EllaRyatt is out of bed in an instant, his face dancing with shadows cast by the early morning daylight creeping through the airy curtains. He grabs me by the ankle and drags me toward him across the bed as Isaac stalks into the room. Ryatt looks murderous. His eyes are bright, clear, and lucid as he narrows them on my brother while I swing my legs off the bed and stand at his side. He stretches his arm across me, trying to push me behind him. I feel a flicker of something deep in my heart. It’s fleeting, but Ryatt’s desperation to keep me safe from this threat–my brother and his temper–awakens a single speck of the bond that was stolen from us. “Stop,” I whisper. “Ryatt, stop!”“Get out,” Ryatt sneers as Isaac comes to a stop in the center of the room. Through the doorway, I see several figures lingering in the shadows. Warriors, from what I can smell. “What are you doing in here with him?” Isaac snarls, his eyes locking on mine. “Do not speak to her.” Ryatts voice is sharpened
RyattSeeing King Isaac go pink in the cheeks after his exceedingly pregnant mate gave him a look that could make the fiercest warrior cower made me feel slightly more whole. I even felt a flicker of sympathy for the man. If the situation had been different, I would have empathized with him about the trials of being mated to a pregnant woman, but we’re not friends. I don’t have friends. I prefer it that way. I guess Granger would be the closest thing I have to one, and he’s on the other side of the veil right now, hopefully alive and doing his duties as my Beta. My head still feels heavy, my senses blurred. My power is nothing but a whisper in my veins as Isaac leaves the room behind Ella and Maddy. Ella turns back to look at me before her brother closes the door, her eyes shining with concern. With the barrier closed, I hear a lock slip into place from the outside. I turn to the window and watch the waves beyond this strange house built into a cliff. I want nothing more than to
EllaSunlight filters through a large window and plays over a cozy bistro table stacked high with food. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, bagels, bowls of tropical fruit, and pitchers of juice. I smear butter and jam on my third piece of toast and bite into it, trying not to groan. How long has it been since I’ve eaten? I open my eyes to find Hannah loading up another plate for Maddy, who is lounging nearby on the couch overlooking the sweeping view of the white sand beach below. Maddy’s bare feet are propped on an ottoman, and she’s wearing an airy cream colored dress. Her red hair is pinned away from her face, which has turned a ruddy shade of pink from the sunlight. She looks beautiful. They both do, actually. Hannah looks fresh, new, and bright-eyed. She doesn’t have a single scratch on her, and the gray pallor of her skin has shifted back to a creamy peach. Pregnancy suits Maddy. She’s glowing, her hair thick and radiating as it brushes over her cheeks while she smiles up at Hannah. She
RyattMaddox rises from his chair, casually sipping coffee from a mug. He sets it down, checks his watch, then fixes me with an annoyed look. “Is there a reason you’re in here?”I glance around the room. It’s a wood paneled and slightly dated office with incredible views of the water. My gaze settles on Isaac, who’s left eye is nearly swollen shut, and I give him a cocky smirk before looking back at his father. I slightly bow my head before meeting Maddox’s eyes again. “Your wife brought me here.”He stares at me unblinking for several seconds before blowing out his breath and sitting back down. Isaac looks from Maddox to me. “You’re a prisoner. You’re not allowed in the main house.”I shrug, crossing my arms over my aching chest. “This is where I was told to go.”Isaac sits on the edge of a solid wood desk and glances behind him at the old maps scattered across it. I get a brief view of the mountains and the names of small pack territories before he roughly turns them over, glaring
Ella“Go,” Ryatt says as I back out of his arms. “I’ll come find you in a little while,” I tell him, my heart racing. Something’s wrong with Maddy. She was fine this morning. Ryatt gives me a tight smile, but behind his eyes is a great deal of pain I can’t quite decipher. There’s so much unsaid between us. Hell, before all of this madness happened, before we went our separate ways so he could fight and I could bring Cassian to the Coven, he’d essentially accused me of working for the enemy and tried to force me to come here, back to my family. And then he’d died in my arms, the last words on his lips that he loved me. We haven’t had a single moment to mend what’s been broken between us. My chest aches as I watch him turn and walk away. There’s so much distance between us now without the mate bond. I can’t feel that tug in my heart anymore. Will anything ever be the same? Will we ever get past this? Is it even possible?He disappears into the small house built on the bluff. I sta
EllaIt’s odd seeing Ryatt in plain clothes. He doesn’t fit here, I realize, as I watch him turn his gaze from the strangers seated nearby back to the water all around us. He’s been silent since we walked onto the ferry that runs between the isles and Maatua. I wish I could take a peek into his mind, just for a moment, just long enough to know what he’s thinking. He’s dressed in navy blue athletic shorts that are a smidge too short for him, resting midthigh and showing off his insanely built muscular legs. His tan skin gleams in the sunlight poking through the somewhat shredded canopy above us, which is supposed to block out not only the sun, but the rain. He’s wearing a plain gray shirt–again, a little too tight–that shows off every muscle. He looks… hot. Hot as hell, honestly. But also so unfamiliar without his black leathers and belt loaded with daggers. His night-black hair curls around his ears as he slowly turns to me, expressionless, looking past me at the massive island now
Amanda“You better have good news for me, Nytos,” Granger growls somewhere behind me. His words whisper over a spring wind carrying ash and decay. “The only news I have is that there’s still no sign of Alpha Ryatt or his Luna.”My stomach clenches. I roll a smooth, white rock in the palm of my hand as the conversation continues without me. “And Westfall?”I look over my shoulder in time to catch Commander Nytos shake his head, his eyes downcast and solemn. Granger chews the inside of his cheek, his green eyes sliding to mine. I give my mate a tight smile, praying to the Goddess he can see the love behind my eyes–and the sorrow there. “I’ve spoken to the other commanders,” Nytos continues. “The Alphas need answers, Beta. Are you the King of the Roguelands now?”My heart skips a beat as I watch fury and grief darken his eyes. “No,” he rasps. “Not until we find their bodies.”I close my eyes and turn back to the cairn situated in the center of an area of scorched earth. This is whe
EllaWe don’t linger long at the falls. The sunset fades to a rich, velvety purple by the time I pull the car I borrowed into the massive garage behind the castle. Ryatt didn’t say a word the entire drive back. I glanced at him a few times, noticing the absent look in his eyes as he hung his arm out the window, his fingers splayed in the wind. Now we’re seated at a long table made of glass. Platters of food cover the surface. It’s an informal setting in the informal dining room in Poppy’s massive castle. “Here,” Poppy says, standing to lean over the table and place two huge steaks on Ryatt’s plate. “Eat up.”Ryatt meets her eyes with a soft nod of thanks. She’s already laden his plate twice now, and he’s eaten every morsel of food she’s offered. Still, watching Poppy’s motherly attentiveness to his unspoken needs curls in my heart and threatens to shatter it. She doesn’t really know him, and what she does know about him can’t be good. Yet, she exudes nothing but kindness and love.