Libby POV I’m bouncing on the balls of my feet, nerves mixing with excitement as I watch the array of vehicles driving towards us just up ahead. They glide towards the alpha house like a slithering black snack…all the same, all in perfect collaboration with one another. Pierce refused to tell me who was coming, but there’s only one person I know that would travel like this, only one family. The alpha king and the royal family. My eyes can’t look anywhere else, the black cars consuming my full attention. As soon as the cars pull up, a door opens even before the driver has had the chance to open it, and a little foot pops out. Warmth enters into my chest and spreads across my entire body. “Auntie Libby!” Rex comes running up to me and I can’t help it…my feet are already running to close the gap between us as I fling him up in the air, and spin him in my arms. As soon as I place him down, his sister Elspeth does exactly the same, and so do it. I can’t believe they are here, th
Pierce POV “How is she…really?” Reuben asks as he sits down in my office. I have just poured us both a glass of whiskey, as Libby helps Evelyn send the children off to bed. “She’s doing…great.” Even as I say it, I don’t know if I quite believe it. It can’t be that easy can it. Anwir visiting her in her sleep and she miraculously wakes up the next morning a more positive version of herself. “I don’t think you even bought that lie.” Reuben grunts out as he slowly sips on his glass. “No, I didn’t. Anwir arrived one night. He did something, something that seems to be working. I don’t know what it was or what he did, but since then she’s been more open towards her wolf.” I shrug out trying not to let it annoy me that what he did has helped her, when I couldn’t. “Then what’s the problem?” “I guess I’m just waiting for the penny to drop, for her to go back to how she was. This just seems too good to be true.” “Did you ask Anwir to come here?” Reuben asks, his forehead fu
Libby POV “Wine?” I offer out to Evelyn as we both tiptoe down the stairs, trying not to wake the children up who were too excited to sleep. It took some time, some very well manipulative head stroking on my part…but they were asleep. “I best not, I’ll be up there only in an hour to resettle Angel.” Evelyn sighs out. “I can do that, you should relax.” I’m determined to take no for an answer as we walk into the kitchen and I pull a cold bottle of sauvignon blanc out of the fridge. She watches me in silence, as I fetch two wine glasses and continue to pour the wine out. As I hand her a glass, a small smirk enters onto the corner of her lips.“What?” I ask out, thinking perhaps I did something wrong with the way I poured out the wine.“You seem different…”“Different?”“Good different…you seem like a luna.”“I wouldn’t go that far, but I am starting to feel settled here. Starting to feel at home.” I don’t think I’ve said that out loud yet, and as I do, it’s how I feel. “I’m pleased
Libby POVHow can my caravan have so much condensation in one night. All I do is breathe. It’s not as if I am having wild rampant sex in it all night. Although, I do often dream of a certain somebody licking me all over. Which then results in me waking in the early hours covered in sweat and a prolonged unsatisfied need that doesn’t leave me until mid morning. But it means I did wake up cold. Thankfully, I had a good night sleep last night, no dreaming of a certain male who I promised myself I would never think about again. What would be the point. That was my past life. As I make myself a morning cup of coffee, I push open my caravan door desperate to let fresh air circulate on this early spring morning. It was 5am and the sun still seemed hours away from rising and overpowering the soft moon’s glow. It was dark, cold and silent...just how I liked it.I was already wrapped in 4 layers of clothing, it was still cold in the mornings but nothing compared to the freezing nights o
Libby POV I have enough time to revisit the married farmer’s house and collect their personal chicken eggs for today. They said I could, said I could help myself whilst they were away. They seem to trust me, they don’t let anybody else do it. I plan to use the eggs to make pancakes for dessert tonight. Beth was looking a little bit too gaunt for my liking. I noticed at breakfast she gave Ben her sausages, claiming she wasn’t hungry. Her brother, being of the muscular type, is known for spending all his money on extra food. She must worry that he isn’t getting enough nutrients. He’ll come back later today with bags of food from the town’s supermarket. He can’t help himself. I don’t think Beth was full though, I think she is kind. But she’s not eating enough to keep her own energy levels maintained for this labour intensive workload. And it is hard work, there’s a reason it is called manual labour. Beth is a lot older than my niece Elspeth, 10 years in fact, but she makes me thi
Libby POV I don’t wait, I tear the package open with one hand and reach behind with the other to take my water bottle out of my backpack. Her eyes don’t leave me once as I take not 2 but 4 tablets. “That’s a lot…”“I’m fine, I know what I am doing.” I mutter back as I swallow 4 little green pills in one hit. These were different, not as strong as before. However, they start to work immediately. I rejoice internally as my tensed muscles start to relax, that inner voice slowly disappearing again back into the abyss. Just where I like to keep it. I take a long deep breath in, cracking my neck to the side before returning my attention to the female in front of me. She takes a long drag on her cigarette before blowing it out towards my face. She’s not the warmest of characters. “Thanks for coming so quickly, how have you been?”“Yes, yes all fine. I can’t stay…” She’s not as talkative as she normally is. Usually it was me trying to get away from her, not her trying to get away from
Libby POVThe wolf seems somewhat tame…it just keeps trying to bite at the trap around its ankle. Which when I watch Ben touch, every time he pulls his hands away as if it was hot to touch. He swears before trying to touch the trap all over again. “I’m sorry, I can’t…” He whispers to the wolf. His shoulders slumped as he finally has to admit defeat. I don’t understand what has happened and why Ben has got himself involved with helping a wild animal, the farmer couple would have shot it on site.“Here, let me take over.” I crouch down beside him, very slowly stroking the side of the wolf’s tummy, reassuring it that I wasn’t here to cause anymore pain. I keep my movements slow, not wanting to lose any fingers if the wolf decides to snap at me for handling it too roughly. “Is the trap hot?” I mutter to Ben under my breath. I don’t know why, it’s not as if the animal could understand me. “Why?”“You keep pulling your hands away as it if it is hot?” I prepare myself, expecting it to
Libby POVI have to think on my feet, as much as I like Ben, I’m not ready for my past to return to me. Even talking about it brings back flashbacks of that lake house… “I witnessed a man shift in front of me.” This isn’t entirely untrue, a big black wolf did shift the first time I was chased by werewolves. The naked delicious man is who I often dream about. “Fuck! That must have scared the shit out of you.”“You could say that.” “He let you go?” Ben presses further. It was unheard of for werewolves to shift in front of humans. But I was on the run back then and had been cornered. I didn’t know about the werewolf world back then, that fateful night giving me a crash course. “Not exactly…”I don’t elaborate further, I wasn’t let go…but escaped in the most horrific of circumstances. “Who are you and Beth running from?” I ask Ben, keen to move the topic off me. “What makes you think we are running?” He quirks an eyebrow at me. I thought I knew Ben and Beth, but all this time the
Libby POV “Wine?” I offer out to Evelyn as we both tiptoe down the stairs, trying not to wake the children up who were too excited to sleep. It took some time, some very well manipulative head stroking on my part…but they were asleep. “I best not, I’ll be up there only in an hour to resettle Angel.” Evelyn sighs out. “I can do that, you should relax.” I’m determined to take no for an answer as we walk into the kitchen and I pull a cold bottle of sauvignon blanc out of the fridge. She watches me in silence, as I fetch two wine glasses and continue to pour the wine out. As I hand her a glass, a small smirk enters onto the corner of her lips.“What?” I ask out, thinking perhaps I did something wrong with the way I poured out the wine.“You seem different…”“Different?”“Good different…you seem like a luna.”“I wouldn’t go that far, but I am starting to feel settled here. Starting to feel at home.” I don’t think I’ve said that out loud yet, and as I do, it’s how I feel. “I’m pleased
Pierce POV “How is she…really?” Reuben asks as he sits down in my office. I have just poured us both a glass of whiskey, as Libby helps Evelyn send the children off to bed. “She’s doing…great.” Even as I say it, I don’t know if I quite believe it. It can’t be that easy can it. Anwir visiting her in her sleep and she miraculously wakes up the next morning a more positive version of herself. “I don’t think you even bought that lie.” Reuben grunts out as he slowly sips on his glass. “No, I didn’t. Anwir arrived one night. He did something, something that seems to be working. I don’t know what it was or what he did, but since then she’s been more open towards her wolf.” I shrug out trying not to let it annoy me that what he did has helped her, when I couldn’t. “Then what’s the problem?” “I guess I’m just waiting for the penny to drop, for her to go back to how she was. This just seems too good to be true.” “Did you ask Anwir to come here?” Reuben asks, his forehead fu
Libby POV I’m bouncing on the balls of my feet, nerves mixing with excitement as I watch the array of vehicles driving towards us just up ahead. They glide towards the alpha house like a slithering black snack…all the same, all in perfect collaboration with one another. Pierce refused to tell me who was coming, but there’s only one person I know that would travel like this, only one family. The alpha king and the royal family. My eyes can’t look anywhere else, the black cars consuming my full attention. As soon as the cars pull up, a door opens even before the driver has had the chance to open it, and a little foot pops out. Warmth enters into my chest and spreads across my entire body. “Auntie Libby!” Rex comes running up to me and I can’t help it…my feet are already running to close the gap between us as I fling him up in the air, and spin him in my arms. As soon as I place him down, his sister Elspeth does exactly the same, and so do it. I can’t believe they are here, th
Pierce POV “Pierce, Pierce!” Libby’s screams wake me, her cries sending a bolt of fear right through me. Were we under attack…why else would she be screaming. As soon as my eyes are open she’s flung herself on to the bed, and on top of me. Not only sending me into a blind panic but also kneeing my manhood. “I heard her.” She squeals out with excitement. The relief I feel with her tone of voice that we in fact aren’t under attack, doesn’t last long and turns into pain when I realise where exactly she landed. “You heard who?” I role onto my side trying to swallow down the nausea from the pain in my nuts. They were already swollen…now they will be even more so. “My wolf, in the kitchen…well not in the kitchen. In my head whilst I was in the kitchen.” I can’t see, the pain has blinded me. Oh goddess, will they ever feel normal again. “What were you doing in the kitchen?” I cough out. “Making breakfast in bed, for you.” Her words cause my coughing to stop and I take her in for th
Libby POV *Four weeks later. I’ve been training non-stop…non-stop. I have muscles, muscles that make me strong. Pierce had turned me into a weapon, and I love it. I’ve never felt so powerful in all my life, so in control. I was now taking part in pack training but only when Pierce was present. It wasn’t lost on me that Annabel was no where to be seen, even though Archie was now out of hospital and taking part in training as well. It was three weeks ago that he was already there at training on morning, standing with the warriors waiting for orders. His presence woke me from the little bubble I had been living in, where I could just pretend that he hadn’t been attacked because of me. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I saw him standing there. I wasn’t expecting him and did stop dead in my tracks, even try and back-step as guilt ate away at me. Pierce was there, standing behind me and with a gentle press against my back, I was walking directly to Archie. He refus
Libby POV “I feel like training today, maybe even shifting for the first time.” I say out loud as I reach for the glass of orange juice in front of me and take a sip. Unresponsive, my eyes glance up to Pierce who is frozen…his spoon of porridge floating just below his lips. “Are you okay?” I look at him with concern, he had been acting strange all morning. From the moment I woke up in fact. He’s been my shadow, watching me at every opportunity, even following me into the bathroom until I pushed him back out and locked the door. A shower….fine, I have no issues with him watching, but I wasn’t going to shower. “Are you sure you are feeling up to it?” “Yes, I feel great this morning. I must have really needed that good night sleep.” It’s the complete truth, I did feel great this morning. Like a new me, refreshed and eager to start the day. He places his spoon back down, his eyes blinking at speed as he looks at me in bewilderment. Am I missing something, he’s been in a strange mood
Pierce POVHe’s like something from an old thriller movie, sulking in the shadows preparing to attack his prey. If I didn’t know him I would instantly say he was a threat to my life...even now I’m not sure I can trust him. My wolf keen to not turn my back on him any time soon.His dark features are almost…unworldly. Like someone created in a different era, a different lifetime. Even as he tears off another piece of bread and dips it into milk…the way he holds himself is far too arrogant, far too confident…even for a werewolf. And that is saying something.“I don’t remember giving you permission to enter my home.” My wolf is forward with me, a bitter taste entering my mouth from his unnannoucned, unauthorized entry.“Or your pack for that matter, but here I am all the same.” He lazily responds as if he was doing me some kind of favour by being here. That it was out of his way to intrude in our house, intrude in our lives. Why was he here, did Reuben send him for some reason.“If Reu
Pierce POV Three days have passed since I forced Libby to go cold turkey. She hasn’t left the house yet, and neither have I. Beta Dane visits us regularly, giving me daily reports on the pack. I had discharged Annabel from the pack’s cells, but crimes against my luna would not be forgotten or forgiven. She was on thin ice, one wrong move and I will end her. My wolf’s hearing was glued to Libby’s heart rate at all times, any change and I knew I needed to take her mind off the cravings. Give her food, give her fluids, take her mind off what she is craving, what her body is actually needing. As Dane reads out the night time report, her finger excessively taps on the arm chair, her breathing quickening…both Dane and me notice it, both our eyes watch her carefully. She stands up, wrapping the long cardigan tightly around her as she moves towards the kitchen. I go to follow her until she reprimands me from out of sight, saying she was making herself some bread and milk. I need to le
Pierce POV It’s a phone call I didn’t want to make. But I knew I had to, as both the alpha of the Grey Howl pack and also as Libby’s mate. Reuben has been searching for Natascha for months, unbeknown to him she has been using his own sister as a method to get to him. I wait until Libby is asleep, her recovery still a long path but one I will walk alongside her throughout. She would never have been ready, so I made that decision for her…helped to carry her heavy load. Rightly or wrongly, I took control. Sitting down at my desk, the moon shines brightly in the sky behind me…the pack grounds blanketed in a peaceful darkness as my pack members sleep. I reach for the phone, knowing as soon as I dial his number, all hell will break out. He won’t let this go unchallenged, he won’t stop searching for her. Natascha’s men may have attacked my borders last night, but if I make this call…I am unleashing a hell upon her, a hell she will not survive. A hell she deserves for daring to manip