Fifty-two:Mason Crescent I remembered Vegas. A wedding chapel, a lust potion put into bottles of champagne. And my first, real night with Mia. The night that we made Harper. I carried her into one of the hotels honeymoons suits bridal style. I put her on the bed. I trailed kisses down her arms, down her neck, on her chest. I took her dress off as she ripped my clothes off too. All we could think about was each other. We needed to touch one another. To taste one another. To consume each other. It had been a long time coming, and she was mine. All mine. “Mia,” I told her, “I’m not going to fuck you without a condom.” She shivered. “…. I’m not on birth control. I haven’t needed to…what if…” “If I get you pregnant Mia, you’re going to be mine. I’m going to be the father of your child. No one else. Besides, we’re married now.” She smiled. “You’re not going to change your mind in
Fifty-three: Mia Conner When I remembered the wedding, and that first night in Vegas, something tugged again inside me. A feeling. I knew where Mason was. He was in the desert. He’d been left there, somewhere in the middle of Nevada. I had no idea how he had gotten there. I thought that maybe Rachel had something to do with it. Or Sullivan. Maybe the both of them. I didn’t know. I came to and I woke up in the woods by the side of the road. I knew I was there because I saw headlights coming my way. I heard the sound of voices calling my name. “Mia! Mia!” someone shouted. I looked up. Cole, Cal, Barrett and Oliver were there. And, strangely, Edwina. She looked a little shaken and she had a scar on her face that hadn’t been there before. I was naked, shivering on the ground. The men looked away. Edwina stepped forward, snapped her fingers, and magicked some clothes onto me. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Sorry?” I made a face. “Fo
Fifty-four: Mason Crescent Someone was calling my name. At first, I thought it was Mia’s voice. But it sounded younger somehow. Harper. Her name rang through my head. My daughter was somewhere. I could feel it…then…then… There was blinding sun, water was being poured on my face, and I saw the outline of a small figure. “Daddy,” she said, “Daddy, wake up.” I looked up. I wasn’t in my wolf-form. I was back in my own body. There was also…the smell of death that filled my nostrils. I pushed myself up. I was in clothes, but I didn’t know how they’d gotten on me. I glanced to the side. Sullivan Carina’s dead body was next to me, shredded into pieces. I looked at Harper. “Harper,” I said, “what…. what happened?” “He tried taking me from Aunt Rachel,” Harper said, “and my wolf…my wolf didn’t like that.” I stared at her. “Were you the one that tore him to shreds?” Harper nodded. “He was trying to hurt yo
Fifty-five: Mia Conner The journey was a long one. We went back to New York, to Crescent Manor. I held on tightly to Harper the entire time. So much had happened. How had I been foolish enough to send her away? Harper fell asleep in my arms. I reached over and placed a hand on Mason’s shoulder. “What’s next? I mean if Sullivan’s dead…” “The Carina family is still a threat,” Mason said, “and now that Harper has killed their Alpha, whoever their new one is will want to come after her.” I shivered. I didn’t like the idea of anyone hurting my daughter. I hated the idea that Harper was a child, and had already had to kill to protect herself. “Rachel was behind this too?” I said. Mason nodded. “That’s what she told me.” “I don’t get it…if she wasn’t my aunt, who is she? What’s her motive?” I asked. “We’re going to find out. But first, we should take care of the Carina’s while they’re scrambling. The oldest brother
Fifty-six: Mason Conner Barrett, Oliver, Cole, and Cal had no problem watching Harper. This was the first chance they’d really gotten to be around their niece. There was planning that needed to be done…we had to find Rachel, and figure out a course of attack for Valentina when the time came. But we’d been through hell. We deserved a rest. And a proper fucking. Me and Mia, anyhow. I took her up to my room. “It’s been a long time since I stayed here,” I told her. “When was the last time?” “The night that I decided to leave to California,” I said, “I knew you were going there, I knew I needed to be close to you to make sure you were okay…everyone was fucking pissed at me.” “Well, they thought you were giving up being the Alpha. Which you can’t really do unless someone fights you for it I guess? Or you inherit it?” Mia made a face. “Some of the werewolf rules are totally insane. You kno
Fifty-seven: Mia Crescent I woke up to the feeling of…something strange happening. I was disoriented, and couldn’t figure out what was happening. That was when I noticed that Masons head was in between my legs and his tongue was licking my cunt. A shiver went through me and Mason paused, just look up and grin. “Morning, Mrs. Crescent,” he said. “Morning,” I murmured, “what are you doing?” “I thought I’d make you breakfast.” I laughed. “You’re an idiot. I’m not the one that’s eating you. You’re the one that’s eating me.” “Mmm…maybe we should change that. I’ve shown you a good time, sweetheart. Why don’t you suck my cock so I can feel fed as well?” I bit my lip. “If you want to feel good, I can make you feel good.” “I want that. I want to feel your perfect lips around my cock. Get on your knees, sweetheart.” I got up from bed and got down on my knees. Mason positioned him
Fifty-eight: Mason Crescent “Let me get this straight,” said Oliver Hartwell, “you and Mia had a one-night stand in Las Vegas and got drunkenly married because of a love potion?” I grimaced. I was glad Mia was the Alpha of her pack. If Oliver had been, he might have kicked my ass. I wasn’t certain that he still wouldn’t. “You can blame Cole and Cam for that one.” He glared at my brothers. Cole had Harper on his lap, and was playing patty-cake with her. Somehow, my beta brother and my daughter had become attached at the hip in the short time they were together. I wasn’t sure how, but I didn’t mind it. Harper was going to be an Alpha just like her mother. She was going to need all of the powerful wolves to help her that she could get. Watching them, I had no doubt Cole would protect her with his life if it came down to it and that filled me with pride. Cam was enamored with her too and kept on playing peek-a-boo with her from over Cole
Fifty-nine: Mia Conner “I’m sorry,” I said, “you think…you think that Valentina is Cal’s mate?” I had found Mason hours later after visiting with Meredith. The two of us were in his study. He had just told me everything that he had discussed with the rest of our pack. The knowledge that his ex-girlfriend was his brother’s mate, and that he’d rejected her, wasn’t at all comforting to me. “What’s your plan here?” I asked him. Mason bristled. “I don’t see why that’s any of your concern.” “She’s your ex-girlfriend!” I hissed. “Yeah, that’s a problem. She’s also responsible for killing my family. And her brother kidnapped Meredith! I don’t think your plan is a good one. Besides, Cal already rejected her. Why should we send him back into the wolf’s den?” “Because, he’s a werewolf,” said Mason, “he’s a grown man. He would be able to handle her.” “Really?” I put a hand on my hip. “We’ve already lost too
Seventy-four:Mia Crescent Somehow, I had survived the fight. Mason took me back to New York. Valentina was dead. My uncle was dead. My brother was dead. And Edwina had nearly died in the process, but she had managed to survive somehow. There was also something strange that had passed between her and Cole that I couldn’t explain. One day, back in New York when Harper and I had been reunited, I had been having lunch with her in the big kitchen as Mason was off working on something pack related for me. I heard fighting coming down the stairs. “We’re not talking about this,” Edwina hissed. “We have to,” this came from Cole. The two of them came into the kitchen. They didn’t even notice me and Harper sitting inn the kitchen together as they talked. “It was stupid!” Edwina shouted. “I made a mistake. That’s it. We’re not going to do anything. It’s wrong.” “Look, you’re from the same world as me,” said Cole
Seventy-three:Mason Crescent The fight had been brutal. Not everyone had survived. The hunters were dead. Oliver was dead. Barrett, who had been a traitor the whole time, was dead. We were in one of the witches homes. Valentina had ended up getting burned alive. She was dead. Turned to ash. Edwina was almost drained of her power. My wife, my precious Mia, was hanging from a thread. She lay on one of the beds in the guest room of one of the high priestesses of the coven. I didn’t even know the woman’s name. All I could focus was that Mia was near death. It seemed that the rumors of mates dying when the other died were just that. Rumors. But when she was weak, I could feel it. I was struggling to even bring myself to her side. “Brother,” said Cole, “are you alright?” I reached out and I grasped my wife’s hand as though simply by touching her that I would be able to gain some of her strength. Or maybe ma
Seventy-two:Mia Crescent It happened the same way it happened with Stacy. My wolf sensed the danger before I saw it. The hunters had known exactly where we were, but judging by the look on Valentina and Edwina’s faces, neither of them had planned on the hunters finding us. I didn’t know how that had happened. Someone had to have betrayed us. Then, through the crowd, I saw someone coming forward. My uncle, Barrett. He was holding something in his hands. Edwina let out a scream. “Oliver!” her wail echoed through the desert. “You know, Mia, I think you’re a bit too trusting. I don’t think that’s going to make for a good leader. So, I think I’m going to have to destroy you and your whole family. Because you weren’t even raised as a werewolf. You thought you were a fucking human for most of your life. You had no idea that you were even being watched by some of the deadliest people on the planet for most of your life.
Seventy-one:Mason Crescent I wanted to trust Mia. And I did. But it wasn’t Mia that I had the problem with. It was Valentina. Valentina was notoriously power hungry. As we followed her and Edwina to wherever they were taking us, I kept on thinking of Camden, lying there, dead. It was the hunters that were responsible. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something worse coming. “Are you alright?” Mia asked. “You’ve been quiet this whole time.” I shook my head. “It’s nothing.” “Your eyes are glowing and you are clenching your jaw,” Mia told me, “There’s something going on in that head of yours. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?” “I’m keeping my mouth shut,” I told her, “Because if I say something, you’re going to get pissed at me. I don’t want you pissed at me. I know you’re trying to be an Alpha. I want this to work for you. But I don’t trust Valentina. I know how her mind works.” Mia sn
SeventyMia Crescent I knew the minute that Mason arrived. I could feel him. Stacy was unconscious and tied to a chair. Without thinking, I left her alone and ran from the bakery down the stairs to the front where Mason had only just gotten out of his truck. “Mason!” I called out. He ran to me, picked me up, and twirled me around in his arms as he kissed me. I could only feel him. There was someone coughing behind us and Mason quickly put us down. I glanced over at Cole and couldn’t help but be sheepish. “Sorry Cole,” I apologized. Cole rolled his eyes. “It’s fine. But you know, we’re kind of in a life-or-death situation here. You’re the ones that have a daughter that you would like to reunite with. We should probably focus on taking out the bad guy’s thing first.” Mason smirked. “Don’t worry, brother. We know exactly what we need to do. Where’s the girl?” “In my apartment,” I told him. “Come on,” he s
Sixty-nine: Mason Crescent There were two, beat up men in the back of the truck Cole and I had driven down. Hunters that had tried to take us out. Mia had already been attacked by another one, a woman that she’d known back in California. “If you grip that steering wheel any harder, you’re going to break it,” Cole warned. “They were right fucking there!” I hissed, slamming my hand against the center console as I drove. “I stayed away from Mia and Harper to make sure that they were safe. The whole time, they were in danger. I fucking wasted time that I could have been with my wife and daughter, Cole. And I didn’t even know Mia was my wife until recently.” Cole coughed. “That’s my fault. I’m sorry. Cal and I shouldn’t have interfered. We just wanted you happy and you were being so stubborn about the whole Mia thing because you thought she was human…” “I didn’t trust her,” I said, “I should have. I should have known t
Sixty-eight: Mia Crescent In the movies, the plan would have gone fast. Because this wasn’t a movie, it took time. Days. Days of being by myself, days of trying to act like everything was normal. The café was finished so I mostly had to order supplies and look into hiring people. I had to wait and pretend that I was clueless to everything. I missed Harper. I missed my husband. I was tired of everything being constant danger. I wanted to be safe. But it wasn’t easy to draw darkness out when you were looking for it. It was much easier for darkness to strike when you weren’t looking. I kept on wanting to call Mason, but I couldn’t. I had to wait until the Hunters came for me. I busied myself with the bakery, and pretending to be back to normal to everyone that knew me from before. But it was almost impossible. I kept looking over my shoulder every time my back was turned e
Sixty-seven:Mason Crescent First, I contacted the other wolfpacks. I let them know that I had reunited with Mia and that she had run away. I made no mention of her being a Luna. I did mention the hunters that had been coming after our packs. After, I started “searching” on my own for her. I went out on runs in my wolf fun. I got closer and closer to where she was. California. The place that she had originally wanted to call her home. With each step of our plan getting closer, I found myself worrying. It was the same worry that I had had since the beginning. That Mia wouldn’t want to be with me if she knew the truth. Only now, that worry had changed to what would happen if Mia got back to California and wanted her old life before me? One that wasn’t complicated by werewolves and magic and me. “You okay?” Cole asked. We weren’t in our wolf form. We had reached Las Vegas just by shifting and running. But now, we were in our human clothes,
Sixty-six Mia Crescent I took a picture of myself at the airport. I posted it onto social media. Connected with some college friends this weekend. Going home. Never thought I would see Mason Crescent again. Blast from the past! The second was of a picture of Mason and me. Edwina had a theory that the hunters were tracking mates through magic and social media. Rachel had been a snake in the grass so I had no idea what kind of tracking devices might have been in my home or in my bakery. When I got back to my home, I was stunned to find that the restaurant was completely finished. The contractors had continued working in my absence. Life hadn’t just stopped in the midst of me finding out who I really was. It hadn’t been that long, yet it felt like it was a million light years away. “Home sweet home,” I muttered to myself as I stepped in. I had had this place built with the hope that it would be my foreve