Parker’s POV I can’t believe Caren still wants to protect the humans, even after everything they put Lottie through. There was no need for what that girl and her friends had done to Lottie. I am very surprised she stayed so calm. Especially after seeing her in action the other night. Caren, being a wolf/witch hybrid, is different. I have never met a witch before. I was always told to avoid them, as they are an angry, selfish species who only think of their coven. Historically, there has always been disagreement and fighting between the species, so the two avoid each other at all costs. But Caren isn’t like the witches I have heard about. She protected Lottie. She defended her not with magic but with her fists. As a wolf, she is weak. She is probably on a par with a human. I like the pair of them and not just because I think Lottie is Maddox’s mate. They are different. The afternoon was quite amusing in this high school, though. The girls were flirting like crazy wi
Maddox’s POV “Hey Maddox, fancy meeting the monster-in-law?” Is what I hear Parker ask through our mind link. Not really, I want to say. But I want to see Lottie again. Xavier also tells me he would like an ear scratch again, maybe even a belly rub. I reminded him she doesn’t have a wolf, so he needed to calm down. She may not even be our mate. But if she needs guidance. I am more than willing to be there for her, maybe even when the clock strikes midnight on that day. Just to find out! Borrowing a vehicle from Alpha Hudson, I drove to Lottie’s house. I was possibly getting to know my future mother-in-law. I parked next to Parker’s SUV and walked toward the house. Lottie came bounding down the path and punched me in the face. It was quite feeble, really. “You have some explaining to do, mister.” I rubbed my jaw, pretending it hurt. “You sent Parker to spy on me?” She was not happy. “It’s a good job he’s funny, otherwise Caren may have killed him. She was in a foul mood af
Maddox’s POV I walked out of the house after my informal chat with Millie. When I mean informal, I mean she threatened my life. But I understand her motives. I do not approve of her actions, though. Then again, she is a witch and I am not familiar with their customs. What I am familiar with is wolf customs, and that right now is what my beautiful future mate is waiting for me. Me and Xavier concluded while we were in there that Lottie had to be our mate, as we wouldn’t have tolerated being treated that way. “What was all that about?” Lottie asked with her hand on her hips. The clothes she was wearing, showing off every part of her body in a good way. I mean, I don’t want anyone looking at her. But I admire the view. “Your mom just wanted to check I would not hurt you, that’s all.” She didn’t need to know about the rest. “She has invited me to come spend the weekend with her to help you understand your wolf side and what to expect.” I noticed Parker and Caren sparr
Xavier’s POV I more or less trotted beside her. She was going at a reasonable pace for a human, even if she would have a wolf in a few days. It had just started getting dark when she stopped running. We were miles from everything. She sat down, patting the space for me to come and join her. Which I happily did. Right now, I had her attention, not Maddox, and I was going to relish the experience. She ran her hand through my fur. If she had a wolf right now, I would have mated with her at that minute. Every place she touched sent a tingle to my core. “Keep control,” Maddox screamed in my head. I did the only thing I could do. I laid down on the ground. But as she was already sitting next to me, her stroking became more vigorous. She must have thought I liked it and I really, really did. “Maddox, I need help.” “This is what you wanted, now deal with it.” he tells me. Which is no use at all right now. “How do I do this, Xavier?” Lottie asked me, stroking my head. Never mi
Caren’s POV I can’t believe mom let Lottie go off with him. What is she thinking? He is a stranger. She must have her reasons, though. I am sure she will tell me soon enough. She doesn’t keep secrets from us. In the meantime, I have Parker to entertain me. We are sparring in the garden. It makes a change from fighting with Lottie. He is a good fighter, so much better than me and Lottie combined. But what he wasn’t expecting was my barrier. He can’t lay a finger on me, seen as I know when he is about to attack. His face is funny when he gets frustrated. He is sweating as he is trying really hard to hit me, but can’t even come close. Lottie is gone for a while, it’s dark when she returns. She sits outside by her mom’s rosebush, talking to Maddox. At least I know he brought her home safely. Mom sat me down and told me about her conversation with Maddox, and how he thinks he is Lottie’s mate and that she may choose to go with him. My heart drops. She could leave me. But I
Lottie’s POV There was a knock at the door. Mom must have altered the protective barrier to allow Maddox through because there he stood chatting with her in the doorway. She took something that looked like a black rock off him, only it wasn’t a rock. It kind of glistened in her hand, a crystal. It was a crystal. But where would he have gotten that from? How did he know to give it to my mom? “Hey Maddox, do you want some pancakes?” I shouted over to him, while Caren set the table. “Yes, please.” Mom lets him into the house and he takes a seat at the table opposite Caren. Who obviously has something to say to him. We start with pleasantries about our night. I woke up during the night and found Caren in my bed. Her face was red and puffy, which made me upset. I just stared at her for hours, worrying about her. But I fibbed and said I had a great sleep. I think the bags under my eyes probably told him something else. He doesn’t look much better either, even though he appar
Lottie’s POV I am still worried about Caren when I climb into Maddox’s SUV. But I know mom will look after her. “Where to?” Maddox asked. “The human town, please.” I told him, still distracted. “I need to pick up a few things.” He grabs my hand. “She will be okay,” he tells me, trying to reassure me. I know she will be. She has to be. What would I do without my big sister? Trying to change the subject, “We need to go to the bakery and the florist.” I told Maddox. We travel in silence and are there in no time when he pulls the vehicle over. We climb out we are heading to the florists, passing a diner along the way. “Would you like a milkshake, Lottie?” He asks. Really, I want to rush home, but what will I do when I get there? Sit and stress about Caren? At least I am out of the house and have a sexy-looking man to distract me. “You know what, okay?” We ordered milkshakes and fries and we sat and talked. He told me about where he was from, about g
Maddox’s POV I could have intervened in the diner, but Lottie needed the confidence to fight her own battles. As Luna, this is a skill she needs to hone. If that was the girl from school that Parker was telling me about, she was lucky I was there. If I wasn’t, I was not sure Lottie would have held back. Then again, if I wasn’t there, Lottie may not have been in the diner. I wondered why Lottie was organizing flowers for her mom. But I guess it’s just something they do in their family, so we picked up the flowers from the florist. I found the interaction between Lottie and the florist exceptionally bizarre, especially when he winked at her. I think if he were a young man, I would have thought he was trying to flirt with my mate. But he was extremely old, like in his 70s. Xavier was not worried about him running off with her either. Lottie explained to me that she and the florist, Mr. Johnson, had had the same interaction every year, with the same words spoken and gestur