Seraphina's POVAnnika wouldn't sleep. She was exhausted, staying up way past her bedtime, constantly nursing to ease the pressure in her gums. The poor little thing was teething, but unfortunately, that meant I didn't get to sleep.I had just gotten off the phone with Kit when she woke up again and I climbed the stairs to nurse her for the eighth time tonight. Rub the numbing gel on her gums, hoping it would be enough to let her slip into a deep sleep.My stomach rumbled again, feeling empty. I thought about the takeout Kit was bringing over and I could have cried. This week had been hard with Annie cutting three teeth at the same time and going through her one-year sleep regression.I was nearly out of my mind. Sleep-deprived and starving. I also couldn't stop thinking about Abe's new letter. Decoded by Rosie before she left for a late-night inventory check at her storefront. Which left me alone all night, stuck in my head. William was sending spies to the Outskirts
Kit's POVShe was right in front of me, dripping wet, long, damp blonde hair and pink cheeks. Plump lower lip sandwiched between her teeth. The smell of cucumber melon shampoo seemed to compliment the natural smell of her that kept breaking through the masking shroud.And, fuck, her legs. All I could think about was hiking them over my shoulders. Palming her creamy thighs and giving her ass a nice squeeze. She'd tremble against me as I drowned in her.Just that sweetwater scent she put off when she was turned on wafted over to me and I had to look away from her. I was two seconds from fucking her against my truck. My body felt tight, my shoulders stiff, and I felt so painfully hard.She was several feet from me, but I could feel her presence as if it were only inches.I could imagine her gasps as I devoured her mouth. The way her body would melt against mine like she knew mine would protect her. That towel would fall onto the ground and I'd pull her into the back seat of m
Seraphina's POVIt felt so good to talk to him. Kit's kind eyes gave me a sense of weightlessness while still grounding me in the here and now. He made my day feel easy. Made me feel normal. Like I wasn't this broken little thing he had to be careful around.His eyes flared when I told him about William, about my ring. The wolf made itself known, wanting badly to protect me, getting angry for my sake.It was all very endearing.My heart fluttered when I realized I wanted to feel protected. And I knew he would protect Annika in the same way. Deep inside of me, I could feel how genuine every word was. How much he cared. The greens of his eyes would sparkle like I was the only person he saw.He made me feel so special. I took another bite of my spicy peanut chicken, enjoying how it made my lips tingle and burn the inside of my mouth.Kit's eyes would fall on my mouth whenever I ate and every time it made my stomach flip flop. I couldn't help but chew a little slower, sli
Kit's POVBoth of my arms were around Sera, our lips pressed together in a desperate dance. I could kiss her all night and never get tired of how she tasted. Her lips were soft and plush. As eager as I was.My eyelids fluttered closed as I enjoyed the sensation of her warm body against mine. Her tits molded against my chest, soft and pillowy through her sweater. I needed her closer. Her tongue felt hot and silky as she delved into my mouth. Velvety soft, but not as soft as the heat between her thighs.She kissed me hard. Her lips bruised mine and I couldn't get enough of it.Her arms were thrown around my neck, mouths devouring one another. My body reacted to her weight, a direct line to my cock. She swiveled her hips against mine and I threw my head back, eyes flying open."Fuck," I growled, pleasure hot in my belly.Her pupils were blown, barely a ring of blue around her eyes as she moved her hips again, watching me intently.Another white-hot blast of pleasure beaded u
Seraphina's POVKit stared down at me, slack-jawed, flushed, sweat beading along his thick neck. He looked as desperate as I felt. The taste of him clung to my tongue, thick in my throat. Heady and masculine. He looked completely strung out on his orgasm, pupils blown with bliss, slightly narrowed and hungry. All of his noises spurred me on, adding to my own pleasure until I had to press my thighs together to stifle some of that heat. I never thought I'd want to get to my knees in front of a man and let them ward over me, but that wasn't what this was. Instead, I had this broad-shouldered massive man bending and writhing for me. He wasn't controlling me. He wasn't holding power over me.It was quite the opposite.I've never felt so much power in a sexual encounter before and I wanted more of it. His cock was still swollen even though the proof of his orgasm continued to leak out of the slit. I bent my head down and licked it up, gathering as much of his taste as I cou
Kit's POVI panted hard, and Sera's petite form collapsed on my chest. Her breath puffed out over my collarbone, just as overwhelmed as I was. My canines finally retracted back into my gums, my claws disappearing as my wolf shrunk down inside my skin.Holding him back from marking her was hard, like trying to use a slip-leash on a wild animal. Nearly impossible, but I was determined not to mark her until she asked me to. I didn't care how loudly my beast roared inside of me. I wasn't going to let him hurt her.The cold tile felt hard under my back, but it was worth it to feel her warm body curl up on top of mine. But we needed to get dressed. Sera veered back, looking down at me, cheeks flushed. She had the look of a woman well-fucked, but I could feel how nervous she was. The embarrassment of being out of control and desperate. She lowered herself back down on top of me, pressing soft, chaste kisses against the scars along my collarbone. I sighed, melting into a puddle on
Seraphina's POVKit was laying back on a blanket, leaning on his arms, bathed in sunlight, while Annika happily took apple slices and carrot matchsticks from him. He was laughing while Annika babbled at him, digging through his picnic basket for cookies.God, it looked like a dream. He wore that shirt, clinging to his thick arms, the v-neck dipping past his collarbone. He was beautiful and seeing him with Annie made him look even more breathtaking. My heart squeezed, my chest flushing with warmth.I brought my sandwich up to my lips and took a bite, enjoying the sights when Kit got up to chase Annika around the park, her squealing with joy. It sounded like music. Suddenly Annie turned, sprinting toward me in full force. "Mama! Mama!""Mama?" I gasped, eyes lighting up. I outstretched my arms and she threw herself into me like a bowling ball. "Did you say Mama, sweet pea?""That's what I heard," Kit answered, settling down on the blanket next to me."Mama goobalalala,"
Kit's POV"How's the food?" I asked, gazing at Sera across the table as she sipped on her soup. Still incredibly happy Rosie convinced her to take this trip with me. Her hair was curled around her ears, cascading in thick blonde tendrils. "Tastes fancy," she replied with a cheeky smile. "I'd hope so," I shot back, grinning at her and watching those blue eyes light up. She smelled like that cucumber melon shampoo I liked. The same scent I breathed in lungfuls of when she got to her knees in front of me.Lust stirred in my belly. I was really looking forward to getting to my knees in front of her tonight. She would barely remember her name when we were done. But I knew if Sera had her way with me, it wouldn't be one-sided. It had been nearly five months since that night and we still hadn't had time to be intimate again. Aside from phone sex and if we were lucky, heavy petting. And I wasn't the only one being tortured, Sera very clearly wanted to be physical, but that just wa
Seraphina's POVKit stepped inside my room, tossing his bag on top of my bed. My eyes gazed over his arms, the broadness of his shoulders. I ached with longing. A bead of heat flared between my thighs. I was hypersensitive to him, feeling his body heat flush through me.I missed him.I missed his arms around me.His mouth pressed against mine.I missed how he felt inside of me.Desire coiled in my belly. We had so much to talk about, but first I needed to have him. Reacquaint myself with his body. I needed to remind him just how badly I burned for him. Wetness gathered between my legs as my eyes raked down his back, the firm muscles bulging through the fabric.Despite how he claimed they didn't feed him on the packlands, he looked so much better than he did the night of the blood moon. Filled back out. Tall and strong, not gaunt at all. Of course, I'm sure that the boost of Alpha power helped.Kit always had power that buzzed beneath his skin, that called to mine, but n
Seraphina's POVWhen I saw Kit's truck pull into Rosie's driveway, I almost didn't believe it was him. We had spent so much time apart, that it felt surreal to see him again in the flesh. We spent weeks pulling on the bond whenever we thought about each other…which was all the time.He'd call me every night to say goodnight to Annika. She'd share with him her growing vocabulary and he told her he loved her. After I put her to bed, we'd talk until the early morning hours. About how Abe slept on Rosie's couch at night and spent the day reconnecting with his wife after years of being apart. How I helped Rosie care for the homestead and I somehow didn't kill any of her plants yet. I would also tell him about how much Annika loved feeding the chickens and would go so far as asking to feed the goats at Reiner Ranch.He never talked much about what was happening on the packlands, but he sounded exhausted. It was like I was his escape from all the complications of bureaucracy and clea
Kit's POVIt was good that Sera hadn't stayed. If the elders were this nasty when she wasn't here, I didn't want to think about how awful they'd be to her if she was. Weeks passed with council meeting after council meeting. They would try to hammer in ideologies that I didn't agree with. Not remotely. Old, outdated ways of thinking that benefited them, but not the pack. Frankly, it went through one ear and out the other. All the same bullshit.And in between those meetings, I had curious wolves who wanted to meet me. See their new Alpha face-to-face. Sniff me out to determine for themselves if I was safe. As was their right. I wasn't going to turn them away. I needed them to trust me. I needed them to understand that I served them, not the other way around. But it would take a lot of work to get to the level of trust we needed.I expected that. Thankfully, I had Xander with me as interim Alpha while all the dust settled. They trusted him. And he was proving to me how des
Seraphina's POVI felt closer to Kit than I ever had. Like a direct line between our minds had been connected. I couldn't get enough of pulling on the bond. Every time I did, Kit beamed at me. I pulled on it when we got out of the shower.When he dressed me.Even when I saw the mark in the mirror. I expected a scar. Something as jagged as William's bite. But it didn't look like that at all. The scar William left me with was gone. Altogether disappeared. Now, I was left with a light, silver indention of Kit's teeth. Not bruised. Not at all painful.It felt like a mark of love.My fingers brushed it and a spear of heat shot right through me. I wasn't expecting it. Kit pulled an ill-fitting shirt over his head and raised his split eyebrow at me. "Can you…feel that?""I can," he answered, a little smile on his lips full of ardor. Distant whispers flowed through one ear and out the other. Like the buzz of a radio. It would come and go. "Why do I keep hearing buzzing?""S
Kit's POVOne moment I had pulled a silver knife out of my side, overcome with the worse pain I'd ever felt in my life. Followed by darkness. Then, I awoke in Sera's arms. Her face mottled with tears. Eyes bloodshot. I didn't want her to cry over me.According to Xander, I was dead. I could hear it in the mind link. The chatter. The desperation. The uncertainty.The pack didn't know me. They hadn't seen me in over a decade and now I was just plopped into the role of their leader? Yeah. Like that'll go over well.Without Will's influence, they felt relieved, like a fresh gulp of air after being surrounded by smog. But, it was also overwhelming. After having a boot on your throat for so long, you miss it when it's gone.That's what this was.They missed the boot.Didn't know what life was like without it.Fuck, I had my work cut out for me. I gazed up at the moon, wondering what her plan was in all this. Frankly, it didn't matter right now. Right now, I needed to see Anni
Seraphina's POVI don't know how long I sat on that stage, my white dress stained with blood, holding Kit's body. My head throbbed from how hard I had been sobbing. I couldn't hear anything outside of the pounding of my heart. My breathing was loud in my ears.I didn't feel it when Xander stepped up onto the stage behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. No flinching. No reaction at all. My throat was choked with grief. Insurmountable pain I didn't know if I'd survive. I could feel my heart crack in my chest down the middle. William had cheated. It was obvious to me and obvious to the elders who were panicked and whispering to one another. It seemed like without an Alpha, the mind link had also shattered. There was no Alpha to anchor it.I hunched over his body, my tears running out. I prayed to the moon, to the earth, to the devils and the angels to bring Kit back. Whoever would listen. To take this pain away. To feel like a part of me wasn't splintered.My magic thru
Kit's POVThe shackles fell from my wrists onto the ground and I rubbed the raw red lines the wolfsbane left me with. Without them, the wolf instantly roared to life under my skin. My shoulders bunched and tensed, preparing myself for the fight ahead.This past month I spent nights thinking about Sera, missing her. Wishing I could hold her. Reunite her with Annika. Protect my girls.Abe would kick over his rations, telling me I needed my strength more than he did. He was right. I used those rations to fuel myself while I grasped onto the iron bars over my head and pulled myself up.I needed to stay as sharp as I could, even if I was starving.Staring over at Sera, and seeing her chained to that fucking rock pissed me off. I may not be as strong as I would have been before I was put down into that cell, but I was strong enough to win this. Seeing Sera hold her daughter again gave me the strength I needed to end this.Her gaze felt like cool water rushing over me as we looked
Seraphina's POVThe last month felt like torture. I spent my entire nights curled up on a filthy mattress, thinking of Kit's touch. Thinking of holding my daughter again. The anger inside kept me warm. I didn't know where Kit was, but I could feel him.The tether that bound us together only got stronger the more I missed him. I wanted to tug at it, hoping he could feel it when I reached out for him. But the bond wasn't solidified. He hadn't marked me. Every time I reached for the bond, it fell through my fingers. Visible and bodiless as smoke.I just wanted to tell him that I loved him. Show him how badly I missed him.My ring hummed with power as if it was filled to the brim, about to runneth over. I reached for the magic in my blood and the ring trembled. Close.But not enough to shatter the curse. I was still bound by it. The magic seared my flesh, with nowhere for it to go. My heart ached as Annie crossed my mind. How long was her hair now? A month is a long time fo
Kit's POVEven if I wasn't connected to the pack mind link anymore, I could practically feel how unnerved pack members were at my appearance. They knew there was likely only one reason I was here, and they were right.I was here to challenge my brother. And when my sudden reemergence was linked to their missing Luna Queen, it only made it feel that much more complicated. Wait until they figured out she was my mate. If I had marked her, it would have made my claim much more potent, but I wasn't going to concern myself with it now. I also tried not to worry about Sera facing off against my brother by herself.My stomach turned at the thought of her alone with her abuser.The beast under my skin growled, vibrating through my entire body. It sharpened my focus. Made me see the whole picture.Blood Moon packmates wouldn't be any help to her. They were suffering under Will's influence. It tainted them with hate and violence. The Alpha influence was meant to unify. Strengthen cor