BryannaFear wraps around me and digs into my soul as I stare down at my phone. I’ve put off returning the mothers’ almost non-stop messages and calling for over an hour now. They should have been asleep, but for some crazy reason, they aren’t. Hunter gently pats my leg. “Put it on speaker so Jacob and I can help if there is anything you don’t want to answer or don’t feel comfortable talking about. Okay.”My chest tightens as I tear my eyes away from my phone, shaking in front of me, and look up at him, meeting his concerned gaze. Silently, I plead for this all to magically disappear. His sympathetic eyes and slight frown give me his answer, but I don’t want it. Ring…ring…ring…My phone nearly slips from my trembling hands as I wish this was only a terrible nightmare where I can wake up and it would all be gone. Jacob, on the other side of the bed, slowly pats my arm. “You can’t hide from them. They will find you. So, it is best to just get this over with. I have a crazy
Lindsey“Come on. We need to get back. I want to talk to your mate.” With a bright smile, I bounce beside Zack as his enormous wolf stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. I excitedly tug on his fur along the side of his neck, hoping he will agree, but he won’t budge. Why isn’t he moving? My smile falters a bit as I narrow my eyes and glare at him. “What is taking you so long? You even told me you didn’t want to spend the night out without your mate since you have just claimed each other. I’m sure your wolf is going crazy. We should get back.”His eyebrow raises as he remains silent, but the last thing I want right now is his silence. I grab another handful of his fur and pull it. “Come on. You don’t want to make your mate worried, or heaven forbid, mad.”He tilts his head and stares at me for a moment before his large paw pushes my hands, trying to free them from his furs. My grip tightens, not wanting to let go, but he digs his claws into my soft flesh. I let out a faint
Bryanna I glance over at the nightstand and the clock. It has been a few hours since the phone call with the mothers. I bite the inside of my lip as I wonder if they are really coming. That is a silly question. Of course, they are coming, and they are going to ‘inspect’ my mate to see if he is good enough, but will they stop at that or are they going to do more in the name of protecting me? My fingers fidget with the edge of the sheet, pulled up to my chest. Wild scenarios play in my mind while my stomach twists into knots. Hunter, who is sitting beside the bed, lightly slaps my leg. “Hey, stop worrying. Jacob and I are going to be here, and we won’t let our mothers chase Zack away. Plus, they have already met him briefly before, so they aren’t coming into this completely clueless.” The corner of my mouth curls down into a frown as my eyes drift over to him. Their mothers were on a war path the last time they were here. I don’t know if they remember much of anything be
ZackWhat did I just hear? That can’t be right.I look towards the end of Bry’s hospital bed at my sister, who is frozen in place with her mouth slightly ajar. Her heart sounds like a herd of wild animals charging and trying to leap out of her chest. I take a deep breath and let my mate’s delicious scent fill my nose and calm my raging emotions. A part of me is excited she has finally found her mate, but another part wants to deny her mate for a bit, knowing both the unmated men in the room are Bry’s ex-boyfriends. My wolf bolts forward and tries to take control, but the part of me who is happy for my sister quickly pushes him back into the shadows. I slowly glance up at Hunter, who looks just as surprised as me, and then to Jacob. His eyes flash between gold and then back to brown while his focus is locked on my sister. His breathing is ragged as he growls, “Mate. Mine.”The air in the room instantly grows thick as tensions rise. With a look of surprise mixed with relief, L
LindseyMy heart races while my wolf fights to take control as my mate whisks me down the hall. I’m not sure exactly where he is headed with me, but I don’t really care. I’ve finally found my mate. I feel stupid for not being patient and trying to hook up with men this last week, but how was I supposed to know I would find my mate today? His large, rough hands tighten around me and send pleasure pulsing through my veins. Gasps ring out as we make our way through the halls, but I ignore everyone. My wolf purrs and wants us to quickly find a room, any room, for us to be alone and devour each other. He darts around a corner. I briefly tear my eyes off his handsome face and look up, trying to figure out where we are at. My eyebrows knot together when I realize we are in the area of the pack house where visitors usually stay, but my mind is still in a fog, and I can’t put the pieces. My mate’s deep, husky voice pulls my attention back to him. “I’m going to my room.”A warm shi
BryannaI lean back on the couch in my room and savor the feeling of being free from everyone’s constant, watchful eye. The hospital staff has been nothing but helpful and polite, but after being in the place way too much lately, I don’t want to be there any time soon again. Plus, there is something with a few of the staff, which I just can’t place. It would give me an uneasy feeling, but I can’t explain exactly why though. Then again, it isn’t every day a guy walks into the hospital, and then a few days later, the guy is now a woman.Zack smiles and sits down next to me. He gives me a quick peck on my lips before sliding against the back of the couch. “Are you glad to finally be back in your room?”I smile and lay my head down on his shoulder. “Yes. The hospital room was getting a little overcrowded with not only the mothers being there, but their husbands, too. Don’t get me wrong. I love them and they are like parents to me, but they can be too much when they are in their
HunterThe heel of my foot taps nervously on the floor as I glance across the desk at Alpha Blake, who seems not to have a care in the world or is enjoying my discomfort. I’m not exactly sure which it is. My heart races as I timidly ask, “Will she come?”His caramel eyes look up from his paperwork. For only a moment, a shimmer of mischief flashes through them before they turn back to his normal, serious nature. If this is about anyone else, I would enjoy having fun with the situation, but I can’t when it is about me. These last few days have been enough torture to bring me to my knees and beg for him to demand Bethany come here right now. My stomach flutters at the thought of finally getting to see her. She could be my mate. The one I’ve been waiting for. Blake has shown me pictures of her and his sister. When he tried to find a picture without his sister, he couldn’t. They are inseparable. This alone tells me she is probably my mate. For years, Bry, Jacob, and I have bee
BethanyMy mouth waters as if I’m drooling over a delicious desert. I can’t even remember my question or why I’m in Alpha Blake’s office. The only thing rolling through my head right now is how delicious and tasty the cherry scent hanging in the air is. A dense haze fills my head while I force myself to focus in on Blake sitting behind his desk. My wolf jumps forward and wags her tails, while drooling, too. The smell is having the same effect on her as it is on me, but I gather all my might and push it to the side. My stomach flutters as I take a deep breath. The alluring cherry smell fills my lungs, making me want to inhale more, but I stop myself. My wolf’s tail wags frantically while she licks the drool off her mouth. She eagerly steps forward, almost like she is expecting something to happen. My eyebrows knot together as I force myself to keep my focus on Blake. He has called me here, and his request is my top priority, no matter how the alluring cherry scent pulls me i
Zack Jacob walks into my office. “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be outside with all the pups? Why are you still in your office?” I look up and give him a look like he knows exactly why I’m still here as I motion my hands above my desk and all the papers. Hunter marches through the door, shaking his head. “We have stacks of paperwork sitting on our desk too, but we are here for your pup’s birthday party. I still can’t believe he is 10 already. It seems just like yesterday we were fighting with Bry’s father and throwing Alpha Trevor and his son in the dungeons.” I shake my head. “Why would you even bring up that time in my life? I was worried what that idiot alpha and his son were going to do to get my mate, while also trying to stop Bry’s father from executing his horrible plan. That is a part of my life I don’t want to remember.” Jacob plops down in a chair in front of my desk. “But that is also the time you made your pup, Zane. Why would you want to forget about finding
Bryanna“UGHHHH!!! I HATE YOU!!!” My face contorts in pain while I put all my might in smashing Zack’s hand. He is the reason for this and why I’m in this much pain. He needs to feel a small portion of what I feel.The doctor reaches up above her head and tilts a light. She looks at my face while she stands in between my legs. “You are doing good. It won’t be much longer now. The pup is crowning.”Crowning? I want him out! NOW!!!Another contraction slices through me like it is ripping me apart. I throw my head back on the bed and dig my feet harder into the stirrups. “UGHHHH!!!! I’M DYING!!!!!”I tighten my grip on Zack’s hand, my only chance of relief. He winces and rubs the back of my hand. “You are doing so good, honey. Our pup will be here soon. You can do it.”His calm voice irritates me, and I whip my head around to the side and glare at him. “NEXT TIME, YOU ARE GIVING BIRTH! WHEN YOU PUSH A WATERMELON OUT YOUR DICK, THEN YOU CAN TELL ME I’M DOING GOOD!!!!”A
BryannaI move around in my hard chair, trying to find a comfortable position while I rub my growing pregnant belly. My focus is on the various council members behind the raised wooden ‘judge’s’ bench. The court room is full of people anxiously waiting for their decision. I don’t know if I should be happy or sad my father survived. It was touch and go, but in the end, he pulled through. It delayed his trail until he was healthy enough, though. Zack wraps his arm around my shoulders and whispers, “Are you alright? Do you need something?”I shake my head. “No. I just need to find out their decision. I can’t see how it could be anything other than guilty.” My gut twists, and I know it may not be that easy. He still has some very powerful connections, but if he finds a way out of this, I will do all I can to make sure he pays for it the rest of his life. Zack kisses the side of my head. “It will be over soon.” I take a deep breath and let his amazing, woodsy scent fill my l
ZackMy heart hammers against my chest as a mix of fear and hatred consumes me. My eyes lock on Bry and her father, and my gaze snaps to her arm where blood is trickling down. A small pool of red liquid forms on the floor in between them. No! He is hurting her!A growl rumbles within me, but before I can bolt forward, Blake grabs my arm and whispers, “Not yet. This is a battle she has been building to for most of her life. She needs to do this on her own first. If she stumbles or her father gets the upper hand, you can then step in, but let her fight this by herself first.”I don’t want to, but I know he is right. She might resent me if I interrupt them now. My wolf jumps forward and claws at the front of my mind, trying to take over and not wanting to obey my brother. He doesn’t care if Blake is right or not. He just wants to protect our mate. I take a deep breath and push my wolf to the back of my mind while I keep my eyes on Bry and her father. Every move her father ma
BryannaAnger courses through my veins. How could my father do something like this? I know he is behind the attacks, but knowing he is here after getting the top-secret intel about the new recipe has my blood boiling. It is to be expected, but seeing him leaves no doubt about him. Nothing is going to stop me from being there either when my father is captured and punished for his wrongdoings. Not even my pregnancy will stop me. As I run through the forest towards the factory, I rub my belly and silently pray the little one will work with me on this. I’m sure the baby would agree with me if it knew what my father is doing. My lip twitches up into a snarl, and I grind my teeth together. A wave of anger rakes over me, and when it reaches my feet, the ground rumbles. I ignore it though and continue running as fast as I can. My mind is consumed with my father and what he is doing and has done to Blake’s pack. And for what? Money? No. He did it for power. It is as simple as t
JacobHunter and I march through Bry’s pack house towards the meeting room, where several of the attackers are being held, waiting for us to come and handle them. Who in the world would have the guts to do this to her pack? It takes a lot of nerve to attack any of our three packs. We have the best trained warriors, and they are evenly spread across all of our packs. My lip lifts into a snarl when we turn the corner, and the room comes into view. Hunter remains silent beside me, but he is far from being quiet. His feet pound against the hard floor and echo down the hallway, expressing his true feelings without saying a word. We burst through the door, and our feet stop right inside. My eyes widen and my mouth falls slightly open at the captive people as I stare at the last two, who I didn’t think would do something like this. Hunter’s steps falter, but his rage doesn’t allow his shock to overcome him. He balls his hands into fists and stomps his feet forward. Through gritted
BryannaZack holds my hand as we walk through the halls. “Baby, you should go back to the room and rest. You still look pale. The medicine is working, but you are still fighting with an upset stomach.”I shake my head. With determination in my voice, I grunt, “No. This is my father. I need to be in on it, too. There isn’t anyone who knows better than me what he is like or is capable of. I want to be there and see the look on his face when he finds himself backed into a corner with no way out with his world crumbling down around him.”He squeezes my hand. “But we aren’t to that point yet. We are still talking about what to do. You can go rest, and I’ll tell you everything we discuss.”I press my lips together, and my stomach churns. “No. I want to be there to help plan it.”I fight back the bile rising up. There isn’t anything that is going to stop me. I will be there. Zack sighs and shakes his head but remains silent. We walk through Blake’s open office door. Zack sh
ZackI expectantly look across the desk at Blake. “Is your person reliable? Are you sure this is going to work?”My foot bounces as my fingers fidget with the side of my jeans. I really don’t want to be here right now. I’d rather be back in my room with Bry. The doctors are watching her and have a staff hovering around her. None of them have ever come across a woman having as much trouble as Bry with her pregnancy, and it has just started. They have warned me they may have to put her on bedrest, which she has strongly argued against. But when I tell her that she might lose our pup if she doesn’t listen to the them, she quiets down. He nods. “Yes. Our little birdie is quite reliable. Don’t worry. Now, how is Bry? I didn’t get a chance to go to your room to check in on you two.”My fingernail flicks the seam along the side of my jeans as I slowly shake my head. “She is having a really rough time. Thank goodness, the doctors have been able to find a medicine which will ke
BryannaI hug the bucket to me as my stomach lurches again. There can’t be anything left in me. I’ve been sick all day. Isn’t morning sickness supposed to only happen in the morning? Why is it lasting all day? Does the moon goddess hate me or something? My wolf growls in my head as she grunts, “You only need to watch out for your father. No one else would dare go against us.”I hope she is right. “Maybe.”My wolf shakes her head. “You still don’t know what we are capable of doing. Believe me, no one else will dare to cross us. Only your father is dumb enough to do it.”The corners of my mouth curl upward. “Okay. I’ll believe you. Can you help me with this nausea? I don’t have anything left to throw up. My stomach is empty now.”Her head and shoulders drop as she shakes her head. “Sorry. This is one of the few things I can’t help you with. If you get to a point where you can’t take it any longer, you need to call the doctor.”I sigh. She softly adds, “Believe it or