~Lynn~Is this what afterglow is? I really didn’t think it was a thing. I feel beyond content being in my mate’s arms, but something is missing. I feel like my heart isn’t completely full, and I know why that is. Uh, I hate to interrupt anything, but we are waiting for you. And have you, maybe, seen Vonte? Tia giggles as she cuts the mindlink.I turn to face Vonte. His eyes are closed, but he looks at peace. I pull my head back slightly so I can really take a look at him. He has his right eyebrow pierced, and I can see that he may have had a nose ring at one point in life. Both of his ears are pierced, and he wears diamond studs in each ear. He has a very masculine face, a strong, blocked jaw, and very rough features. He has a light scruff on his face, making me wonder what a full beard would look like on him. He has shoulder-length dreads, which I helped remove from their perfect braid. The tips are dyed a blonde color. He has full, thick lips and long eyelashes. I can feel my body h
~Devonte~I’m sure we were released so we could talk. I guess I must have been more obvious than I wanted to be. I was trying to keep my disgust to myself with the plan to lay into my brother privately.I hurry downstairs and make a beeline for the front door. As I walk through, I see she-wolves looking at me. Some whisper to their friends, and others look at me seductively. I have no time for any of them.The closer I get to the door, the more angry I feel. I yank the door open, hearing it crash against the wall. I walk outside and step down the porch steps. I start to pace back and forth on the grass. I can feel my brother getting closer to me. He was walking behind me, and I wasn’t sure he would follow me.The minute I feel his presence behind me, I turn and slam my fist into his face. Vonte stumbles back and holds the palace where my fist made contact. Vonte drops his hand and growls toward me. I get in a fighting stance, silently begging him to come for me. “What the fuck, ‘Te?!
I jump up, breathing heavily. I look around my surroundings for anything that would be a danger to me. I swear the dream was so real. I thought those looking for me had entered the cave and taken me captive. I could feel the silver cuffs on my wrists and a knee in my back. I fully expected to be locked up when I opened my eyes.The cave is still pretty dark, with a slight shine from a tiny opening at the top of the cave. The water is still moving, and it’s enticing me. My mouth is extremely dry, so I jump into the water and swim to the other side, where the small waterfall is. I drink my fill and paddle back to the other end.Maybe I should just leave right now. I should go out there and try my luck with those looking for me. It may do me better to just be captured. I won’t have to live like an animal anymore. I can go where I can lay my head on something soft rather than a dirt floor.The more I think about it, the more getting captured appeals to me. If I can surrender without being
~Devonte~My head is throbbing. I don’t think I’ve ever felt pain like this before, and I swear I never want to again. I move my body and can hear beeping in the distance. That’s a really annoying sound, and I need to try to turn it off.I crack an eye open and see white. I close my eye and try to remember where I was last. I swear I had gone outside and was running in the woods. I open my eye, fully this time and look around. White walls. White walls are all around me. I open my other eye and take in the bright ass lights. I look to the side and see the machine the beeping belongs to. “D? Baby?”I turn to the voice and suck my breath in. “Sonya? Where am I?” She smiles and leans closer to me. She strokes the side of my head, running the pad of her thumb across my lips. My stomach twists at her touch, but I swallow that down.“You’re in the clinic at this, uh, shabby pack……Emerald Lake, I guess.” I close my eyes and think back. Yeah, that tracks. We brought a prisoner here and are sup
~Lynn~I sneak out of bed, careful not to wake Vonte. He’s been so sweet to me since Devonte was hospitalized. I didn’t expect to be as affected by his illness as I was. I can’t function when my mate’s future is in limbo. I don’t even know why I care since he hasn’t accepted me.I’ve already tried to come to terms with the fact that Devonte will never accept me. The thought of that brings me to tears, and I just can’t take it. When I get to that point, I take a step back and distract myself. I’m sure I don’t need to say how much that doesn’t work.I slink down the stairs and into the kitchen. It’s the middle of the night, and not many people are up. It’s so dark outside, making it darker inside with dim or no lights on. As I walk into the kitchen, I notice a refrigerator door open. There are three big refrigerators in the kitchen. We have a good-sized pack, so we need the space to keep the food.I try not to make a noise; then it hits me who’s in the fridge. I sit at the island and la
~Adela~I’ve been free for a few days, though I don’t know if that’s an accurate description. I’ve been without chains or cuffs, and I’ve been out of the cells. I was given a small cottage away from everyone else at the edge of the forest. I have two guards on me at all times, and I’ve been encouraged to stay out of the packhouse. Yeah, I’m not sure how accurate ‘free’ is.I don’t really care about that at this point. I hate the fact that I’m back in this pack, and I’m freaking out about my sister. Where the hell is Aida? It feels like her link, our twin bond, is blocked. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible to block her from me. I can feel a loss, not being able to tap into our bond. I worry that something has happened to her, but I’m pretty sure I would have felt that loss if that were the case. I worry that she’s hurt somewhere or scared. The last time I saw her, she wasn’t that aware of her surroundings. Aida’s much too vulnerable to be out in the world alone. I have no idea ho
~Devonte~I spent extra time in the hospital while the doctor ran tests. There’s no explanation for what happened to me, and he can’t figure out what’s up with Abe. Sonya has been by my side this entire time, and I’m grateful. She’s showing me how attentive and loving she is, and I think that will be important if she’s mated to me.There’s a knock on the door, followed by the doctor walking in. “So, Gamma Lawson, I have your test results back.”“Please just call me Devonte. My oldest brother is Gamma Lawson.” The doctor smiles and nods at me before looking serious again.“All of your results came out negative. Everything looks good, and you look extremely healthy.”“Uh, well, that’s a good thing, right, D? That means you’re fine and can get out of here.” I just smile and take Sonya’s hand.“Ms. Sonya is right; you can go. I can’t tell you why you ended up here, nor can I tell you where your wolf is. I just don’t know.” I sigh. Maybe this place doesn’t have the most updated tools neede
~Sonya~I can’t wait to get out of this shithole and get back to the royal pack. I always hate having to come to these lower packhouses. They never have the proper accommodations, and I never understand that. Devonte resides in the castle; he’s the son of the Royal Gamma. Why would there not be better accommodations that match his status?Our path to the packhouse is littered with various people nodding and waving at Devonte as we go. He is always polite, waving back. I try to keep my disdain to myself. I can’t stand being around all of these, well…..commoners.Devonte pulls me up the back steps of the packhouse and leads me into the building. We enter through the dining room, and it’s rudimentary, to say the least. It isn’t dirty or anything, but you can tell they don’t really have much in the way of funds. I guess everyone can’t be the Royal family.We move through the kitchen and into a hallway. We turn to the left and move down the hallway a bit before we hit a staircase. I’m look