*** Ethan’s POV ***I sat at my desk, my phone up but dark. Dad said he would take the guys and bring the rogue Commander in along with Mom. This all had been blown way out of proportion. My hands itched to do something, anything. Dad got a text hours later that they were on their way but according to the Commander, it would take a few hours to get here. She could be lying or she could be anywhere within the state.Pulling out my sketchbook, I flipped opened to a new page and started to draw. At first it was nothing, shapes and items that I’d been staring at for the past hour in my office waiting to hear something back from my Dad. Then it morphed into her.The conversation, my very first conversation with my mate, did not go very well. At least, I didn’t think it did. She was seventeen. Seventeen and with enough strength and power to pull me into her dreams without her realizing it. That was absolutely absurd. Originally I though
I blinked at my mom, before my eyes slid to my dad. His mouth was taut until he finally closed his eyes and sighed.“She’s…what?”“She’s my daughter, Ethan.”I turned to look at Kev only to find his eyes were as wide as saucers. He had grown up with her as my mom for as long as I had. His eyes slide to mine and he nodded, knowing what I was asking. She was telling the truth. Turning back to my mom, she had a continuous stream of tears falling down her cheeks.“Mom…you…you had a kid…”“Four actually. I have four kids back in Silver Mountain before I managed to escape.”I grabbed the chair nearest to me and fell into it. Placing my head in my hands, I tried wrapping my head around this information.“So one of your kids came to talk to you? After all these years?”I was surprised that my dad answered. “She didn’t actuall
The door shut behind them and I leaned back in the seat, my head falling back to face the ceiling. My eyes side closed and o just felt myself slip into the silence that was now the packhouse.‘I’m surprised you didn’t say anything.’‘You don’t want me to. So I won’t.’I felt Niru sitting just on the fringes of my mind. It was almost like he was trying to be there for me without crowding me. Which was unusually kind of him considering his normal behavior.‘I just don’t need sass or snark right now.’He hummed. ‘How about a secondary observation?’I opened my eyes, looking up at the white ceiling. ‘Shoot.’‘Skylar is a Commander.’Snorting, I pushed up off the chair and headed into the kitchen. I opened the fridge and grabbed a
“None of my business. I don’t handle individual mate bonds. I allow mates to do as they wish with the fated mates that the goddess feels would be a perfect match for them.” I kept my face passive as Roger tried to get himself under control.“Laura has been in love with you for many years, Alpha. She has been taught how to be a leader and a Luna. Her grace and kindness would match that of our current Luna.” I felt my eye twitch as he sung his daughter’s praises. “She’s selfless and very knowledgeable. Even the Alpha King praised her when we had the opportunity to meet him a few years back. He’s also been very interested in you providing for your pack.”I leaned forward, resting my chin on my intertwined hands. “So is that why she threatened to go to the Alpha King? To force him to make her my mate?”His eyes widened. “What?”“Oh? Did she not tell you that part of the
I saw my mom sigh but then her shoulders tightened back up with the anger she seemed to forget for the moment. Before she could say anything, I pulled out a chair for her and then sat down at the table with my plate and a glass of water. She narrowed her eyes at the moment but eventually came over and sat down.“Oh. Hold on a second.”I got up and quickly grabbed my sketchbook from my office. Setting it down next to my plate, I sat back down. Mom was looking at me like she was trying to figure me out.“I thought you would be later.”She snorted. “I got off early for good behavior. Is that okay, Alpha? Or should I ensure I work to the last second of the eight hours?”“Mom, please. Don’t make this a fight. I know I messed up as well. Trust me, I get it. I’m paying for it in my own way, I promise you. But I need you to understand that what I do for you is because I love you. I don’t
When we talked about Heath having eyes and ears in my pack, we weren’t kidding. A text I wanted to ignore sat unread for two days before I finally relied. Not that it was needed. He didn’t ask questions. There was no request.‘Flying into your pack on Friday, make sure you have everything ready.’Groaning, I was now leaning against the pillar of the front porch of the pack house waiting for this bastard to drop from the sky like he usually did. I was glad my mom was currently working in town. He liked to harass her a little too much for my liking. Dad was standing against the door, his arms also crossed over his shoulder.Sam was sitting in the swing and Kev was kicking it, trying to get it to tip over. Finally, Sam squeaked and I growled at the two of them.“Would you two quit acting
I stood up from my chair, staring at him. My mind was trying to sort out what he was saying. He wasn’t here for me or for the pack. Heath was here for Skylar. I opened my mouth but no words came out. Luckily, Sam was a little more than willing to ask questions.“What? Why? I thought we could use her against her father? She has a ton of information right? Who the hell would take on that kind of job?”Heath shrugged. “I have some mercenaries in the area I trust. I needed to convene with them and give them the information. A few of my guys spotted her running in the National Park about an hour or so away. Apparently, she runs pretty religiously out there. Anyways, I just thought it would be best to nip it in the butt. Even if we used her, we could never fully trust her. I’d have to kill her eventually anyways.”Niru was howling in my head. ‘Say something you fucking idiot! We need to go! We need to warn her! Fu
The other two wolves left stepped back, now understanding that Skylar was far too much for them. Her head cocked to the side, watching them with fascination as they continued to try to step back. However, she stepped forward every step they took back. One of them tried to make a break for it but the air shifted and I felt the command fill the area. It was suffocating and I realized, it was her. She was the source of the intense command. This was so much more than just a powerful werewolf, or even powerful Alpha. The two mercenaries now moved toward her. With just a glance at their eyes, you could see they were fighting her against their will. She was forcing them to fight. Forcing them to finish what they started. I wanted to step forward but Niru held me back. There was a sliver of fear that wormed through him and then me. Fear of our own mate. It didn’t take long for her to dispatch the last two. Not once did she shift or even attempt to shift. She stood amongst the wolves she kill
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.
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
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
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
*** 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
*** 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
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
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
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