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Mallory’s POV Alpha Quade’s parting words came back to me, a warning or a threat to stay put. Fuck that! My wolf was awake now and almost feral with the need to protect her pups. There was no way she would let me sit here waiting for our would-be rapist to return, even if I wanted to. Which I did not! Trusting that my wolf strength would be enough to get me through the door, I approached it stealthily. I could only assume there were guards outside, ready to haul me back from my escape attempt. It would be great if I could catch them off guard, but I lacked faith in that improbability. I tested the lock, giving the knob a twist. To my surprise, it opened with a soft click. Quade must have forgotten to lock it in his haste to go “handle” my mates. I eased the door open a crack and sniffed the air. His faint scent remained but I didn’t smell any guards so I risked sticking my neck out, literally. Finding the hallway abandoned, I slipped outside. I crept along silently, trying ever
Mallory’s POV My instincts were screaming at me to let Raven loose on the vile excuse for a wolf in front of me. The moment he’d appeared in front of me, I protectively shoved Darcy behind me. Her frightened whines, the reminder of what he’d done to her, cut me to the marrow. Darcy and I had never been friends. To be honest, I’d never wanted to know the woman who stole all the attention of my childhood crush. But I'd been around her enough to know that she carried herself with unerring self-possession. The broken, mewling mouse she was now, to see someone so completely destroyed that they’d become a mere shadow of themselves, rocked me to my core. “You couldn’t manage to contain a wolfless woman and a chained up piece of trash? Pathetic” Quade hissed at the Omegas cowering in the corner of the room, diverting his ire from me for the moment. The two women bared their throats to him but refused to meet his eye. Evelyn started to open her mouth but I shot her a warning glare, hop
Colton’s POV I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The rickety little shack, one strong wind away from being reduced to firewood, was exactly as Charlie described it, and exactly where the map had so helpfully noted it would be. If we had just happened upon the structure while venturing through the woods, I wouldn’t have trusted its structural stability enough to wander inside. But considering it may be all that stood between me and my mate, I was willing to risk just about any eventuality, even being buried under a pile of rubble. “Let’s go.” Clay blew out on a long exhale. “You two,” Cary pointed at a couple of the warriors accompanying us, “come with us. As soon as we find the entrance underground, wave the others in and follow us down.” The two hulking men looked as if we’d asked them to voluntarily lay their necks on the guillotine, as untrusting of the shack’s probability to remain upright as we were. Nonetheless, they heeded their Alpha’s order, dutifully filing in behin
Mallory’s POV “No! My pups!” I woke with a start, frantic and disoriented. My hands flew to my stomach as if to shield my babies from imminent attack. But a heavy hand covered my heart, pushing me back and holding me down. My legs kicked out and my arms thrashed, trying to throw off my assailant. “Shh! Calm down, little Omega. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” A deep masculine voice murmured. I blinked once, twice, trying to make sense of what I heard, searching for visual confirmation. A brief examination of my surroundings revealed I was in the back of an SUV, my body stretched out across three sets of muscular thighs. I followed the length of the arm on my chest to its owner. “Colton?” I blinked again, willing my vision to clear. It was a cruel trick for my brain to make me think he was holding me when I knew he would never do that. “I’m here, love. We’re all here.” His voice was so reassuring, so real. I lifted a shaky arm to run my fingers over the stubble on his chin. It f
Colton’s POV We were on our way back to Black Moon. On our way home. Nathan had agreed to stay in Hazelwood for the time being, to settle the pack and keep an eye on things. It had been an easy choice since his mate had been reluctant to leave with him. Mallory had put up a fight when my brothers and I announced our intention to leave. She felt Hazelwood was her responsibility and needed her attention. It did. But we’d finally convinced her that the pack was in good hands, a fact she was hardly in a position to deny given her history with Nathan, and she needed to put herself and the pups first. She’d been through a trauma, physically and emotionally, and as her mates, we were desperate to get her the care she needed and check on the condition of our pups. Not that there was any real concern for their well-being. Their three heartbeats were audible now and grew stronger every day. Still, our Alpha natures required reassurance. All of that was well and good. But soon the doctor
Mallory’s POV “I’m listening.” I prompted Cotlon while I waited for him to explain whatever it was that he felt so compelled to say to me. I had to say, as far as explanations went, he was doing a shit job so far. I didn’t understand him at all. On one hand, he was apologizing for hurting me by being intimate with Darcy, then in the next breath he said he did it to protect me, How was causing me unspeakable pain protecting me? In what universe was I supposed to be okay with him taking my virginity, telling me he wanted me, then going back to his girlfriend the next day? The idea was ludicrous. Yet here I was, waiting on tenterhooks to hear what he had to say. “I’m sorry.” He apologized again which was beginning to irritate me. “I know it doesn’t make rational sense. I see that now. But it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.” “Colton, please just start at the beginning.” I didn’t even try to hide my exasperation. “Okay. Good idea.” He agreed, then took a deep br
Cary’s POV “Darling, please sit down and rest. Between your pacing and your frustrated scent permeating the air, you’re triggering every Alpha instinct I have. Colton, please make her sit. She’s driving me crazy!” I pleaded with my brother to step in and help me settle our mate before my wolf lost his mind. By the way Mallory was biting her nails and wearing a path in the carpet, she was obsessing over something again. It had been her favorite pastime since we’d brought her home and I was beginning to worry. It was almost like she couldn’t let her mind be quiet for fear of the memories that might creep in if she did. Colton’s head snapped up from the report he’d been reading and he fixed me with an irritated glare. I’d asked him to be the bad guy this time and it was a role he was nowhere near ready to play. When Mallory had allowed him to move in, Clay and I thought we’d have an ally when it came to taking care of our mate, but that just hadn’t been the case. How dare we sugge
Clay’s POV “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I snapped at the woman on the phone. The Wolf Shifter Council’s secretary didn’t deserve my rudeness. She was just a messenger. But when it came to the safety of my mate, no one was exempt from my incivility. “This is ludicrous! After what he did to my mate, he shouldn’t be allowed inside a courtroom. He should never see the outside of a cell again!” I snarled. “And you’re only giving us a week to find witnesses. You’re practically handing him his freedom on a silver platter!” “My apologies, Alpha. The council has deemed him deserving of a trial and I was tasked with informing you of the date. If you’d like to file a complaint, there is a process for that. In the meantime, if you do not show up to the council hearing as scheduled, we’ll be forced to dismiss the case.” She rattled on, giving me the company line. “Sure. What the fuck ever!” I cursed, hanging up on her as I entered the bedroom. I’d been roaming the apartment during the