She pressed on. "So what's it going to be for me? Are you going to alter my memories to make me believe I want to be here with you? Turn me into a willing slave? And altering my powers without my permission " The other goblins had urged him to consider that idea; then, at least, there would be no threat of her rebelling against him or coordinating with the wolves to eradicate the goblins. Magic would make her loyalty undying, and the goblins would have to accept her, sooner or later. But Stanley did not want a slave, and he knew that should Scar interact with him in such a state, they would know that something was off with her. In the long run, forcing her to do anything wouldn't help him. "I'm not going to do anything to you. We will marry, and our kinds will be united, and that is all. Should you come around to me at some point, that would be to both of our benefit ... but I expect nothing of you." The tension in Scar's rolled-up shoulders relaxed somewhat, as did her death g
With her head held high, Scar allowed the goblins to lead her out of the room, down the wooden steps that wrapped around the trees, and down to the forest floor. Early morning light filtered through the thick branches overhead, dappling the ground with patches of hazy light. If it wasn't for what was about to happen to her, Scar might find the forest at dawn beautiful. The goblins ushered her past the tall trees, along a worn path, and deeper into the forest. She could hear the murmurs of many voices up ahead, but she couldn't see them. However, when the trees parted, Stanley was the first thing she saw. He waited for her by a tree at the edge of what looked like a clearing up ahead.He was resplendent in his clothing, a handsome prince dressed in a tailored suit with a white shirt and black tie. A gold chain hung around his neck, disappearing into the collar of his shirt. His dark blond hair was slicked back, and his blue eyes were cold and bright as he watched her approach, undressi
Damon arrived in the old mining tunnel just before midnight, alone, and with no weapons. Unlike the goblins, however, he didn't need any. As a wolf shifter, his body was a weapon, and he had every intention of using it to rip Stanley to shreds for doing this to Scar and for tormenting them both. He walked toward the compound with his head held high. There were three goblins on the roof with crossbows aimed at him—goblins didn't use guns below ground because they were more dangerous in the tunnels—and four more on the ground that stood alert when they noticed him. There were likely more that Damon couldn't see, too. Goblins on their own weren't much of a threat to a wolf shifter. But half a dozen or more, all equipped with deadly weapons? That halved Damon's chances of making it out of there alive. And having to rescue Scar at the same time? He gave them maybe a twenty-five percent chance. He swallowed hard when the goblins approached to check him for weapons. They patted him do
Scar's heart welled in her throat as she considered the decision that Stanley had placed before them. She knew how much the goblin kingdom meant to Damon , and what would happen to his people, and the wolves he was trying to protect, if he gave in to Stanley' demands. And staring out at Damon , who stood stoic on the other side of the excavated pit, regardless of the injury she'd sustained just a day ago, she understood that her life was of no consequence when weighed against his dream. She sank against the cool metal of the large excavator, her body shaking from the cold and from her fear. It didn't matter that she'd realized that she was in love with Damon . It didn't matter that they were mates. She wanted to believe that he could love her, if they'd been given a chance at a life together. A chance to uncover what it meant to truly belong to each other. What mattered was, right now, that nothing was more important to Damon than ensuring that his kingdom didn't fall to Stanley.
Scar was more than a little relieved that she didn't have to tell Damon what she needed aloud. He already seemed to know, and she got the sense that he had learned so from her mind. The beast was practically on her back, whimpering with submission and desire even as Damon converged on her and took her into his arms. Scar could only imagine how ridiculous it would have been if she were a fragile, delicate human who had been tied up and held captive for over a week, but she wasn't human and from the moment she felt Damon's palms cup her face, she felt energy surging back into her limbs. Though her hands and feet still ached from being tied up so long, she was finally able to stand on shaking legs with her palms pressed against Damon's chest for support. She could feel the torn shreds of his t-shirt, but beneath them his wounds were almost entirely healed and she could feel the strength pulsing throughout his entire body. Soon it would pass from him to her. Yet she could feel h
If being a prince was tiring and burdensome, then being king of all the goblins and wolves was exhausting and impossible. Though the goblin rebellion had been quelled for now, there was a lot of work ahead of him to repair the damage that Stanley had done in his many years of sowing doubt against Damon. Still, it was a challenge that Damon took up gladly, for the sake of his people, and for peace. Two weeks had passed since Stanley' death, and working together to hunt him down and his remaining rebels had strengthened the relationship between the wolf shifters of some Lauchair's and the goblins for the first time in decades. Their alliance had proved fruitful so far, and Damon intended to go above and beyond to show his gratitude for the wolves who'd risked themselves to protect his reign. He let Snarl take over as the goblin head and made plans to subdue Shadow and the rest of the adamant Lauchair. It seemed that, for the first time ever, his mother's dream of peace was within rea
Even after several days and certain that he had managed to wash Beetles ’s scent from his skin, Snarl found he could barely look Damon in the eye , considering the abomination he had committed . Standing in the library of the Lauchair's Manor with his hands clasped behind his back, Snarl chose instead to avert his gaze to the floor as he listened to the latest report from his future alpha. “We’ve had reports of strange witches in the area,” Damon explained, running his fingers through his glossy black hair as he sat on the desk where his father usually sat in order to give them their orders. Already Damon was looking like the embodiment of an alpha, sitting all high and mighty in his father’s chair, and Snarl couldn’t help but feel a twisting in his gut whenever he thought of what his best friend might do if he found out about him and his witch girlfriend. “Cole and Brent even scented a couple within the boundaries of the community, but what we can’t figure out is how they are
“You have got to be kidding me! Snarl Rathbone? No way!” Hazel cringed at her sister’s words, knowing that she probably shouldn’t have told her anything about the night she had spent with the future army leader of the pack. Yet it had been a few days and she hadn’t heard from him, nor had she managed to pluck up the courage to write to him. She had to talk to somebody about it. Beetle stared at Hazel with absolute astonishment on her face. The two had been sharing a quiet meal together at the Silver Moon. That was until Hazel had dropped the bombshell on her. Now Beetle’s green eyes glittered with curiosity and surprise. She brushed back her ash-blonde hair and leaned across the booth to look Hazel directly in the eye before asking, “Well, what was it like? Was he any good?” At the question, Hazel’s insides tingled. She remembered all too well how good it had been, and it was clearly written on her face the moment Beetle asked, “That good, eh? Who would have guessed it from
Epilogue Five years later Snarl stared down into his mate’s eyes. This was their fifth anniversary of being a mated couple. Damon, godfather to their six children, all twins, had taken them for the night so Snarl could show his woman how much he loved her. “You’re tormenting me again,” she said, whimpering. He turned her over, dripping some cream onto her back and licking up the droplets. Pressing the strawberry to her lips he watched the plumpness take the fruit. “We don’t get much time alone anymore. We’ve got to take as much time as we can.” It had taken him over three weeks to get Damon and Scar to agree to take their kids. In all fairness all three sets of twins were not the easiest children to look after. Snarl adored them, but he was pleased for them to be out of the house so he could have some quiet time with his wife. After convincing the collective that she loved him, Hazel had accepted his marriage proposal and that very same night he gave her his mating m
Glancing around the kitchen, she tried to find any excuse to answer the damn thing. Be strong, Hazel . You can do this. She loved Snarl , and all she needed to do was prove to them her feelings. Tucking hair behind her ears she walked to the door. “Hello, Hazel. I’m Helen, and these are newly turned maids. I’ll be the one doing the talking today. They’re here to listen, learn, and take information in,” Helen said, going over all the introductions. “Can I tell you to fuck off?” she asked. “You can, but we can’t go anywhere. These are the rules.” Nodding, she opened the door waiting for them all to enter. She heard them scenting the air. “I’ve been doing some baking. Would you please sit in here while I get the tea?” Hazel ushered them into the sitting room like they were a pack a sheep rather than hungry dogs waiting to take her away. Once they were seated, she went into the kitchen, tempted to send someone to Snarl. No, she wouldn’t do something to make them believe s
Three days later Snarl was staring at the reports sent to him while Hazel was at home after a marathon of sex. She was probably happy with the reprieve. His nerves were totally fried at what their future was going to be. Whatever happened was up to her. He tried to focus on his work rather than on what his woman was going to do. The last three days has been preparations for their wedding he’d held back from staying with her again today. The mating heat had been between them during most of their fuck fest, but he held it back.Snarl didn’t want them to blame the mating or him for Hazel staying with him. Because her parents insisted on the marriage first. In the space of one month he’d found his woman, hurt her, taken her, fallen in love with her, and was now on the verge of marrying her. His parents were not lying when they said witches moved fast, refusing to waste a single moment of life. Leaning back, he turned his chair to look over the town life. When he was first outla
His words caused her stomach to flutter all over again and she opened her mouth to respond, but just as she had, he dove before she could, and all she could do was gasp the moment that his mouth met her most sensitive area. Still hot and bothered from sucking his cock, Hazel found that she was more prepared than ever to cum. Her fingers knotted in the bedsheets and even though she was up on her elbows, her head craned back and she screamed at the ceiling. Even though she knew that likely half the pack could hear her right now, she didn’t care. She howled her pleasure as Snarl slipped a single finger deep inside her, using his tongue and his finger to accelerate her pleasure until her stomach was so twisted in knots that there was only one thing for it. “Fuck!” she cursed even as the orgasm exploded like none ever had before. Yet right when she thought she might not be able to take it any longer, Snarl stopped abruptly. For just a second, Hazel feared something was wrong. She
Just a few days later, only hours after Snarl had spent the longest half an hour Hazel had ever experienced in the room with him, she joined him beneath the largest sycamore tree on the Lauchair estate. Though it was not their official wedding due to the lockdown that had been put in place upon the entire community, Hazel couldn’t have wished for anything more. She would give her parents the large wedding they obviously desired to show off their power and wealth, but right now, in this moment, everything was for her and Snarl. With their entire pack surrounding them and some of the women and children who had remained from Shane’s pack, Hazel and Snarl allowed Damon to wrap a crimson ribbon around their hands, binding them together. Tears pricking the corners of her eyes, Hazel gazed up into the eyes of her mate and bit the inside of her lip in an attempt to stop them from falling from her cheeks. “Though we are limited due to the lockdown, Snarl and Hazel have asked that we a
Snarl thrust deeply into Hazel’s tight, wet heat and didn’t bother to stifle his moan. Being inside her was the kind of heaven he’d never thought he’d be lucky enough to experience. She fit him like a glove, silken inner walls gripping his cock as she rode him. For a moment, he just watched her, committing every little expression to memory. She was so expressive, every ounce of pleasure showing in her dark eyes and across her flushed face. He’d done that. Made her shiver and moan in his arms, those sexy little sounds imprinted on his soul forever. Each stroke of his hands over her skin brought a new reaction and he lapped them up, needing to bring her to ecstasy over and over again. She was like a drug—his perfect addiction and one he never wanted to be free of. A sensual temptation he would never let go. “Scream for me, witch,” he ordered, his thrusts harder, faster now . She loved when he says witch and not kitten. “I want to watch your face as you come. Love to see that.” Sh
“Not any guy, just you.” Hazel smiled as she leaned back into Snarl’s embrace. His hands felt so good on her, smoothing around her waist before parting company. The left slid upward to cup one breast as the right made its way down to press the satin of her wrap between her thighs. Strong fingers cupped her mound, firm pressure against her still hidden clit making her body ache. “It had better be just me,” he growled, his voice heavy with both possessiveness and his cat. Her own purred at the sound, wanting nothing more than to roll over for their powerful alpha mate. But the human had other ideas. He couldn’t have this too easy… Or at the very least she couldn’t let him think it was that easy, even if it was. “Well… I dunno, with a lioness of my own now, perhaps I should cast my net a bit wider,” she teased, tilting her head to the side to allow his lips better access. He kissed up her neck, leaving a fiery trail until he reached her ear. Nuzzling behind it, he found the spot tha
“Your breath smelled fine to me.” She rolled her eyes and climbed on the bed beside him. Before brushing her teeth she’d been sucking his cock until he came, swallowing down every drop. “I wanted to brush my teeth.” He reached out, tucking strands of hair behind her ear. “You’re going to be the death of me.” Glancing down at his stiffening cock, she chuckled. “No, you’re going to be the death of me. I’ve not even made it to the kitchen yet without you pouncing on me.” Snarl caressed her ass, sliding his palm over her cheeks. “What can I say? You shouldn’t be so fucking tempting.” He moved over her, trapping her legs together as he kissed and nibbled on her ass. She cried out as his teeth sank into her flesh. Moaning, she held onto the blanket as pleasure consumed her thoughts. Her cream leaked out, coating her clit. The scent of their combined releases surrounded them. “I could spend all day worshipping this ass,” he said, slapping her cheek. She squealed at the sligh
Snarl saw his friend out trying his best to ignore the sympathy in his eyes. Whatever happened was up to Hazel. He wouldn’t try to influence her decision. If the alphas found her suffering from some syndrome or another, he’d lose her either way. So it wasn't about Damon's decision ? He was in love with her. The thought of losing her left a giant hole inside his chest. Clawing out his heart wouldn’t be half as painful even if he would be dead. Hazel was upstairs in their bedroom. She rarely spoke over dinner leaving him and Shadow to talk business. He was tired of meeting and the incessant need to avoid war with certain clans. What was the point of trying when it eventually happens. Staring at his reflection in the mirror Damon let out a breath feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders as he stepped out. He’d been a good alpha, and he hoped to be a good help to him as well as reward him . “Snarl?” He turned to see the love of his life standing in the doorway. She wo