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Clay’s POV A tenuous peace settled over us for the next few weeks. Cary and I went to work during the day, though less of our time was spent on actual pack duties in favor of discussing our future and how to move forward without Colton. Our parents thought he was away gathering intel on Alpha Quade and none of us disabused them of that notion. Mallory spent most of her days with our mother, determined to perfect her future role as Luna by absorbing every detail the current Black Moon Luna had to impart. The three of us spent our nights together, Cary and I wrapped around our mate. And from the outside, it would appear that we’d never been happier. But despite her best efforts to hide it, and our best efforts to reassure her, a tinge of self-loathing permeated Mallory's otherwise vibrant scent. Others might miss it, but as her mates who lived just to breathe her in, it was unmistakable. “It’s killing me to watch her beat herself up this way.” Cary mentioned for the hundredth
Colton’s POV I let Kai run for hours that night after turning my back on Darcy and letting Alpha Quade walk away with her. Every instinct screamed at me to find Mallory, explain the truth behind my actions and beg her forgiveness. But I’d needed time to think before facing her, so I gave my wolf free reign while I considered my next move. In the end, I’d decided maybe time was my best ally. I’d come running to her with assurances that I was over Darcy twice before and as far as she knew, I’d lied both times. After betraying our bond, the only way she might believe me was if some time passed without me hurting her again, Kai in no way approved of that plan, harassing me daily to go see our mate. And every time, I would talk him down, explaining that we needed to put her needs first and what she needed was space. But like every other day, he wasn’t having it. “Raven needs me!” He insisted, demanding to see Mallory’s wolf. “Just a little more time, Kai!” I countered. “No!” H
Mallory’s POV “Oh, and never seat Alpha Craig near Alpha Layton at dinner parties. Craig used to date Layton’s Luna and now they hate each other.” Luna Erika instructed. We were in the ballroom reviewing the intricacies of hosting successful inter-pack gatherings, one of my duties as future Luna. But I couldn’t focus on the lesson. I was too busy trying to keep my breakfast in my stomach where it belonged. For the past couple of weeks, I’d been exhausted, even sneaking away in the middle of the day to take a much needed cat nap. Then, for the past three days in a row, my stomach felt like it was doing cartwheels most of the time. I could barely look at food, and days like today when my mates practically force fed me, it refused to stay down. But I absolutely could not be coming down with something! We’d worked so hard to perfect our strategy for deposing Alpha Quade and we were about to act on it. My mates would never let me go if they thought I was ill and I wouldn’t want to j
Cary’s POV I was worried about Mallory. Really fucking worried. She hadn’t been herself for a couple weeks now. She didn’t think I noticed but I did. I noticed everything about her, right down to the minutest detail. Even Clay mentioned she looked tired before he’d left on his scouting mission almost a week ago. Fuck, I wished he was here. He may have gone off the deep end a bit where our older brother was concerned, but when it came to our mate, he always seemed to know exactly what she needed. He always had this calming way about him where I charged in like a raging bull. But he wasn’t here. He was out gathering the last bits of intel we needed to put our plan for Alpha Quade into action. And that fact only added to my worry. Until two weeks ago, Mallory had spent every waking breath on preparing for this mission. Plans for Hazelwood pack after Quade’s rein of terror ended was all she ever talked about. Then suddenly, she was excusing herself in the middle of a planning s
Clay’s POV I was so excited to be home! When we realized that one of us needed to scout the Hazelwood pack borders for ourselves, we knew it was going to take at least a week. We needed to study their defenses, determine where their sentries were stationed and how often they changed shifts. Patrol patterns weren’t that easy to decipher in less than a few days' time. Unfortunately, I’d lost the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who would go and who would stay with our mate. Leaving Mallory home alone was never an option. Not with Colton lurking around every corner, just waiting for a chance to catch her on her own. I wasn’t too proud to admit I was a little bit jealous of all the one-on-one time Cary had with her while I was away. All I wanted was to bury myself deep inside her, feel her wrapped around me and lose myself in her for hours on end. My little brother could fuck right off too. He’d had his turn. Now it was mine. “Fuck! I knew I missed her scent but I never
Mallory’s POV As I waddled from the bed to the shower, I was seriously questioning the wisdom of my words to Clay last night. Admitting the pup would be safe no matter how hard he fucked me seemed a little short-sighted on my part now that I could barely walk for the ache between my legs. Deciding what I really needed was a soak in a warm bath, I grabbed my favorite bath salts and headed for the tub. Unfortunately, I’d only taken a couple of steps before the pup in my belly diverted my plans. The bath products I’d been carrying hit the ground with a resounding thud as I made a mad dash for the toilet. I heard the bathroom door hit the wall with a bang as someone flung it open but I was too busy spilling my guts into the toilet to spare them a glance. I hadn’t even had breakfast yet and somehow this kid was offended by my stomach contents. A cool rage was placed on the back of my neck by one of my mates while the other gathered my hair and held it back in a ponytail while I hung my
Mallory’s POV Per my usual routine of late, I woke up nauseated, rushing to the bathroom to empty my stomach. Today though, there was more than one reason for my abdominal gymnastics. Today, I was leaving Black Moon territory for the first time since my attempted abduction. Today, I would find out if my pup had only two or all three of the Alpha triplets as potential dads. “Feeling better?” Clay asked, coming into the bathroom just as I was brushing my teeth. I gave him a wilting look before spitting into the sink. “I usually get a reprieve around mid-morning but given the events of the day, I’m not sure the butterflies are likely to settle down at all. Do I have time for a shower before we go?” “Of course, love. Take your time.” Clay answered, kissing my temple then bending over to address my belly. “Be nice to your mom, little one. She could use a break.” He kissed my belly and left me to my shower. I let the warm water ease the tension in my muscles. Logically, I knew
Colton’s POV Weeks had passed since the night I’d snuck in to see Mallory. And though that encounter left me with no hope that she wanted anything to do with me, I hadn’t given up on the idea that someday she would give me a chance to explain. Unfortunately the opportunity still hadn’t presented itself. But I’d meant what I’d said when I told myself I’d watch over her and that’s exactly what I’d done. Not that it was necessary. My brothers had her locked down tighter than Fort Knox. It would take a miracle of epic proportions to get to her. That’s why I was shocked to see them loading her in an SUV and preparing to drive her out of Black Moon Territory. What were they thinking? The last time she’d left pack lands she’d come within a hair’s breadth of being kidnapped. What could possibly warrant putting her at risk that way? And if that weren’t bad enough, they were traveling with a whole cadre of guards. They might as well have put a target on her back. Anyone watching our bord