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 donât have to open my eyes to know Iâm exactly where I want to be. Tangled in the sheets with my mate. Everything about Zaraâs 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 canât explain. I listen to her long, calm breaths, grateful for each one. Our mate bond flows gently between us, making me as relaxed as Iâve 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. Zaraâs 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
âMmmm. Where are you going? Itâs Saturday.â I pull Zara back against me, without opening my eyes, when she tries to get out of bed. âSaturdays are for sleeping in.â âI wanted to get in some early studying. Before we go to the mountains.â She lowers herself back down next to me. âI wonât bother you for the rest of the day once we get home.â I wrap my arms around her tightly. âYou have been studying every night until almost midnight, Pocket. Youâre going to get burnt out.â âI just want to make sure Iâm prepared.â I hear the whine in her voice. âYouâve aced every flashcard quiz you had me give you.â I kiss her forehead and stroke her hair, trying not to let myself wake up fully. âYouâre going to do great. For this morning, you need rest.â âOkay. Can I at least go to the bathroom first?â She says in defeat. I pretend to think about it, then smirk at her. âWhat do I get?â She looks at me, confused. âA bed that isnât full of pee?â âGross, Zara.
Amyâs POV The first time I met Zara, I didnât know she was Kellerâs mate. When I saw the little girl with bright blue eyes and long blonde hair wearing Kellerâs t-shirt, I wasnât 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 wasnât 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 wouldnât 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. Iâve told her several times, I would prefer if she calls me Mom, but I understand why she doesnât 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. Sheâs 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. âZara, itâs quite alright.â I adjust the hair elastic, replacing the bun, then stroke her back. âI would feel honored for you to think of me as someone you can call âMomâ, but I understand if you canât. You have a mom, even if she isnât in your life anymore.â She nods again, looking around the room as she collects her thoughts, a
Kellerâs POV âOkay, but how do you know which ones are like Zara? What did you call her? Sigma?â 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. âUh, yeah. Sigma, but donât call them that until youâre sure they trust you. It could scare them off.â I zip my coat up tighter and head into the alley. âFirst off, only girls with blue eyes. Second, they are usually on drugs or drunk. So find girls who seem like wasted.â âBlue eyed, wasted girls. Thatâs basically half the chicks I know, Kell.â 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. âTrust me, Jas. These are not like the girls, you know. Anothe
âPocket, why are you stressing? Itâs stressing me out.â I stop her from one more round of zipping back and forth between the bedroom and office. âKeller, finals are in two days!â She takes me by the arms and gives me a frazzled look. âWhere did the time go?!â âOkay, 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.â I place my hands on her waist and give her a playful shake to break her mood. âZara, itâs going to be okay. You are going to do great in your finals. Iâm sure of it.â She pulls her fingers through her scalp and pulls her hair into tight clumps. âOh, my Goddess. I need to review specific gravities.â âNo. No, you donât. Not tonight anyway.â I shake my head, guiding her away from the office. âTonight, youâre 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 Zaraâs scent to a study room on the third floor. Sheâs 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 donât know what pulled me out of the sleep state, but Iâm 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. Itâs a dark side of the ability that isnât
âKeller, calm down. Where did you see her last?â Mom tries to speak slowly, but I can hear the anger and panic in her voice. âAt the university library. Third floor bathroom around three oâclock.â I pace in the hall, looking at my watch again. âItâs already ten-thirty, Mom. She should have been home hours ago⌠I fucked up. I was so mad. How could I have grabbed her like that or yelled at her? Iâm so fucking stupid.â âAnd you pinged her phone location?â Mom asks for the third time. âYeah. She must have turned it off.â I rub my fingers over my forehead. âMom, what do I do? I told her I would be home when she was ready to talk. I canât just leave. What if she comes back and Iâm not here?â âDad and I will head to town now. We will stop by the library. Do you have the names of her study group friends? We will see if Security can help us get ahold of them.â I hear Momâs fingers snapping at Dad in the background while I name off some people Zara has mentione
âZara, first, I want you to know that your parents loved you. They had no choice when they left you and they never stopped trying to find you and get you back.â Tyreeâs tone differs from what Iâve heard from him before. Itâs more apologetic and compassionate, like a father trying to make his child understand another point of view. âTyree, how could I possibly believe that?â Zara holds her hand up to stop him. âThey left me on the steps of the pack house. I wasnât even a week old. They didnât want me.â âItâs not true, Zara. I promise you itâs not true. Your fatherâs name is Scott Eklund. Your mother is Sondi. They came here because the Alpha from Emerald Mountain banished them. They were seeking asylum, and it was granted.â Tyree sits back and sighs. âFrom what I understand, your father attacked the packâs Beta, trying to defend Sondi. Your mother said she never had a problem with the Beta and barely knew him. Your father had issues with mental illness. He was paranoid and refused to
âFirst and foremost, thank you all for being here today. Iâm going to keep my portion short.â Jasper stands at the podium, now tenured in speaking in front of crowds, looking comfortable to address the room. He pulls out a notecard from his jacket pocket and glances down at it. âThere is someone very special I would like to introduce you to. Sheâs not only the lead scientist for the Sigma Project, she is the mastermind behind the medication that has made this whole thing possible.â Jasper looks into the wings and gives Zara a thumbs up. I feel her take a deep breath under my hands. âThis talented woman completed her undergraduate degree and masters in biochemistry, and sheâs almost finished with her doctorate all in just over six years. On top of that, she is now the youngest Nobel Prize Laureate ever. In chemistry and in medicine. Friends, sheâs the hardest worker in the room, by far the smartest person you will ever meet, an incredible mother, and one of my closest friends. Oh and
âHey guys, your flight was okay?â Tyree meets us at the doors of the Blood River pack house and ushers us inside. âI know the ride from the airport can be a killer.â âIt was great. Thanks, Tyree.â Jasper shakes his hand. âWe are all looking forward to this afternoon.â âUncle Tyree!â Orli runs up to her favorite person and hops to be picked up. âDillon and I went to kindergarten! I got to show the teacher that I know my alphabet.â âI heard! Did you listen to your teacher?â He holds Orli in his massive arms and gives her a kiss on the cheek. She nods with a shy smile and leans back. âLook at my dress! Daddy says today is special, so I wanted to look pretty. And tomorrow I get to wear my flower girl dress. So I got two pretty dresses to wear.â âOh, my Goddess.â He smooths down the front of her dusty blue dress. âYou are always pretty, baby girl, but this dress makes your eyes look EXTRA blue.â Orli giggles and leans her head on his shoulder, perfectly content to stay with him as lon
The longer Zara takes the sigma serum, the more I notice differences. She isnât taller or stronger, but some days it seems like it. She handles stress better and doesnât shy away when she has to speak with people sheâs not familiar with like she would have in the past. She almost never has a flight or fight response anymore. Itâs refreshing to see her handle life with more confidence and less anxiety and fear. Katie is also doing much better with the new version of the serum than the first one. Instead of putting her on medications, they increase her therapy to once a week. Besides learning how to read with ease, Katie also observes things she never had before. Traffic patterns, the way birds fly together in the sky, the layout of the grocery store, things most people take for granted. She seems to see for the first time. As with all things, with the good comes the bad. Zara starts to have more bad days. A lot more bad days. Mom and Dad take shifts to monitor her while Estelle and
âYouâre sure you feel okay?â Zara is already sitting on my lap, but I take her face in my hands and look her in the eye. I look her over and give her a quick peck on the cheek. âYou donât feel warm or anything?â âI feel fine, Keller. I just took the serum fifteen minutes ago.â She covers my hands with hers. âIt takes a couple hours for it to get into my system. Right now Iâm just exhausted. We intentionally added a light sedative to this version, and it was a later night than I was expecting. If I had known you planned to stay at a hotel instead of going home, I would have packed a bag.â âIâll know better for next time.â I nuzzle her cheek and settle into the recliner. âYou tell me if you feel weird at all. Even a little bit.â âI will, sweetheart.â She leans her head against my shoulder and places her hand on my chest. I slide my hand over hers and interlock our fingers. It makes me smile to feel the ring on her finger. I look at Jasper, who has Katie in his lap as well. He has
âKeller, itâs safe now. Itâs taken a few months, but itâs perfect. Estelle and I are sure of it.â Zara hands Orli a piece of banana while she tries to convince me itâs time for her to take what she now calls the sigma serum one point one six. âZara, I donât know how many times I can tell you. Iâm not okay with it.â I adjust the position of Dillonâs little fork and help him scoop macaroni and cheese onto it. I look up at Zara to see if sheâs paying attention. She takes a sip from her glass of juice and sets it down, then places her hands on the counter and drums her fingers impatiently. âKeller-â âZara.â I feel my mood darken as I glare at her. âKeller, I feel like a broken record. I would be a hypocrite if I said itâs fine for other sigmas, but too dangerous for me.â She wipes Orliâs mouth with a bib and hands her a sippy cup. âWe know the women who have met their mates have different body chemistry now. Weâve made adjustments to the sigma serum accordingly. Itâs just another leve
I thought it was going to be difficult to get Zara to pull out of the study, but it wasnât. She was more worried about what could have happened to Orli and Dillon and everyone else she loves and cares about. Two days after the incident, she goes to the lab to speak to the other volunteers to let them know why she has pulled out, but promises them they will still get to see her all the time because she is going to be working directly with Estelle. Katie, on the other hand, wonât be deterred. Even after we explain that she and Zara could have died, she insists she wants to keep going. Jasper is miserable, but puts on a brave face for her. He spends lunch with her every day and comes home to mope. Zara and I try to cheer him up and even help him take care of Mister Happy and Midnight. Mom takes over nanny duty while Katie is away. âZara, itâs only been a month. Are you sure taking all nine girls all the way to Cozy Up is a good idea?â Jasper stops her from leaving the lab to let the gi
My body feels heavy and Zaraâs weight gets pulled off of me, forcing me awake. âWhat happened? Is she okay?â Someone drained the water out of the tub. Mom has Zara wrapped in a towel, holding her like a baby in her arms. Estelle is next to her, checking Zaraâs temperature. âItâs fine, Honey. Her temperature has been normal for an hour. Weâre going to put her in bed. I brought you a change of clothes. Come out when youâre dressed.â âAce is on his way to check on our baby girl.â Estelle lets Mom take Zara out of the room and sits on the edge of the tub. She unfolds a towel and hands it to me. âAre you okay?â âI will be once I know she is.â I wipe my face and chest. âBefore she passed out, she said more carrots and less love. Lavender was relaying the message.â Estelle purses her lips and nods. âYeah. We had talked about that before the study but went with the more potent formulation. Iâm going to get a batch of the other one started as soon as I get back to the lab.â âIf sheâs okay
âKeller will grab Zara. Iâll grab Katieâs top half, just grab her legs. Stop her from kicking if you can.â Les motions how Jasper should try to hold on to Katie. âWeâll take her to the nursery bathroom.â âHow do we know who will come out first?â Jasper looks at me and back at Les. Les gives Jasper a sweet smile. âOh, darling, so innocent. Wolf mentality.â âWolf mentality?â He looks at me for help. âWait, how do we know they didnât turn into wolves? Shift. How do we know they havenât shifted?â âTheir wolves have an advantage to use their senses but stay in human form right now.â Les tugs at her braided ponytail. âThey can open doors, push elevator buttons, call for help, things like that.â âZara is freaking out because her pup is gone. Katie is going to protect Zara to give her a chance to find her baby.â I put my ear to the door. âKatie will make sure danger is out of the way.â âKatie sees Zara as more dominant than she is in the pecking order of your family dynamic. So yes, she