The encounter with Lyra left me shaken all the way back to the pack. I was an all-time low when we happened, my mate was in a coma and I was depressed- excuses! I was excusing my disgusting behavior.If I was so sure Tia would forgive me then why hadn’t I told her yet? It was because if I was in her position, I would never forgive her. I knew in my heart that I would never let it go.My heart constricted at the thought of losing my mate, or her leaving me. Any of those scenarios would ruin my life. Lyra was a problem that needed to be dealt with and fast.She was a secret I had held close to my heart, too ashamed to admit to anybody else that I had been weak, while my mate was fighting for her life. I was also ashamed to admit I didn’t know the way forward from here.She held the ultimate blackmail chip over my head and she could use it anytime to destroy the life I’d built, lost and now recovered. Lyra was a woman who had nothing to lose except her job or her place in the pack.Swamp
Slade’S PoVI ran with the group assigned to me through the forest. Kurtis’ scent hung in the air but was carried by the wind in every direction. It threw us off course a few times, but we found the right scent and resumed pursuit.I refused to run in wolf form even though Kurtis would be easier to scent that way, but turning to my wolf would also make it very easy to get distracted and I was not planning to get sidetracked.“Gamma Slade, the scent has picked up again to the north.” One of our trackers grabbed my attention. I mind-linked the other wolves in the area to flank our group so it would be easier to box him in.We had left the pack grounds hours ago, and I handed it to Kurtis. He was a fit wolf. No other wolf would have run this far even if they cared so much about their freedom, but Kurtis had covered more ground than a well-trained group put together.I grinned, picking up speed in the direction of his scent. The chase was what we loved most and no matter how Kurtis ran ro
Jayven’S PoVThe musical was long forgotten after I arrived, Tia was wrapped inside my arms and refused to watch or do anything. I loved the attention and my wolf barked happily, content that our mate was safe.Tia needed a break; we’d gone through a rollercoaster of baffling encounters and near-death scenarios. I didn’t mind not looking over our shoulders for a day. She wasn’t out of the cross fire, but today was not the day to talk shop.Tia was our Alpha, but she was my mate and my purpose was to protect her even from herself sometimes. We lay on the ground in the movie room because a certain someone had destroyed everything in sight.“I went out earlier because I wanted to surprise you.” I kissed Tia’s head, “You reminded me that I hadn’t changed your phone since the accident so I went to an Apple store earlier to get you new gadgets.”“Knowing you I am pretty sure you bought everything they showed you.” Tia rested her chin on my chest. “You’re too gullible when it comes to shoppi
Zanna/Tia’s PoV“Care to tell me whatever the fuck that was?” I fumed, lashing out at Tia in my head.“I couldn’t control myself. I wanted my mate and I took over without permission, I’m sorry” Tia sighed.“A little heads up would have been nice, our body is going through a lot right now, but I’m on my period and this mood fluctuation is affecting the pack.”“I wasn’t the one who wanted to have sex a few minutes ago, that was all you,” Tia snapped. I could imagine Tia tucking her head into her tail. “If you want to put some blame on me, why don’t you take a few for yourself?”“You want me to take blame? Last I checked he was our mate, and I’m not the one who went into a rage and destroyed the entire fucking bedroom.”“You’re being dramatic Zanna.” Tia scoffed. “I destroyed a few things and yes I’ll admit that this period is making me go out of my mind.”“I don’t mind giving up my body once in a while for you to take control of, what I do mind is being forced out of my body without any
Jayven’s POVTia and I hadn’t spoken in two days, not like I was counting. I avoided her whenever I felt her drawing close to me, it was childish and silly but my wolf and I were hurt.Her words kept me awake most nights. Was I wrong for wanting to take some of the burden off her shoulders? I was fully aware she was the Alpha, but I was her Beta; her second-in-command. Did that mean nothing?I felt her probing our link every night, but I kept it shut, staying away from the bedroom as well. Fucking like rabbits was not going to make things right. My nether region did not agree with me.Slade hadn’t returned, that knowledge pissed Tia off and had me worried. It wasn’t like my best friend to be incommunicado for so long. I wanted to go in search of him, but that required seeing Tia and I didn’t want to.I tried reaching out to him through the mind-link everyday, but it was always quiet on his end, meaning he was still far away from the pack. I felt his bond pulse strongly in my chest and
Zanna/Tia's PoVMy shoulders tensed as he walked behind me, taking slow breaths as if he was careful not to come close to me. Once we had disappeared into the halls, away from the eyes of the Slade and the rest of the gammas, I let out a sigh of frustration and turned to face Vyn. "What are we going to do, Vyn?" I asked, feeling the tension tighten in my chest. "The only lead we had to the people trying to kill me does no longer exist." I pressed my lips into a thin line, eyes falling to the ground in turmoil. My head conjured numerous devastating thoughts. To think we were already close to finding out the truth. "Were we?" Tia asked in my head, and I responded with a snort, totally ignoring her. Vyn sighed, stopping a few steps away from me. "I'm sorry, Alpha. I wished we had done better. If only I was around, maybe he wouldn't have been able to get that far." I scratched my brows, wondering what Tia had gotten herself into that her life was on the line. Regrets washed over, an
I nodded. I wasn't meant to seek her advice, and Tia was currently warning me against it in my head, but I didn't have a choice. Since my own solution wasn't working, I was hoping I could get something tangible from Lyra. "What does a maid know?" Tia asked, and then proceeded to add, "An Omega like herself." My throat constricted, and it squeezed my heart, making it ache in my chest. "What do you mean by an omega like herself?" I repeated her question, but with one of my own. My skin crawled at Tia's choice of words, knowing fully well about what I was before I was killed. "You know what I mean. This is something I would never have done if I was alive, but you're doing them," Tia snapped, and I could feel her annoyance seeping into my pores. "Do you know I was just an omega like her?" I asked Tia, gripping hard on the cup beside me. "Okay, I don't know. Do you think you'd want to hear the advice I give?" Lyra asked, and I nodded my head. "I know, but you were a Luna. You weren'
Jayven's PoVMy wolf whined as I walked away from her. He yearned to be beside her, tending to her needs and wrapping his love like a shroud around her, but no, I wouldn't let him or myself do that after how she addressed us. I thinned my lips, making my way down the hall. I could feel her eyes grazing my skin like a rake, but she had drawn the line. How could she order me to stand down like I was one of those omegas or workers under he? Who was I kidding? I sighed, raking fingers through my hair. I was working under her. I was to answer to her call because she was my Alpha. I still had the right to be upset because all I wanted was her good. With a heavy sigh, I decided to mentally shove the issue aside and focus on that of Kurtis. The sounds of car doors jamming shut reached my ears. They were probably about to leave the packhouse to the hospital. I hastened my pace to make it to them on time. Arriving outside, I met Slade about to hop into one of the cars. "Wait," I said, an
Zanna/Tia's povTia growled loudly in my head, hitting the mental barrier that kept her restrained. “Let me out of here, right now!”“Calm the fuck down!” It was rare for me to snap, but she was trying to split my head open. “You’re going to go into a rampage if I let you out, and we don’t even know who’s building yet.”Tia huffed, and resumed her pacing. “The wall was erected for this very reason, whoever they are can’t claim they didn’t see it. It’s a deliberate act, and I want the head of whoever built this thing on my land.”“I’m sure we’ll figure it out soon, but I need you to promise to stay calm. I cannot fight you and the trespasser.” I massaged my temples. “Please, Tia.”She turned in my head, mentalling backing me. “Fine.”I would deal with her drama later. For now, I needed to find out what was going on, and who we would be fighting against.“Do we know anything about the person who’s encroaching on our property?” I asked Jayven, who was sniffing around the area.“I don’t s
Tia’s povI stared at my bedroom door, transfixed on the man’s shadow seeping into my room through the space underneath the door. I knew exactly who was standing there and I prayed to the goddess that he would knock.I stopped myself several times from ripping the door open and pulling him in. I missed my mate, I missed his scent. I missed him in my space, I missed everything about him, and I hated this insignificant rift between us.Jayven walked away after standing in front of my door for so long, and I fell onto my bed, screaming my frustration into the pillows.Why was he making it so hard for us? All I needed was an olive branch- or a goddamn leaf. I wanted him to make an effort before I made one, was that too much to ask?“I don’t know if this is the right time to intrude on your thoughts” Tia’s sarcastic voice made me roll my eyes.“What do you have to say oh wise shaman?” I placed an arm over my face, “If you’re going to berate me like you always do, I’ll plead with you to ple
Jayven’s PovI swallowed the sigh of relief when I saw a guard standing in front of my door with his hand in the air as if he wanted to knock again. He saluted the moment he saw me.“Good evening, Beta.”“Good evening.” I stuck my head out of my door, and looked from left to right. There was no one else there. “What can I help you with? Is there a problem?”He shook his head, “One of the town’s representatives came by and refused to leave without seeing the Alpha, I told him she was indisposed and now he won’t leave without seeing you.”“What could the town representatives want at this late hour?” It was a rhetorical question, “Tell him I’ll be down soon, let me step into the bathroom,”“I’ll wait here Beta. If I leave without you, he might start trouble or hound me to death with questions.”I smiled at the guard and closed the door. I should have hopped into the shower after Slade left, but I was too tired to, and I had no idea I would be meeting anyone else tonight.A sniff under my
Jayven's PovI was going to create a new path in my former room with my pacing, but my thoughts were all over the place. I grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled until it hurt my scalp. How did I get so sloppy? I wondered how Lyra had cornered me once again into her games.How had she sent those two girls to implicate me? My mind turned over every possibility. How had she gotten the idea to pay a woman to seduce me? The worst part was the plan to get a video of me showing the intimate moment we shared. I punched the wall, gritting my teeth. How did I find myself back here? Her web was pulling me into a dark place.“Are you trying to break the house down?” Slade's voice rang from the doorway, and I turned to see him frowning at me and the fist sized hole in the wall.I ignored him, too lost in my head and my thoughts. I was drowning in my head to be bothered about the wall.“Look, I don’t know what’s wrong but I can see there’s something. If you are upset about Tia, the truth is I
Lyra’s pov“A little help, please.” The doctor glared at me over her shoulder. “We need to clean her up, help me carry her to the bathroom. Her pulse is weak but steady.”I stepped into the room with my hand over my nose, eyeing Dina’s crumpled body with disgust. “Can’t I get someone else to help with this? I feel like I’m going to throw up.”The doctor stared at me in disbelief. “Aren’t you supposed to be her sister? I’m asking you to help me; she might get worse if we don’t attend to her now. Grab her ankles.” Of course the bitch would want me to grab the legs, giving me a great view of the mess Dina had made. I hated the plan for going so well. Why didn’t Dina stumble into the hall and shit herself to death? Or better still do all the shitting in her room?The doctor and I managed to get her in the bathtub. “Her clothes have to go. I need to run down to the clinic to get what I need to treat her.”“What?” I managed to keep my voice low. “I thought you said we were going to do thi
Lyra’s pov“What the fuck did you do?” I jumped off my bed, watching my well drafted plan stain my rug. “That is going to be fucking hard to wash out.”Dina jumped at the sound of my voice. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to drop the plate, it just slipped from my fingers.”I squeezed my eyes closed, stopping myself from throttling her. “It’s fine, Dina. You’re still recovering. I’ll go check if there’s another plate for you.”“No, it’s fine.” Dina stepped in front of me, blocking my exit. “I don’t want to stress you like that. I’ll survive on water for the rest of the day. I’ll eat after the doctor’s re-examination.”“But you haven’t eaten anything since morning, aren’t you supposed to test out your strength with the doctor? If she rules you out, then you won’t be able to resume.”Dina frowned, “You’re correct, Lyra. I’ll go downstairs to get a new plate for myself, I feel really bad for stressing you this way.” Dina opened the mini fridge in my room, and pulled out a bottle of water.“
Lyra’s PovDina stepped out of the room gracefully, and I cut off a snarl that was climbing out of my throat. I had always hated the way she did everything without stress; she glided into rooms like a queen walking on air.I stood rooted to my spot, biting my thumb. I hated the fluidity between Tia and Dina, and to top it off our Alpha was behaving weirdly. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it and my eyes roamed over her as she laid comfortably on the bed. There were so many plans playing over in my head and all those plans would not move forward if Dina returned to her post. I needed to remove her permanently from her spot and fast before she fully returned. “Why are you still standing there?” Tia’s soft voice snapped me out of my murderous thoughts. “If you’re wondering, I am not upset about the ashes; we’ll buy a new vase to replace the ashes- what’s left of it.”“Thank you, Alpha.” I bowed my head. “I was extremely worried about that disturbing incident, especially since you hav
Lyra’s PovMy throat constricted, burning with each saliva I swallowed down. I nursed my neck, feeling my tears stinging my eyelids. I eyed him, my chest rising and falling as I thought about ways to make him pay for what he just did. Nobody threatened or hurt me. I always got away with things just like I did when I was much younger before I was sent away from my pack, and I was lucky enough to have been taken in by the Solaria pack. Jayven raked his eyes over my body from head to toe with contempt in his eyes. He hissed, averting his gaze and turning to comb his fingers through his hair. "Leave before I make it your last breath," he said with venom dripping down his voice. Gritting my teeth, I picked up the last of dignity and walked out of the room. I caressed my neck, hoping it would ease the pain I felt. My ears perked up when I heard the sounds of Tia's cub growling from the other side of the hallway. "Shu!" I heard a familiar voice trying to usher the cub away. "Don't do
Lyra’s PoVWhat? Dina was back? I was hoping she'd stay there for a longer time. Why was she back so soon. Skye dashed out of the study, and the head maid jolted a little as shoved out of the way for Skye. "Oops!" I exclaimed, holding my cheeks as I looked back at Alpha Tia with fake apology. "I'll go get him." "He's such a bundle of joy," Tia said as I walked out of the study. "Skye!" I exclaimed, scanning the entire hallway for the little cub that was warming its way into everyone's heart. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" Why did Dina get better? I needed to act fast. I needed to look for another way to keep her out of the Alpha's life. I didn't want to leave when I was just getting started. When I had initially gone into Tia's study, thinking she was alone and might need her fur-baby to cheer her up, I was elated to have seen Slade seated beside her. A devilish smile gripped the sides of my lips. She was following my advice, and I was happy to see that. I should apply