DOM POV I pace back and forth near the hole we made for holding thirsty ones. We have never had a human inside the den before. All talks with humans have been at the mansion or within the human territory.I feel oddly exposed having her inside our rudimentary home. I know humans prefer certain accommodations, but our wild side yearns for this way of living. The freedom and connection to the earth satisfy the inner animal we all are. "This is the hole. Alpha will decide what to do next. You will wait here until that decision is made," Giulia says, and I force my brain to focus on my sense of hearing. I hear my mate's heart rate accelerate, and I instantly feel regret about my decision to house her in such a place, but the pack must not find out who she is. She might mean something to me, but to the pack, she is a liability."It's pitch black. I can't see," my human mate says, and the undeniable fear in her voice makes me step forward."I cannot assist you with that problem. Hu
As I sit at the luxurious dining table, my mind runs through a million different scenarios. Scenarios that change depending on which guy I focus on. Like...never entering the forest and growing old with Nathan. Or maybe mating and living forever as a half-Lycan. Having kids...can I have kids with Dom? If I do stay with him, are we destined to never have children. With Nathan, I could have had one. I also would have been stuck in a job I hated, but a chance at being a mother sounds good. But if I am a Lycan, I will be expected to fight against the thirsty one. I don't know how to fight. Inside the human city, I am safe, bored, but safe. I turn the glass of water slowly as if it's in sync with my wheeling mind, completely ignoring the nosy lycans watching me. I have avoided answering any of their questions and instead asked for some water to buy me some time. They haven't backed off, but they haven't asked again, either. They seem to be waiting for me to crack or ask them somethin
DOMENICO POV I fold my arms and lean against the entrance to the main living area. I try to appear calm and relaxed but my insides are a swirl of different emotions. Lust and longing being the primary ones.I tried to stay in my personal around, but I have realized that I can't stay away from her for very long. Even if she is with Giulia, my most trusted female warrior. I personally have to know she is safe and being taken care of. She may have upset me, but I do not think I could ever stay mad at her. She is too precious, even now.Giulia seems to be warming up to my human mate rather quickly, which I am unsure if I like. Humans have never been creatures that we befriend. We protect them, but their short life spans make it painful to care about them on a personal level."I need to explain something to you," Giulia says with almost urgency in her voice, and I freeze."We can kill them with ease, but sometimes their numbers overwhelm us...Each Lycan lost is devastating to us. Over th
I hug my knees close to my chest as I watch some Lycans wrestle in the courtyard behind the massive castle. I feel so cold, and I don't know why. The air outside is warm, and the sun is hitting the area around me. Ever since my annoyance with Domenico left, I have felt weak and cold. I want to see him and have him hug me, but my pride is telling me to stay away. I shake my head a little to push back my thoughts about my mate. Anytime I even think of his name I begin to obsess about him. Where is he? What is he doing? Is he okay? It's baffling me. I have never felt this possessive or obsessive over someone. Nathan was my best friend and lover, but I could go hours without wondering what he was up to. The lycans I am watching seem relaxed and comfortable. They don't even seem to mind that I am staring at them, and I am glad. I would hate to be told I need to go back inside. I am tired of counting the lines in the wood. I needed something else to stare at. Something moving and alive
"What are you doing with that," I ask slowly as I see my family's picture in my mate's hand. She jumps like a frightened bunny, and the picture goes flying toward the fire. Thankfully Alessia snags it before it can be lost to the flames. My mate turns to face me with a horrified expression, and I react before I can stop myself. I grab her arms and lift her to her feet. Fully intending to kiss her full lips, but reality hits me in the face just in time to stop me. "I will escort you outside. You may go as far as the stream. Any farther isn't safe. Sunset is an hour away, and bloodsuckers are unpredictable when they smell a human. A group of them might be dumb enough to enter my den," I manage to say, and her beautiful blue eyes grow even larger. She nods after a few moments and tucks her hands into the pockets of her pants. "I won't go that far. I just need some vitamin D," she says in a voice meant for humor, and confusion riddles my brain. Her body language is su
I feel so giddy. Domenico has asked me to dine with him. After telling his pack about me, he hasn't really left my side. He constantly observes me without saying anything unless it's a question about my life. I have covered everything about my short life, and he seems to be soaking it in. Not just soaking it in, actually, but intrigued. But it is confusing to me since I have only ever lived in one place. I haven't seen very much of the world, and since I am so young, life is a challenge. Compared to me, he is sophisticated and cultured. But I am still excited to spend time with him. The Oracle, Alessia, and Giulia have gone to great lengths to get me a summer dress from the city. So for the first time since telling his pack, I am his mate, Domenico isn't by my side. My two bodyguards are. "Yellow is a good color for your skin," Giulia says while looking like a fashion credit. She has circled me twice while holding her chin, and my nerves are shot. They won't let me see wh
DOMENICO POV "I am sorry I walk slow," she whispers, and my heart aches inside my chest. She sounds sad, and that kills me. She is human, and while I wish she weren't, she can not change it. She isn't slow for a human. She is only slow compared to me. We are nothing alike...and I still find her to be perfect. "All humans are slow. I am only worried about your pace currently because the sun sets soon," I reply after pushing down my sorrow, and she looks up at me cautiously, making me look at her. She quickly looks back down at her feet like a frightened deer. I look away to ease her discomfort, but her heartbeat quickens even more. "Why do they teach us to call you beasts? I mean, it's clear that offends you. Have you addressed it," she asks, and my self-control leaves me. I scoff at how naive she truly is. Does she believe that because something offends me, the humans will alter their decisions? The humans do things to offend us purposefully. Jealousy is the true
The wooden floors creak as I slowly make my way to the dining hall. No matter how lightly I step or how much I try to distribute my weight the ancient wood is protesting each one of my movements. The house is completely silent except for my footsteps since most of the Lycans have either gone to bed or are out in the forest. I can only assume their Alpha told them to make themselves scarce. I know Domenico can hear me coming and that makes me even more nervous. I don't truly understand why because it's not like I haven't been on a date. I mean I lived with a man before. But this feels different...like it's the beginning of the rest of my life. I push open the dining room's beautiful original door and my mate looks in my direction instantly. His green eyes sweep over me so quickly that I almost miss them. "Yellow suits you," he whispers after a second and I blush before stepping further into the room. "Thank you. The girls said the same thing," I reply and he smirks befor
Taylor POV The group is nothing but tense as we travel back toward the city Pleck. Chris and his daughter are staying close to one another and their members are flanking them tightly almost as if they expect an ambush. Dom and I are traveling behind them watching their behavior closely.Cora told us she would meet us at Pleck when we contacted her earlier which made me both excited and anxious. I missed her and my other friends so much, but the fact that Dom insisted she came worried me. Dom- Cora is an hour from their walls. We are about three. She will stop and rest so we meet one another at the same time.Taylor- Do you except violence? Chris and his pack are acting as it it is inevitable. Dom- I suspect this city is on the verge of refusing help from Lycans. It has happened in the past. But it never ends well for the humans.Taylor- history seems to repeat it's self.Dom- No one likes to feel controlled. We don't and humans don't. Freedom is something we all want.I nod in a
TAYLOR POV "Dom, this is pointless. We should stick with packs," I say quietly as we leave yet another tense situation. Dom only glances at me for a second before pulling his t-shirt off and slipping his worn denim down his muscular legs. He shifts and I sigh before undressing as well. The cities we have visited have all responded with open distrust and apprehension about our bond. Some of the communities have asked questions about our bond and asked me to demonstrate my shift, but then they act as if I were never human. They seem to believe the lycans are trying to trick them into something and that our story is a lie. We travel through a sparse forest for a few hours in silence before I catch a whiff of Lycan in the air. Dom slows and I can't help but smile since we have finally arrived at a pack instead of a city.Dom- Cora didn't visit hereTaylor- Good. I am excited to actually be welcomed somewhere.Dom- We might not be. Lihua didn't like the thought of human mates.
TAYLOR POV4 months later Time has never moved faster for me. When I lived with Nathan I constantly felt unmotivated and unfullfilled. I wanted more, but I didn't know what. I thought it was the forest calling to me or the sense of adventure, but I was wrong. Now I have everything I could want and time won't slow down long enough for me to enjoy it. I have a ton of friends. I have a group of people who respect me and an amazing mate who pampers me everyday. But at the end of every day I wish I had more time. I wish I had smiled more at someone's story or talked with someone longer. Dom keeps telling me it's because I am still on human time, but I just feel like my time is limited with all of these amazing people. "Taylor, we can't postpone. We have to visit the cities and packs. The Creator wanted us to spread the news of our bond," Dom says as he sets done a dinner plate. I sigh loudly and Guilia rolls her eyes as she helps set the table with my mate. "The pack will survive
TAYLOR POV RATED R "What did you think," Dom asks as I slip into a loose t-shirt. "It was amazing," I admit before a sound from downstairs pulls my attention.Smells and sounds from everywhere in the castle keep distracting me. On the pack run I couldn't focus on much because my senses were so overloaded. I was barely able to keep up with everyone, but not because the other lycans were faster. I would see or hear things so unbelievable I would slow down. "Don't worry. You will get used to everything," Dom suddenly whispers from beside me and I snap my head toward him. He grins at the surprised expression on my face before lightly kissing my lips. Everything else falls away immediately as the presence of my mate overwhelms me. Yearning like I have never felt before zips through my body and I press myself into him. I begin to kiss his lips feverishly and grope his large chest. But before I can slide my hands down his stomach he breaks our kiss and smiles down at me lovingly.
The gentle breeze ruffles the fur of the pack of Lycans watching Taylor. They all seem to be tittering between excited and anxious as twelve o'clock approaches. Dom and Taylor's closest friends keep sniffing the air and glancing toward the forest on the other side of the wall. Cora's scent is finally drawing closer to the castle and not a moment too soon. There is sweat already beginning to bead on Taylor's forehead and her naked skin feels itchy as she sits and waits with Domenico beside her in the grass. "She is almost here," Dom whispers as he brushes a strand of Taylor's long hair away from her face. Taylor gives her mate a tense smile, but nothing else. Her jaw is clenched as she fights back the need to cry. Her bones feel as if they are on fire and her tendons feel as if they are ripping. Things have already begun inside of her and the clock has yet to strike midnight. Taylor is terrified of the pain that is to come. Doubts of whether she will be strong enough to bear i
TAYLOR POV "Stop looking at it as if it will bite you. Eat," Giulia orders and I shake my head before eyeing the practically raw dish of meats. My stomach churns at the thought of placing one of the extremely rare chunks of animal on my tongue."I can't. It's too bloody. It needs to go back on for... five minutes at least. Come on Giulia don't make me eat it like that," I plead and she growls a little before looking toward Dom for help. "Alpha, tell her. She shifts tonight! She will need the energy that protein will give her," Giulia says and Dom shifts his eyes off my face long enough to glance at Giulia. She widens her eyes a little in frustration and jerks her head in my direction. I grin a little.It's obvious Dom wasn't actually hearing the words coming from around him. He was lost in thought while staring at me. Probably thinking about all the things that can go wrong tonight... Thoughts kept me up all last night. "Taylor. Eat. You will most likely enjoy the taste. Cl
DOMENICO POV Goosebumps travel over my skin as I watch the water droplets fall from Taylor's dark hair. Lust slithers its way down my spine straight to my loins and I almost growl.I shouldn't be lusting after my mate when we have grieving members. Besides her shift is days away. I have done an excellent job of waiting this long. I can control myself a little longer. Taylor dries her hair in a small towel and I swallow the lump in my throat. I detach myself from her allure by thinking of my members and the friendships I lost yesterday. Sadness quickly sweeps away my lust and I am able to look at her again."Now that we are clean I need to hunt for the family members grieving. I must provide for them while they can not do it themselves," I say too stiffly as Taylor tugs a dress over her mouth-watering body. "No problem. I will go find Giulia and Alessia. My shift is in a week. I need to get my strength up. We need it now more than ever," she says sounding unaffected by my tone.
TAYLOR POV "Morning," I whisper as I peel myself off of a disgusting-smelling Dom. Last night we were so tired we didn't talk to Cora and Dom didn't rinse off. We just climbed into the bed we have been platonically sharing and cuddled. "Morning, my heart," Dom whispers back and I manage to give him a small grin. "We stink," I say after a moment and he nods slightly before climbing to his feet. His eyes hold sorrow as he moves around the sparse room and I feel his sadness all the way to my bones. I don't know how to encourage him since I am feeling the same way. "We should get washed up and visit with your sister," I say softly, and Dom halts in his tracks. He looks even sadder before he sighs and looks at me. His face appears punched. Almost as if he is unwilling to disclose whatever is on his mind and I grow fearful. What could be worse than yesterday? "She left us last night. She is traveling to all the packs before us to ensure Luna Lihua didn't poison anyone else a
Taylor POV The sunset looks so peaceful as we wait for our pack members to show up and it makes me feel sad. How can such a pretty sky be missed by people who were smiling and laughing with us this morning?Giulia told me we had casualties. She didn't tell me who or how many. She seemed to be uncomfortable saying in front of the young lycans or she was uncomfortable because she thought the news might send me into another crying fit. I don't know which, but I could tell she was limiting the information she was sharing with me. Finally, silhouettes appear on the horizon and my heart shudders in my chest.As they grow closer I spot the dried blood clearly visible on the fur of everyone. Both from their injuries and the battle... But that wasn't the hardest thing to see. The limp bodies being carried homemade the Lycans around me erupt in emotional episodes identical to mine from an hour ago. Dom and three other males that are carrying our fallen lay them down gently in the gra