Adea “You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted to take out,” Shane said. He reached across the table and grabbed my hand in his. Squeezing it, he looked up at me and held my gaze. Is it easier this way? At least he’s looking at me like that instead of suspecting me. At least this way… I’ve got the upper hand. At least this way, I’ve got him eating out of my hands. This is how I wanted it to go. This is what I set out to do. No, instead of feeling bad for him, I need to focus on the shit he’s done. I can’t let myself believe in the facade that he’s trying to show off. I won’t let myself feel bad for him. Instead of jerking my hand back and making him feel bad. Instead of saying snarky to push him away and make him hesitant to reach out to me again. I stare back into his eyes and run my thumb in circles on the top of his hand. “Thank you for this. I’m having a great evening. The food is delicious and the restaurant is probably the cutest place I’ve ever been to. I love food and I hav
AdeaBefore I could try and guess where this special place was Shane picked me up bridal style and carried me to the Mercedes. My head was too lightheaded as he swept me off my feet. Instead of protesting, I went with it.The sun had fully set and the stars peeked out from the blanket of night and sparkled like little diamonds. My eyes dropped to the tops of the buildings and the street lights that lit up the sidewalks.Devin was waiting by the car and opened the door as we approached. I gave him a big drunken smile on my way in, one that he didn’t return. The car was warm and I sighed as I waited for the guys to hop in.As soon as everyone was in and the doors were shut, Liam shifted gears and we were off. I stared out the window as the restaurant flew out of sight. There wasn’t much to look at soon. On the way to the special place, I eventually dozed off.I jerked awake as the car slowed to a stop. Coming to, I realized I was leaning into Shane, my head was on his chest. Lowering my
AdeaShane dropped in front of me, and my eyes widened as I realized he took a knee. Even though we were away from the city area, I looked around to see if anyone was present to see. Alpha’s don’t bow and they definitely don’t get on their knees. Especially for another Alpha’s Luna.Looking down at him, my gaze traveled over the top of his head, down to the broadness of his shoulders, and darted to his as they moved to pick up my foot. My dress rode up and I scrambled to pull it down.If he saw, he didn’t show it. His eyes remained on my feet. His fingers cupped the back of my foot as his other hand pulled off my heel. My foot practically screamed in relief as he did the same with the other.When both of my feet were firmly on the ground, my toes curled into the warm dirt. My shoulders relaxed at the familiar feel and smell of the forest. Closing my eyes, I breathed in a lungful of pine, wind, and earth.It was as quiet as I remembered. There wasn’t a single sound coming from it. Okay
Adea I couldn’t stop myself even if I tried. His back felt like concrete as I face-plated, my arms and legs flew forward as I slammed into him. I wrapped my arms around his front and gripped his chest to keep myself from falling flat on my ass. "Oof,” I grunted. The noise came out as pain exploded across my face. Despite how fast I had been going, Shane hadn’t budged an inch. He was still standing tall and was hard as a rock. I didn’t know if I was upset that he didn’t fall or if I was happy that he was able to stop me from crashing along with him. As my chest squished against the hard lines of his lower back, I realized I could let go now. I released my grip on his shirt, took a step back, and peered around him to see what he was looking at. How did he come to a complete stop so quickly at the speed that he was going? What was interesting enough to deter him from getting away. My feet were throbbing from running barefoot on hard cement but I couldn’t find it in me to regret it.
AdeaTouche. Shane took a few more steps forward. I gulped and my eyes widened as I realized we were only a few steps away. I screamed as I was flipped through the air like a ballerina until I was face to face with him. He gave me a one-eyebrow-raised look that said I was clearly overreacting.Of course, I was the one who was overreacting. Not like he was about to throw me into the pool or anything. He lowered me until my chest was pressed against his neck. The visible curves of my breasts slightly grazed the bottom of his chin.Shane demanded my attention when we were this close. His eyes danced and his lips parted as he stared up at me. He smiled as he took a few more steps and I estimated he was standing at the edge of the water now.“Okay, okay,” I said as I tried to get him to stop long enough for me to reason with him. My voice came out a little more panicked than I would have liked. “Let’s make a deal. What do you want?” I asked.“Hmm… a deal?”“Yes,” I sighed. My shoulders slu
AdeaIt was still unclear what was tattooed on his chest but the drenched white t-shirt made it possible to get an outline of it. I was able to form a few possible guesses at what it might be. I told myself not to but even as I thought the words, my eyes disobeyed.They lowered to the hard nipples that poked the shirt. On top of that, the hard rings of his piercings stood proudly and I couldn’t help but stare. I was already looking, so I might as well keep going.My gaze dipped to his torso to his muscled abs that pressed firmly against the fabric as he breathed in and out. I was on enemy lines but I wasn’t blind. The Goddess had gifted this man.Slowly, I burned a trail up his body until we locked eyes. He stared at me knowingly and the air between us was hot and heavy. The laughter and happiness that had been etched on his face were gone and replaced with a look of desire.“Stay,” Shane growled.He waited for me to agree. When I nodded, he released me and I bobbed above the water as
AdeaFlicking my wrist, the wetness flew from my fingertips. I wouldn’t let myself continue down this line of thinking. That stopped now. Without another thought, I pressed my chest against Shane and buried my face into his back.He stilled as I wrapped my arms around his torso and gave him a hug. Had Mavy given him a hug since he’d been back or were they at odds because he killed their parents? I couldn’t see Mavy hating him but I could understand if she did.Nothing had changed and nothing was going to change. I would not be swayed. I couldn’t promise him anything but my heart ached for me to give him this one kindness. I squeezed him tight.This was getting out of hand and fast. Not only did I need to get a grip on myself but also on my emotions. There wasn’t any room for this newfound pity and there sure as hell wasn’t any room for it in the plan.There shouldn’t have been any pity when it came to Shane. I shouldn’t be feeling anything other than hate and remorse. After giving mys
AdeaI didn’t need him to tell me he wasn’t a good person. I knew he wasn’t. I’ve always known he wasn’t. A small part of me hoped he wasn’t all bad but I knew better. Everything that had happened today, everything I’ve seen, everything I’ve found out didn’t matter. It didn’t change anything.I hate him. I’ve always hated him. Over the course of a year, I sometimes wondered if he regretted any of the things he’d done to me. I never thought I’d have the chance to ask him face-to-face because I had been determined to stay as far away from him as possible.On top of that, he just confirmed that he didn’t regret any of it. Of course, he didn’t care that he was selfish. I should have already known that he didn’t think about the effects his abuse would have on me.He wasn’t the one being touched and used. He wasn’t the one who had to live in constant fear of being trapped and unable to escape. Looking back on it, Shane was almost like fate. I couldn’t escape him. He was an unavoidable force
The first month back at Desert Moon had been hard. Not a day went by without us fighting. Ethan rejected Mavy as his mate before we came home. A part of me knew he was hurt about it, missed her like I missed Shane. I felt like he was only with me because I was his Luna, because of obligation and duty. I didn’t know why he wanted to be with me. He didn’t know why I was with him when I loved Shane. We were at our lowest. We were ugly, we were at our rawest. It wasn’t until month two that we finally talked about everything. We talked bout what happened and we talked about the past. The one that I remembered and by this time, the one that he remembered. It was hard, facing the man I loved in this life and the man I hated in the past. He wasn’t him anymore, he hadn’t been him for a long time. We dug into the past and were completely honest with each other. He fell to his knees and apologized for what he’d done even though I told him it wasn’t him, that wasn’t him anymore. He asked me if I
Mavy fell back as if she’d been physically struck. She collapsed on the couch, her eyes watering. She didn’t look back at me, she kept her gaze focused on Ethan. I watched as her world crashed around her again for the second time in five minutes.“Where does that leave me?” Mavy asked. “I’m… your…” she shook her head and turned to look back at Ethan. “That’s not possible. I’m… I can smell it. I can feel it. Can’t you?” Mavy whispered. I heard the desperation in her voice.“I don’t care what you think or how you feel. I am already mated and my mate, my partner, my love, MY QUEEN sits in this room. Don’t disrespect her again.” The emotion in his voice caused me to choke up. Mavy bit into her lower lip and tears streamed down her cheeks. She dropped her head.“Yes, Alpha,” she said submissively.“I killed your Alpha,” Ethan said. “I’ve killed your brother.”“Yes,” she murmured.“Will you fight me on this?” Ethan asked.“As the next in line, I submit to you,” Mavy whispered.Ethan dismiss
The voices were getting louder, my head was hurting. I wanted to roll up into a ball and disappear from the world. Instead, I closed my eyes and tried to drown it all out, trying to ignore everyone. I wasn’t ready to deal with it.“She’s in shock…”“She’s confused…”“Enough!”A door slammed and footsteps paddled quickly towards me. Soft frail arms wrapped around me. Tears soaked my cheeks and my neck as Mavy cried. Did she know? She had to know.“Are you okay?” Mavy sobbed.I wrapped my arms around her and nodded. The tears started up again and streamed down my cheeks. Her t-shirt bunched in my fingers as I held her close. We cried and held each other.She inhaled deeply and froze. Slowly, she lifted her nose into the air and took another deep breath. Turning from me, she tried to follow the scent. She stopped, her gaze locked on someone, I turned and followed her gaze.I should have known, expected it but I’d been so caught up in my feelings that I didn’t think. I don’t know how it w
I didn’t have an answer for him and I don’t think he would have liked what I would have said. Hell, I didn’t know if I liked what I thought or how I felt. Instead of hurting him and cutting myself open for him, I didn’t say anything. I remained quiet. My world was crashing around me and my ears were ringing. I lowered my head and the tears flowed of their own volition.Ethan leaned down and I flinched as his arms wrapped around me. They were strong and broad. His embrace was warm and promised I could lean on him. I attempted to get to my feet only to fall. My face twisted from the pain and I wanted to cry and wallow in my own self-pity. Standing, he pulled me up and held me as my body gave up. I collapsed against him.I wanted to get to Shane, needed to. As if on cue, the weak mate bond snapped, and just like in my dream, it was gone. Only, this time, the pain I was feeling was because of Shane and not because of Ethan. The world was cold, the warmth I’d been able to feel from Shane f
Did what I do to him last night not bother him? I betrayed him. Did he not care that I came here to hurt him? Did he not care that I chose Ethan? I wanted to cry and scream. I wanted to run into his arms. I wanted this to stop. I wanted them to stop fighting. I wanted it all to stop. I screamed, it was painful and gut-wrenching but I screamed. I cursed the Goddess, damn her, she was useless in all of this. She sat up there above the clouds and did nothing to help us. Did she enjoy watching us suffer? When I couldn’t scream anymore, I inhaled deep breaths of air. I looked up and froze as Shane stared back at me. The way he looked at me told me he knew he was going to die. The look in his eye told me he knew he lost but for me, there was a small spark as if he wouldn’t just lay down and take it. I watched Ethan punch him. It was as if he was moving in slow motion. He hit his jaw and Shane’s head snapped back hard against the ground. Shane’s body tensed and he punched Ethan in the gut.
For a moment in time, they stood glaring at each other. The sun was blaring down on us. My gaze darted back and forth between the two. Shane’s eyes wandered away from Ethan and landed on me. “Look at me, mutt. You don’t get to look at her after what you’ve done,” Ethan spat. “I’m not so weak that you can look away from me in the middle of a fight.” “What have I done?” Shane taunted. “You’ve touched what’s mine,” Ethan growled. “I haven’t done anything other than touch what is mine. I haven’t done anything but make love to what is mine. I’ve claimed her. She may not wear my mark, thief but she is mine. Don’t claim her as yours. She was mine, she was always mine. She doesn’t belong to you, she never did.” A look came over Ethan’s face as if he knew as if this was confirmation as if he was reminded of something he’d forgotten. “You’re the one who touched someone who wasn’t yours. You are the one who took what was mine. Don’t try to play the victim. Don’t pretend to be something you’re
No.Not Odis.“Devin,” I gasped.Devin heard me but didn’t stop. He didn’t look up at me, didn’t even hesitate as he continued to stomp Odis into the ground. Blood spurt from Odis’ mouth and I think I heard his ribs crack. I took a step closer to stop it, to stop him. In a flash, someone was on top of Devin. Strong arms held Devin’s prisoner in a headlock and his legs wrapped around Devin’s abdomen.I wanted to scream but it quickly died in my throat as Odis and I realized the man in front of me was Gabe. Gabe. It was Gabe and he was on top of Devin. Well, he was wrapped around him like a python ready to suffocate his prey. Gabe grunted as he continued to squeeze Devin’s head, blocking his airflow.I wanted to cry out happily but I couldn’t. Gabe was here. Why was he here? He wasn’t supposed to be here. Things were going differently since he was alive. He was standing, breathing, his head was still attached to his body. Maybe things were turning out differently.Maybe Gabe was safe, ma
“Do you understand what I’m saying?” Odis asked. I couldn’t find the words to speak, so I nodded. “Good,” Odis said as his grip on me loosened. “Why don’t you let her go?” A voice called out to us. Looking up, I searched for the source of the voice. My eyes widened as I found Devin watching up. His gaze locked around Odis’ arms that were still wrapped around me to his hands that gripped my arms. “I promise I’m more fun,” Devin teased. I know what it looked like. It looked like I was being held back from moving. It looked like Odis was stopping me from helping Shane. It looked like I was stuck between two packs, two men. The situation I found myself in was precarious. I was now stuck between two Betas who were supposed to protect me, despite their conflicting thoughts regarding me. I hadn’t had much time with Devin since I’d been back. He hadn’t been the nicest, shit, I don’t think he even liked me. That didn’t change the fact that Devin was Beta of Half Moon pack. Shane was his
I didn’t have an answer and I prayed I didn’t have to make the choice. Not only had everyone stopped moving but it had gone deathly silent. For a moment, everyone and everything froze. There wasn’t a whisper of wind in the air, the trees stood still, and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It was the calm before the storm. It felt like someone had pushed the pause button and all at once the play button was pressed and all hell broke loose. As if planned, the two of them ran toward each other. I looked past Ethan and my gaze landed on Shane’s chest. The sword had been taken out, a gaping hole was left in its place right next to his heart. Now that it was gone, I could see I had barely missed his heart. If I’d been one inch to the right, he would have died. How had I missed that? I didn’t kill him. Was I not paying attention? Why hadn’t I looked at his heart? I had aimed, hadn’t I? Had I meant to miss it? No, I had meant it, or else I wouldn’t have stabbed him at all. I tried to