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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN
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The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN
“The guy with the tattoos on his arms,” I say. “He was here yesterday. Where is he?”“Martell?” Stefan asks. He looks over his shoulder. “He’s here somewhere, he never misses training.”“He’s not here,” Piper says, her voice grave. “Who is he?” I ask. “What are those tattoos?”“He’s a mercenary,” Piper explains. “Doesn’t belong to any particular pack. Hires out his skills in fighting, scouting, whatever.”“That would explain the tattoos,” I mutter. “I know someone with the same ones. Or, at least, I’ve seen them.”“Another mercenary,” Stefan nods. “I can’t believe Martell would do this,” Piper says. “He’s been training with us and Sterling for so long!”“Mercenaries all have a price,” I say. “If someone offered him something incredibly valuable to betray Sterling, perhaps he could have been bought off.”“But who would have something that Martell would want badly enough to do that?” Stefan asks.“I have some idea,” I say. I tell them a little bit about th
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN
“There you have it,” Regan says, shrugging at me. “He loves me, and wants to stay here. So your little rescue mission is going to have to be over now. Bye bye.”“You can’t do that!” I lunge at Regan, desperate to break whatever spell she’s holding Sterling in. Piper grabs me and pulls me back just in time, though. With my chest heaving and my vision nearly blurry with rage, I look around and see why. We’re surrounded by the Santa Cruz pack, and picking a fight right now would only end poorly.“Let’s go somewhere a bit quieter and have a chat with their Alpha,” Stefan suggests. I am dragged away from Sterling, who’s still staring at Regan with an obsessive love, and Stefan and Piper guide me into the Alpha’s office.We all sit down in stiff leather chairs, glaring at each other. “So what is this?” Stefan says. “You all have enchanted our training leader, but why?”“A few nights ago, I had an encounter with a strange creature,” Finn tells us. “He looked like a human,
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY
I hear Regan shout something in protest, and Finn starts to say something too, but Coello puts a hand up to silence them. “Agreed,” he says. “Ayala,” Piper cries, “you can’t do this!”But I can. If there’s no way out of this for me, at least I can set Sterling free. I walk down the steps toward Coello, ready to submit to an eternity of being his prisoner.Coello waves his hand and I see the love amulet come flying through the air, its chain broken, landing delicately in his hand. “Come on, lover boy,” Coello says, making a beckoning motion with his hand. Sterling comes walking down the lawn, his gait stiff and awkward, like he’s still in a trance. “Wait!” I cry. “You were supposed to let him go!”“Our deal, little wolf, was very specific: I was to release him from the captivity of this werewolf pack. I have done so. I can promise you that he will never spend another moment under their spell, let alone in their presence.”“But you need to set him free! You ca
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE
STERLINGMy mind feels strange. Everything is foggy, like going for a run on the beach before the sun comes up and I can barely see the shapes of the trees through the mist.Even when I can’t see, though, I never get lost. My dad taught me better than that. I always keep the sounds of the ocean on one side of me, and the smells of the redwoods on the other. In the wilderness of my thoughts, I try to do the same. What can I hear? What can I sense?A girl. Someone beautiful.My mate. Her scent makes my heart pound and her touch sets my skin on fire.I love her. I need her. I have to go to her.I turn toward her, but her face disappears into the mists. There’s another girl, a different girl, in her place.In the mists, their faces blur. I try to chase after her, but she keeps changing. I can’t follow two people at once. I spin around. Memories swirl around me like the salty spray of a cold ocean wave. They sting my face.Everything is wrong. I see the wrong
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO
Once Sterling and I are inside the lunar eclipse, we can breathe a little easier.Unfortunately, that’s just about the only thing that’s easier. In the celestial realm, lunar eclipses aren’t just things that happen occasionally - they exist all the time, floating around and waiting to overlap with the earthly realm.In here, everything is dark. True, real, celestial dark. I can’t see anything, even if I close my eyes and rub them.“Make sure you hold onto me,” I say, squeezing Sterling’s hand. “Otherwise, we won’t be able to find each other.”“This is crazy,” I hear Sterling say. It’s just a whisper, barely a breath, but since I’m completely blinded by the lunar eclipse, the rest of my senses are heightened. I can hear his heart beat, the blood rushing through his veins, as Sterling stands beside me. “We’re safe here,” I promise him. “No one can find us as long as we stay in the lunar eclipse.”In response, Sterling just hugs me close. Without my eyesight, all I can
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THREE
“Since you’ve mated,” Nash says, giving Sterling a congratulatory pat on the back, “does that mean you’re safe from the Moon Rabbit?”“That’s what we hope,” I say. “Based on the research that Arnold helped us do, plus some of the things Coello has said. Me having a mate is my best bet to avoid ever being dragged into one of his evil deals again.”“It also means,” Layla says with a twinkle in her eye, “that we Star Twins might finally be able to shift.”I used to be obsessed with figuring out how to shift. But now, I just feel exhausted. Even if I could shift, I don’t know if I’d be able to do it now, after everything I’ve been through. Plus, what if Arnold’s research was wrong? What if neither of us can shift, even after I’ve found a mate? Layla will be devastated. I don’t feel up to facing that possibility. “I’m really sorry,” I tell everyone, “but I just don’t have the energy to try right now.”“Of course,” Sarah says. “You’ve been through so much. Let’s get y
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUR
Sterling and I head to bed together around midnight. It’s our first night together as a real mated couple, in a big shared bed, in our own room. I feel incredible. Unfortunately, the peace and happiness of our newfound safety doesn’t last long. We’re awoken late in the night by a strange noise outside. Something like thunder is rattling the windows to our bedroom.Sterling is already awake, pulling on his boots. I rush to the window and look outside, my heart sinking like a heavy anchor when I see who’s standing out on the beach.There, bathed in bright moonlight, is Coello. He’s flanked by the other shifters, who I now know are Regan, Isaac, and Martell. “Come out, come out, darling little wolf,” Coello is singing. His voice is deep and booming, and I can see the shifters beside him trembling. “Let’s end this once and for all,” Sterling says through gritted teeth. We head down through the darkened pack house, glad to see that no one else is awake.“Greyson and Nas
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE
“Sterling!” I rush over to my mate, now that I’m satisfied that Coello can no longer hurt him. “Are you alright?”“I think so,” Sterling says, standing up gingerly. “I may have some bruised ribs, though. That voice thing he does slammed me down pretty hard.”“Yeah.” I sling an arm around Sterling and we lean on each other as we stagger back to the pack house. The sun is rising, and I can see lights coming on in the house.“Guess we better tell everyone what happened,” Sterling sighs. “Greyson is going to lose his mind when he finds out the Moon Rabbit is lurking around out there.”“He probably went back to the celestial realm,” I say. “Still. Those three mercenary shifters might still be here. And he not only knew where to look for you, he knew exactly which bedroom we were in. I don’t like it.”“Me either.”We step back through the porch door, expecting to find a quiet pack house full of shifters just waking up. Instead, though, we’ve walked into total chaos. Eve
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The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED
Damian is a healthy baby, well loved, and by the time he’s a few months old, it’s obvious that Jasper and I don’t need to stick around in Serpent’s Creek. The mansion is nearly full to bursting with wolf and bear shifters excited to be part of this new family and to dote on the precious baby whose existence symbolizes a fresh start for everyone.Jasper mentions going home to Santa Cruz a few times before I’m happy about it, though. I tell him that Orsina could still use my help, or that there’s still some magic I want to learn from Clara. He sees right through my excuses, though. “Are you nervous and going back to live somewhere with those guys in the basement?” Jasper asks me one evening, sliding his hands around my waist to nibble at my earlobes as he asks. “Maybe,” I say. “Now that he’s not a rabbit anymore, and he’s seen me and spoken to me, and he’s already gotten out once -”“He didn’t get out,” Jasper reminds me. “We let him think he escaped.”“I know, but he th
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE
My eyes fall shut easily, after such a long day. But I don’t sleep very deeply. Instead, I get caught up in a long, complex dream.In the dream, I’m back in the celestial realm, standing in the same dungeon cage that Coello used to keep me in. Sterling is there, too, walking up to me with those piercing gray eyes and that familiar smile. “Hello,” he says. He leans in to kiss me, and I think that the bars will prevent him from being able to, but he just passes right through. I feel his hands on my face, his lips on mine, and he kisses me for a long time.When I open my eyes after the kiss, I’m no longer in the cage. Now, Sterling and I are standing on top of the massive tower where we found him, high up above the rest of the celestial realm. But when I look out, I don’t see the rolling, starlit darkness of the celestial realm. I see the golden yellow plains of Montana, the valley that stretches out around Serpent’s Creek.“Where are we?” I ask, feeling strangely dizzy.
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY EIGHT
Clara and Zach arrive soon enough, and we all go careening up the mountain. With Clara behind the wheel, we get back to the house in record time. Orsina is sweating now, her breaths coming heavy and hard, and Zach has to help her out of the truck and into her room.“Can you shift?” Clara asks her, gently lowering the laboring mother down into her bed. “It’s so much easier if you shift.”“I think so,” Orsina says. She squeezes her eyes shut, holding her breath. It takes a few tries, but soon she’s a bear, curled up on top of the quilts in her bedroom.“Perfect, perfect,” Clara coos. “There you go, mama bear.”“Could that cause a problem for the baby?” Zach asks, hovering in the doorway. Clara asked him to bring towels, and he’s already brought twice as many as we’ll need, but he has yet another armful. I don’t even know where he’s getting them from, at this point. Even a mansion like this can only hold so many towels.“What do you mean?” Clara asks, her voice calm and unf
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY SEVEN
When we call home to let Regan and Isaac know what’s going on, they’re thrilled to hear that Barrett is okay and that Zach and Orsina have a safe place to land. They tell us that Howling Wolf is doing amazingly well - after so many volunteers and friends came to help us with the battle, we’ve gotten tons more clients in the shifter world, and we’ve been able to hire a handful of new employees.Since they seem to have things well in hand, Jasper and I decide to stay in Montana. We set up in one of the westward facing bedrooms, next door to Zach and Orsina. Clara and Bennett take an upstairs bedroom, smaller but cozier and with more privacy. With Weston defeated and his supporters scattered after our Santa Cruz victory, the rest of the bear clan needs a leader and a place to stay. Through a peaceful process, Clara and Barrett become the Alpha and Luna for the bear clan. Bear clans don’t typically refer to their Alpha’s mates as a “Luna,” but Clara is a wolf, and the title just see
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY SIX
“Barrett!” Orsina rushes to his side, laying a hand over his forehead. He lifts his head weakly at her voice, then his eyes spark with recognition.“Orsina…” he croaks, his eyes fluttering shut again. “Help…”Everything then happens in a flurry of activity. Clara sends everyone but Orsina out of the room, giving each of us specific directions. Jasper is sent to get a bowl of hot water and towels, I’m supposed to find a medicine kit under the sink in the kitchen, and Zach is told to go secure the perimeter of the house, especially the rear door.I return with the medicine chest in my arms. It smells familiar, full of the healing herbs and magical potions Layla often uses. It’s also got modern medical stuff like clean white bandages and stitching kits.Clara instantly sets about getting Barrett to sit up. She holds a glass of water to his lips, encouraging him to drink and take a handful of pills and capsules she’s picked out of the medicine chest. She works on Barrett fo
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVE
We barely have time to process everything Clara has told us before she’s packing us a picnic dinner and ushering us out the door. We pile into her battered, ancient Jeep, which is almost definitely running more on shifter magic than gasoline at this point, and she heads out toward the mountains. “So, uh,” Orsina asks, after a bit of silence, “does that mean this is, like…you?” She rolls up her sleeve to show the tattoo mark of the wolf that appeared on her arm after the spirits from the carving gave their blessing.“It is perhaps an image of me,” Clara says in her cryptic way as she careens up the switchbacking roads. “Or, perhaps it is another manifestation of my spirit. There have been many over the years.”“What about your beloved?” Orsina asks. “The bear shifter you fell in love with. Where is he?”“That is a lovely question,” Clara says softly. “At times, we have found each other. At other times, our spirits have been far from one another. Since the curse took a deep
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FOUR
It takes Malcolm and Coello a little while to accept the reality of their new situation - that Malcolm is irreversibly bound to Coello, and that Coello is bound to us by virtue of some very powerful magic Layla cooked up for us. They snarl and fight, argue and wheedle, and even try to bust out of their chains by brute force. But nothing works. We’ve won. Malcolm and Weston are both banished to cells in the basement, very far apart to prevent them trying to scheme together. Maybe someday we’ll have another use for them, but for now, it’s a breath of fresh air to know that my biggest enemy, and the biggest enemy of my pack, are both completely neutralized. I had hoped that we would be able to relax and settle down for a bit now that this problem has been solved. In fact, we had a lovely day after the battle, with all our friends and volunteers and former trainees lounging on the beach and splashing around in the cool water.But something is bothering Orsina. She paces, agitate
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY THREE
The Moon Rabbit doesn’t waste any time once Malcolm agrees to the binding spell. With quick, almost spider like hands, Coello spreads the stalks and herbs out on the rocky beach, fluttering them into complex shapes. I stand on my tiptoes, peering out from behind my hiding place. Coello’s form of magic is rough and brutish, nothing like the delicate work Layla does. But it does the job. Malcolm steps over the edges of the intricate shape Coello has created on the ground, and even I can feel the burst of intense magic that snaps through the air as the spell takes effect. “I look forward to having you in my service,” Coello says with a low bow. “For now, however, I must depart. Do enjoy your newfound power.”Malcolm smiles, flexing his hands like he can somehow feel himself getting stronger. Then the two separate, Coello sneaking back into the tree house before anyone catches him outside.I’m surprised, but not entirely so. Some of us thought Coello would try to get as far a
The Alpha's Mate CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY TWO
The various wolf shifters staying with us to help out have been instructed not to speak with the Moon Rabbit, but to keep a close eye on him. Coello soon gives up trying to draw them into conversation and instead just wanders around the busy tree house, doing what he clearly thinks is subtle reconnaissance in preparation for his escape attempt. What he doesn’t know is that his ability to slip out of here isn’t going to be the result of his own careful cleverness. It will be perfectly engineered by me and my team, right down to the very moment. It’s early afternoon when we get the signal. We’ve had scouts placed in inconspicuous locations all around the forest and the town of Santa Cruz watching for any sigh of Malcolm or Weston. Sure enough, they roll into town with a huge entourage of bear shifters and werewolves. Our scouts say that they’ve set up a campsite near the beach about a mile south from our location, and that Malcolm is heading our way on his own, apparently to chec
