Sarah
I wake up in my bed to bright, unforgiving winter sunlight shooting directly into my retinas. I wince, covering my eyes with my forearm.
I have very vague memories of getting back to my bedroom in Sydney’s house. I remember being lifted and carried but thought maybe I was dreaming. I’m sure I dreamt it, actually, because it was the man of the house himself who lovingly carried me to bed after I’d fallen asleep face down in the center of the atrium, surrounded by potting soil and discarded flower stems.
I can still smell him, though. That rich, forest scent laced with musk and sandalwood.
It wasn’t a dream.
I blink rapidly to adjust my eyes to the blinding sunlight and squint at the clock on the bedside table.
My scream echoes through the room as I leap out of bed and fall onto the ground, my ankle caught in the bedsheet.
I’m still in my clothes from
SarahSydney holds open the garage door for me, silently, and I step inside. He turns on a light switch. Light spills over the large space. Stupid, menial things I shouldn’t be paying attention to come into focus.I’m counting each breath I take and each movement he makes in the short amount of time we’ve been together tonight. I make note of the way his freshly polished, fancy shoes sound on the concrete floor, the way his watch catches the fluorescent light overhead as he reaches for a large garment bag laying over the washer and dryer, and how his eyes light up again as he glances at me before opening it.That roaring in my ears has to be my heartbeat; otherwise, Sydney has some serious issues with the furnace on the far side of the room.He turns toward me, discarding the garment bag back onto the washing machine, and holds open the most luxurious fur coat I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
SydneyI don’t miss the fact I just told Sarah something no one knows. Not even Kenna. Not even Ryan or Evander.It doesn’t matter. At least, I tell myself that. I’m not going to ruin her night by dragging her down into the depths of my own despair over my choices, which I’ve practically written in blood and all but pledged to the Goddess.I can’t deny how good it feels to have Sarah in my arms, though. She holds my hand as I softly spin us around the garden with the other couples. We’re probably the youngest pair on the dance floor. I spot my dad talking with a group of other Alphas. I don’t think he’s even noticed I’m here, but that’s probably for the best.All we’ve had to talk about lately is business. Ever since Uncle Ryatt had to close the borders between the two kingdoms, there’s been nothing but stress weighing down my dad’s shoulders.&nbs
Sarah“Get out!”Sydney shakes his head, taking another step, which means I’m either going to hit the door, or move out of his way, forced further into the sterile, brightly lit hotel bathroom.“You look ridiculous,” I spit, snarling the words. In my defense, he does. He’s wearing a white, fluffy robe that hits him mid-thigh and not much else from what I can tell.I’m wearing the same kind of robe.One would think that would diffuse things a bit, but no.I’m in pain, and the look he’s giving me right now is dizzying. Sydney looks like an Alpha, not the kind, slightly nerdy man I’ve grown to know and like.His canine teeth are slightly pointed and his eyes… fuck. They glow.“Are you about to fucking shift?” I dart away, my back hitting the glass exterior wall of the shower.He grabs
SarahWorn, weathered hands cup mine in the warmth of a room covered in faded wallpaper. Toys are scattered across a woven carpet of muted greens and yellows, and small voices lift in glee and mischief, blurred and faceless. The hands around mine are so large compared to my small, child-sized hands. Warm and rough, tender and caring, they curl around my fingers in a mother’s touch. “I know you're young,” the woman says, her face a fuzzy, fractured memory, “but you’ve lived through more than anyone should have to experience in one lifetime.”I’m eleven. Rain slams against the windows beside us. The landscape is a tangle of fog and storm clouds with nothing but a turbulent sea beyond. I’m just a child. I should be able to enjoy my childhood and not have to deal with all of this.“Look at me,” she whispers softly, gently, her voice so full of love but also pain. Her hands shake as she strokes my fingers. “You know what must be done. I will help you, but you can never go back. Everyone
SarahSydney’s hand slides down my side, gripping my ass, tugging me closer to him. My leggings feel impossibly tight and unnecessary right now. I’m desperate to get out of them, and I wiggle my hips for emphasis, which causes Sydney to groan my name and hiss out a breath. “Get them off,” I beg. He lifts his head, his eyes gleaming with heat and mischief in the soft lamplight coming from my bedside table. His eyes give me pause, a single second to rethink what we’re doing. Eyes like a storm brewing over the ocean when the normally crystal blue water turns dark and turbulent. Eyes that have seen so much beauty in the world and right now, they’re full of want for me. No one else has ever wanted me before. I don’t know how to feel. All I know is that Sydney is kissing lower and lower and every nerve in my body erupts at his touch. I arch against his lips as he kisses past my navel, and then his teeth catch the waistband of my leggings. He looks up at me with those eyes that are my
SarahI wake to something squirming next to me then sharp fingernails poking at my breasts before Blake latches like the champion he is. I open my eyes, startled to find him next to me, and look down at my son, who’s wearing a fresh onesie in sage green and a new diaper, from what I can tell.I turn my head to look at the clock on my bedside table. It’s 7:00 AM.And there’s a piece of printer paper next to the clock with neat scrawl I don’t recognize. I flex my fingers, catching the edge of the paper, and drag it toward me while Blake makes soft, blissful cooing sounds as he nurses.That’s when I realize I’m totally naked, and the flavors, textures, and feelings from last night come hurtling back as I clutch the paper and read the text.I’ll be back in two days.Sydney.I set the paper down and look up at the ceiling.What have we
SydneySnow covers the normally golden plains on the outskirts of Moorn, a small territory far outside of the city center. It took a full day to reach this place, this hovel between two hills where the distant border of Eastonia looms.I don’t want to be here. The distance between Sarah and the damning truth between us is excruciating, damn near tearing me apart.But I’m still an Alpha. Still a royal. And there are some things I just have to do.The wind rushes through my fur as I wait beside my father, who’s also in his wolf form. We’re both large and dark brown with glints of gold throughout.Night has fallen. I know we’re both exhausted. We traveled on foot without stopping for a break. Maybe he needed to run in his wolf as much as I did.But still, tension makes my muscles lock. My mind is in shambles, and my heart is….I’m devastated. I d
SydneySarah doesn’t turn from the window. The sunrise hasn’t reached us yet, not fully, but the first inklings of morning creep through the curtains. Frost hugs the glass panes. It will be another frigid day, colder than the last. The faint light ghosts over her skin, illuminating her face in silver.“Sarah?” I say into the soft light.She turns her head slightly but doesn’t look at me. I notice two pieces of paper on my desk, one of them folded in half with Blake’s name written neatly across it.My heart falls into my stomach as my gaze slides to the second piece, a letter addressed to me.The truth hits me like a knife to the heart. There’s only one reason she’d write her son a letter.“You’re leaving?”“It’s best for both of you that I’m not here.” She turns ever so slightly so her face catches the