Renato immediately bowed his head out of respect and fear for my mate. I was surprised to see him so weak. "Of course. I'm sorry."I was proud of Erix for taking control and standing up for me. He is exactly what a mate should be, and I was lucky to have him; I squeezed his hand into mine.When Renato raised his head again, I felt confident to continue. "Do you know why our pack is so strong? It's because we don't keep secrets from each other. They make us weak. We believe in total disclosure. You're a pack once you come together and work towards the same goal. If your pack finds out what you've done, you'll lose their respect among them, and I assume that's not something you can afford. You need unity."Renato's lips formed a thin line. "I'm aware of my mistakes. If I had known the threats would have progressed this far, I would have done things differently. They're coming for us.""What pack is making threats?" Erix asked. "The Blood pack. Are you familiar with it?" Erix tensed
"I don't know if I can go with you," Erix said after we finished our food and left the diner. We were on our way back to pack, and Erix was stiff. "I don't think I can be in the same room as Killian and not want to kill him." He didn't sound bitter anymore over his mate because he'd moved on from it as I had, but he still didn't like Killian. He found him weak to be an Alpha, and he didn't trust him. He'd told me that a few times during our travels. "It's okay if you don't want to go. I'll be fine on my own," I said. Erix was quick to reply. "No. I don't want you alone with Killian. Take someone from the pack with you." "It's really okay. Kilian is too emotionally unstable to risk or harms me." "Rain…" His tone was a warning not to argue with him on the subject. Erix never tried to tell me what to do, and if he did insist on something, it was because he felt strongly about it and felt it was necessary. In cases like that, I didn't argue with him. "I'll send Carmela with you."
I shook my head and stepped a little closer to him. "I'm sorry about what happened to Isabelle. Is she-" I cut off, not knowing how to continue. How does one ask about the person your mate left you for? Killian didn't speak for a long moment, and for a second, I doubted he would. When he finally did, it sounded bitter… angry. "Is that why you're here? To offer me your pity? If it is, you can save it. I don't want or need it." Killian didn't keep the harshness out of his words. His tone wounded me a little, to my surprise. I wasn't used to this side of Killian. He was usually calm and composed even when he was Alpha. He never snapped at anyone, even me. It was clear that he was dealing with something much deeper now. He had a certain darkness about him that radiated through the air, and I could feel it. It worried and scared me all at the same time. Maybe it was a bad idea to come here after all. "You're worried," he said. "You don't trust me?" Though what he said was supp
Killian did have a responsibility now to Isabelle. It was his child she was carrying. If he didn't reject me, I wouldn't have met Erix. He's the best that came from everything terrible that happened. It led me to him. Killian's eyes were hardened. "It happened weeks ago. Isabelle would have died soon anyway, but you just sped up the process. I guess I should be thanking you. You put her out of suffering."Suffering? Was Isabelle dead? Did I kill her?" "And he took everything from me," Killian continued. "You, my pack, and my position."Suddenly I realized what he was doing now. He's trying to find someone to blame and hold responsible for everything—anyone besides placing everything on himself so he can't take the guilt. I had no idea how to help him. Things like that didn't come naturally to me anymore toward him. He wasn't my mate, but I tried anyway. "Look," I begin. "You can't hold on to guilt or place blame. It will eat you alive and consume you until there's nothing left. D
"She's quite a fireball," Rijel said, his jaws set in amusement. "We could use her." Use me? No. Never. "You'd have to kill me first." I made my voice as low and dangerous as I could manage. They both laughed at me as if I had told them a joke."That's unnecessary, Bella," Rijel said before touching my cheek."Don't touch me!" I screamed at him, stepping away from him, but Rijel seemed he didn't mind it. "We have other ways to make you cooperate with us," Rijel added. "Us? So what, you're a team now?"Rijel turned to Killian and smiled. "You didn't tell her? Well, this is amusing," Rijel said, looking at me with his arms crossed his chest. To say that this man is hot is to be underestimated. He is freaking handsome. He was too young to be the Alpha of a ruthless pack. When I met him at the diner, he was charming and jolly. My coworkers' eyes were glued on him all while he was inside. He is a wolf in sheep's skin. "What exactly do you want with me?" I asked impatiently. "I'm su
When I forced my eyes to open, I stared at a blank white wall. I let my eyes travel up to the ceiling. It was white too. It had the feel of an insane asylum. Shiver ran down my spine. Erix.. where are you? My soul is aching from the distance between him and me. We wanted our mate. My wolf and I felt incomplete. Feeling hopeless, I turned to examine the rest of the room, trying to ignore the pain running through my body. It was a struggle to roll over until soft, cold hands helped me. I tensed, but they still helped me move. I felt the slightest bit of relief when I saw that the hand belonged to a small, thin girl. She was beautiful. Her long red hair fell in waves around her face and cascaded down her back. Her skin was naturally light though she looked recently sun-kissed. The pink of her cheeks only added to her other pretty features. The first thought that came to me was, why was she here with me? Was she a prisoner too? Was she taken away?"Hi," she said and drew her hands. "
After handing Topaz the cup, I got up and walked to the table where the food sat. It smelled delicious, and my stomach growled at the scent. She laughed again. "Go ahead, eat. I can get more if you're still hungry. I nodded, and without hesitation, I sat down and dug in. How long has it been here unconsciously?Many questions circled my mind, and as I scarfed down the food. The soup was hot and burned my mouth, but I didn't. Next, I moved on to the chicken and vegetable wraps and moaned. It was so good. "We eat a steady diet here," she explained. "We are careful in our calorie intake and exercise daily in human and wolf form. We want you and everyone else in your best possible shape. You will be stronger and increase your stamina. That will pay off when you're fighting. You'll get training too if you prove yourself worthy-""No, she doesn't need those training, Topaz," a familiar voice intervened, and when I turned my head to the person who was talking, my eyes widened when I saw R
Be strong. I reminded myself. Don't let him see how broken you are. You can do this. "Erix?" I said, trying our link once again since the woods. "Erix?" I repeated. "Please answer me," I begged him. "I need you."I was greeted with silence just like before, and my heart sank further in my chest. I didn't understand why Erix didn't understand and why he didn't answer me. Was he couldn't hear me or possibly something more? What if he was hurt? What if he was-No. No. I won't finish that sentence. Erix was still alive. I knew it. I could feel that in my veins. At least that hasn't disappeared yet. That was something I hoped for. The door to my room opened, and I tensed. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I knew Killian was there like an innocent victim. And I was in the grasp of a madman. Killian stepped inside, and his eyes raked over me. He didn't speak, just stared. I clenched my arms around my body tighter. "You look better," Killian finally said. No, thanks