup from my hand, Bethany places it on the table. Using a gloved hand, she uncaps the vial, dropping a pregnancy test inside. Once the strip is soaked, she recaps the test and places it on the metal medical tray. Replacing the cap to the urine container, she throws the waste in the hazardous bin.“Luna,” Bethany says, her eyes scanning my body, while her nose raises in the air, sniffing wildly. “What did you do?”“What I must,” I respond, raising my chin in defiance. She isn’t the only one who has a family to protect. Horror and awe sit on the woman’s face as she studies me. “I don’t trust Cain’s reaction when he finds out.”Nodding with understanding, she says nothing, joining me on the exam table. Grasping my hand in hers, she gives a gentle squeeze in solidarity. “I'll do what I can to help protect the little heir.” She says with conviction. Stirring pride in my chest, at the love Xander’s people have for him, after years of being away.“Bethany,” I say, glancing
XANDER POVWith each passing day without Nora by my side, I become unhinged. I know the others can see it, in the dark spots under my eyes, the unruliness of my beard, and my short temper. Everything our side has tried to break through the stalemate is futile. I swear to the Goddess the US had better luck in Normandy.Everything we try, it’s like Cain has already prepared for the outcome….Of course he has…”Well, we can try…” Andrew says, dripping with unhinged anger. He looks as bad as I do.“Cain’s trail, remember?” Charity reminds the sleep deprived Beta. The sadistic little fucker has pressure bombs littered throughout the entire forest. A step in the wrong direction sets off a chain reaction.“Fuck!” Andrew screams, his frustration only growing with each night we are forced to stay in this forest.“Not to mention the drones,” Elle adds, typing away on the laptop in front of her. Four monitors spaced out on the desk. She has been on a constant consumption of coffee, her fingers blis
XANDER POVThe lack of sleep has my eyes deceiving me. The woman must be a mirage, a hallucination. A figment, anything other than the mother I lost when I was five. My heart stopping as my eyes graze over the dark-haired woman, her eyes matching mine as she stares back.Her name tumbling out of my mouth in complete disbelief. It’s not possible. She’s dead. She has to be dead, because the alternative is too horrible to contemplate. No, she cannot be alive. This is Cain’s doing. He found a look alike. A way to distract me, and torment me.“Alexander,” she says, breaking through the silence, the timber in her voice tugging at memories I don’t want to recall. Younger versions of myself, they’re fuzzy- like a dream I haven’t had in years.“It’s Xander now,’’ I growl, eyes turning obsidian. Anger surging through me at her insolence of walking in here acting like she fucking knows me?The others in the room aren’t saying a thing, silently watching and waiting for my command. But for the firs
ANDREW POV It’s been days stuck in a Goddess forsaken stalemate, never making a move. The only way to progress safely is to have an advantage, a plan, or some kind of option. Nothing getting us a second closer to our end goal. To be honest, the lack of progress has been weighing heavily. There has been little hope until now. The layers to unravel for advancement seem endless and daunting. Even Elle, the cleverest of our unruly gang, finds the tasks daunting. Which never bodes well for anyone. Her subtle brilliance getting us out of more scrapes than I can count. No, Cain was exceedingly prepared, unsurprising for a man born with the simple destiny of destroying his older brother. No, defeat had become a pipedream of unsurmountable feats. Even Demitri felt the tantalizing grip of desperation. The longer we go without Theo by our side, the emptier we feel. I was on the verge of making a deal with the bloody devil myself, anything to get the love of my life back. To hear his laugh, see
THEO POVNora’s screeching is making the walls shake, a rage I never expected springing forth from her in blinding consumption. Circling around the room, and gripping at me, to grip stinging my skin. In all the time I have known her, the Alpha blood roaring in her veins is noticeable. Unmistakable.“ROT IN HELL YOU BASTARD!” She screams at the retreating footsteps of Cain. Her shrieks reaching an Octave Mariah Carey would covet. The level has my ear twitching uncomfortably as she continues in her distraught tirade.Once the echo of the door closes, my vision is still a blurry mess. I call out into the space, hoping she can hear my ravaged voice. My throat scratchy from the lack of water, the dehydration getting worse by the second.“Nora,” I say, but I doubt much can be heard over her screams of defiance. Resting my head against the wall, I welcome the cool brick against my skin. From her current progression, it’ll be best to wait until Nora settles down before speaking.I don’t know