This showed us well, at least me that maybe I’d been too hard on him, regardless of the surprises he’d thrown our way.Elena stood tall, and I adjusted my stance so that I could stand by her side. She took my hand in hers as she gracefully accepted the show of respect from these bears.“Thank you,” she said quietly, then she turned to Jack. “Did you see my wolf?”He nodded and gestured to the group in front of us. “We all did.”“We’d like some privacy to train for the rest of the afternoon,” she said. “Only because this is new and I’d rather nobody get hurt in case there are any other new developments with my wolf.”“Understandable,” Jack said, and then the other bears began to disperse. “Use the building behind us. I’ll make sure it remains empty until you’re done.”“You’re welcome to join us if you’d like,” I said to Jack, hiding my smirk when I noticed how wide his eyes had become.He glanced down at Sammy, who was still staring at Elena with his mouth open. “I promised my son that
If I’d only known that was the furthest thing from the truth…Amy’s horn came dangerously close to my throat, and I let out a warning growl, to which she responded with her own saucy whinny.That bitch. She was totally trying to stab me.I still loved her, but things were about to get aggressive.Instead of leaving my claws retracted, I extended them, then ran for the wall behind us and used it as leverage.My paws pushed off the drywall there, leaving cracks in their wake, and I leapt over Amy until I could grab her around her long neck.The attempt at taking her down didn’t go quite as I planned, but she also couldn’t stab me if I was on her back.My Bear scrambled to stay where I was when she didn’t fall to the ground as I hoped, but the damn unicorn began to buck, and we had to jump off, barely escaping the hoof that tried to stomp our head.My only friend was trying to kill me.So not cool.I charged her once again, this time going straight at her. She lowered her head, the inten
I knew then that, once the people of the House accepted me, the first thing I wanted to do was clean up the chaos literally. The streets shouldn’t have cracks in them, and the buildings should all be livable by at least basic standards.A distaste for my sperm donor gathered inside me. I’d never met the man, and I’d been devastated about that for many years, but not any longer.From the sounds of it, I wouldn’t have ever wanted to be influenced by Mathis’s selfishness or tyranny. Though I did still wonder about my mother.Was she still alive? Why hadn’t she kept me with her? Did she still live here in Fire and Fluorite? So many questions, and there wasn’t a single place I could think to start looking for answers without going back to the coven.Going back was something I didn’t want to do. It seemed stupid, considering all the changes I’d gone through, but after waiting eighteen years to escape that place…going back seemed more daunting than fighting for the Alpha Supreme position.Ma
I stepped closer to him and squared my shoulders. “You’re right. Mathis has nothing to do with this, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a claim here. I’ll be the Alpha Supreme of this House before long, and I’ll do whatever I have to in order to make that happen.”He shook his head slowly and smirked. “You’re so out of your league here that I almost feel bad for this.”Dylan moved to strike, and Atlas tried to warn me, but I didn’t need the assist. I was prepared for an underhanded move and easily dodged the first punch.“So, you’re quick on your feet,” Dylan taunted. “That doesn’t mean you can beat me. How about we settle the matter right now?”“I think that can be arranged,” I replied calmly. “And when I win, you’ll shut down your faction and I’ll claim Alpha Supreme.”He threw his head back and laughed hauntingly. “So much confidence for a naïve woman who didn’t even know she was a wolf shifter until a few weeks ago.”I nearly flinched at the comment. I hadn’t realized anyone would
His words were a mere whisper, but they echoed loudly through my mind as he walked away.I would if I had to.While Atlas rejoined our small group, other members of Fire and Fluorite circled around us. This was exactly what we needed. It wasn’t just the faction leaders who needed to know I wasn’t backing down, but more importantly, it was the members of the House that needed to know I deserved the title I was seeking.My Bear moved forward, and I readied myself mentally for the fight, but Dylan didn’t give me much time for that.He shifted back to his Bear and hadn’t even let his front paws touch the dying grass before he swiped at me. His claws caught my tail, but no blood was drawn and nothing about the energy pulsing from me hurt him.Just like it hadn’t for Amy, Atlas, or Mark when we’d been practicing earlier.I had surmised that was because, just as Atlas had said, I was a pure wolf. The extra power I had didn’t give me special abilities, but it did enhance what I’d already work
Elena was vibrating next to me. She hadn’t said a word or made a move, but there was a storm building inside her, that was certain.Her chest rumbled, and I wrapped my arms around her. “You need to take a breath.”“A breath?” She slowly turned her head to look up at me. “A fucking breath? Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”She took a step away from me, but I pulled her back flush against my chest. “This is what Dylan wanted. He wanted to tear us apart. Don’t let him win now.”Her arms jerked within my hold, and I was barely keeping her contained. “We have to fucking kill them all. Every single shifter who hurt these people. They’re all going to fucking burn.”The hoarseness of her voice, the agony I could sense within her…all of it made me want to rage on her behalf, but I knew that wouldn’t solve anything.Not for the people here.They needed to see their potential new Alpha Supreme in control, not falling apart at the first sign of destruction.I grabbed Elena’s cheeks and forced her
That finally had her chuckling as I turned on the shower.She stepped in first, barely staying up on her feet, and I did my best to ignore the bruises that covered her neck, back, and leg. Dylan had been a fair match for her, but he hadn’t had the heart my mate did.There was no scenario in which he would have ever beaten her.Knowing that was the only thing that had kept me from getting involved. Especially when he’d drawn blood. Elena had done just what she’d needed to, and I was so fucking proud to call her mine.Quickly, we washed and rinsed our bodies, then only managed to half dry off before making our way to the bed.I tucked Elena against my side, but then she climbed on top of me, plastering herself to me.“I need you,” she murmured, peppering light kisses over my chest.My lips pressed against her forehead. “You have me. All of me.”She shivered within my arms, and my hands roamed over her body as she moaned. “Make me forget the last eight hours.”I wasn’t sure I could do th
The man gave his son another tight squeeze, then set him down. “Why don’t you go see Uncle Tuck while I talk to these nice people?”Sammy frowned. “Is he mad at me?”His hand rubbed over Sammy’s messy hair. “Not at all. We’re just glad you’re okay.”The boy nodded, then ran for the group of men who had moved a little closer but still were about twenty feet away from us.“I’m Jack,” the dad said, walking toward me. This time, without a murderous glare.I shook his offered hand. “Atlas.” I nodded behind him. “That’s Elena in grey and Amy in white.”“What happened to my son?” Jack demanded, glancing behind me, likely at Sammy.Elena stepped forward and moved to my side. My arm twitched to pull her against me and mark my territory, but I refrained as she began to speak.“Sammy told me that he was swinging with his friends while the adults talked. The ‘bad man’ as he called the asshole we have tied up in the van, apparently had balloons and, from the sounds of it, was hiding behind some bu