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Chapter 20
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2024-10-29 19:42:56*** Ethan’s POV ***
I bolted up out of bed, my chest heaving. I was drenched in sweat and I could feel my skin prickle. Running a hand through my hair, it was damp and I could feel it drip down my back. Taking a deep breath, I finally felt like I could breathe again. Leaning forward, I put my face in my hands, trying to ease the pounding headache that was now threatening to make me want to pluck my eyes out.
“Ethan!”
My door slammed open and I winced, the sound much too loud. Peeling my hands way, I was glad I still had the blankets on me. My Gamma, Kevin, was heaving in the doorway, looking at me wildly. Behind him, my Delta, Sam, was looking wildly around the room for any intruders.
“You…”
“Had the dream again. I’m fine. Go back to bed.” My voice sounded scratchy and I cleared my throat. For some reason I could still taste the smoke, still feel the heat against my skin.
T
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I would be Alpha. I would lead my pack after my father retired. I would be the strongest there ever had been. It pushed me to be stronger and stronger. There wasn’t a single wolf in our pack who could come toe to toe with me, even my father, by the time I turned sixteen. I had been invited to the knights training early on but chose to ignore them. I thought I was hot shit when I was younger that I didn’t need them. I remember my father slapping me upside the head, telling me I needed to be taken down a notch or five. I smiled at the memory. It really screwed me up. As I grew up, I refused to take a Beta. Refused to even touch the subject with anyone. Kev was my best friend and I made him my Gamma while Sam was my high school friend, she became my Delta. When I turned eighteen, Sophia and Fiona came, providing presents and removed the suppression magic from me. I was happy that I wasn’t mated to Kev but also, I didn’t upgrade him to Beta because it didn’t feel right. He also said he wa
Shift Chapter 22
Alpha Devon still hadn’t given over his pack to his son, and I didn’t know if his son was any different. Mom always got quiet when I spoke about him or his heirs, so I stopped mentioning them. I had seen their Beta-to-be in the training and had heard he was pretty damn good for a Beta. But it didn’t make me want to even go near him. I’d probably end up killing him.“Mom, one day you’ll hear something. I promise.” Reaching out, I squeezed her hand.She smiled, her eyes lighting up. “Thank you. You sure you are okay? Did you…?”“I’m fine, Mom. I need to finish this up because I’m taking Sam with me to the castle in a few days. I’ll be there for a few days and so I don’t want to leave a pile of paperwork behind. It’s only going to get worse.”“Did you want me to…”I groaned. “Mom, stop. Stop trying to work. I got this, don&rs
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“Sweetheart?” “I think she was stabbed in the leg.” She inhaled sharply, tears filling her eyes. “Why…why must she go through so much pain?” I rubbed my thigh, the phantom pain still making it throb. “I don’t know. It’s been pretty quiet as of late. This is the first bad one in a while.” Her lips pursed in a line. “Can you really add the pain of rejection to this poor girl’s list of injuries? Add that scar to all the other ones?” “Mom, I don’t want to talk about this.” She sighed and nodded. Her hand came up and brushed my cheek with her thumb. “I know I say this often, but you are blessed. This link you have with her, it’s a blessing from the Moon Goddess. It may not seem like it, but it is. You’re supposed to help each other. If you don’t, what’s going to happen to her? Or your Beta?” I knew she wasn’t looking for an answer. She never did anymore. Getting up, she headed out of the office, but turned before she closed the door behind her. “Eat, sweetheart. Maybe rest a little.
Shift Chapter 24
“Chest? Like good or bad?”She munched on a chip. “Bad? I dunno. It’s a tightness, like it’s harder to breathe. It’s been continuous since yesterday evening. Like something has been decided and it’s moving forward. I dunno. I know I sound crazy.”I chuckled. “Yeah, you’re talking to the Alpha who has a prophecy of having two mates. You sound sane next to that.”Sam laughed as well, taking out a water bottle she brought and sipping from it. “I dunno, Alpha. This…this seems big. It doesn’t last this long without anything happening. It should already have happened.”Nodding, I reached in and grabbed a chip out of her bag. “We’ll keep our ears up. It could just have to do with this treaty. We are supposed to meet Peter on Saturday. It could just be related to that.”Humming, she rolled up the bag of chips and put her chair back down in as horizo
Shift Chapter 25
*** Skylar’s POV *** I rolled out from under Thing, yelling at the top of my lungs with Emmett. ‘A-B-C-D-E-F-U’ ‘And your mom and your sister and your job’ ‘And your broke-ass car and that shit you call art’ Even Raine was yelling the lyrics in my head. Emmett was sitting on the workbench in the garage as I worked on doing the final checks to the engine and everything connected to it. We’d never started her up after Caleb took out her engine and did some work on it. ‘Fuck you and your friends that I'll never see again’ ‘Everybody but your dog, you can all fuck off’ ‘Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah’ ‘A-B-C-D-E-F-U’ We’d started early this morning, considering the long task this one was going to be and how crucial Thing was to my escape. Emmett and I usually worked on the car, so it looked normal for a Sunday. Maybe even as a last hurrah together as brother and sister. No one bothered us last night, but it would have taken effort since we’d kept the hatch ‘locked’ all night.
Shift Chapter 26
“You chose. The two of you chose. I don’t get a choice. I get to be taken, raped, becoming an old perverted Alpha’s whore. That is, until I’m used up and provided the number of pups he wants. Then what? My usefulness comes to an end, so does my life? Will I be like our birth mother? Destined to rot in some cell while I give birth? Tortured and then tossed away? Praying every day that someone will save me until I lose all hope and die? I’m not like you at all.”I shook my head. “You’re the golden boy who will step into the Alpha position and make our father proud. You’re already doing so well. Finally turning into the Alpha he always wanted you to be.”It sounded like I was praising him, but we all knew better. It was an insult. The ultimate insult to be compared to our father. At one time, Caleb rejected the cruelty.“We need this treaty, Skylar. Our pack will suffer if we don’t. Your friend
Shift Chapter 27
Heading out to the parking lot and Vince waggled his eyebrows. “Don’t look now but there is a black Mustang with your name on it.”I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. I’ll pass. I did manage to grab some of the good green on Sunday if anyone wants to join.”All three of them exchanged smiles. Henry clapped his hands once before throwing his arms around Steph and my shoulders.“Where to this time? And who’s driving?”“I’ll drive.” Vince was first to pipe up.I hummed, glaring at the beautiful Mustang. “I’ve got just the place. I’m leaving, so it should be passed to the people who will need it. Come on, I’ll direct you.”With Vince driving, I got in the passenger seat with Steph and Henry in the back. Cranking up the music, we peeled out. After a couple of vague directions, Vince nodded to the rearview mirror.“We are being followed.”I chuckled. “Probably to make sure I don’t run away. Here! Turn into the dirt area. It’s a bit of a trek but it’s worth it.”We all got out once Vince parked. Headin
Shift Chapter 28
After Vince and I got out, drying in the small rays of sun that shined in the clearing, I felt whole. This would be our last outing together and it was a good one. One I would cherish. Stomping our way back to the car, Vince dropped off Steph and then Henry.“You want me to help with your grandmother?”He sighed. “No, I’ll deal with her. I have a feeling bringing you home would make it worse.”I chuckled. “You’re not wrong. A block away is fine.”Vince pulled over, far enough from the pack house to not be seen. “Do you need anything? Is there anything I can do to help?”Shaking my head, I opened up the door and got out, but leaned in through the rolled down window. “Today was great. Thanks for driving.”“Skylar.”I just gave him a quick smile. “I want you to be happy, Vince. Use what you have at your fingertips and chase happiness. Don’t let this pack poison you or your mate.”He nodded and I stood, tapping the door.“Get home. Fight the grandmother.”A wide smirk spread onto his face
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I can't believe I'm actually here. We are at the end of Shift. Done. Complete. Marked and mated. ;)First off, thank you. All of you. Every single one who liked, who commented, who corrected my spelling, who didn't do anything but just read. Every single one of you have stuck with me and I can only hope that you guys enjoyed a peek into the lives of Sky, Ethan, Justin, Emmett, Kev, Sam, Kat, Caleb...and so many other characters. They are near and dear to my hearts and I honestly will say, closing this last chapter out was such a heartfelt moment for me.I could not have continued this without my regulars. You know who you are and I just want to say even when I felt down, I knew I had to keep going because I honestly didn't want to disappoint. As a lot of you know, I struggle with being sick a lot. So having my writing means so much to mean and having you guys be so patient during that time means the world to me. Especially when it feels like there is so much negativity on the internet.
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My lips crashed onto Sky’s and it was an entirely different feeling with the electricity of the mate bond. Niru was growling and howling incoherently in my head but at the same time, it all made sense. I wanted her, needed her. Needed everything that she would give me. The thing that surprised me the most was that I wanted to share her as well. Pulling away, I looked at Justin who was just about foaming at the mouth.“She tastes like orange citrus as well. Would you like to taste her lips?”Justin’s irises blew out and a shiver ran through his spine. He reached for her but it was a lot more gentle than I expected. He brushed her cheek and sucked a hair behind her ear before pressing his lips to hers. She molded up against his body and I stepped up behind her, brushing the hair out of her face.“Can you taste it? Taste the orange with the salt from the sea?”Justin hummed as he pulled back slowly taking her lip between his teeth for a moment before letting it go. I smirked, feeling how
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Justin chuckled. “You mean Fast Orange? Yeah, I smell it. Of course that’s what she would smell like. She uses that shit almost every day.”I smiled and I realized he was beaming too. This time we did follow our noses. She had been here but she wasn’t here anymore. We followed it back up the stairs as she wove through the art tents and through the throng of people that had amassed. I pushed through first, following just my instinct, Niru almost fully taking over.Justin was right behind me, never once straying or getting stuck behind someone else. I followed the orange scent and it started getting stronger. Like I had just stuck my nose in the bucket of the stuff she kept in the shop bathroom. The beach was relatively quiet since it was getting cooler as the sun was going down.Near the edge of the waves, just where it was lapping up onto the sand, Sky stood alone. Her large-brimmed woven sunhat was pushed back on her head and sunglasses were set around the top of it. She was wearing a
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There was a read receipt but she wasn’t replying. Not that I blamed her. Sky probably saw right through my charade. Justin looked over my shoulder at my phone. “Yeah, because that’s not over the top.” I growled at him but continued to stare at the screen. Finally, I held my breath when the three little dots appeared. Justin was the opposite, breathing heavy as he started at my phone as well. S: Well, it’s nice to be remembered today. Both Justin and I winced. Oh yeah, she was mad. ‘Who can blame her? I sure can’t.’ Niru added his two cents. Shaking my head, I typed up another message. Mate #1: I’m sorry, baby. Really. Come on, let’s celebrate together, yeah? We can go to your favorite place in the city, have a nice dinner or whatever you want. Justin snorted. “Way to lay it on thick.” “What else do you want me to do? We fucked up. She knows it. We know it. I’m not about to lose the chance to be with her on her birthday because of it. Are you?” That shut him up as we both
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*** Ethan’s POV *** My alarm went off and all I wanted to do was throw my phone at the wall. I’d gone to bed at three in the morning and I knew this alarm was for eight. My eyelids didn’t want to open and I turned over in bed, burying my face in my pillow. This had been the first time in three days I’d gotten to bed. It was a chore dragging myself up the stairs but I’d made it.Normally, I loved doing the work behind the scenes. The problem was is that the inspector with an entire tree trunk shoved up his ass decided that he was going to nitpick laws that weren’t even updated in this century. I would know because I fucking checked. Mr. Marrow had been out three times and each time we passed the first set of requirements but would find even more to throw our way.‘You need to be extra safe when it comes to our youth. You know, they are our future and the path to a better tomorrow.’ Niru copied his grating voice almost perfectly, before growling and snapping his jaw. ‘If I could just s
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*** Four Months Later *** My eyes peeled open and I reached out for my phone. The screen flashed four in the morning and I groaned. My hand fall back against the sheets and I laid there for another moment. However, it was Raine who started to bounce up and down in my head.‘Raine, come on.’‘But Sky, aren’t we doing to do the thing?’Her exuberance and happiness made a smile creep onto my face.‘Come on, Sky. If we go early, we can be there early!’‘Alright, alright! Fucking hell.’Throwing the blankets off of me, I got up and padded into the bathroom. Going pee and taking a quick shower, I woke up enough to feel somewhat alive. Coffee would get me the rest of the way there. The kitchen was quiet when I walked in and I still continued to thank the Goddess for it. It had been a month since everyone moved the hell out of my place. There was still work needing to be done in the apartments but I left that to the contractors and the guys themselves.For now, I would enjoy the simple peace
Shift Chapter 174
I sat on the stairs of the porch, looking out over the back yard of the pack house. Everything was so quiet here. It was nice to take a break from the chaos that was now my home. At least for a few minutes. The wind blew and I tucked a stray hair behind my ear. Looking down at my phone, I stared at the messages that were there. E: Hey Sky, I feeling a little better today. Sam made some kind of soup. It was completely inedible. She had to order pizza. It reminded me of when you tried to cook that pasta dish and you somehow managed to burn the pasta. E: I went shopping online today. Got some more clothes. Bernard came by and cut my hair for me. That was nice. It was getting in my eyes. They won’t talk about you though. It’s like you don’t exist anymore and I hate it. E: Today was a bad day. I don’t know why. I just woke up and I threw up until there was nothing left in me. Sam tried to help but I felt disgusting. I’m reminded of what I did. What I had done. It’s like it comes back
Shift Chapter 173
We headed down the road in Ethan’s truck. I was squished between Ethan and Justin in the center seat of the bench. Still, it felt nice as I rested my head on Justin’s shoulder and my fingers laced with Ethan’s. I’d need them to handle this trip.“I gave one of the new homes to Sam. Her and Emmett have been staying together.”“So she didn’t reject him?”Ethan squeezed my hand. “She didn’t. She hasn’t marked him but when she heard what you did, I think she thought it only right for her to give him a chance as well.”My heart lightened just a little, knowing that something good may actually come from all this pain. Ethan turned down the road that was brand new and I could see the new homes that were being built. There were three blocks of them that were already finished and he pulled into the driveway of one that was a block down. I scooted out of the middle and Justin helped me down from the truck.“Whatever you do, pretend like I’m not here.”Both Ethan and Justin gave me confused look
Shift Chapter 172
I woke up screaming and my eyes flung open. Everything was hazy and I didn’t know where I was. All I could remember was the all consuming feeling of the darkness. How sticky my hands were from Emmett’s blood. The last sound that came from Marrok as I killed him. My heart sped up as I started to hyperventilate, as my stomach started to roll.“Hey! Sky! It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe.”A hand brushed my cheek but I flinched away from in.“Shit. Hold on. I’m pulling over.”I felt bile start to come up but I just coughed, forcing myself to not throw up. I hadn’t realized we were moving until the motion stopped completely. It helped a bit for my stomach but I still felt like I couldn’t breathe. Hands slipped under my arms and pulled me up from my laying down position. My head fell heavily against Ethan’s shoulder and arms held me tight.“You’re okay. I’ve got you. I’m right here.”That broke the damn. I started to cry as I grabbed onto the front of his shirt, balling it up between my
