~Kimberly~I can’t believe that Paul would just walk out on me like that, walk out on us. After everything we’ve been through, after everything I’ve done for him and this pack. It can’t all be reduced to ‘I’m disgusting’; there has to be more. Before I can leave his office and go after him, Landon walks in and closes the door. He looks at me but says nothing. Landon walks over to the bar and pours himself a drink. He sits in the armchair next to the bar and leans forward, elbows on his knees, drink in hand. I lean against the desk, waiting for him to speak. I’m not sure how this will go, but I’m here for it.“You could have just rejected him, Mom,” I say nothing but watch Landon take a sip from his glass. “You could have rejected him, and this wouldn’t have happened.” Landon looks up at me. “Why didn’t you reject him?” I sigh and walk over to the chair on the other side of the bar. I slump in it and lay my head back."You have your fated mate now. You know how it feels to even think
~Tia~I move around; the sun is starting to shine in the room. I groan, feeling sore and cold. My head is hurting, and Andricia is silent. I move my left hand, and it hits something hard. I turn my head, and Landon is sleeping next to me. “That hurt a bit.”“I’m sorry.” I turn to the right, and the bed is empty and cold. That's when it hits me; everything that happened last night hits me, and I’m sad. My mate, my Lincoln, is missing. I feel like a piece of me is missing, and I don’t know what to do.“We will find him. I feel incomplete as well.” I sigh and snuggle into Landon as he holds me tight. I didn’t even change last night, but I’m only in my bra and panties. Landon must have taken my dress off. He is so sweet and would definitely do something like that. I can feel my emotions taking over, but I don’t want to spend the morning crying. I need to figure out how to find my man. Landon jerks up, causing me to tumble off of him. Thank Goddess, I sleep in the middle, or I would have
~Tia~“.....you have to kill me as well.” I can feel the confusion through the bond, but I can’t. I can’t look at him…..I can’t face him. I can barely breathe, barely stay on my feet. What did I do? How could I be so careless and self-centered? I went to that house to check on Aida. I saw what was in her room; the shrine she had to Lincoln. Anyone who saw that would know that there was something not right with Aida. Anyone else would have taken the time to tell someone to get her some help. I did none of those things. I told no one and didn’t try to get her any help. Instead, I went about my life as if I had never seen it.Lincoln is missing. He has been taken, and if not for Adela, he would be moved tonight. He probably would have never been heard from again. Aida took Lincoln, and she could do so because of me. I did this to us, to my mate.I turn and struggle to get the door open. I can barely see with all of the tears in my eyes. I’m trying not to break down right here where othe
~Stuart~It’s so dank down here. I never liked coming down here, and once I got the head warrior position, I made sure I never came down here if I could avoid it. The horrors that can take place here are strewn across the walls and embedded in the ground. When I go back home, I will need a complete shower, maybe 3. I make my way down the hall, walking past empty cells. One cell holds Neal, a trusted warrior. I have to admit that I admire his bravado, and it’s too bad that Portia didn’t go for his advances. If she had, that would have made things easier for the twins. He laid out on his cot, not moving. I continue down the hall until I reach the cell I’ve been looking for. My baby is sitting in the corner of the cell, knees drawn up and her head resting on her knees. I can hear small sniffles, and it breaks my heart to see her like this. “Honey?” I call her softly, unsure if she’d answer and not wanting to scare her. Adela answers but doesn’t look up.“Daddy? What are you doing here?
~Kimberly~The commotion I heard made me come out and see what was going on. I noticed both my sons going to the packhouse, and I wanted to run to greet them. I’m so happy to see Lincoln in one piece. I stopped to take in the scene, and I want to recoil. I have a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something is gnawing at me, and I don’t like it. There are so many pack members out here, attracted to the loudness like me. Paul is out here along with my sons, and that terrifies me. I have a feeling that something is going to be said that isn’t going to go well for anyone. “No one needs to hear anything else, Stuart. You have ruined her life long enough.” I’d never seen Nikki stand up to Stuart, and it’s an interesting sight.“No, Nikki. Little Miss Luna has asked me a question. Who am I to ignore her?” Stuart turns to Tia, who hasn’t so much as flinched this entire time. “You took away my happy ending.” No, please, no. Please don’t tell me that he’s going to say this out loud.
~Landon~No one moves; it seems that no one is breathing. I don’t think anyone expected Tia to issue a challenge, but here we are. Neither Lincoln nor I feel good about this; our inherent nature is to protect our mate at all times and all costs. This is something that she needs to do herself, even though we don’t like it.Stuart throws his head back and laughs. He starts to grip his stomach, and he falls forward, laughing. There are a few snickers around us, but Tia doesn’t move. She stands, waiting for his answer. I, personally, want to rip his head off. The laughing is a clear sign of disrespect, and I don’t like my Luna being disrespected. Stuart stands up straight and wipes tears from his eyes. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” He steps toward Tia, looking down at her. “You get some mates and get a mark, and all of a sudden, you have a backbone.” Stuart sighs. “Okay, little girl. If you want everyone to watch you get your ass handed to you, so be it.” Stuart steps back and gets into
~Lincoln~I hang up the phone, rubbing my temples. This is starting to be beyond stressful. “Was it her again?” I look at Landon and roll my eyes. He already knows the answer to that question. Lilacs and sandalwood hit my nose with a hint of orange, and the tension in my body starts to ease. I lift my head and see my mate walking toward me. She comes behind me and wraps her arms around my shoulders, kissing the back of my head. I will never get tired of the way she makes me feel. “Why so stressed?” I sigh, turning in my chair and pulling her onto my lap.“Another call……” Tia sighs and places her forehead on mine. “She’s been gone for months now, and she hasn’t stopped reaching out. Have you two thought about talking to her?” She has been asking this a lot lately, and it’s a tricky question to answer. She is my mother and the former Luna of the pack, but everything she’s done is enough never to acknowledge her again. “Honestly, love, I’m not interested, and I may never be.” “I’m not
~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