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“I did, thank you.” Vincent sounded polite, but I could tell his mind was still reeling. “I believe the kitchen has the buffet ready to go, if you would like to start us off.” Alpha John motioned to the steaming buffet to the side. “Thank you.” He said and made his way over. “Do you want me to make you a plate?” Ethan whispered to me. “Yes, please.” Ethan helped me sit down before he walked behind Damon. “You look a little pale. How are you feeling?” Callie leaned across the table and looked at me. “If I look pale, it is because you didn’t do my makeup.” Giving her a look, she started laughing. “Luna, would you like something to drink?” “Water, please.” I smiled at the young girl. “Beta Callie?” “Lemonade, please.” She nodded and walked away. “I’ll need you to come pack my bag for me to go to Stella’s luna ceremony.” “I figured as much. That’s not a problem. Whatever my luna needs.” Sticking my tongue out at her, Vincent sat down. “Okay, I am going to get my food now.” Ca
“What is your game plan, Grace? While everyone is looking at Stella, you are going to fake being sick and just walk into the security room? Do you even know where that is at?” Vincent picked up right where he left off. Ethan got me comfortable on the couch, but then stood off to the side with his arms crossed. Damon was in the chair, just watching the show unfold. “I would going to ask for a tour since I’ve never been there.” I was rather calm because it was partially funny to watch Vincent freak out.“What is your plan if you get caught?” Vincent looked at me and put his hands on his hips.“You look so much like dad when you do that.” Folding my arms, I just looked at him and waited. “Fuck, Grace!”“Will you calm down? There is no way to truly plan it out. We will wait until after the ceremony. While everyone is dancing and eating, I’ll get tired and we will head to bed, but get lost and end up in the security room.”Vincent smiled at me like he knew he had me. “What about the guard
Damon pulled out his chair and sat down. He put one plate of food in front of Callie and one in front of himself. “Rat.” I muttered as I took another bite.Damon gave me a half smile and took a bite of biscuit and gravy. “My only priority is to keep you safe.” “So much for us being friends.” I let the hurt show in my eyes, just long enough until Ethan sat down beside me. Then I looked away. “We have an hour before the plane leaves.” Ethan grumbled. “We are ready to go already.” Callie answered before I saw Vincent walk into the room. “Good.” Ethan watched as Vincent went straight to the breakfast line before coming over to us. “I’m done eating.” I said and pushed my plate away. Ethan looked down at my half eaten plate. “Are you sure?” “Yes.” Pushing away from the table, I stood up. “I am going to go shower…” Looking directly at Damon, I said, “Is that okay with you or would you like to make sure it is okay with my mate before I go?” Not waiting for a response, I just turned to
“Look. I’m sorry. I am beyond stressed right now. I need you safe and this is just…” Ethan sat down on the edge of the couch. Pulling me between his legs, his hands ran down my body. “I need you to relax and not walk away from me like that.” Wrapping my arms around his neck, I leaned in to kiss his neck. My fingers threated through his hair. “If you keep that up, we will be late…” Ethan was fighting with himself, but he finally grabbed my hips and pushed me away. “You need to relax a little.” I gave him a sly smiled as he kept me at arm’s length. “We could join the mile high club?” Ethan’s eyes shifted before he stood up. “Focus woman.” He whispered before he wrapped his arm around my waist, guiding me towards the door. “Please be patient with me.” I knew he was referring to the security and how he was handling it. I wanted to remind him of how I was going to handle the plane ride, but I didn’t want to be a bother. I didn’t answer, but just quietly walked beside him. As soon as w
“Love, look at me.” Ethan’s soft voice matched his gentle touch. His fingers moved the hair off my face so he could kiss my tears away. Opening my eyes, I saw the concern on his face, but it was the love in his eyes that really distracted me.“I’m so sorry.”“It is me that is sorry. I should have remembered. It was so worried about security that I missed your fear.” His lips kissed my forehead before moving down to my cheek. Finally, landing on my lips. It was a soft kiss, but it helped relax me. “I love you.” My shaking hands let go of his shirt and rested on his arms. Settling into him, I could feel my body relax. Only when some turbulence hit did I tense up. “I love you more.” Ethan leaned down and kissed me softly. His hand wrapped around my neck, rubbing my cheek lightly. Too soon, he leaned back up. “Are you excited to see Stella?” “I am. I’ve missed her. I really want to see the mountains while we are there.” “I’ve would give you anything to see you smile.” Ethan whispere
The smell of pine, or maybe it was evergreen, filled my nose as we walked out of the plane. Ethan and I were the last to leave. Walking slowly, I took in all the surrounding beauty. The trees were taller than I ever seen. All the different shades of green were breathtaking. “Come on…” Ethan nudged me, bring me back to Earth. “Oh, sorry.” Taking his hand that he offered, he had to practically drag me to the car that was waiting on us. Callie let me get inside the limo before she talked to me. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, I am.” “I honestly thought Stella was joking.” She looked at me with so much remorse. “It’s okay.” As soon as Ethan got in, his hand immediately went to my thigh. Needing the physical contact, my hands wrapped around his arm like it was my lifeline. I knew my hands were still shaking, but as hard as I tried to hide it, it was obvious. Vincent followed my movements but didn’t comment on it. “How long of a drive is it until we are there?” “About thirty minutes.” Damon l
“Fucker…” I was both impressed and annoyed. “This calls for payback.” “I’m sure you will get your chance at your luna ceremony.” Ethan closed the suitcase and set it on the floor.“Ready?” He asked, as there was a knock on the door. “I am.” Following him, Ethan answered the door. “Ready?” Callie asked a little nervously. “What’s wrong?” Ethan looked at her suspiciously. “Um…” She looked around Damon. Sticking my head out, I saw my dad and Vincent in a rather heated and quiet argument. “Hi, dad!” I said quietly but loud enough to make sure he heard me. The way his head snapped to me made me flinch back. “Grace!” His face immediately morphed into a smile as he walked up to me. The anger in his eyes didn’t leave as he came up to us. “Nice to see you, Alpha John.” Ethan held out his hand.Dad glanced at it for a moment before he decided to accept it. It was both disrespectful and obvious. “Alpha Ethan.” “Dad, you remember Beta Damon and his mate and Ethan’s sister, Callie.” I ges
Stella smiled but sighed. “I had to promise Rif I would stay off the tables after the ceremony tomorrow. He said it wasn’t luna like to table dance, so I’ll have to save that for the bedroom.” We died laughed. “What’s so funny?” Rif asked as the boys came back. Since there wasn’t a seat for Ethan, I got up and let him sit down first before sitting on his lap. His hand rested on my thigh as he pushed my drink to me. “Stella said she is prohibited from table dancing.” Callie finished laughing before taking a drink. “Yes, I am not spending the night of your luna ceremony in the hospital.” Rif gave her a look to ensure his request. “Yeah, yeah… I’ll behave.” Stella waved him off before downing her drink. “These are going down too smooth. Maybe I should switch drinks or just stop.” “Let’s just stop. We have too many visitors for you to be drunk.” Rif kissed her cheek. “Wow, Stella. Who knew all it took was a mate to tame you?” I teased as I took a sip. It did taste amazing. Stella na
“CHRISTIAN!” I yelled back. He laughed, as that was our thing. Ethan set me down when we got to the top. Christian instantly wrapped his arms around my legs. “I missed you! You are getting so tall!” “Hey, sis.” Vincent walked up to me with his arm out. With my belly, I could only do a side hug these days.“How is my little nephew doing?” Vincent shook Ethan’s hand. “Very happy where he is at.” Vincent has been a little of a recluse this last year. Finding out the truth, being a full-time day and looking for a beta has kept him from coming around as often. Fortuantly, everyone has sympathized with him. They have really accepted him into our friend’s group. However, Roxie and Zoey are on a kick to find him a mate. Vincent game me a smile and scooped Christian up. “Let’s go inside or we will miss the party.” Ethan held the door for us before quickly resuming his spot next to me. The moment we walked in, my breath was caught in my throat. It was just like I imagined it to be. A larg
1 year later“Grace! We got to go! Everyone is waiting for us!” Ethan was standing at our bedroom door. “I’m COMING!” I growled back. My swollen belly was ready to pop at any moment. Our little baby boy was loving kicking his mother in the lungs so much that he refused to leave. “I can only move so fast!” “You are the most beautiful pregnant person…ever.” Ethan smiled at me as I walked out of the bedroom. The stretchy black evening gown clung to my body, really making my stomach look much skinner than I felt. From the back, you would never know I was pregnant, which confused me. My belly was very round, like a ball. “This is all your fault.” Rolling my eyes at him, I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. Ethan walked over and gave me his arm. “Thank you.” “Just think…” Ethan patted my hand. “…. you get to do this many more times!” Looking up and glaring at him, “I will kick you in the nuts and end all of that.” Ethan laughed at me. I doubt anything would hurt his m
By the time we made it to the club, I had taken a few more shots, and the buzz was going. The club was bouncing. Music could be heard from outside. There was a line down the sidewalk and neon lights were flashing all around. This was the vibe that I was hoping for. “Ethan, I want to check on the computers. With everyone here, I haven’t actually got to see it yet and I want to check it.” I had to shout since the music was so loud and we weren’t even inside. “Grace, you are a little drunk….” Ethan raised his eyebrows at me. “Please? I’m not going to touch it. Just want to make sure it’s okay.” Grabbing his arm, I put on my most pathetic face I could.” “Fine…” Ethan rolled his eyes, but smirked. Wrapping his arm around me, he lead the way inside. “Callie, get everyone situated with drinks. We will catch up.” Ethan instantly lead me away to his office. It was more packed than I had ever seen it. Granted, I had only been here like three times, but this was packed. More than once, we g
“What do you have that is the best with crab?” Theresa thought for a moment. “Try the crab trio. There are three different ways crab is cooked. I think one is the crab alfrado, a mushroom stuffed crab and just steamed crab legs with a pepper, garlic butter to dip it in.” “That sounds perfect.” “Great. Would you like your legs already de-shelled?” “Yes, please.” I said right as the guys came back. “I’ll have a crab cake, please.” Jolene smiled at Theresa. Theresa returned the smile. “For you two?” She looked at them. “Seafood fried roll.” Ethan sighed and downed his drink. “I got another round coming.” She said instantly. Ethan nodded and put his arm back around me. “What did Vincent say?” I asked Ethan in the mind-link, so I didn’t hear what Nox, Stella or Rif ordered. “Well, turns out they were all people that went missing states away. None were from the same state, but they were all scholars in hacking or something cyber. Vincent thinks Zach or Derek had placed them there
Just as Ethan stood up, we arrived at the restaurant. I couldn’t help the sly smile that spread across my face before bitting my lower lip. “Let’s go,” Ethan said before clearing his throat. He gave me a little nudge to get off the bus. “Where are we?” I asked as I stepped off. Ethan was quick behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist. “This is one I have wanted to bring you to since I met you. It’s a very upscale seafood place. I know your favorite food is crab and I think they will have what you want here.” Ethan smiled down at me.“I love this place!” Callie squealed. “Their lobster is absolutely amazing!” “I’ve never been here!” Zoey grabbed Leo’s hand, and they started the train to the front doors. “We have a reservation. It’s under Boone.” Callie yelled from the back. By the time we walked in, the hostess walked off from the front. Zoey turned and smiled at us. I couldn’t help but look around. There was a massive sword fish mounted on the wall. The lighting was low, dark
After the house burnt down, we had to transport everyone back to their respected packs. However, all of our friends had to come back one last time to our pack and gather their belongings. Since they were already here, we had one last night together. Ethan set up a romanic evening that ended with everyone at the club for a night of dancing. All the girls were in my bedroom getting dressed. Callie had on a champain squence colored dress. It volumized her breast with a completely open back and only strings tolding it up. Her ass was about to hang out, but she looks amazing.Zoey had on a similar colored dress, but the top was more of a bra. Her stomach was open to a skirt that sinched at the side. Roxie was wearing a scarlett red dress. With long sleeves, the top was just enough fabric to cover her tits. It was an open stomach, but one side went down to a skirt that went to her calf. The other side had a slit that went to her hip, completely exposing her very toned legs. Stella was wea
Vincent turned and looked at us. “Let’s go home.” He whispered and walked past us. Christian was clinging to Vincent like his life depended on it. “Keep your eyes closed, bud.” He said as he walked out of the house. We all followed him. The battle was over and our warriors were collecting the dead. In the front was Derek’s body, Zach and Adaline. There was a rather large pile of men off to the side and a more respectible line of men that were ours. Leo was barking order with Damon, but Stella caught my attention. She was standing over Derek’s body with tears running down her face. Walking out of Ethan’s arms, I came up to Stella. She met my eyes before looking down again. “W-what happened?” I hesitated before speaking. I wasn’t sure how this was going to impact our friendship. Though it had already been rocky as it was. “Grace?” Rif walked up behind Stella. Putting a hand around his waist, he nodded. “Whatever it is, just tell us.” I knew I had everyone’s attention at this point.
Grabbing a lock of hair, I twisted it in my fingers. “You know Vincent, she used Derek’s weakness and let him believe for three years that he betrayed you.” Vincent’s hand wrapped around his neck. He squeezed hard enough to make her hurt but not enough to stop the breathing. “What should I do? Kill her or put her in my dungeon to years’ worth of torture?” “I’m sorry! I can turn my life around and be the mother that Christian deserves. I only ever wanted to be a mate to you.” She batted her eyelashes at Vincent. His grip tightened around her neck. “Nothing I do will be enough. It won’t be enough to vengue Derek, my dad or the years of head games you put on our son that I’ll have to fix.” Tighter, he squeezed until his hand started shaking. “I regret ever sleeping with you, ever touching you, or even meeting you. The only good thing in my life is Christian. I’m going to take your body and make a mockery of it. You will be an example of what it means to cross me. I’m more powerful than
Ethan, Vincent, and I just stared at her with our mouths hanging open. “Derek thought he betrayed Vincent. He did everything to keep Vincent out of danger and keep his kid safe and you were playing him.” My anger was rising as her words sank in. “You let Derek live with this weight on him for years.” Adaline shrugged. “Who is Derek to me?” She mirrored those words, knowing it was going to get under my skin. “Now, my child is an heir to not only the mafia family, but to a very powerful wolf pack and a blood relative to a very profitable security business.”“You never wanted me to create a program. All this was a lie to get the three of us here.” The truth came crashing down on me.Marco pointed his gun at me. “You are a very hard person to get ahold of. I told Zach to kidnap you by any means needed. He almost got you fucking killed. I’m happy you survived, but yes, however, Ethan was only part of it because he mated to you. I just wanted Vincent and you.” “Your dad was incredibly ann