~Imogene~The three look at me, but nothing is being said. I already knew this would be a job, but I’m prepared for it. I just need to deliver this mutt to the hands of the other mutt; then, I will have enough money to get out of town permanently. I hate having to rely on these dogs for my freedom, but I imagine there are worse fates. The pregnant chick, Tia, I think, is looking me up and down. I know she can’t tell that I’m a witch. I have perfected my wolf scent over the years. This spell makes it impossible for me to smell like anything other than a werewolf. There’s got to be a reason why she’s looking at me like that. The twins aren’t giving me much better, but this is their father, so it makes sense that they are suspicious. Honestly, no one has to worry about me. I don’t plan to be here longer than a few days. I just need to deliver him and get my money. I hug up on Paul, running my hand down his chest. I make sure I keep eye contact with her, just in case she thinks she’ll
~Kimberly~My anxiety level has been off the charts. The days keep passing, and I’m not hearing anything from that witch. I have no idea if she’s made contact with Paul or when she’s going to get him to me. I keep calling her and coming up empty. I want to find her and give her a piece of my mind, but I wouldn’t even know where to look. I would be afraid that she’s going to stiff me, but she hasn’t gotten her full payment. Things with Stuart have been tense. The bond is strong, and my wolf has been harassing me to accept and mark him. He’s my fated mate, but he can’t provide me with the life I’m used to. I deserve so much more than he’s able to give me.We haven’t spoken since I’ve been back. Stuart has been camping out on the couch and staying away from me. He finds a way to walk out if I walk into a room. If we are stuck in a room together, he makes sure to pretend as if I’m not there. I never wanted this animosity or ambivalence between us. I just want back what I had. I’m at the
~Tia~Mom has been so miserable since Paul came back with his second chance mate. I’ve barely seen her; she’s only going to work and taking meals in her room. I’ve tried to reach out to her, but she keeps telling me everything is OK. I know my mom, and I know everything is not OK. I’m usually all for fated mates and following the Moon Goddess’ will, but something about this doesn’t sit well with me. I feel like this isn’t the match that it seems. Something about this Imogene just rubs me the wrong way. I’ve been trying to talk to Paul, but it hasn’t gone well. I try texting him, but I only get one-word responses. He keeps a permanent block up, so I can’t mind link him. The two times that I’ve seen him, he’s been terse. He’s been the same way with everyone, including Landon and Lincoln. Something is telling me things are off, but I don’t know how to find out what’s happening. My office door opens, and I smell my mates as they walk in. I look at the time and immediately feel bad. It’
~Tia~I unwrap myself from my mom. I quietly leave her room and close the door. Not sleeping next to my mates was weird last night, but my mom needed me. I hurry to my room so I can talk to Landon about his visit with his dad. I burst into the room, but it’s empty. Their scents are in the room, so I know they were here at some point. I jump in the shower and quickly get clean. I throw on a pair of maternity jeans, a tank top, and one of Landon’s hoodies. I head out to look for my mates in their office. When I get there, the door is open, so I walk in, and they are sitting at their desks. “Good morning, mates.”Lincoln moves to me quickly and wraps me in a hug, running his nose along my neck. “I missed you, babe. I’m totally not good at sleeping alone anymore.” Lincoln kisses me a few times on the cheek. “I'm going to go get some snacks, be right back.” Lincoln lets me go and walks out of the office.I walk over to Landon and plop on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. Landon
~Nikki~I slept well with Tia; I was able to ignore the pain in my heart. I don't understand why I'm so sad about this. Paul finding his second chance mate is amazing, and he deserves all that happiness. I guess it just….it just feels like it's wrong, but I can't tell why.I fill my travel mug with coffee and head to the back door. I think a walk in the fresh air will do me some good. I'll stop by the clinic a bit later to do some work in my office. I'm not on the schedule for today, but I need something to distract me. "Goddess, Lynn. You are such a hot ass mess.""But I'm your mess." I open the sliding glass door and see Lynn sitting with Tia. They are laughing and hugging. I'm so grateful that Tia was able to have friends like Lynn and Mark. She never had a friendship with her sisters, and most of the pack looked at her like an outcast. I wasn't able to give her the love that she deserved all the time, and I hate myself for that. I stood up to Stuart too late and can never get that
~Stuart~Needless to say, we didn’t talk when I approached Kimberly. She basically walked away and made sure to stay away from me. It’s infuriating because we need to come to some conclusion. What’s going on right now isn’t working; hell, who even knows what’s going on?I woke up early this morning so I could catch her, making her sit and speak to me. Of course, I spent the day trying to catch her. I never thought of Kimberly as an exceptionally covert person, but she has learned the skill very well. Every time I thought I’d heard her or scented her, I would come up empty. At one point, I wondered if my wolf was going crazy. I’m sitting on the couch, trying to figure out how to catch her. I close my eyes and open my ears and nose. I will sit her down, and we will talk. We have to decide what we are and what we plan to be down the road. I can hear light footsteps, and her scent is getting closer. I made sure to keep all the lights off, and the darkness outside is helping to keep me f
~Nikki~It’s been days since I’ve seen Paul, and my heart has been hurting since. I miss him, and that sounds so crazy to me. We weren’t together; I mean, we didn’t have a relationship. We didn’t go out on dates, and we didn’t have that togetherness, but I felt we melded together in a very short time. There’s a connection with Paul that I can’t explain; it literally doesn’t make any sense. I can feel this bond with him and feel like our bond is lost. It isn’t a broken bond, but it’s definitely not on the surface like it was before. I wish I could turn back the hands of time and not indulge in a relationship with Paul at all.At the time, indulging with Paul was innocent and fun. Now, it hurts; it hurts so badly. I want him to be happy; I want him to have everything. The problem is that, somewhere down the line, I decided, subconsciously, that I wanted him to have all of that with me. I wanted to be the one to make him happy and to see him smile each day. I genuinely believe I was sta
I hadn’t had dinner in the dining room at the packhouse since before Paul came back. I just couldn’t stomach being around all the happy people. That doesn’t even factor in the possibility that Paul and his mate would decide to eat at the packhouse. I don’t think I could stomach watching them together. I keep reliving the breakfast after Paul and I returned from the Lotus Pack. The way Paul looked at me across the table set my skin aflame. I was drawn to him, wanting nothing more than to reach across the table. He pulled his lips to mine. If there hadn’t been so many eyes, there’s no telling how things would have gone down that morning.I stand in the kitchen doorway, taking deep breaths, trying to get myself ready for this meal. I don’t know exactly what I’m trying to avoid. It isn’t like people knew that Paul and I were getting close. We hadn’t had enough time to inform anyone, so embarrassment is nonexistent. I just don’t want to see him. My heart still aches for him; my skin yearn