AGNES
Joel and I walked to his house in uncomfortable silence. Passersby glanced at us with open curiosity. A human woman at Wolf Creek, unbelievable! I could almost hear their thoughts.
It’s not that I expected Joel to welcome me back with open arms, but this—this coldness—it really stung. He had changed from the passionate man who declared his love for me in a whirlwind romance had become this hardened, closed off man. He could hardly look at me and when he did, I couldn’t bear to see the swirling hurt and distrust in his eyes. I did this. I made him this way.
I wanted so desperately to fix it. For all our sakes.
He held the door open for me, but didn't step inside himself. I called out his name, my voice trembling with hope and uncertainty. "Joel..."
"I have work to do," he replied, his voice devoid of warmth. He turned to leave, but I couldn't let him go so easily. I reached out and grabbed his arm, pleading with him. "Please, can we talk about it?" There was so much I needed him to know. I should have trusted him more. Our situation would have been different. There wouldn’t have been a Frank.
"Agnes, I've said what I needed to say. Nothing will change how I feel," he replied, gazing into the vast expanse of the clear blue sky. "Stay or go. Do whatever you want." He gently freed his arm from my grasp and walked away, leaving me staring at his back.
I watched him until he disappeared, the ache in my chest growing with every step he took. Then, with a heavy sigh, I retrieved my keys from my purse and made my way to the car. Our clothes remained in the trunk, along with the money I had taken from Frank.
I needed to hide the money to secure our future. Cassie didn’t know about it, and I had no intention of revealing it to her, or Joel. It was our insurance, our escape plan, if things went south with the pack. I wasn't willing to bet my life on being accepted, but as the alpha's mate, Cassie would have no trouble. The question remained - would she choose to stay if I had to leave? Only time would tell.
I took everything to the spare bedroom where Cassie and I slept. There were two twin beds in the room, and I shoved the black bag with the case filled with money underneath the one I slept on. Just temporarily until I could find a better hiding place.
Someone knocked at the door, a sharp, echoing sound that sent shivers down my spine. I clenched my teeth, fighting the fear, the urge to run. I immediately thought it was Frank, my heart racing at the possibility of him finding us. But then reason kicked in. It was impossible for him to track us down here. We were safe, at least for now.
Summoning my courage, I composed myself and made my way downstairs to confront whoever was outside. Two older men stood on the porch. They had that official look about them, the same look tax collectors had. I cautiously cracked the door open and peered out.
They greeted me politely, their voices calm and measured.
"Unfortunately, Beta Joel isn't here at the moment," I said, attempting to mask my fear. But clearly, they sensed it, their piercing gazes seeing through my facade.
The younger man, with a gentle expression, reassured me, "It's alright, Ms. Browne. We would like to speak with you and your daughter. Please, we won’t harm you. May we come in?"
Reluctantly, I let them in, guiding them to the lounge where they settled themselves.
"I remember you, Ms. Browne," the one with the salt-and-pepper buzz cut remarked. "You and Joel have history, isn't that right? Where is your daughter? I would like to speak to her."
I took a deep breath and carefully worded my response. "I don’t see why that is any concern of yours, Mister..." I trailed off, waiting for him to provide his name.
"Elder Marcus," he stated, his voice laced with authority. "I assure you, it is our concern. Your daughter, is she Joel's?" His dark eyes bore into mine, searching for any sign of weakness.
Attempting to remain calm, I replied, "Yes, but I still don’t see how it concerns you. Alpha Connor is already aware. Cassandra needs to be here. She will be eighteen in a few months." There was no need to explain to him why she had to be here.
A condescending smile played on Elder Marcus' lips as he responded, "Did you honestly think you could just bring her back after eighteen years? There are consequences, Ms. Browne."
I felt a knot tighten in my chest, my breath growing shallow. "I understand that, Elder Marcus," I said, fighting to regulate my breathing. "If the pack doesn't want us, we can always leave."
The younger man leaned forward, his eyes filled with empathy. "If only it were that simple. I'm sure you know we cannot risk humans finding out about us."
Although his face was kind, his words sent a chill to my bones. “No one knows I am here. I won’t tell anyone about you.” I barked out a nervous laugh. “They wouldn’t believe me, anyway.” Would they go so far as getting rid of me? I’m betting they would.
“There is another solution, Ms. Browne. But we will have to discuss that with the alpha and Beta Joel.” The younger man glanced at Elder Marcus.
"Nicholas, surely you don't mean..." Elder Marcus frowned darkly at him, his voice filled with disbelief. I watched as the wrinkles on his forehead deepened, his eyes narrowing. “Alpha Troy would never condone it.”
“But Alpha Troy isn’t here now, Marcus,” Nicholas said. A look passed between them. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but there was a sudden shift in the older man’s demeanor.
“Of course he isn’t.” He furled his lip at me, which was supposed to be a smile, but it never reached his eyes. “Alright, Ms. Browne. Thank you for your time.” They rose from their seats, and I led them to the door. As they walked away, Marcus turned back and said, "We'll be in touch."
I closed the door firmly behind me. I took a deep breath against it, the weight of it all heavy on my chest. My mind raced. I was so unsure of what solution Nicholas had in mind.
If they involved Alpha Troy in their plans… I didn’t even want to think about it. He threatened once before that he would exile Joel. I couldn’t allow it. I loved him still and longed for his forgiveness. But I was prepared to leave him once more if it meant he would stay with his pack and his daughter.
No, the only way forward was to take my chances and leave. Even if it meant sneaking away in the dead of night. The thought sent a chill down my spine. I knew that if I did, the chances of Frank finding me would be greater. His connections to the Mafia were a constant reminder of the danger I was in.
I had known for a long time what Frank truly was, but fear had kept me by his side. I wanted Cassie to have a chance at a better life, to finish school and go to university. Once she was safely out of the house, I had planned to leave. Life had other plans, it seemed.
It was time to conquer my fear. I would take some of the money, just enough to start over somewhere far away. Leaving a note for Cassie, I would explain everything to her, ensuring her safety. Connor seemed kind, but I had learned the hard way that charm could hide a dark side.
Cassandra“I must go back. Agnes would be worried,” I tried to convince Connor. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get rid of me. Don’t know what his deal was. The way he looked at me… like I was his favorite dessert or something. It made me uncomfortable. But I also felt something else. Lust. At least I think that’s what it was. He sat close to me on the couch, his knee touching mine. I twirled the empty glass in my hands, just to do something. If I leaned closer to him…No, hell no! This kind of thinking is a sure-fire way of getting into shit. He’s a goddamn werewolf, for fuck’s sake! Oh, but apparently, I was one as well. Yes, there is that.“They know you’re with me.” he stood suddenly. “Come,” he held out his hand. “Let me show you the training grounds.”My body seemed to have a mind of its own where Connor was concerned. I let him lead me out of the lounge. “Training grounds?” I asked, perplexed. Was this some kind of military center?“Yes. All members of the pack need to train
CONNORMy mind went crazy when I saw Cassandra checking out my guys and Ray flirting back. I was so possessive and jealous; it was intense. It was super unsettling and embarrassing, like a crazy storm of emotions going on.My heart pounded in my ears as I tried to regain my composure. These men, my friends, my brothers, had always been there for me. They were my best fighters, loyal and dedicated. But at that moment, I had this intense urge to rip their throats out for trying to steal Cassandra's attention.‘It's the mate bond, Connor. It can't be helped,’ Miles said. He felt the same surge of possessiveness because of the mate bond. ‘You are their Alpha first.’ Miles continued.I ran my hand over my face, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. I was their alpha first, and they should respect that. But the way Cassandra had looked at me, it had ignited something wild within me, something I couldn't fully control.With a heavy sigh, I made my way down the hallway towards the men's
CassandraUnbelievable! The hypocrite. I leaned against the door I had slammed shut a second ago, fuming with anger. So I couldn’t look at guys, but he could cuddle a girl right there in the street for anyone to see?Agnes rushed downstairs to see what the noise was all about. “Cassie? What happened?”I stomped past her into the kitchen. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Found a glass in the cupboard and filled it with water straight from the tap.“Did Alpha Connor say something to upset you?” Agnes followed me into the kitchen.I drank the water and slammed the glass onto the counter. Made for him, huh! I leaned against the counter, looking at my mother. Seemed like we shared the same poor taste in men.“Honey, you know you can talk to me.” She reached out to touch my arm, her brown eyes sympathetic. But I was still angry at her.“Really, Mom?” Sarcasm dripped from my tone. “What can you tell me that will make this better?” I folded my arms across my chest and glared at her. “Can you
Agnes knocked on the bedroom door after Connor left.“I assume you’re no longer mad at Connor?” she said, leaning against the wall. “He was smiling when he left.”I lay on the bed, hugging the pillow against my chest. It was a poor substitute for him, but it would have to do. His cologne still lingered in the room. “Yeah, I guess you can say so.” I sat up, smiling.“I wish you would stop being angry with me, Cassie.” Agnes shoved off from the wall and sat on the bed next to mine. “We’ve always had a good mother-daughter relationship, and I would hate for this to ruin it.”I sighed heavily. Anger was a draining emotion and no matter what, I loved my mother. She wasn’t perfect, but neither was I. “I’m not angry, Mom. Just disappointed.”She looked down at her hands in her lap. “I understand that, Cassandra. There is no excuse for what I did, except to say that when you have kids of your own, you will understand a mother would do anything to safeguard her children.”I shrugged. She might
JOELEver since Agnes came back, my wolf and I have been at war with each other. The beast wanted what was his claim and mark her and bedamn the consequences. I couldn’t. Too many years have passed. Years in which I had suffered from the loss of my soulmate.I couldn’t even reject her because she was human. It would have no effect on her. but it would kill me for sure. I still loved her, but she broke my heart into a million pieces.Although I understood her motives and knowing Alpha Troy, she must have been terrified beyond reason, I was still deeply disappointed that she couldn’t confide in me. And keeping my pup from me, that was unforgivable.Cassandra. The moment she stepped out of the car, my wolf Ross recognized her as ours. At first, I tried to deny it. The anger and pain I felt seeing Agnes were too much at that moment.Cassandra’s animosity towards me hurts me more than I care to admit. It wasn’t my fault that I missed her childhood, but it was obvious she blamed me.‘Yeah,
ConnorI was up before dawn, having spent a restless night thinking about Cassie and what I planned to do. She needed to be accepted into the pack as soon as possible. Maybe even tonight. Of course, there had to be a ceremony, as was our custom, and a party afterward. I only wished it could be our union ceremony. But all in good time.After training, I would give orders to my chefs to prepare a feast for the night. Joel, my gamma Eric and his mate will see to the preparations needed for the ceremony. The elders would need to be present as well. I wasn’t looking forward to that, particularly. But it was necessary.Miles worried they would object to her being accepted because of Agnes.“Why the hell would they, Miles? She’s a werewolf.” His constant worrying was exhausting.‘She’s half human, Connor. That could be grounds for objections, especially if you tell them she’s our mate.’“Well, that’s why we wait until she has her first turn. So, stop worrying about it!” Gods, he was just loo
AGNESI was alone in the house, or so I thought, when I went downstairs to make some coffee and a bite to eat. But what I found was Joel, busy making breakfast. He was shirtless. I stood in the doorway, watching the muscles in his back ripple underneath his bronzed skin as he whisked eggs into a bowl. I shouldn’t have stared, but I couldn’t help it. He was even more handsome than he was eighteen years ago. Only now his body had filled out, was no longer that of a boy. He was all lean, hard muscle, broad shoulders and narrow hips. His fiery hair was long and curled on his shoulders. I never thought I'd be into a guy with a beard, especially one as wild as his, but it suited him. “Are you going to stand there gawking at me the whole day or are you going to give me a hand?” he drawled without turning around.How did he know…? Of course. Werewolf senses. “I wasn’t gawking.” My face felt like it was on fire.“Whatever you say.” He turned, and I saw a long scar marring the skin on the l
Cassandra“Lift your hands, Cassie. Protect your vulnerable parts.” Sam stood close behind me, helping me learn the proper fighting stances and blocks. Were all of them so good-looking? I have not seen a single unattractive person here. It was very distracting being surrounded by powerfully sculpted bodies.“Why do you do it?” I asked Sam. “Train to fight? Connor told me everyone must, but I don’t get it.” It seemed peaceful there being surrounded by nature. Were they expecting trouble?“Connor, is it?” he chuckled like I had said something inappropriate. “Well, honey, we live in a dangerous world. Didn’t Alpha Connor explain to you what we’re up against?” he stressed the word alpha.“I grew up in the city. Of course I know.” My thoughts immediately went to Frank and the people he associated with. They were a different breed of wolves. Ones with guns.“This is not the city, sweetness.” Sam corrected my stance. “Put your weight on your back leg. It makes it harder for me to do this…” h
CassandraAgnes and I sat huddled together at the back of the speeding car. We stayed silent because words were unnecessary. I knew her thoughts. She would take Frank and his henchmen as close to the pack as possible so I could link them. My only concern was that Frank and his men were armed, but the pack could then safely transform into their wolves and attack. Frank and his buddies were in for a nasty surprise. It made me smile thinking about it.Agnes pressed my hand, and our eyes met. We didn’t need a mind link to understand one another. Yes, it was a gamble, but it was our only chance.“Where are you taking us?” We were driving out of the town, but further away from Wolf’s Creek.Frank turned around in his seat to smirk at me. “Somewhere no one would hear your screams,” he said, and I felt Agnes stiffen next to me.I stroked her arm to reassure her. He wouldn’t kill us. At least, I didn’t think so. But he was also unpredictable. There was a fifty-fifty chance if he got his blood
Connor“I want you to heal her,” Rossi said.What did he take me for? Some kind of magician?“What makes you think I can do that?” The smell of decay was overpowering to my werewolf senses. The girl was nothing but a living corpse being kept in limbo by the beeping machines.“We’ve seen you heal, Connor.” The doctor puffed out his chest, trying to look important. “There has to be a way we can apply your power.”“Look, I don’t know what Lyon told you, but he obviously doesn’t know everything. She’s barely alive.” I shook my head. “My bite will kill her. I promise you.” They were completely delusional. No matter what they did, her death was imminent. They would have no use for me then. Unless there was more to it than just this. “It’s not me, it’s the wolf that heals me. But you cannot separate me from it. I was born with the spirit of the wolf, gifted by the Moon Goddess.” I had no problem exposing myself to them. They wouldn’t live to tell anyone else.“That is what we have test subje
JoelI left Maxwell at the hotel to get to my appointment with the alphas. It was safer for him to stay out of it, because there were some alphas that still hated the vampires. Some people just couldn’t let go of their grudges and prejudices.Gods, I hated the city. Seemed like every goddamned person in Miami was out on the road. Didn’t they have work to do? But of course, it was Friday afternoon. People were rushing towards the weekend. The sooner we get Connor out of Rossi’s clutches and get back to our pack, the better. I needed the tranquility of the country, to breathe the fresh air and let my wolf run free.Also, the constant worry about everyone was giving me a fucking headache. Eric hasn’t reported back to me yet. I didn’t know whether Agnes had returned to the pack, and it ate at me. Why would Stacy do that? It just didn’t add up. Unless…No, if Stacy knew where Cassie was, she would have told Eric or an elder. It was useless trying to speculate.I felt relieved when I saw th
Max still held my arms in his vice grip when Frank slapped Agnes, cursing because she spoiled his shoes. I screamed, my throat hoarse, watching my poor mother crumple in a pathetic heap at his feet.“Frank! You fucking monster!” No matter how hard I tried to squirm out of Max’s gorilla hold, I couldn’t.Frank stepped over Agnes’ form to get to me. Sage howled with frustration that consumed us. Both of us wanted nothing but to feel Frank’s life leaving his body. If only I could shift…“Little bitch! You near killed me. You and your whore mother left me for dead,” he snarled at me. Spittle flew from his mouth and landed on my face. He grabbed my neck. Those dark eyes said payback was coming. I hardly felt his fingers pressing into my windpipe. The only thing I felt was this overpowering rage.“Next time I won’t fail,” I grunted. It was a promise. One I was hellbent on keeping.Agnes groaned and sat up, and Frank’s attention diverted to her. He let go of my neck and I could breathe again
CassandraTime seemed to stand still. There was no knowing what time of day it was. And the waiting was getting on our nerves. Alex brought us food and water, but no matter how much I complained and begged, he didn’t budge. Not even to let us use the bathroom. Eventually, Max brought us a bucket to use.“What the hell! Do you think we’re animals?” I ranted. “Where is Lyon? I demand to see him.”“You demand?” Max guffawed. “Princess, you are too much.” He stalked towards me, and Agnes put herself in front of me to shield me from him.“Don’t you touch her!” she snarled at him, although she shook with fear.He scoffed at her. “There’s plenty of me to go around, Mom,” he said with a wink, and laughed when he saw her shudder.It was not in my nature to flirt with random guys, especially not with disgusting pigs like Max. But I realized I’ve been going about it all wrong. I skirted around Agnes and went to him. Trying my best to look all innocent, I touched his arm, swallowing my revulsion.
ConnorSurely, they didn’t want to turn their subject into a werewolf, did they? And how the hell do they expect to get my werewolf venom from me? I’m not a snake that they can milk it from my fangs. These people are even more insane than I thought.I heard their footstep approaching and feigned sleep.“We will have to sedate him. I’m not taking any chances.” The doctor stood a few yards away from the cage, eyeing me with suspicion. I peered at the two of them from under my half-closed lids.“Won’t the horse tranquilizer affect the venom?” Rossi asked. “I don’t have to tell you what would happen if this failed Dr. Fleischman.” There was an unmistakable threat in the old man’s tone, which made the doctor break out in a sweat. The stench of his fear disgusted me.“O…of course, Mr. Rossi. I will not fail you. I will test it on another subject first, naturally.”Godsdamnit. How many test subjects did they have? What the hell were they up to? Whatever Lyon told him, I’m guessing he didn’t
FrankWe’ve been in this tourist trap for only a few days, and I couldn’t wait to get back to Miami and my air-conditioned house. But I still needed to find Agnes and beat Rossi’s goddamned money out of her. I’ve asked around, showing their photos to passersby and shop owners with no luck. Carmine’s men handed out flyers that offered a reward for any information on my wife and stepdaughter’s whereabouts. And still nothing.It wasn’t easy finding Agnes’ parental home, but I had Tony work his magic on the web and eventually he found them. Carmine drove me to the address I got from Tony. What a shocker that was.“I have no daughter,” her father told me with bitterness etched on his face. “She is dead to me.”So that was a total waste of my time. What the hell did you do to these old folks, Agnes? Not that I cared. My parents probably felt the same about me.Now, sitting at a quaint cafe, sipping an iced tea and gazing out at the beach, I wondered what the hell I was supposed to do. Rossi
CassandraLyon’s words washed over me like a tsunami of terror, and I froze in place. No, please don’t let it be true. Agnes’ hand fell away from my arm. She stepped closer to Lyon, reaching out to him.“Please, you can’t… I have money. I can give it to you. Just don’t let him take us. I beg you.” She was close to tears.“Mom…” I pulled her back. As much as I didn’t want Frank to find us, there was no way I was letting her humiliate herself before this asshole.She clung to me, and I felt her shiver. “Cassie…” her eyes pleaded with me. “You know what he will do to us.”I didn’t want to think about it. What worried me more was what Lyon said about Connor. “Why wouldn’t Connor come back?” I asked him.Once again, he gave me that look that spoke of his disdain. “The fool walked right into my trap. There will be no escape for him this time.”Agnes sank to the floor with her head in her hands. She cried openly. “This is my fault. All my fault.”“Stop it! For God’s sake!” I snapped at her.
ConnorFrom where I lay on the floor of the cage, I assessed my surroundings. Now that I was no longer on that steel table, I could scope out the place to plan my escape. I would play weak for as long as it took to put them totally at ease, making them confident that they had won. Peering out from beneath my lashes, I saw the guards approaching with… a water hose? What the fuck?‘Don’t react,’ Miles warned. ‘They probably want to test your strength.’“Mr. Rossi said you needed water,” the guard said, grinning evilly. "Okay, let it rip!" he shouted to another.Icy water shot out from the hose, right in my face. The guard cackled with amusement. I fought the instinct to jump up and shove that hose right up where the sun doesn’t shine. Instead, I groaned and lapped at the water that stung my face. It did little to ease my dry throat. I was seriously dehydrated.“Had enough? You could do with a shower as well, Fido. You stink.” He was thoroughly enjoying himself with that hose, spraying m