Harlow"Those were some good enchiladas," Red said as everyone left the restaurant. "And tamales...and chiles en Nevada.""Nogada." Cyrus corrected him with a smirk.We'd spent the better part of three hours there while the guys gorged themselves on round after round of Mexican food. We'd finally gotten word that the truck had been loaded and was ready to go.As we approached the big rig, the reality of what we were doing settled in. Crossing the border with an empty truck was one thing. But now that it was fully stocked with whatever illegal cargo we were transporting, we had stepped into the dangerous world of smuggling. Everyone in the group seemed on edge.The same Sunshine Corp employee who kept us out of the warehouse approached. "You should get moving. The transportation of these goods is time-sensitive. And I remind you that if the shipments are tampered with before you reach your destination, there will be consequences.""Alright, let's move out," Red called out. On his
Harlow"Get the poor girl outta there!" Stitch instructed.The woman in the crate was shaking and scared. Red lifted her out and gently sat her down to remove the restraints. The rest of us pulled the smaller boxes off of the other crates and began opening them. Each crate held a person bound, gagged, and blindfolded. There were twenty in total. Men, women, and children.It hit me then what the list I'd helped Madoc attach to his email meant. In each row was a town name, an M or an F indicating male or female, and a number. Their age. It was an inventory of human beings. I felt sick.I pulled out my switchblade and helped cut the frightened, weak people free of their restraints. Some were barely conscious as if they'd been drugged. These people weren't immigrants trying to get into the States. They'd been taken against their will."What the hell is this?" I asked."Human trafficking," Stitch said in disgust."Like sex trafficking?""Don't know," Stitch responded. "There are som
Blayze"Bonnie!" I called after her as she drove off to the west.Madoc walked up behind me. "Well, that was rude," he said. "She didn't even answer my question. Do you know if the cargo will arrive tonight?"I turned and punched the f*cker in the jaw hard enough to break it. His feet went flying out from under him, and he landed on his back on the pavement. I ran to my bike and got on."So, just to clarify, we don't know where the cargo is?" he asked.Ignoring the psycho occupying my cellar, I started my bike and followed after Bonnie. It took a few minutes, but I finally spotted her taillights in the distance. I hurried to catch up to her. She looked over her shoulder and caught my eye, her long, black hair whipping in the wind under the moonlight. She was still the most beautiful woman I'd ever known. No matter how many of the sweet butts or other she-wolves in town I took to my bed, it was always Bonnie in the back of my mind. I'd spent the last ten years hating her for that.
Cyrus"I said, get up," the Marshal demanded, his gun still pointing at me. "And let me see those hands."Not that his bullets would have had any effect on me, but the last thing I needed was to reveal that I was a werewolf to another human. So I got off of Madoc and put up my hands. Within a few minutes, I was sitting in front of the garage in handcuffs beside Madoc, who was also in cuffs.Members from both MCs had started to gather alongside the caravan team to watch how this scene would play out, but everyone kept their distance. I hated for Harlow to see me like this. It was humiliating."Is this going to take long?" Madoc asked."Shut up!" the Marshal said as he kneeled beside me. "Now, I need you to answer some questions for me.""Look, if this is about those college boy a**holes, I've told you all I know," I said.The Marshal chuckled. "You really think I give a sh*t about those two little punks?" He leaned in closer, smiling. "I need you to tell me where your Alpha is. B
Bonnie"I said, what the hell are you?" I repeated as Madoc walked toward the hunter he'd just instructed to shoot himself.He met my eyes for a second before leaning over the body of Amos Jessup. Then, I saw his canines elongate, and he sunk them into the hunter's neck. He appeared to be drinking his blood."No way," Blayze said beside me. "No. F*cking. Way.""Everyone get away from him!" I shouted. "Get behind us!"Harlow helped Stella hobble over toward us, stopping when she got to Red to pull the silver net off of him. Red had burns in the shape of the netting over the left half of his body. He stood and walked behind me to Gunner, who was holding Grim's motionless body.Dax picked up Lola, who lay lifeless in his arms, and brought her over. His eyes looked empty. Like he'd been crushed from the inside.When Madoc stood up, he looked healthier somehow, and the blood that was on his skin began retreating back into his body."I'm a predator," Madoc said. "Just like I told you
CyrusJust like that, a ten-year-long feud was over. I didn't want to ask Blayze if this meant that Harlow and I could be together. There was immeasurable sadness in the air, and we had thirteen fallen wolves to bury the next day. Not to mention what we'd be dealing with when Madoc came back. It felt selfish and petty to ask his permission. But I didn't have to.Blayze saw me looking at Harlow and gave me a nod. "You two are probably exhausted. Get outta here and get some rest... Or whatever."Harlow looked to Bonnie, who also gave her a nod. Harlow and I were free to do as we pleased and a surge of relief and joy washed over me despite the circumstances. I took Harlow by the hand, and we left the bar."Where are we going?" she asked when we got outside."Is my place ok with you?""More than ok." She smiled.We hadn't slept in about thirty hours at this point, and we were both covered in dirt, sweat, and spattered blood, but she managed to look beautiful. So much bad had happene
CyrusHarlow looked small and sad in the bed next to me. I hated what I was telling her, but she had to know the truth."Her name was Jenny," I said. "She was one of the people the Blood Dogs helped get out of a bad situation. We were together when the split happened, so she came with me. I asked her to be my mate and turned her with the mating mark. She died in my arms."A tear slid down Harlow's cheek. I wiped it with my hand."I'm sorry I didn't say anything about this earlier," I continued. "And I'm not telling you now to try to hurt you. I just need you to understand where I'm coming from in all of this. I know Brat made it through her first shift, but it could have just as easily gone the other way. The stakes are real, and they're personal to me."Harlow gave a sad nod. Her big brown eyes were full of tears by now, and more slid down her cheeks. I felt awful unloading this on her. Especially after what we'd just shared."Maybe I should go," she said, sitting up.I placed
Harlow"Are you serious?" Cyrus asked, shocked."Tank and Butch both agree," Blayze said. "It was a mistake to strip you of your patch in the first place. It wasn't fair to treat you that way, especially standing between you and Harlow." I was so relieved to hear this. I'd felt so guilty about Cyrus losing his patch. "Thanks, Blayze," Cyrus said."So is that a yes? Are we good?" Blayze asked. Blayze reached into his pocket and held a new VP patch up, extending it to Cyrus."Yeah, we're good." Blayze and Cyrus gave each other another quick hug. I saw Arlene wipe a tear from her eye. "Aww, my boys," she said with a smile. The warm feelings in the room subsided, however as the holy elder, Jedediah Goode, asked people to gather around into some kind of prayer circle. Bonnie entered and stood near me, watching this display suspiciously."Everyone, please join me in prayer," Goode said. Several people from both packs tilted their heads back and closed their eyes. "Selene,
CyrusEveryone else in the bar parking lot looked as shocked as I was. Madoc was still alive. But how?I pulled Harlow close to me. To my disappointment, she looked relieved to see him."Now, I know what you're thinking," the vampire said, from the middle of the road. "Where did he get a new suit on such short notice? Spoiler. I got it at Mega Mart. I also picked up a toolset for only ten dollars—""That's it!" Blayze roared as he threw down his cut, shifted, and charged the vampire.He slammed into Madoc, knocking him to the ground, but in seconds. Madoc was on his feet again, seemingly unfazed. The Alpha attacked again, this time snapping at him with his jaws, but to everyone's surprise, all he got was air as Madoc rushed out of the way and reappeared several yards away.There were gasps from all around at how fast Madoc moved."Look, I just want to talk," the vampire said. Undeterred, Blayze rushed toward him, but again, Madoc evaded his assault."Honestly, I just want to ha
CyrusI held Harlow while she fell asleep. The sun had come up, and she'd be unconscious for a while after being bitten."I love you, baby," I whispered in her ear and kissed her mating mark. It was bruised, and the heat from the bite was quickly spreading to the rest of her body.Soon she'd have a fever. Then would come the pain of her human body being overtaken by the bite—a pain no one who was born a werewolf had to endure. Sure, the first few shifts were uncomfortable for born wolves, but what Harlow would be going through was an entire transformation; her DNA was rewriting itself.Hours went by before she finally began to stir. By that time, she was feverish, and it would continue to climb. Werewolves run hot."Hey," I said, helping her sit up. "How're you feeling?" I took the cap off a bottle of water and gave it to her with a straw."Ok so far," she said before drinking, then motioned for me to get into the bed with her, which I did. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed
HarlowAfter we pulled up to Cyrus's house on his bike, he picked me up and carried me inside. It made me think of the first time he'd done that before we'd made love. Turning on the living room lamp, he sat me down on the couch and planted a kiss on my lips."Wait here a minute," he whispered, and he headed into the bedroom.I was becoming nervous. I'd have been lying if I said I wasn't, but I was also excited for what was to come. I would be like Cyrus and the rest of the pack members soon. If everything went right… It had to. Cyrus was going to be my mate, and it felt impossible that our love couldn't withstand my first shift. It made me feel invincible.Regardless of how sure I felt, my knees were shaking. I placed my hand on my neck, where my mating mark would be."Oh, God," I muttered. My pulse quickened, and I tried to force myself to keep my breathing steady. My mating mark… This was really happening.Then I felt Cyrus's familiar touch on my arm, and it had an immediate c
Harlow"You…want to mark me?" I asked, astonished."You mean so much to me, Harlow," Cyrus said, pulling me in close. "If you still want me to—""YES!" I blurted louder than intended. In an instant, our lips were locked in the sweetest embrace.We spent the next several hours there just holding one another. Cyrus and I sat wrapped in each other's arms overlooking Gnaw Bone from up high in our spot. Knowing how seriously he'd thought about marking me made it all the more special, but a text from Bonnie eventually brought me back down to earth.It read, "Can you come to the bar? It's important."I hated that we had to leave, but I did as requested. We rode our bikes back to Gnaw Bone side by side as the sun went down. When we arrived, Cyrus and I walked into the bar, where Bonnie and the rest of the Blood Dogs officers were waiting for me."Hey, Harlow," Bonnie said. "I know that was hard for you today, but we couldn't—""Mind control," I interrupted. "You couldn't risk me spi
HarlowI was relieved when we drove back into Gnaw Bone. All I wanted was to go back home with Cyrus, take a hot shower, and crash. I still couldn't believe the crazy stunt I'd pulled to get my car back, but I was pretty proud of it.I parked my car outside the garage, and everyone else got off their bikes. Remy and Leon stepped out of the SUV parked around the back and came to watch us unload.But instead, Butch and Shorty quickly took both of Madoc's familiars into chokeholds."What are you doing?!" I asked, confused."I'm sorry," Cyrus said. "I couldn't tell you in case Madoc forced you to spill information.""You couldn't tell me what?""We're not handing the smack over to Madoc," Bonnie said as everyone else began unloading a small mountain of heroin behind the garage. "We've gotta show Sunrise Corp that we won't be their foot soldiers."I didn't know what to say. I got why everyone thought they had to keep it from me, but it didn't make me feel any better, being left in t
HarlowSitting in the Mega Mart parking lot, I watched the heist unfold in the reflection of my rearview mirror. I'd parked near the gated entrance that led to the loading dock. It was surrounded by a chain-link fence where I could see several Seventh Circle members pacing near five semi-trucks.Bonnie, Blayze, and Gunner kept watch from the adjacent parking lot so their bikes wouldn't draw attention. Stella and Stitch, on the other hand, were already inside working undercover as dutiful Mega Mart employees. And for the next fifteen minutes, everyone else took turns walking inside and getting into position.Tank was the first to go inside, followed by Shorty, then Butch. They all definitely blended in with the rest of Mega Mart's typical clientele, wearing things like cargo pants and T-shirts with stupid phrases on them.Goldie and Wyatt went in together. From the moment they stepped out of their van, they assumed the role of a bombastic couple and pretended to bicker as they made
Harlow"You're..." I couldn't believe what Bonnie had just told me."Keep it to yourself," she said. "No one else knows."I didn't dare ask who the father was, but I had a pretty good idea.At that moment, Blayze walked into the bar."Hey," he said, "Bonnie, we have a last-minute addition to the security squad. Cyrus told me Seventh Circle's got five escorts on the trucks. He wants to add Butch and Shorty. Cool with you?""That's fine," she said, not meeting his eye."What was it you wanted to talk about this morning?" he asked."Nothing," she replied. "Let's just focus on getting through tomorrow for now."Ok, I knew who the father was."You sure?"I felt really uncomfortable between the two of them."Yeah," Bonnie insisted. "Don't worry about it."I spent the rest of the day thinking about what Bonnie must have been going through. But it also got me thinking about Cyrus and me and our future together. I didn't know if he wanted kids, but I'd always thought that I would e
BlayzeI woke up to someone knocking on my front door. The two sweet butts in my bed both groaned as I climbed over their naked bodies to get my boxers. Looking at my phone, I saw that it was about 7:00 AM. I went to sleep only three hours before."Better be f*cking important," I mumbled. I nearly tripped over my underwear, pulling them on as I made my way for the front door. "What!" I demanded when I swung it open, which I immediately regretted when I saw my mother's face."Good mornin' to you, too, Sunshine," my mom said as she waltzed past me and toward the kitchen. "Ugh, Blayze," she said disapprovingly. "It smells like cigarettes and a** in here. I brought leftovers."I rolled my eyes as I closed the door. But the truth was, I appreciated my mom making sure my fridge was stocked with her home-cooked food. Unlike Cyrus, I'd never let her teach me how to cook. My dad had always said cooking was women's work, and I'd, unfortunately, listened to him. Now I pretty much relied on my
Harlow"Get your hands off her!" Cyrus's voice boomed from the bottom of the cellar stairs. Within seconds, he shifted and charged forward as Madoc released me and put his hands up."Woah, woah! I just gave Harlow her birthday gift. That's all," Madoc said.Cyrus didn't listen. Before I knew it, Madoc was on the floor, and Cyrus was on top of him."Cyrus, stop!" I cried. "He wasn't doing anything to hurt me!"Cyrus now had Madoc's mangled wrist in his mouth. He looked over his shoulder at me with his wolf eyes and let out a low growl."Please, let him go," I begged.He released Madoc and slowly shifted back."What was he making you do?" he asked as he picked his cut up off the floor."He wasn't making me do anything!" I shouted angrily. "I was just hugging him to thank him for my gift.""Why are you crying?" Cyrus asked, gesturing to my tears.I wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Madoc set up a call with my dad. That's all. I haven't so much as heard his voice in years. I'm ju