I wake with a stirring that is very unfamiliar to me. My chest heaves from my heavy breaths and my body is drenched in sweat. I sit up in bed quickly, trying to regain my breath.The room is dark, but with my werewolf sight I am still able to see somewhat. I reach for the lamp on the nightstand and switch it on. With my arm I wipe away the residue that has formed on my head and look at the body rising and falling soundly beside me. Samuel seems to be completely at rest while my mind is still reeling from my dream.It is so vivid i can recall every touch and tingle on my body. His hot breath on my skin, the little love bites. My thoughts hit me like a ton of bricks.Even in my just awoken state I still yearn for him.I begin to panic. I know I need to get away from him before something really bad happens that I can never take back. I am mentally not ready to mate him but my body is saying something completely different. I am in turmoil with myself.I force myself to the bathroom, fight
I gasp and sit up in bed abruptly. My chest rises and falls with heavy breaths, my body drenched in sweat. I feel strange and different somehow.I shift in my mates arms around my waist and face him when everything that happened between us comes rushing back to me. A startled cry escapes my lips. Samuel is quickly awoken. His eyes reflect panic."What's wrong?" he asks."Y-you...I...we..." I try to find my words, but fail miserably. Everything is one big jumble in my head and I can't sort it all out.He sighs in relief when he realizes I am physically okay. However, emotionally, I don't even know the answer to that."Yes. We did," he says, answering my unasked question. "We're fully mated now."The pride in his tone doesn't go unnoticed. While he is sure about how he feels about our mating I am still conflicted. I want to be angry at myself for yielding unto him so easily and at him for reasons unknown yet, but I can't. It is almost as if my mind and body refuse to be angry at him or
A few things happen when I step outside the mansion to meet the rest of the pack. One, there is a lot of growling coming from one specific person who is dangerously close to shifting. Two, everyone looks like they are about to attack him with teeth bared and in wolf form. And three, that same specific wolf stands tall, dark, and possessive with my best friend wrapped in his arms. It only takes me seconds to realize what is happening. I have seen this same scene before...with mates.Samuel stands silently by me with an intense expression on his face. He seems to be communicating a message to the pack to back off because seconds later they all stand down without hesitation. Luka has really provoked them.Doreen finally manages to smile at her mate after the surprise wares off that it is Luka who was holding her. With the pack calmed down, he looks at her with so much love the entire pack is able to feel it. Their love is infinite and I am happy for them.My free spirited friend is posi
“I don't know if I can go with you," Samuel says after we have finished our food and left the cafe. We are on our way back to the pack and he is stiff. "I don't think I can be in the same room as him and not want to kill him."He doesn't sound bitter anymore over his mate because he has moved on from it like I have, but he still doesn't like Logan. He found him too weak to be an Alpha and he doesn't trust him. That's something he has told me a few times during our travel."It's okay if you don't want to go. I'll be fine on my own," I say.He is quick to reply. "No, I don't want you alone with him. You should take someone from the pack with you.""It's really okay. He is too emotionally unstable to be any risk or harm to me.""Grace..." He tone is a warning not to argue with him on the subject. He never tries to tell me what to do and if he does insist on something it's because he feels strongly about it. "I'll send Dominic with you."I slowly let my eye drift to Dominic sitting in th
My scalp tingles with the need to shift. I have to get out of here. I have to warn Samuel and both packs. They have to know what Logan was doing."You," I spit. "You are responsible for all of this. For Logan. For the deaths of Samuel's parents. The attacks on all the other packs. You leave a trail of bodies and destruction in your wake.""She's quite a fireball," he says to Logan, his jaw set in amusement. "We could use her."Use me? No. Never."You'd have to kill me first." I make my voice as low and dangerous as I can manage.They both laugh at me as I if have told a joke then Grog speaks again. "That's not necessary. We have other ways to make you cooperate with us.""Us? So what, you're a team now? You dragged him into this!"He turns to Logan and smiles. "You didn't tell her? Well, this is amusing.""What exactly do you want with me?" I ask impatiently. "I'm sure you can find other willing wolves to join your league of evil."Grog turns back to me. He is no longer smiling, but s
Amelia gives me a little hope, but at the same time, gaining their trust sounds like so much work. How long will it take me to gain it? Days? Weeks? Months? What will I have to do to prove to them I that I am with them and not against them?I don't like the thought of waiting so long and it makes my heart drop. How can I go for months without seeing Samuel? How can he go months without seeing me? Can I wait that long? No. But what other choice do I have?If I don't behave, I'll never get out of here or see the light of day again. I'll have to play their little game carefully and make sure to only play my hand at the right time. I will find a way to leave here and get to Samuel, even if it kills me.I am a fighter by nature and sure as hell won't give up without one good fight."Now that you've eaten and seem to be okay I have to send for Logan. He's been coming here checking in on you since you arrived. He'll be glad to know you're up."I get chills again and force my back against the
I will never willingly mate Logan as he wants, so the only other option is for him to kill me. Unless I can somehow manage to kill him first.It has been a total of four days since I saw Samuel last. I am slowly dying inside without him. Although I can't use our mating link to connect with him, and I can't use my wolf, I can still feel him. That can fade away soon as well.I wish I knew what he is feeling. What he is thinking, or if he is looking for me. I know the bond is withering away slowly. Pretty soon his presence will be gone completely.I need to get someone to trust me. If I can, I might be able to get away from here. If I could get far enough maybe I could contact Samuel. All hope isn't lost."You're excused for a while. I'm taking her with me today," an unmistakable voice says. It is one I have grown to loathe so much the past few days.I watch Logan as he steps into my room. The lights from the ceiling dance over his golden blonde hair as he walks. He looks brighter, a lit
Logan's hands wrap around my wrists and hold them for a moment before he moves his face to kiss each of my palms. His lips linger on them for longer than I like and I fight my repulsion every second. When he finally releases me I drop my hands from his face and take a step back, suddenly needing much more space than before. To my surprise Logan looks much more resolved in his decision."Okay. I'll discuss it with him. If he approves then you can take the girl after you've earned our trust."Relief washes through me. I don't bother hiding it. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me.""No. I think I do. And this is just the beginning. You'll like it here and soon you'll start to see that for yourself and you won't want to leave."I force a smile, and if I don't hate him so much right now, I would have pitied him. He is brainwashed and under the same false beliefs as the rest of pack. He can't even see it. They have his complete loyalty now and there is no way I can sway him
LOGANI am badly wounded. The pursuit after Grace and that traitor Dylan has ended in disaster. I have witnessed as Grog himself died and most of our fighters. Then it has dawned on me that I shouldn't die. I should run. When the fighting gets fierce I flee from the battleground and run, or rather drag myself to the bushes. I can still see from a distance as Grog's fighters are annihilated. I have realized that I have been in the wrong for a very long time. I have done many wrong moves and maybe I am the cause of the death of all these courageous wolves. Maybe if it wasn't for my poor decisions I would still be Alpha at our pack. Why did I take Josephine from her mate? Why did I reject my own mate Grace? And after the rejection, why did I insist on having her back when I knew only too well that she was mated to another Alpha? Why did I even join Grog, knowing that he was a leader of a rogue pack?These are the millions of questions that flood my mind as I lay in pain in the woods. Th
LOGAN “I knew from the very beginning that Dylan was a turncoat. Something kept telling me to kill him, but then I was hesitant." Grog says, seething with rage. He's angry with himself after we have established that Grace and Dylan are missing.I started having bad feelings when we waited for a very long time for Grace and she failed to show up. I started thinking, what if she doesn't come at all? What if she escapes? Right then Amelia came running to where Grog and I were seated, waiting for Grace so that the mating ceremony could start. Seeing her send shivers down my spine.“My goodness, she's gone." I whispered to myself. Amelia looked at me with eyes full of remorse, before whispering something to Grog's ears. The ever composed Grog listened carefully then dismissed Amelia and continued looking forward. I wanted to ask him what was happening when he looked at me and beckoned that I should follow him and now we are in his office. He's uncontrollable.“We need to pursue them, but n
"Take this," Dylan says, handing me the additional blanket from his bag.I shake my head. "No it's alright. This one is enough."Elsa is next to us against the rocky outcrop already fast asleep. She is exhausted, I can tell by the look on her face as she sleeps. She hasn't spoken much our entire journey either. What we have put her through has to be a lot to process. Even though we have saved her from Grog's pack, Dylan and I both know that if they ever catch up with us we will all be dead."You sure?" Dylan asks with his arm still outstretched with the blanket."I'm sure. It's not that cold out here." I shift my blanket over my legs and arms. It is a good thing the weather is not problematic because even if it were any cooler, we can't light a fire. It will draw too much attention to us. There is nothing that sticks out more than a fire blazing in the darkness of the night. Elsa had consumed two apples and a granola bar right before she crashed and Dylan and I each had one granola ba
“I'll give you thirty minutes, even longer if I can and then I'll run out there and tell them you're gone. Put as much time between us and yourselves as possible," Amelia says. "Take care. I hope for a safe journey for all of you."Then she steps up to me and very quickly gives me hug and then releases me. "It's been nice knowing you, Grace.Tell Doreen I miss her and I'm glad she made it." She looks towards the door then back to us. "Now go. There is no time to spare."I don't need any more warning to that. I am more than eager to get out of here. I am the last one through the door and I stop just a moment to glance back at Amelia. I see then that the goodbye has been harder for her than she let us see. Tears are pooled in her eyes."Take care of yourself, Amelia. Thank you for your help. None of this would be possible without you."She laughs a little through stray tears. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm still ratting you guys out." Because you have to, I want to say. Bu
I gasp and clutch the letter to my chest. It has been so long since I heard his voice in my head and it nearly shatters me. My legs feel like jelly and my chest aches with the gap that was left by him leaving. I haven't allowed myself to think about Samuel very much, afraid of what it might do to me if I let my thoughts linger there too long. I know I would fall apart. But now...now I can't help it. I have to think of him. His letter. His words. His hands have touched the very same paper as mine did. I briefly wonder if I might catch a scent of him on it if I try hard enough to find it."Grace," Dylan says softly.He brings me out of my stupor. I look at him. I haven't realized there are tears in my eyes until he reaches out and touches them with the back of his hand. He briefly wipes them away only for them to be replaced by more cascading down my cheeks."Talk," I say. "You told me you would. I want answers." I wipe the tears away viciously with the letter gripped tight in my hand.
I quickly bolt upright and stand in front of the two men in sheer panic. "But-but it's so soon. I haven't had time to prepare. And I'm not feeling well. Shouldn't we wait? Logan said we could wait until I was feeling better.""Unfortunately we don't have that kind of time," Grog says as Logan stands up in front of me. "We're making a move on a pack in two days and we have to know that you will be loyal to us and your mate during the raid." He looks at Logan who nods his head in agreement.Oh, goodness, I felt myself unable to breathe and light headedness slowly started to creep over me like a nightmare. I can hardly believe what is happening. I need more time. I had counted on having more time. How can I possibly escape now? If I were to mate Logan I won't even want to leave here anymore. I'd want to stay here with him and stand by his side as he and his brothers born of evil bring the world of wolves down on its knees.I suck a sharp breath of air in horror. Nothing and no one can co
The wind blows through my loose, blond strands, making my hair whip around me like a silk blanket offering it's smooth comfort.Dylan, the man standing just a short distance from me watches me carefully, waiting for me to run at him, attack him, try to make him pay for what I deem as traitorous behavior, but I make no such move. I only stare at him with open and unashamed contempt.He can't hide the hurt my bitterness and scorn bring him, and for a moment I think he is the old Dylan, not the Dylan who turned on his pack and brought Noah out of there."I have to talk to you," he says. "You have to know the truth."He walks toward me, slowly, carefully, like I was a wild animal that would attack him given the wrong move. "Grace, listen to me. I know you probably have tons of questions for me right now and I promise to answer them all, just let me explain-"With loud smack against the his left cheek, his eyes widen in surprise at the girl who has slapped him. There is already a red mark
I am nauseous again. I want to shake my head and declare it is much too early to have such a weighing conversation, but I doubt it will get me anywhere. He is determined to talk this out."It should have happened last night, but since you weren't feeling well I didn't feel it was the right time. As soon as you're better it should happen," he continues.I have a strong feeling I will be sick for a long, long time.But then he will become suspicious.Alright, then I'll leave today. I'll do it. I'll have to. Amelia helped Doreen once. Maybe she can help me now that I'm out of the cells. I know the layout of the land and the shift changes of the borders. If only I can get away from Logan and everyone else for a few minutes I could escape this hell. He sits down on the bed in front of me and cups my jaw with his hand. He has genuine concern written on his face. "You look pale. You need to eat."I need to throw up.He must have seen the look on my face because he jumps up and moves out of m
I look around the large room at what little stuff I have acquired since my stay with the Grog's Pack and sigh. Now it is all mingled in with Logan's stuff. Our clothes hung together in the nearby closet. My books next to his on the nightstand and in shelves. And I'm sure if I bring myself to investigate it, I'll find both of our toothbrushes together in the bathroom.I immediately take a strong dislike to the room. This isn't my room and it never will be. This room is a lie, filled with promises of an ordinary life of an ordinary couple. Logan and I not an ordinary couple at least not in my eyes.I suspect though, that in Logan's eyes,, we are a couple.Though I knew this day would eventually come, where I'd have to share the same room and bed with him, nothing had ever really prepared me for it. I don't love him the way he wants and it makes me feel wrong. I can lie with him knowing I am carrying the unborn child of the man I love inside me.I have to fight back another wave of nause