When Dad finally lets Zara go, Estelle and Mom pull her into the office so they can get some blood samples and call Doctor Khe.
Dad pulls me back into the kitchen with Mike, Jasper, and Sam. “So I have some good news and bad news.”
“Hold up. Before you start with good or bad news. What are you doing about what happened in the hallway?” I put my hand up to stop him from avoiding the situation.
“Nothing.” He looks at Mike, who nods in agreement. “Avalanche was protecting his family from a rogue. There is no one to answer to. Mike and I already discussed it. Avalanche and I did not break any laws.”
“Dad. He killed that girl. She was only eighteen.” I protest his nonchalant demeanor.
“And she was a rogue who the Regents ordered to leave town after they found her guilty of trying to kill your mate.” There is a dangerous flash of black in his eyes, but for once I don’t back down.
“Keller
As the evening gets late, Estelle, Jasper, Sam, and Mike say goodbye. Mom and Dad get my car from the pharmacy. When they come back, they have Zara’s prescriptions and takeout bags from Cozy Up.Mom sets up our food on plates while Zara and I go through the bottles of medicine. We make a chart on notepad paper of which medicines she needs to take in the mornings and evenings and attach it to the fridge with a magnet.“If any of them makes you feel sick, you tell me right away, Pocket.” I hand her the pills she is supposed to take in the evenings and pour a glass of apple juice for her. “Estelle can be here in less than ten minutes.”“Okay.” She looks at the pills in her hand, puts them in her mouth, then swallows them down with the apple juice.“Good?” I brush my fingers over her cheek and give her a quic
I don’t have to open my eyes to know I’m exactly where I want to be. Tangled in the sheets with my mate. Everything about Zara’s warm skin against the length of my body feels perfect. Her relaxed weight nestled against me with her arm draped over me gives me a sense of calm I can’t explain. I listen to her long, calm breaths, grateful for each one. Our mate bond flows gently between us, making me as relaxed as I’ve ever been. I should wake her up so she can get ready for class, but selfishly, I want a few more minutes with her in my arms. I close my eyes and think back to last night. Zara’s long hair cascading down her bare torso. The feathery feeling of those soft, golden locks brushing against my chest when she leaned forward to kiss me. Her hands sliding against me while I held her close, whispering promises in her ear that made her giggle. The silky skin that my hands and lips explored. Her soft moans getting louder while I was deep inside her, trying to control my pac
“Mmmm. Where are you going? It’s Saturday.” I pull Zara back against me, without opening my eyes, when she tries to get out of bed. “Saturdays are for sleeping in.” “I wanted to get in some early studying. Before we go to the mountains.” She lowers herself back down next to me. “I won’t bother you for the rest of the day once we get home.” I wrap my arms around her tightly. “You have been studying every night until almost midnight, Pocket. You’re going to get burnt out.” “I just want to make sure I’m prepared.” I hear the whine in her voice. “You’ve aced every flashcard quiz you had me give you.” I kiss her forehead and stroke her hair, trying not to let myself wake up fully. “You’re going to do great. For this morning, you need rest.” “Okay. Can I at least go to the bathroom first?” She says in defeat. I pretend to think about it, then smirk at her. “What do I get?” She looks at me, confused. “A bed that isn’t full of pee?” “Gross, Zara.
Amy’s POV The first time I met Zara, I didn’t know she was Keller’s mate. When I saw the little girl with bright blue eyes and long blonde hair wearing Keller’s t-shirt, I wasn’t convinced the faint sigma heat scent was coming from her. Unlike his brothers, Keller never had a habit of sleeping with the girls who were supposed to be brought in for processing. Hell, I wasn’t convinced she was old enough to be in his apartment. The young girl was clean, intelligent, and well-mannered. She was not at all like the ones I had run into, who he had picked up at night clubs: tall and curvy, with caked on makeup, rude, and smelling like wet dogs. Beyond the fading sigma heat scent, her natural raspberry and citrus scent brought my guard down. I always thought my son could come to me with anything. Why wouldn’t he tell me he was dating a college student? Phil and I had tried to impress the importance of the mate bond Keller, but we figured it was only a matter
Zara lifts her hands up to her mouth, covering it with the sleeves of her oversized sweatshirt, and nods, avoiding eye contact with me. I’ve told her several times, I would prefer if she calls me Mom, but I understand why she doesn’t feel like she can. Until five months ago, she always had a mother to take care of her. Someone to go to with all her problems. Now she has Keller. She’s learning to trust Phil and Estelle and me. I suppose Jasper and Sam as well. None of us could ever pretend to replace her mother or father. It seems like they were very close, which makes the situation that much more difficult. We all just want the best for her. “Zara, it’s quite alright.” I adjust the hair elastic, replacing the bun, then stroke her back. “I would feel honored for you to think of me as someone you can call ‘Mom’, but I understand if you can’t. You have a mom, even if she isn’t in your life anymore.” She nods again, looking around the room as she collects her thoughts, a
Keller’s POV “Okay, but how do you know which ones are like Zara? What did you call her? Sigma?” Jasper looks down the dark alley, hesitant to go in. After going over the plan for a few hours at Cozy Up, then driving around looking for any sign of sigmas working the streets, we finally found an abandoned warehouse that looks promising. “Uh, yeah. Sigma, but don’t call them that until you’re sure they trust you. It could scare them off.” I zip my coat up tighter and head into the alley. “First off, only girls with blue eyes. Second, they are usually on drugs or drunk. So find girls who seem like wasted.” “Blue eyed, wasted girls. That’s basically half the chicks I know, Kell.” Jasper seems on edge as we walk down the alley to a half-open door. I step into the abandoned-looking building and take a deep breath. I definitely smell female wolves. None of them are in heat. “Trust me, Jas. These are not like the girls, you know. Anothe
“Pocket, why are you stressing? It’s stressing me out.” I stop her from one more round of zipping back and forth between the bedroom and office. “Keller, finals are in two days!” She takes me by the arms and gives me a frazzled look. “Where did the time go?!” “Okay, well, you have been studying nonstop for over a month. Even when you were in heat, you had two study group sessions on video chat when you needed to be in bed. I bit my tongue because I know how important school is to you. Trust me, I wanted to say something.” I place my hands on her waist and give her a playful shake to break her mood. “Zara, it’s going to be okay. You are going to do great in your finals. I’m sure of it.” She pulls her fingers through her scalp and pulls her hair into tight clumps. “Oh, my Goddess. I need to review specific gravities.” “No. No, you don’t. Not tonight anyway.” I shake my head, guiding her away from the office. “Tonight, you’re going on a date with your bo
The library is full of students getting last-minute studying done before finals week starts. I stride past everyone, not bothering to say hello to familiar faces. I follow Zara’s scent to a study room on the third floor. She’s facing the whiteboard, showing her study group something that looks like a complex cell structure. One girl is standing next to her, pointing something out. I hesitate when I see her interacting with her friends, but goaded by Rocky, my temper gets the best of me when I remember she manipulated me to sleep for almost twenty hours. I don’t know what pulled me out of the sleep state, but I’m lucky I did. There are countless accounts of male wolves doing stupid shit because of a sigma manipulation. We had a client a few years ago that drove his car off a bridge because of it. Another one gave almost all his belongings, including his home and furnishings, to charity before his family could stop him. It’s a dark side of the ability that isn’t