“Well,” Winston says when he’s done examining Warwick. “This little man gained nearly a pound in the last five days. I think you’re ready to go home.” My stomach does an uncomfortable summersault. We stayed longer than Winston said we would. Two days turned into six, and I started to adapt to life in the clinic. I’m scared to go home. Warwick is still so small. What if something happens to him? It’s been so easy while we’ve been here in the clinic where everyone’s around and helps me with even the smallest thing, from changing one of the babies, to taking Deimos out for some much-needed fresh air. I’m not sure how I’ll cope on my own. Edric comes sauntering into the clinic, his hands shoved into his pockets, yawning loudly. “Good evening. How was your day?” “Same as always,” I answer. He is dead on his feet. I don’t know why, because my whole life has been consumed by caring for the babies. I asked once, but he wouldn’t give me a straight answer. “We can go home.” His face lights
Edric's POV “What’s this?” Maya asks, and picks up the envelope on the dresser. “Oh,” I say and take the letter from her. “Something I found in my closet back ho— at Mountain Fire.” “Who wrote it?” “I think my mother.” “You think? You haven’t read it?” I shake my head. I expect her to push me into reading it, or else to ask at least two million questions, but she does neither. She yawns and kneels in front of the carseat to take Warwick out while I put Deimos down for his nap. “You should get some rest,” I say. “I’m fine. You’re the one who looks like he’s about to collapse.” “Yeah.” I sigh and sit on the edge of the bed, just watching as Maya put Warwick down in the crib next to Deimos’s. It’s a good thing that we have a huge bedroom, but I hope we can at least move Deimos out soon, because things are getting a little cramped in here. “I put a breathing monitor under Warwick’s mattress.” “Oh. Okay. I’ve been worried about that.” “I know.” I overheard her asking Wilson how of
Edric's POV Maya stands in front of a massive Christmas tree with her back to me, head turned to up to look at the star adorning the top of the tree. She’s a vision. I can’t tear my eyes off her. I stand in the doorway, taking a moment to admire her. Her beautiful black hair cascades down her back in shiny soft curls, and she’s wearing a sapphire blue dress I’ve never seen before. It hugs all the right curves and flares out at the hips, the hem reaching just below her knees. I clear my throat and she spins around. She’s wearing the jewellery I gave her on her birthday, and for once she did her make-up – not that I care one way or the other about make-up, but it’s such a stark difference that I have to blink once or twice to make sure I’m looking at my mate. “You look very pretty tonight,” I say. She blushes and looks down at herself, then back up. “Thank you. Jessica had to help me. The things I know about being a girl I can count on one hand.” I cross the distance between us, and
It’s like I’m standing outside myself. Watching, hearing, feeling and seeing everything my wolf does. I have no control over myself and my body anymore. It was already too late when Edric brought me inside -- by then she had taken control because she sensed my hesitation. Edric tries to pull away from me, but she growls a low warning and grips his hair, roughly pulling him back to her, folding her lips around his mouth. The kiss steals the breath from my body and drives me insane with dark, needy lust. I want to stop fighting it, want to stop overthinking every little thing, I want to stop fighting my wolf and just let it happen. I want to find my mate again and be with him like we used to be when we found each other. Edric picks me up, and I wrap my legs around him. He carries me across the room, slamming me against the wall so hard that my head connects to it with a jarring thud. It doesn’t even slow my wolf down. Her claws surface and she rips his shirt to ribbons. I’m terrified
Edric's POV I lie on my side, watching Maya sleep, trying to get rid of the unnecessary guilt that’s trying to eat me alive. She kept trying to reassure me that it’s okay, but I’ve been so conditioned by my time with Mountain Fire, that I can’t let go and believe it. I lost control. "Alphas don't lose control," I can practically hear my father's voice. It's as if he's standing right next to me. "It's a thin line between losing control and going feral." Sighing, I pull on a pair of loose boxers and go back to the balcony for a glass of wine. I won't be able to sleep while I feel like this anyway. “Evening,” Stephen says from their balcony. “Hey,” I answer and pour some wine into my glass before I walk over to the low wall separating the two balconies. “Where’s Cedric?” “Inside, feeding Warwick. How’s your date going?” “Well, it’s not…I think it’s over. Maya’s asleep.” Stephen laughs softly. “Yeah, I’m sure she’s tuckered out. You two were a bit…loud.” I blush, grateful for the d
I haven’t seen Edric in such a good mood since the day he introduced me to the pack back at Mountain Fire. At first, the higher-ranking wolves wouldn’t join us, refusing to eat with the ‘lower filth’ as one of the warriors called the True Omega that walked past him. Just when I thought my grand plan would come apart at the seams, Stephen and Cedric jumped in and arranged everyone according to their rank, which placated some of the grumpier wolves. Less than an hour later, everyone is happily chatting and enjoying the day. Even Maxwell and Alexander’s widow, Esther, came out of their hiding place to join us, but they are sitting by themselves, away from the rest of the tribe. “He looks much better,” I say while staring at Edric’s uncle. Edric looks up and follows my gaze. “Yes, now that he’s not getting poisoned every day. He’s actually improving, but he’s still not speaking. Winston says the damage to his brain is catastrophic. He’ll heal some, but he’ll never be quite…right.” I’ve
Edric's POV The weeks slip by without anyone taking much notice. New Year’s day comes and goes without much fanfare, but a week into the new year, Maya insists on speaking to Alpha Neil about Deimos, and after days of pestering me about it, I give in. The Alpha doesn’t tell us anything I haven’t already told her. “I don’t know what else I can say, Queen,” Neil says. “We grow up fast, and we shift young--” he shrugs --“but that’s just how it is with our kind. We are big, we’re strong, and we’re violent.” Maya shudders lightly and looks over at Deimos who is trying to pull himself upright against a couch. “He’s not even five months old yet,” she whispers. “Yes,” Neil replied. “And by the time he’s twelve, he’ll look like a fully grown man. But you have to remember, he’s still just a child.” The Alpha bites into his nails, his face pensive, then he sighs and goes on. “This is important. The first shift is the worst. It lasts for hours, and it is brutal. Make sure you lock him up.” “W
I crash through the misty woods, my wolf pushing our body harder than I thought was possible, oblivious to our surroundings as we keep trying to get away from whatever it is that’s chasing us. I never saw what it was. I just felt it. Danger. It’s right on top of us. ~ Go faster! ~ I scream at my wolf. She increases her pace, but we won’t be able to do this for much longer. We’ve been running for hours, and our legs are about to give out. At first, I’m relieved to see him. Abbadon lands in front of me, and I dash past him, placing myself between him and the thing chasing us. Finally, we can stop. I collapse to the ground, and my exhausted wolf lets go, forcing me to shift back to human. I curl up in a little ball on the cold, wet, forest floor and try to catch my breath, trusting that Abbadon will take care of the dangerous thing I’m trying to escape. I look up at Abbadon. My mate. No matter what he is or what he does, he’ll never harm me. “Is that what you think?” he asks in his