~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
~Tia~Everything has been fuzzy at best. I swear I’m going in and out of consciousness. Sometimes, I can see everything going on around me, but I can’t interact with any of it. Other times, I’m completely involved and aware of my surroundings. I don’t understand what’s going on or why, and I’m not even sure if my baby is at risk.I was livid when it was suggested that we have an Alpha and Luna ceremony for Paul and Imogene. How could it be suggested that they take over the pack? It isn’t like the pack is without leaders, and Paul was already an Alpha. He gave up his position and handed it down to his sons. It’s been less than a year since we took over, but I know we’ve been doing a good job. I tried to protest, tried to scream out against it, but the words wouldn’t come. I couldn’t yell or scream, and the only words that came out were, ‘yes’ and ‘great idea.’ Oh, Goddess, I was ready to rip my own throat out at that time. I couldn’t believe I let this happen, that I lost myself the w
~Nikki~“STOP RIGHT THERE!” My heart had been beating out of my chest. I saw Imogene gearing up, collecting as much power as she could. I flashed back to the pain I felt when she tried to kill me, and I just knew it was going to be a thousand times worse than that. Those words made me hold my breath. I look behind me and see a woman standing there with a few people behind her. I recognize her despite not seeing her in so many years. She’s as regal-looking as I remember. She stands tall; her silver hair sways behind her and swirls around her face. Unlike Imogene, her eyes are a brilliant green. She’s wearing a sheer, black dress with long, bell-shaped sleeves. “Who the fuck are you?!” “Imogene, we’ve been looking for you! You have crimes to pay for.” Imogene throws her head back and laughs.“Screw you! I will pay for nothing. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave from here and take your people with you.” High Priestess Owlyn smiles and takes a step forward.“You don’t recogn