POV: Echo*Memory*:*My parents had been tense since Alpha Jarrod and Luna Esther stopped by for a visit the other day, and I could tell it had something to do with their son. Ever since we arrived, he has been hovering closer and closer every day. It’s been a while since we’ve been here, and he is always near me now.At first, I thought he might just be curious about the ‘rogue’ girl, but now I think it’s more than that. He never talks to me, and I don’t think he even knows that I know he’s been following me everywhere I go for the last few weeks. I always know exactly where he is, and so that is where I avoid going. The Red Stone pack is nice, not as nice as home was, but better than all that time we spent getting there while avoiding other packs and rogues along the way. We couldn’t even stop and get a vehicle anywhere because my parents were so worried that we’d be found. I’ve been working hard not to show how much I miss Alpine Moon, but I know it sneaks through occasionally. S
POV: Echo*“And if I don’t?” Brady raised an eyebrow at my mother, pulling me impossibly closer. “What are a couple of refugee wolves such as yourselves going to do to the future Alpha of the pack you’ve taken refuge in? My father has already been looking at how to force your hand in five years, anyway. What difference does it make if it’s now or then?”Everyone fell silent at the underlying threat within Brady’s words. I could feel the tears as they dripped down my cheeks, and I wanted nothing more than to run to my mother and father for safety. As though he knew what I was thinking, Brady tightened his grip on me painfully.“Brady, son,” His mother, Esther, was the first to break the deafening silence. “This isn’t the way to go about this! You’re scaring the poor girl! I don’t think she will be very accepting of your offer in ten years if she is afraid of you…” My stomach cramped at her uneasy chuckle after she confirmed my worst fears. They wanted me as the mate for their son, fat
POV: Echo “NOO!” I punched and kicked and clawed, fighting them off of me, desperate to keep my memories. When I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, pinning me down, I thrashed around, screaming louder to drown out whatever they were whispering in my ear. “No! I won’t let you! Get off of me!” Slowly coming to, I quieted down a bit as I felt tingles spreading throughout my body from everywhere that the wolf’s skin connected with mine. Still uncertain, I kept trying to break free, but now I was listening to the words they were saying. “Shhh, Little Warrior.” His velvety voice was like a sedative as he continued. “I’m here with you, Little Mate, you are safe with me.” “There we go, it’s okay, I’ve got you.” Atlas cooed as I stilled, taking deep breaths of his alluring scent. Sensing the change in me, he slowly shifted our position. We had been sitting in the bed with his arms wrapped around my torso and arms, restraining me as I attacked him. Once he was certain I wasn’t fighting his
POV: Echo Over the course of the next week, Atlas and I developed our own little routine. We would eat breakfast with our tier-one warriors together. While I was working on my strengthening exercises, Atlas was training with our elite warriors. Which I found to be slightly distracting at times. After training, we were all starving and sat together for what we called “second breakfast”. I was even impressed that I was now noticing times when I was hungry again and was eating what every called ‘snack’ sized portions. Once everyone was done, we’d all go our separate ways, with Atlas and I going back to our room for a shower. Of course, my mate was very keen on showering together, which almost always ended in bed, with both of us requiring a proper shower afterwards. I never thought that I’d crave the touch of a man, especially not like that, but I craved the feeling of his skin against mine, his hands on my body. It made me and my wolf hot and bothered to even think about it. Once we
Being WatchedPOV: EchoInstinctively ducking my head at the noise, I took a deep breath and watched the wolves around the table. They all looked equal parts amazing and confused, as everyone but Granny Maeve and Atticus tried to process what Atlas had just said as their mouths worked faster than their brains.Cassius was the only other one who wasn’t completely sputtering, but he had asked a question that was lost to the other voices before sitting back and contemplating deeply. I was thankful when the others realized their efforts were futile and the room faded back into silence.Shifting uncomfortably in my seat, I waited for someone, anyone really, to speak. Looking at Atlas, I watched as he looked at the wolves sitting around the table as he gauged their reactions to the news now that they had calmed.He nodded at his grandmother, who grinned cheekily at him as he rolled his eyes at her with a grin.“I figured out rather quickly what you two were searching for information about i
Muscle MemoryPOV: EchoAs was my new routine, I was up and ready to go for training. I frowned as I noticed my mate was still sleeping, and I realized I didn’t know how late he was until last night. With a shrug, I let him sleep before slipping on my shoes and heading down for breakfast.Plopping my tray between Vesta and Tobias, I couldn’t help but tug on the feisty red head’s ponytail as I took my seat.“Hey! Hands to yourself, Echo!” she screeched, as she snuck a hand behind me and yanked on my braid. We burst into a fit of laughter as Benny rolled his eyes at our antics. I’d grown considerably more comfortable with the now familiar wolves around me over the last week.Vesta, her mate Benny, as well as Tobias, and his mate, Ragnar, have become my friends during our times together. While Vesta, Benny, and Tobias were friendly and easy-going, they were also hard workers. Ragnar was a complete contrast; hostile and distant, but fiercely loyal and protective of his mate and Luna. He e
POV: EchoBreakfast was filled with laughter, and a lot of jokes about me flipping Ragnar over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I think that most of the wolves there wouldn’t have believed I’d done it if they hadn’t been there to see it.Travis and Blaze certainly looked sceptical for a moment before everyone confirmed I’d done it. Everyone’s doubt made me feel a bit put off, but I know my small size of 5 foot nothing and being underweight weren’t helping. If I don’t think I would believe such a small wolf could flip a 6-foot 7-inch-tall wolf that was built like a brick wall, either. Shrugging it off, I simply gave a small smile to anyone who was surprised as they joined our table.“You know, one of the most dangerous things a wolf can do in a fight is to underestimate their opponent.” I looked up from my tray to find Ragnar was looking straight at me while he spoke. “Judging a wolf’s skills based on their appearance gets you killed out there. I’d have expected better of the warri
POV: AtlasRagnar’s comment about underestimating your opponent definitely put a lot of the wolves at the table in their place, including me. I knew right away I had let myself get carried away in the moment and hadn’t paid enough attention to my mate.Her dismay flowed heavily through the bond before she excused herself and rushed out of the dining hall. Knowing that I was most likely a major contributor to her distress, I followed her out and wrapped her in my arms.She turned to putty in my hands as I apologized, and all thoughts of her appointment disappeared from my mind as I carried her to the lift. Until she reminded me, rather insistently, that she had to go.I knew she was right though, as I had my meeting to attend, wanting to finish the setup of the personal guard detail we’d been discussing. We’d picked the six wolves who would be rotating shifts, now we just needed to solidify their duties, shifts, when we needed more or fewer guards, etc. The finer details, so that they