~Stuart~I wipe her brow again; the sweat keeps coming. I lean in close and hold my breath. I can hear her breathing, so that’s a good sign. I just wish she would wake up.I may have been an asshole to Nikki while we were together, but I paid attention to her and learned a few things. Once I picked Nikki up from the borders, I brought her back to my place. The clinic would have been good, but I can’t be on packlands, and they would have thought that I was the one that put her in that position. I cleaned up her wounds and applied first aid. That is what I learned from Nikki: how to keep someone alive as best as possible. I have no idea what Nikki went through, but I had to do everything I could to keep her alive. I owe her so much that this is just a tiny task. We’ve been here for four days; Nikki has been like this for four days. I was able to get a former doctor to see her. He said I cleaned her up well, and there should be no worry about infections. He gave her some stitches and d
I’m up early, still sore from what happened. I suspect I will be sore for another day, at least. I jump in the shower, going over my visit with the Moon Goddess as I soap up. It’s hard to wrap my head around what she told me: Imogene is not Paul’s fated mate, but I am. Never in a million years would I have thought I’d be fated to such a man. I knew this thing between Paul and me would be temporary, and if it did last, it would be because he chose me. I never thought the Moon Goddess would actually pair us together. As selfish as it sounds, I want that; I want what the Moon Goddess has blessed me with. I let my fated mate go so long ago because I’d already created a life with my chosen mate. I never considered a second chance mate, and now I have one that is from a dream.Paul is smart, kind, considerate, sexy, and just, all of the above. I don’t know what I did in my life to get so lucky, but I’m genuinely grateful. Now, I need to focus on getting Paul and the pack free from Imogene
~Imogene~Things are progressing quite nicely if I do say so myself. This wasn’t my initial plan, but I’m nothing if not innovative. I call it innovation, whereas others would call it opportunistic. I don’t really care what it’s called, but it is what it is. The idea struck me out of nowhere. I looked at the celebrity status I was thrust into and all that came with it. Tie that with my magical prowess, and I knew I could have whatever I wanted. I figure, why not go for broke? Tia and the twins will step down, letting Paul and I take over. Of course, when I say Paul and me, I really mean me. I will take over and run this pack. I will do whatever I want, and no one will be able to stop me. I scroll through my phone, looking for the contacts that can get me what I need. If I’m going to expand this spell across the pack, I need more supplies. I will also need a catalyst, and I know just the one. Once I get in contact with my guy, I will set everything in motion. I have two days until ou
~Stuart~I didn’t expect to walk in here and see Kimberly gone. Yes, I rejected her, but she was still my fated mate, and we stayed attached for more than two decades. We may not have lived together and created a family, but we took the time to get to know each other. Kimberly and I would meet up sometimes just to talk. We would discuss our families, our hurts, our states of happiness, and anything we felt we could share with each other. I was probably more intimate with Kimberly than I was with Nikki once we found out we were mates—just something else to be deeply apologetic for.I don’t know how long I sat here, holding Kimberly’s body. My heart hurt when I set eyes on her, and I just wanted to hold her a bit before her body is taken away. I let Kimberly go and stand up. I look down and see remnants of blood on my clothes, but I don’t care. I look around the room, but nothing stands out to me besides the open door.I hate that Kimberly had to die alone and at such a young age. She
~Imogene~I look at my phone again and let out an exasperated sigh. I absolutely HATE waiting on people. I feel like all things should be immediate when dealing with me. Let’s face facts: I’m a super important woman and don’t have time to wait for others to drag their feet. I would tell him to go fuck himself if I didn’t need these items. I could always send him a magical bomb…..I always love seeing those explode. I need to strengthen my spell and get it to cast wider, and I can’t do that without the ingredients. As it is, I snuck off packlands early this morning. My ceremony is later today, and I need the ingredients to sit for a while if I want to be able to cast the spell tonight.A car pulls up, and I start to tap my foot. The car door opens, and he walks out. Always with a hoodie on and the hood on his head; I swear I get so tired of this cloak-and-dagger shit. “What the fuck took you so long?” He doesn’t come close but tosses the bag, which lands a few feet from me.“Here’s you
All eyes land on me, and I stand my ground in the middle of the aisle. Paul steps forward, and a growl erupts from his lips. Knowing what he’s about to do, my heart flutters, but I won’t back down. “How dare you intervene! Warriors!” I stand and wait. I can see movement in my peripheral vision, but everyone isn’t coming for me. Some of the warriors are taking steps back, so they are surrounding the event. I see Lynn step out in front of the stage in a fighting stance. There are warriors who look extremely confused standing on stage. Imogene waves her hand, and two come at me. They approach me on each side, and I know they plan to grab me. I remember what Stuart taught me, and I don’t move, waiting for them to make a move first. They reach for me at the same time, and I quickly hit the ground, sweeping a leg out to my right, causing the warrior to hit the floor. I roll to my knees and face the warrior on my left. I maneuver, so I’m on my toes and motion for him to come forward. He ma
~Nikki~I can’t believe how much fun I just had. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself so thoroughly. I laughed and danced until I couldn’t anymore. I never actually considered what life could be like if I got away from Stuart. Now I don’t have to think about it, I can live it, and it’s good.A warm hand touches my knee, sending butterflies to my stomach. I really need to get laid if a simple touch is enough to get me going. “Are you okay?” I nod. “We’re here.” I look around and realized that we are, indeed, back home. I swear the trip from the airport was quicker than ever before.The car door opens for me, and a hand waits. I grab the hand, and the driver helps me out of the car. Paul follows behind me and walks me to the door. “I had so much fun this weekend. Thank you for making it a good time.” I look at Paul, his smile warming my heart.“No, thank you. You helped me remember what fun was.” Paul leans in and kisses me on my forehead.“I will see you later.” He turns and
~Nikki~I bounce in the bed, making me wonder if I’m back on the plane. The journey to the wedding was bumpy at best. “MOM!” I feel an arm around me, and the comfort is wonderful. I pop an eye open and look at my daughter. She’s so beautiful; love and happiness agree with her.I owe her so much in the way of an apology. I feel I could have done more to stand up for her, but I was scared. Stuart could always be a more than opposing figure and could be abusive if he deemed it necessary. I let my fear take over, and that caused me to not be there for my daughter like I should have been.I trail my eyes down my daughter’s body until I see the baby bump. My eyes start to mist while I reach out and touch her belly. My baby is having a baby, and I’m beyond excited. I can’t wait to be a grandmother. Tia moves my hand around her belly until I feel movement. I look up at Tia, and she has a massive smile on her face. “Baby missed its grandma.” I laugh and wipe my eyes.“No….no, not grandma. I do