IrinaMY THROAT FELT incredibly dry and my eyes were feeling puffy. I slowly opened my eyes and tried to focus. I saw a figure standing near the window, but my throat was too dry to say anything. I could see I was in a hospital room, which was strange.“Oh, Irina!” My mother’s voice forced its way through my muddled thoughts. “Are you thirsty? The doctor said you might be thirsty when you wake up. Oh, honey we were so worried!” My mother gushed and the figure near the window turned around to look at me. My father was right there beside my mom, and I blinked. Hunter! Hunter had been standing near the window. I took a sip of water and it burned as it ran down my throat.“What happened?” My voice sounded hoarse and I tried to clear my throat while my parents took turns explaining what happened. I got some mysterious fever, but Hunter’s doctor saved my life. That was about the gist of what they were saying. I couldn’t understand it. From what I can remember, I didn’t feel sick. Hunter exc
HunterIRINA HAD BEEN HOME FOR A WEEK. I hadn’t seen her since our talk and my wolf was growing more difficult to handle by the day. I should have rejected her the last time we spoke, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. She was my second chance mate! How could I reject her?!I was going insane not seeing her! Storming out of the house, I shifted and made my way to town. There was nobody outside of her house, making me wonder if she could have gone back to work. Surely, she wouldn’t have … I sighed. Of course, she would have gone back to work! I quickly ducked into an alley and made my way to the store.I didn’t have to wait long to see her. She looked pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. At least, she felt just as bad as I did! What the hell was I thinking? I didn’t want to see her looking like this and I didn’t want to feel this way anymore. I had to decide. Either I rejected her right now or I told her the truth about who I was.After the death of my first mate, I
IrinaMy mind caught up with what was happening, and I pushed and slapped Hunter almost instantly. What the hell was he thinking?! My mind was going a mile a minute since I thought he was about to tell me we couldn’t see each other. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, taking a step away from me.“I’m sorry … I … I don’t know what came over me.” He sighed. When his eyes met mine, they looked luminescent, but as soon as he blinked, they were normal again. I frowned, but I didn’t have time to think about it.“Hunter, I don’t know what you want from me.” They say that if he doesn’t have money, the girl wouldn’t fall for him the same way they do in books and movies … I never allowed myself to imagine I could have that fairytale, so in my mind, it didn’t really matter whether he had money or not. All I wanted was a man who would love me the way my father loved my mother. Love shouldn’t be this hard! “This isn’t going to work for me, Hunter.” Hunter sighed deeply, but he still didn’t say an
IrinaI TOLD MY PARENTS about my date with Hunter, the moment I got back home. Not because I needed their approval or anything, but because, for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why he wanted to see me again. I couldn’t talk to my friends about it, because they would just tease me.“I thought you two broke up.” My father was the first to respond and frowned.“Well,” I shrugged. “We weren’t really a couple, dad, so we couldn’t break up.” That was exactly the problem. I didn’t want Hunter to promise to one day marry me, but I needed to know that he wouldn’t tell me it was over after our next date. I needed some kind of security from him. If he didn’t want to go out with me, he should just leave me be. If he wanted to see me, then we could go out.When I got up in the early hours of the morning, Hunter had sent me a message to dress casually for our date. I wondered what he had in mind, but I didn’t have much time to think about it. I had to get to work. My day was pretty busy, whic
IrinaWhat I didn’t like was that he seemed a little entitled. I still didn’t know much about him that was of real importance. We walked into the forest and it was absolutely breathtaking. I could just see all the pictures I could have taken.“I wish I had my camera with me.” The words were out before I could even think about it. I just felt so relaxed in Hunter’s company.“I have my phone.” Hunter grinned. I shrugged and pulled a face.“No, it’s okay.” Whenever I take pictures, I go into my own world. It was a safe space. It was my way of recharging. I wasn’t ready to share it with anybody just yet. We kept on walking and I asked Hunter about some of the beautiful plants. He seemed to know a lot about the forest, which was nice.“Irina, do you believe in the supernatural?” His question came out of nowhere and I studied him for a moment to try and figure out where it came from.“I believe that everything that has a name existed once. It might not exist now, but someone named it so it
HunterI KNEW I WAS TAKING a huge risk by showing her. I also knew I had to show her. There was no way she would have believed me if I just told her. She didn’t run in fear, which was at least a good thing. Damn! I shouldn’t have told her! I should have stuck to my original plan of rejecting her.I didn’t think she would tell anyone, but with her current state of mind, I had no idea what she might do. I drove back to the pack house and went straight into the forest. It was this forest that first drew me here. It was magical. The trees formed a thick leafy roof, cooling the ground. The dark dirt was soft, and the flowers' scent hung thick in the air.There were smallish animals but none of my pack ever hunted them. We buy our food from the local supermarket just like everybody else. I rolled my eyes thinking how incredibly stupid my thoughts were. I had just broken the ultimate rule for werewolves. I told a human. The only reason I knew she wouldn’t be harmed was because she was my mat
IrinaALL MY LIFE, I had believed that the supernatural world existed. I believed that at some point everything people considered as magical or strange had to have existed. Actually, seeing it come to life … My mind spun into overdrive for the umpteenth time. I hadn’t seen Hunter in days. My body was screaming for him in ways I never could have imagined, but I just couldn’t bring myself to call him.Hunter didn’t make any attempt to contact me, which was even more confusing. With everything I knew about werewolves, I was sure he would contact me at some point. Droning on through my days, I felt as though I was growing weaker. I convinced myself that I was getting sick. One week turned into two, and then three, and then the fever hit me again.Exactly one month after the first fever, the second one put me in the hospital. I was delirious. I was sure I was seeing things each time I woke up. Hunter was there, and so were my parents. Everything was so fuzzy and all I could really think ab
IrinaI TOOK TWO DAYS to regain my strength and just think everything through. I wanted to be sure that I was doing the right thing and not just rushing into this relationship because of the strange fever I had. I was dressed and ready when Hunter arrived and although my mom wasn’t entirely happy that I was pursuing this relationship, she was friendly enough. We said an awkward goodbye and Hunter put his hand on my lower back as we walked out. Images of what I dreamed about during the fever rushed through my body and a shiver ran down the back of my spine.“Are you cold?” Hunter pulled me closer and I smiled as I shook my head. How did you tell your possible future boyfriend that you had wet dreams about him while you were sick?!“No, I’m okay.” I felt the blush creep over my cheeks as he opened the door for me and we got into his beautiful classic sports car. When he slipped into the driver’s seat, I just had to say something. “I love the car, but it’s a bit cliché, don’t you think?
IrinaAfter a couple of weeks, the new place was built and we all moved in. I loved the new setup more than I thought I would and it was actually great fun to have Rosemary so close by. The children had done an amazing job in getting everyone settled into the new place and as I walked down the beach, I breathed in the fresh morning air.I missed Archer terribly. He would have loved this new place so much. He had always loved the lake. I met Rosemary on the way and we caught up on all the last-minute arrangements for the day. Hunter had finally accepted his new position in life and there was just one thing he asked of the kids which they gladly gave.Now that we were all settled in, it would be the official ceremony to bind our two packs together according to our ancient traditions. Today was Ingrid and Richard’s mating ceremony and I could feel the excitement in the air. The packs had already come together as one much easier than any of us could ever have imagined they would.On the f
Irina“Oh, no! Don’t you dare put me in the middle of this!” I glared at Hunter who was glaring right back at me. The discussions had been going around in circles for hours without a solution and he had pulled me aside to ask me to order Richard and our daughter to move home. Hunter, being Hunter, had found the only way he believed this arrangement would work.He thought Richard could just become Alpha of our pack and choose someone else to take over his pack. As if it would be that damn easy! What was my mate thinking?!“I don’t see what the problem is.” He huffed and for a split second I saw traces of Archer in my husband. They looked so damn much alike! “Other males move to the packs of their females, why can’t he?” Hunter was pouting as he waved his hand through the air before clamping his arms tightly over his chest.“Would you have left your pack for me?” I studied my mate. “If I refused to live this life, Hunter. Would you have given up everything just for me?” I could see that
IngridI was hoping I looked sexy, but I knew I didn’t as I fumbled to try and fit him inside me. I was just about to give up when Richard reached out and helped me and I nearly swallowed my tongue the moment he pushed inside of me. I liked this position! I had seen it in movies and always wondered about it, even if I looked away as soon as it came on.It felt as though he was going even deeper and I wondered if that was even possible. I wasn’t entirely sure if I should hunch on my legs or just move my hips, but clearly Richard knew what he was doing as he guided me and we were soon captured in the throes of passion!“Yeah, that’s it! Ride me!” He growled through clenched teeth and it gave me the small confidence boost I needed. I was doing it right! Richard pushed himself up and he clung to my body as I moved. It took a little longer for us to reach that peak this time, but just as I felt myself about to tumble over, he leaned closer. I felt his canines scarping my skin for just a mo
IngridIt was as though that was all he needed to hear as he slowly started to push into me. In an instant, I was flooded with hunger. I wanted him more than anything. I needed him. The expression of needing someone … Really needing them finally made sense! The world finally made sense! Why men went to war for women made sense!Richard stopped pulling me out of my ridiculous thoughts and when a frown formed on his brow, I thought I had done something wrong.“I’m not sure if you know this, but this next part will hurt a little. I promise you it will be the one and only time I will ever hurt you.” He stroked a stray piece of hair out of my face and I nodded. I could have told him that it wouldn’t be the last time he hurt me, but I didn’t. My mind was running at a mile a minute with all sorts of distracting thoughts and I didn’t want to spoil the moment with any of them.As Richard thrust into me, I cried out and he held me for a moment. It was painful, but it wasn’t unbearable pain. I c
IngridI wouldn’t say I was entirely innocent. I knew which parts went where and what to do with all those parts, I just hadn’t physically done any of it up to now. Why hadn’t I done it before?! Having him touch me in those sacred places felt out of this world! It was incredible! I had never in my life felt as relaxed and happy as I did in that tub in Richard’s arms.As Richard got out of the tub, I wondered if that was it. Was it over now? I knew it couldn’t possibly be it! He held out his hand and I frowned.“Is it over?” I pouted and he burst out laughing, making my cheeks turn a bright shade of red!“No, my sweet Ingrid. That was just the start. The water is getting cold. I thought we would move this to the bed where we could be more comfortable.” He smiled at my look of shock and I silently swore at myself. I shouldn’t have waited! At least if I had done it once before, I wouldn’t have been such a damn idiot the first time with my mate!Richard picked me up bridal style and carri
Ingrid“Stay right there, okay?” He looked around and I nodded. I laughed when he started opening cupboards and swore. “I will be right back.” He grinned and disappeared. When he returned, he had a box filled with candles in hand and he walked right into the bathroom.“That is really not necessary, Richard. We didn’t know this was going to happen tonight.” I laughed as he opened the taps for the bath and started to light the candles.“In that case, you can light the candles while I get us some Champaigne.” He winked and disappeared before I could say anything else. I did as he said and I have to admit that it helped ease the nervousness I was feeling. When he returned with the Champaigne, I had lit all the candles and he opened the bottle for us. After pouring each of us a glass, he held out his glass to me and I blinked and watched him. I had never imagined him as someone who could be very romantic.“To us. May we only share happiness and love.” He sounded a little out of breath and
IngridI scanned his room. His bedding was white, which was a surprise. A single black line decorated the border around the edge of the bedding and the pillow cases. A huge bed stood in the middle of the room and on either side was a set of beautiful antique free-standing cupboards.“This will be yours.” He rubbed his palms on his sides before opening the cupboard for me and I wondered if he was as nervous as I was.“Thanks.” I smiled as he opened the cupboard and I realized it was left empty for his mate. An awkward silence fell between us for a moment.“I will give you a moment to settle in. Would you like anything to eat or drink?” He was nervous! It was so damn cute!“Something to drink would be nice.” I smiled as I realized my mouth was feeling incredibly dry. “Something strong!” I laughed nervously as his face relaxed and he smiled. He nodded and disappeared while I unpacked my overnight bag and made my way to his bathroom. It was beautifully done in white and black marble. The
IrinaHunter and I didn’t even have to ask the moment we saw Ingrid move. It was clear that she had found what she had been looking for all day and when they kissed, I nearly cried. We knew the boy. Hunter and I had been invited to his alpha ceremony while Ingrid was away on her trip. He was one of Archer’s friends from when they were younger, but the one thing that caught my attention the most was that he was Rosemary’s grandson!He wasn’t just any wolf, and thank the goddess, he wasn’t human!IngridRichard pulled away just enough so he could look into my eyes and I almost melted when he tucked a stray piece of my hair behind my ear. It reminded me of something I saw my father do for my mom once and how I thought that I wanted that kind of love one day.“Hi beautiful,” He smiled and I felt my cheeks turn bright red.“Hi.” Over the years, I looked at my brother’s friends and wondered about them. It was logical that I would one day be mated to an alpha or even a beta. Some of my frien
IrinaThe excitement hung thick in the air in the morning as everyone got ready to attend the Founder’s Day festival. It was the one day the entire town came to a halt and took the time to celebrate our town. It felt as though we were celebrating Ingrid’s return for two continuous days. I loved every moment of it. In my mind’s eye, I could actually see the many dinners and festivals Ingrid experienced while she was away.This was exactly what our town needed after the hunter was there. People needed to see us moving between them. They needed to talk to us and be reminded that we were human. We had to show them we weren’t the monsters the hunter was trying to make us out to be. None of them knew the truth, of course. The sheriff was one of the first to greet us when we arrived and the relieved smile on his face said it all.We had been working overtime to squash any rumours that were still flying around and finally, things seemed to have returned to normal.I caught sight of Ingrid tal