“Yes, I’m fine. Are you okay?” He asked her in turn, looking her over, and she nodded her head, her gaze carefully averted. By the time he turned to look at where the alpha he had been fighting with just moments ago was, there was nothing there. His opponent had run away. “How shameless.” Michael sneered at the empty ground. What a cowardly alpha this one was. “What?” The girl, his mate, asked him, clearly confused as to whether he was talking to her or to himself. He glanced briefly at her, trying to fight the undeniable attraction that he felt toward her, but he knew that it would be futile to do so. There was only one way to get rid of the attraction, and even though he knew it would be difficult, he would have no choice but to do it when the time came. From the shy side gazes that she kept giving him, he knew that he wasn’t the only one feeling the attraction. “Wasn’t talking to you. What’s your name?” He asked, scanning the area quickly to see if he would be able to find the ba
The boy had not even finished speaking when Sophia dashed back the way she had come, arriving at her mother’s side within minutes. The herbs that she had been gathering had been forgotten in her haste. Duncan hurried after her with them, followed by Toby, where they found Michael cradling Maria’s head in his lap and trying to soothe her, but there was nothing that could be done for her. Maria was coughing up blood now, and her eyes were barely focused. She had been unconscious for most of the night and was only just regaining consciousness, but it was clear that it wasn't going to be here for very long. They had obviously poisoned her with something and she was in severe pain. “Mom? Tell me what to do. Please, tell me what to do to ease your pain and heal you.” Sophia begged, kneeling beside her mom and wiping at the blood that oozed from the side of her mouth. “Please, leave us,” Maria said weakly, and the three other people, apart from Sophia, walked some distance away, out of ears
For the next three days, they traveled almost without stopping. The only time they stopped was when they needed gas and to buy food, which they did not even bother to eat in the place where they bought it, but ate in the car while driving. Michael did most of the driving, while Sophia sat at the back for most of the ride with Duncan. She barely spoke a word, more content to sit in silence and stare out the window. If not for the fact that she was grieving, she would have been beside herself with excitement. This was the first time in all her eighteen-plus years that she was leaving the pack territory. Of course, she had heard about the outside world and had imagined and fantasized about what it would be like, but the reality was even more intriguing. Although for most of the time, they passed through desert and forests, the houses that they had come upon filled her with awe. “Is this your first time coming out of your pack’s territory?” Duncan asked her, watching her closely as he ha
Michael had been driving for hours, after taking over the wheel from Duncan. He had insisted on them not stopping, as he could not shake the sense of urgency that he had for them to keep moving. He had a very good guess that they were being followed, and until they shook off their pursuers and lost them, they would keep driving. He was not about to lead a bunch of blood-thirsty werewolves to where he lived and have them come to attack him in his home. He supposed that it was not a wise thing to head home just yet, but he needed the comfort of his bed, and the familiarity of his home, especially as he planned on selling it off and moving on soon. It was only when that sense of urgency left him that he parked the car and asked Duncan to come down too, so they could talk. “So what’s the plan?” He asked Duncan, when the latter came over, a look of polite inquiry on his face. “Plan?” “You’ve had days to come up with a plan of how we’re going to kill that cowardly bastard who calls himsel
To say Michael was surprised by this move was an understatement. In fact, he was so surprised that he remained frozen in place as Audrey kissed him, and it was only when she moaned and shifted position to better enjoy the kiss that he gasped. Audrey used this welcome opportunity to slip her moist tongue into his mouth and moaned sensually, holding his head in place with her hands. Michael became aware of a low growl coming from somewhere within the room, and only then did he break off from Audrey, wiping at his mouth. What was wrong with this girl, and why could she not just take no for an answer for chrissakes? The growling continued and was getting louder by the second, causing Michael to turn to face the direction from which it was coming. It was Sophia who was growling, and to his horror, he could see that her eyes had turned from their normal brown color to an alluring amber color … except that they would be anything but alluring to Audrey, who even now, was trying to look around
By the time Sophia woke up, it was pitch dark in the room in which she slept. She had slept like the dead and had no idea of how much time had passed, but still, she had not awoken of her volition. Something had woken her up, so she lay still in the dark, all her senses on high alert. Then she heard it … the sound of low voices conversing. The voices were male and sounded like Duncan and Michael. Sophia got out of bed and padded downstairs, where she found them drinking beer and discussing. They paused whatever they were saying as she came in, and Michael looked at her, his gaze unreadable. “Sleep well?” Duncan asked. “Yes, I did. Thanks. Where’s Toby?” Sophia replied. “He’s upstairs still sleeping.” “Are you hungry? There’s some food in the kitchen if you are.” Michael told her, so she went into the kitchen and brought the food to the living room where they were to eat it. “Um, Sophia. We’ll be going out later today to the bank.” Duncan told her. “The bank? What for?” “Your lat
“I don’t understand why you’re trying to dissuade her from going with us,” Duncan told Michael angrily. “Oh, come on. She’s a fragile girl who just escaped from a hellhole and is quite vulnerable at this time. She doesn’t need to be charging off fighting unknown creatures just yet. You keep on claiming she has powers, but I saw the girl, and she was beside herself with happiness just because her eyes changed color and she grew claws. That’s the person whom you claim has the powers to face monsters and free your fiancée. Forgive me if I don’t believe that for a minute, but that is how it is. I’m not letting her walk straight to her death.” “What do you care about her, anyway? I’m her uncle, while you’re just some guy she happened to meet because he wants to avenge his family’s death. Do you think you have her interest at heart more than I do?” “Actually, I do. At least, I’m not the one rushing her off to do dangerous things not long after her mother died, when she clearly isn’t recov
Before nine that morning, Sophia left the house with Duncan to go to the bank, where they spent most of the day doing stuff. When they were done, Michael picked them up and they went to a restaurant where they got something to eat. Sophia soaked it all up in awe. Needless to say, she had never been to a restaurant before. Michael watched her in amusement the whole while, while Duncan seemed very troubled and distracted, not that anyone could blame him. “I think we should get some food for Toby. The food here is really delicious.” She said, and Michael nodded his approval. “Sure thing. I’ll ask them to pack some for him.” “So, when do we set out to find Duncan's fiancée? I think the earlier the better because we don’t know what the poor woman is going through.” “You’re right. We’ll leave tomorrow.” Michael said and saw the relief enter Duncan’s eyes. The man was really going through a lot. This was why Michael needed to get away from Sophia so that he never found himself in such an