After driving around for a few minutes, we stopped next to a water tower that was so tall it peaked over the tops of the trees around us.A man was standing under a tree at the base of the tower, waiting for us. He was tall and of an athletic build. His skin, a rich shade of brown, was a stark contrast to the white t-shirt he wore. His shirt was tucked into cargo pants, which were held at the waist by a thick belt that holstered a gun. Hair shaved to his scalp, I could immediately tell he was of the no-nonsense types.Luca drove up next to him and rolled down his window to hand him my phone."Carrie, this is Lincoln," Luca introduced.I smiled and he nodded curtly.Never saying a word, Lincoln took the phone from Luca and turned to walk back towards the tower. He opened a door at the base of it and went inside."He works inside a water tower?" I asked."It's not a water tower, it's an office. He's my chief officer of information and technology. He runs a team out of IT guys out of the
Luca used a PIN pad that was attached to his door handle to unlock the door before opening it and letting me walk past him. I noted it was the same four numbers that were used to open the gate.When I walked in, a large laundry room was to my right with windows that overlooked the driveway. To my left was the entrance into a kitchen that was bigger than my old apartment.White cabinets sat along the lower and upper part of the walls with a wide window along one wall where the sink was, letting in ample amounts of daylight. A large soapstone-capped island was sitting in the middle of the kitchen and was lined by six countertop chairs on one side.I had never been in a kitchen that big.Natural hardwood floors ran the length of the kitchen and into the dining area that it opened up to where a long wooden dining table was placed under a simple iron chandelier. To the right of the dining area was a circular staircase that led up to the second floor and down into the basement.Further on w
"So what else do you do besides build houses and run a pack of over five thousand people?" I asked, backing away from both his gaze and the awkward tension."I don't have time for much else, I'm afraid."We were both quiet for a moment before Luca cleared his throat awkwardly."Speaking of the pack, I have a few things I need to see to. You're more than welcome to look around. If you need me, I'll be in the apartment that's over the garage. I typically utilize that space as an office."I nodded quickly, glad that I would get some time to myself.Luca walked back into the house and disappeared.Immediately, I felt like I could breathe normally again. I slumped into the couch that was beside me, trying to figure out what to do next.It wasn't long before I felt my eyelids begin to get heavy. As I tried to wake myself up, it occurred to me that I had been awake for over twenty-four hours. I hadn't slept since our only night in Vegas.As soon as I came to this realization, I felt a wave o
I woke up the next morning to the sound of birds singing. My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the bright sunshine that seeped into the room from the windows behind the bed.A gentle breeze created by the ceiling fan softly brushed my hair into my face, causing a chill to sweep over me. I pulled the comforter over my shoulders and sighed in contentment. My eyes opened again as I remembered what had happened.I had been in Heat.I hadn't realized it in the moment, likely because I was blinded by the sudden onset of pain. But I knew almost instinctively that's what had happened.Heat was rare-it occurred only after twenty-four hours had gone by of mates meeting each other and not consummating their bond. Most people didn't make it to this point. The fact that Luca and I did, however, was probably due to our unfortunate and unusual introduction. I couldn't imagine sleeping with the guy right after he'd kidnapped me, no matter how much I wanted to.I sat up in the bed.Feeling a cold breez
I sat down on the bed, my dirty laundry still in my hands. The last time I'd been on that bed, I had gotten off it to throw up. There was a similar feeling in my stomach at that moment.This relationship is doomed, I thought.While there was a part of me that was extremely jealous that Luca hadn't waited for me to have sex for the first time, there was another part of me that sympathized with his reasoning.It was true that most people waited for their mate to have sex. It was rare to come across someone who didn't. But those people who I knew that didn't wait were those, like Luca, who didn't meet their mate until they were much older.My mother was one of them. She would always tell me that there was a nagging feeling in the back of her head that told her she would never meet her mate. I could imagine Luca probably heard the same voice.That was something to sympathize with.The more reasonable parts of me, however, understood why people waited for their mate. After being around you
I glanced around me at the grocery bags that I would have to carry inside in the pouring rain. Looping as many bags as I could around my arms, I took a deep breath before opening the car door and making a run towards the house.Thankfully, the door wasn't locked and I made my way inside to the kitchen with relative ease. Placing the bags on the countertop, I made another trip to the truck, running through sheets of rain that fell from the sky. After a few trips, the truck had been completely unloaded and I was soaked to the skin.As I wiped the rainwater from my face, the lights in the kitchen flickered off."Wonderful." I mumbled.I looked out the kitchen window to see the trees outside swaying in the heavy wind. I could hear the pounding of rain against the side of the house as I stood there and listened to the storm.Beginning to take the groceries out of the bags, I blindly stocked the fridge and the pantry. As I emerged from the pantry, I saw the shadowy outline of Luca standing
I don't remember putting the rest of the groceries away. But, somehow, when I returned to my senses, I was standing alone in the kitchen with empty grocery bags in my hands and the power had come back on.I don't remember what else Luca had said to me before he walked away. I just remember watching his lips as they moved and recalling the way they felt pressed against mine.Even after the several minutes it had been since he'd left the kitchen, the taste of Luca's mouth lingered on my tongue, leaving me longing for more.I found myself reminiscing about the feeling of his hands on my face, wishing he hadn't pulled away from me. The racing thoughts added weight behind the pull I felt towards Luca.The imaginary rope I felt tethered to earlier that day had just become shorter and now tugged me backward, forcing me into a test of strength and self-control. I wanted nothing more than to leap into his arms and let him kiss me for the entire rest of my existence.I knew that it was nothing
I woke at the break of dawn the next morning feeling more rested than I'd felt in a long time. Getting out of bed quietly so as not to wake Luca, who was stillsleeping soundly on the floor, I left the bedroom and went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea.I sat out on the back deck drinking it, watching the purple sky slowly fade to pink and then orange. I tried not to spend those solitary, peaceful moments thinking solely of Luca.But I failed.He was all I could think of.His perfect tan skin.Obsidian-black hair that curled just so.Gorgeous green eyes that almost glowed in their intensity. Supple pink lips that were always plastered in a sexy half-smile. Not to mention a body that would have inspired Bernini himself.And that damned pet name.Every time the word 'amore' slipped off his tongue I felt a year added to my life. I only snapped out of my perverse thoughts when I absentmindedly took a sip from my mug and singed my tongue on the tea that was still too hot to drink.In t
You can do this, you can do this.My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest.Sweat dripped from every pore, making my hands sweaty as they reached out for the next bar in front of me.You can do this.As my feet landed on the wooden platform, I lowered shaking arms to look at the timer on my wrist.Four and a half minutes left.Chest heaving for air, I reached out and grabbed the salmon ladder bar and shifted my body weight to thrust it into the divider above it-continuing this movement until I was four feet higher and could reach the platform above it.I pulled myself onto the platform, trying not to think about how high I was in the trees.Swallowing my fear, I grabbed the rope in front of me and swung to the next platform that was a few yards away.When I landed, I saw Luca standing on the ground a little more than a hundred feet away.'"Go! Go! Go!" He yelled enthusiastically, hands pumping in the air.I smiled."Let's go! Move it! Hurry!" Fallon screamed next to him,
Luca and I arrived back home later that evening after a long day of meetings, calls, and wellness check-ins with those who had been injured.Even though I was physically drained, it had been good to get out of the house for the first time in two weeks.It had forced me to shower and put on clean clothes that morning, something that I hadn't realized would mentally help me as much as it had. I made a promise to myself I would do those two things every morning moving forward.As we walked through the door, I noticed Luca was carrying the laptop Lincoln had brought to him earlier that day."What's that for?" I asked him.He looked down at the laptop before sighing."There's something we need to talk about and I've been avoiding it for the past few days," he admitted.I followed him into the kitchen and watched as he placed the laptop on the counter, feeling my stomach twist."What's wrong?" I asked."Nothing's wrong," he clarified."It's just heavy stuff."Luca opened the laptop and I sa
The meeting room was cold.The air conditioning was on full blast as the summer had officially begun a week prior with high temperatures virtually unknown by northwestern Montana.That room was the last place I wanted to be, but it wasn't because of the chilled air that came through the vents overhead.I could still see where the pool of blood had blemished the concrete floor where an unconscious Bates had laid two weeks earlier. It looked like someone had tried to scrub it with bleach, but a deep maroon stain was still visible.Bates sat silently in the chair beside me, Dr. Witt standing behind him sterilizing the tool she was about to use to remove the medical staples from his scalp.There were five of the small, silver staples running vertically up the back of his head where it had split into a deep gash.He stared at the table as she gently pushed his head forward."You should just feel a little tug," she warned him.He closed his eyes tight, wincing as she wiggled the first one l
The doorbell startled me awake.My arms immediately reached out to find Luca's empty side of the bed.I sat up quickly, seeing the late morning sunshine streaming into the room through the cracks in the curtains covering the window behind his bed.Hearing the murmuring of voices in the living room, I got off the bed and walked over to the ajar door to listen.I heard Luca's mother's voice as she spoke to him, her gentle tone carrying down the hallway."How is she?" Ana asked."Traumatized." Luca answered.She hummed."Poor girl," she said, her voice laced with genuine sympathy."I can't imagine what's going through her head.""Death," Luca told her."She said something last night about wanting to die. It made me so nauseous I could've puked.""After what she witnessed, I'm sure she's confused as to how she's still alive," Ana said."Just give her some time and assurance.""It worries me." he admitted."It's enough to be concerned, but trust the mourning process," she encouraged him.T
I felt a wave of relief wash over me, bringing tears to my eyes I'd thought about him frequently in the past two days. Knowing he was okay eased the heartache slightly."That's good," I whispered.Luca looked at me solemnly."It wasn't your fault," he told me, moving a hand up to my jaw to tilt it towards him.I swallowed the massive knot in the back of my throat as I felt more tears rush to my eyes, blurring my vision. Shaking my head slowly, I began to back away from him but he stepped forward, preventing me from getting too far outside his reach."This was not your fault," he repeated, his voice firmer this time.I felt my bottom lip begin to quiver as a tear rolled down my cheek."He came looking for me," I whispered."If Bates hadn't been there, he wouldn't have gotten hurt-""You don't know that," Luca said."Bates could have easily been caught in the crossfire at the gate if he weren't with you."The intensity behind his eyes made me press back into the doorframe."With everyon
The first conscious thought I remember having was in the upstairs loft.It was dark outside.The moon was hidden by storm clouds, the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the room briefly. I could hear the strong gusts of wind, the rumbling of thunder, and the sheets of rain that pounded into the roof above me.I smelt like paint and misery.The canvas I'd dedicated months to laid in front of me, it's frame mangled and bent. The once carefully detailed collage of colors making up a portrait had been smeared haphazardly with black paint that also coated my hands.Sitting with my back in a corner, knees pulled into my chest, I felt a like a shell of a human.All the emotional energy I owned had been completely spent. I had cried until I couldn't cry anymore. My throat felt like l'd swallowed acid, raw with the screaming that came alongside mourning two traumatic deaths.The only thing I had left was a broken, beating heart.And all I could do was sleep.I didn't want to be awake.
My knees gave out from under me as I fell into the tree I stood next to, leaning on it with my entire body weight.His eyes were open, lifelessly staring into the abyss above him while blood flowed freely from the corner of his mouth into the hands of his daughter who held him.I felt my bottom lip begin to quiver, a feeling washing over me that wavered between grief and shock. Mady looked down at him, tears falling uncontrollably from her eyes, rolling down her chin and neck.Her cry could be heard throughout the forest, making Luca visibly nervous as he looked around us to see who was listening."Mady, we need to get you and Carrie out of here, okay?" He said gently.She fisted her father's flannel shirt in her hands as Luca touched her shoulders, urging her to stand."You can come back to him when it's safe," Luca told her."But right now you need to leave."Mady shook her head, struggling to breathe through her convulsive sobs. I could tell Luca was growing more and more anxious,
My paws bounded out in front of me.Haunches driving into the soil and propelling me forward, I was running quicker than I ever could on two feet.I had Bates's clothes in my mouth, holding them tight against the wind that blew in my face.Thankfully, the oversized clothing hadn't ripped the first time l'd shifted, but I wasn't taking any chances the second time.I bolted through the trees, following the metallic odor of blood that wafted through the pack land. I could only hope I wasn't following the smell of my own injuries.Hearing a deep growl, I skidded to a stop, coming up a portion of the densely wooded area where a large wolf stood in my path.The dark gray wolf stared me down, the fur on his neck standing at attention.I dropped the clothing from my mouth and snarled as a warning for him to move.He stood his ground, maintaining his gaze.Snapping my teeth, I took a few quick steps forward. But his stance remained solid, still blocking the path.A vision of Bates's bloody sku
Before my lungs could fill with air to scream, he lunged at Bates and I, jumping over the table.With a quick shove, Bates pushed against my shoulders and the chair rolled backwards in just enough time to separate us before my dad tackled him to the ground.My bare feet slid across the floor as I rolled backwards, unable to gain enough traction to stop myself before the chair came to an abrupt halt as it hit the wall.The sound of shredding fabric bounced between the concrete walls as Bates shifted into his wolf.I sprinted towards the two of them, watching as my father pinned Bates to the ground with strength that surprised me seeing as Bates had shifted and my father had not.I leapt onto my father's back, arms wrapping around his neck as my weight threw him off balance and we both fell to the floor."Stop!" I screamed, holding onto him as tight as I could while he stood back to his feet.I gasped as he pulled me over his shoulder by my elbow, my arm popping as it was jerked out of