This is a shorter one, but our Cadet and Beta are slowly getting to where they need to be! The next chapter will be a loooong and steamy one! It will be split into part a and part b because it is over the limit that the app allows per chapter. Lots of love, Allie
TARYN POV When my eyes open again, I’m alone in the bed, curled up in the spot Reid slept in, my face buried into his pillow. I pop up, my eyes searching the room, scanning it to find any trace of him. I vaguely remember curling into his side at some point during the night, sort of recall his arms wrapping around me and holding me as we both drifted back to sleep. But the bathroom light is off, and the only hint he was even here is his black blanket still on the bed, his shirt on the armchair in the corner, and the lingering scent of him on the bedding and in the air. The frosty morning air nips at my skin as I leave the bed, my bare feet padding across the hardwood flooring. I snatch his blanket off the bed and wrap it around my shoulders, leaving the room bundled in his cozy scent. As soon as I enter the hallway, the scent of pancakes cooking fills my nostrils, mixed with Reid’s full scent and freshly brewed coffee. I peek my head into the kitchen. And there is Reid, his sweatpan
TARYN POV His growl shifts, the tension in his body switching from anger to something else. Something equally dangerous, but not because he might hurt me. No, dangerous because of how my body and my wolf respond to every movement, sound, and nuance of emotion coming from him. Dangerous because I know I’ll never be able to resist him when he’s like this. Dangerous because I already find myself thinking of other things I can do to bring out this dominance and possessiveness in him again. “Get on the counter,” he orders, his hands sliding up my sides and under the shirt I’m wearing. The fabric glides over my skin, followed by his hands that leave goosebumps wherever they touch. My arms lift without a thought, and then the shirt is up and over my head in an instant, tossed on the counter behind me. My heart pounds, my breathing heavy as his eyes travel down from my face, reaching my breasts at the exact moment his hands do. He cups them from below, his thumbs brushing over my nipples.
REID POV “Remind me again why we’re outside in the snow?” Taryn asks, her arms crossed against the wind, her body bundled up in a dark green down coat, a tan satin lined beanie with flecks of color — like little sprinkles on a cupcake — atop her head to protect her braids. “Because it’s Winter Wonderland Day,” I reply. And because I need you out of the guest suite while hospitality sets up everything for the rest of our day. “But it’s a snowstorm.” “Oh, come on, Cadet. It’s not that bad right now!” I say, looking around at the heavy snowfall. Okay, so it may be coming down a little harder than just a regular snowy day, even for us as shifters. Especially for someone who came from Southern California and is used to beaches and temperate weather. But my little warrior looks so cute with her grumpy face and puffy jacket and with snowflakes dusting the lengths of her braids. She just stares at me, then turns on her heel and starts towards the house. But I grab her hand and snap her
REID POV We make our way back inside and down the hall to her guest suite on the first floor, and I mindlink Haven on our way. “Is everything ready?” I ask. “Yes. The hospitality team just let me know they completed all your requests. Now I better not hear from you again until Taryn has accepted you and you’re both marked.” She cuts the link before I can even reply, and I bite back a laugh. For someone so unsure of whether they would be a “good luna”, she sure slid into the role with more ease than a female wolf raised to think they would end up as someone’s luna. Further proof she was made for Wesley. Made to be our pack’s luna. “So, what’s next on the agenda for ‘Winter Wonderland Day?’” Taryn asks as we reach the door to her suite. She has her coat draped over her arm and the beanie in her hand, her other hand clasped within mine. The spare clothes from the backpack I brought outside with us hang off her body, hiding any hint of her curves and her muscles, and my wolf grumbles
TARYN POV Quiet. Peaceful. Tranquil. Those are the words I would use to describe Crescent Lake’s packhouse in the early hours of the morning, before anyone is up and about, even with half of Silver Ridge in their midst. The calm settles into me, reaching out and soothing my racing and aching heart and my spiraling mind. Even with the restful night of sleep in Reid’s arms, my worries and anxiety returned full force as soon as I opened my eyes. Not even his touch and scent settled my frazzled nerves, so I’d climbed out of bed with him still asleep, and left him a note, telling him where I went. We’d spent a beautiful day together yesterday; him revealing many sides of himself in less than a twenty-four-hour period, showing me how life with him will be — fun, playful, sexy, and full of love. And now it’s my turn to show him all of me. I descend the last step to the basement, where Luna Haven said I could find a small indoor gym space with treadmills, and make my way down the long, na
REID POV Karma is a funny thing. Sometimes it works in our favor, and other times, it works against us. This morning it is not working in my favor. The bed is empty, and Taryn is nowhere in sight, and I know this is payback for me leaving the bed before she woke up yesterday morning. “I knew I should have stayed in bed with her instead of making breakfast,” I grumble, rubbing my eyes with my palms. I sit up and swing my legs over the edge of the mattress, stretching my neck as I do, and I spy a bright yellow sticky note on the lamp. I snatch it off and my eyes zip over each letter of her handwriting, my wolf pushing forward as her scent floats from the paper and into my nose. I’m going to the gym down in the basement. I will be back soon. Love, Cadet Taryn Love. She wrote “love.” Does she mean that? Or is it similar to how girls will say “love ya!” to each other when saying goodbye? Or am I overthinking the whole thing? I stand from the bed and stretch my arms above my head,
REID POV My dad lunges forward from the doorway, his movements strong but erratic, the alcohol affecting his motor control. My gut instinct is to attack first, to fight back and defend myself, but it’s clear he is hallucinating, remembering the attack and mistaking me for the rogue who killed my mom, and I can’t bring myself to hurt my dad, self-defense or not. I dart out of his reach, but his large hands and sharp claws catch my body, slamming me into the cabinets and knocking the air from my lungs. His claws sink into me and slice around and down, pulling me towards the floor, and my chin hits the counter, my teeth snapping down on my tongue and stars bursting into existence behind my eyelids. I groan and spit the blood from my mouth, my hand clutching at the wound wrapping around my abdomen. My vision blurs and my head spins. I can’t see it, but I can feel the deep gashes in my stomach, feel that they’re much deeper than my enhanced shifter healing can handle on its own, without
TARYN POV Reid stands frozen in the middle of my hospital room, his eyes locked on the ultrasound screen. His heart pounds and his throat bobs, but he doesn’t blink or look away from the image. I bite my lip and blink back against the water in my eyes, my hands clenched as I wait for him to react, to say something or turn and run out the door, but he just stands there like a statue. “Taryn?” Dr. Russo asks, pulling my attention back to him. “Sorry,” I say, flicking my eyes to Reid and then back to the doctor. “What did you say?” “I asked if you’re okay with this?” He glances at Reid, and I nod, taking in a deep breath. I would have preferred to tell him myself, tell him when it was just the two of us and we had time to talk, but there’s no taking it back now. The truth is out there, and now I must face the consequences. “As I was saying, the pup looks great,” Dr. Russo says, and Reid’s throat bobs again. “It’s measuring a little on the bigger side, but that is to be expected beca