~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
~Imogene~How very, very interesting. I knew something was between them, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. First, she was waiting for him on the porch of his house, then the little scene outside the clinic. The funny thing is that I dug deep into his mind and felt he was keeping something from me. This, these memories must be what it was. My puppets performed exceptionally well. If that bitch wasn’t sure before, it should be clear now that Paul is taken. She would do best by pretending they never had anything and moving on with her life. I will help her along if I have to. I stand up quickly and move through the kitchen. I want to catch her before she gets too far. I tune out the moans and groans of my fan club. Using a spell like this is helpful to make one look good to others, but it can be so annoying. Some people get obsessed with this spell, which never looks good.I ignore them and head after her. I look up the stairs and see her back go around a corner. I follow her as s
~Nikki~*RING**RING*“Hello? Doc?”“Hi, Lynn. I missed you at dinner.”“Yeah, I heard that Paul’s mate was going to be in attendance, and I just didn’t want to deal. How was it? How’s Tia doing?”“Remind me of something.” I stretch out on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “What was the overall opinion that Tia had of Imogene?”“She felt that something was up with that chick. She has seen Paul and believes there’s something wrong with him. She doesn’t trust that woman and was hoping that the boys would see it too.”“That’s what I thought. Speaking to Tia tonight, I didn’t get that vibe at all. She was completely team Imogene tonight. She even….she even took some shots at me.”“What the fuck!” I sigh.“Language, Lynn, language.”“Sorry. It’s just….that doesn’t sound at all like Tia. She wouldn’t take any shots at you no matter what’s going on. She definitely wasn’t backing Imagine before, so I wonder what’s changed.”“It’s Imogene, and I have no idea.”“Before, I teased that she offered
~Paul~*BLINK**BLINK*FUCK! Darkness again!*BLINK**BLINK**BLINK*A bit of light starts to stream through my eyelids. I pry my eyes open further and try to move my head, but I’m locked out again. “Clearly, my spell was wearing off, but I fixed all that now. I’m not sure where you were planning to go, but I don’t have to worry about that now.” That dreadful woman comes into my view. “When I leave, you leave. When I sleep, you are unconscious. This is going to save me a lot of time having to track you down when you start to feel antsy.” FUCK!! I tried so hard to fight against whatever it was that she did to me. I tried so hard to make it out and get to Nikki. I need her to know that I’m trapped and that I care about her, and this woman is not my mate. She’s staring right into my eyes with a sick grin on her face. I wish I could slap the shit out of her, and I’m not even a man who would lay hands on a woman in a violent way. This woman makes me want to beat her ass like I would a ma
~Landon~The sun hasn’t fully revealed itself today, but I couldn’t sleep. Tomorrow night is the night that everything will be solved, one way or another. I know I went along with this plan, but the plan is shit. It’s shit because my mate is risking her life. I want her to go somewhere safe and let us handle this, but she’d rather put herself in the crossfire, and I hate that.I hear grunting in the distance, and there are spurts of a strong blue light every so often. I know Nikki is training hard, and I’m in awe of her. I don’t agree with that plan either, but Nikki is so sure this is what she should do. She’s also risking her life by going up against Imogene, and that’s crazy. Sometimes, I get flashes of memories from when Imogene had her hold on us here. It terrifies me every time, and I never want to experience it again.I step out onto the deck and breathe in the fresh morning air. “You’re up early or up late.” I turn to my right to see my father sitting in the corner of the deck
~Tia~I watch Aida’s red eyes get redder, if you can believe that. It’s almost as if they start to glow. She stands up and walks over to me. She reaches out to grab me just to fall forward. I turn to watch her try to get her balance. I’d laugh if this weren’t a pressing matter. “How are you here right now?”“Does it matter? I need you to focus right now.”“Since you aren’t actually here, I don’t have to do shit.” I tsk and shake my head.“I don’t have time for your teenage rebellion. I came to deliver a message.”“A message?! Unless you plan to tell me that you’re going to leave your lifeless body at my doorstep, there’s no message you have for me.” I shake my head.“Goddess, you are so pathetic.” Aida throws her head back and laughs.“Goddess?! As in Moon Goddess?! She’s no goddess of mine. How the hell could I follow someone who would ruin me like she did?! All I wanted was Lincoln. I prayed to her every night to make him my fated mate. When I realized he wasn’t my fated, I still pr
~Aida~That bitch has been prancing around here for days since she regained her magic. She’s constantly ogling my mate, and I don’t like it. I trust Ivan and have no doubt that I’m the only woman for him, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to pluck her eyes out of her head.I really can’t wait to get this entire situation over with. Ivan and I can move on with our lives, and she can go away forever. I’d tell Ivan to get rid of the bitch now, but I already know he won’t agree.The more I think about her, the more frustrated I get. I hate that she even showed up here. “You look like you’re thinking hard. I hope you aren’t thinking about how inferior you are to me.” I swallow thickly but don’t respond. I’m in one of the many sitting rooms, sitting in a huge armchair. She appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed. “Cat got your tongue?” I sigh.“What do you want, Imogene?” She steps into the room and walks toward me. She sits on the coffee table in front
~Tia~“Mom’s recovering from everything, but we need to finalize our plan. We need to do as Mark suggested and go on the offense. I’m sick of them popping up whenever they feel like it and causing massive damage.”“I’m down with whatever the plan is. The witches here have us locked in so I can focus on the plan.” Mark is on the line, meeting over the phone. He doesn’t want to leave his pack, and we agree that it isn’t the best idea. Landon clears his throat.“Mark, we are going to have you stay right where you are. Your pack is covered with the witches and the royal warriors. We will engage them, but they may come your way in retaliation. You just be on guard and keep your pack safe.”“So, if we are going on the offensive, what’s the plan? We already agreed that bait isn’t the smartest,” Lynn elbows Devonte, causing him to grunt. I can’t be mad at him since he’s right, but I love how my bestie protects me. “Uh, I mean, bait isn’t the best way to go, so how are we going to get to them?
~Nikki~The silence is heavy, and it’s starting to feel awkward. I know this is a lot; hell, it’s a lot for me as well. I definitely didn’t wake up this morning expecting to be presented with an opportunity to wield magic and help save my family and pack. It’s a major undertaking, and I have to admit that I didn’t know much about magic in the first place.Lynn is the first to break the silence in the room. “I wonder if we should take an hour to think about things before coming back with a decision.”“I don’t know, beautiful. We really need to get a plan in place since we have no idea when they will be trying to attack.” Paul scoffs.“I don’t know what we’re thinking about. This isn’t going to happen.” I look at Paul, and for the first time, I’m disappointed in him. Don’t get me wrong, I understand where he’s coming from. He is my fated mate, and there’s a pull to take care of each other and keep each other safe. Right now, he’s acting like Stuart did in the past. He’s trying to dictat
~Nikki~I jolt upright, sweat dripping down my face. I look around, and I’m surrounded by darkness. I look to my right, and I see the lump in the bed. His breathing is heavy, and he is snoring lightly. I slowly lay back down, wondering what it was that woke me so forcefully. “That would be me.” I jolt forward again, looking around.At the end of the bed, a few feet away, I see her. My heart rate increases, and I can feel my breathing become erratic. What the hell is she doing here? I lean to the right with the thought of waking my mate until her voice stops me. “I wouldn’t do that. If you wake him, I may have to take more….preventative measures. You and I need to talk, and I don’t want interruptions.” I lean away from Paul, not wanting him hurt.I throw my blankets back and turn to the side of the bed. She cackles, and I can’t stand it. “What, exactly, do you plan to do? I’m not even really here. Me talking to you is a form of astral projection if you will. If Paul wakes, he can’t do
~Landon~Lincoln and I stand in the gym's doorway. Tia is on the ground, sweaty and delicious-looking. We both step toward her at the same time. Lynn kisses her on the cheek before standing up to leave. She pats our shoulders as she walks past us, leaving us alone with our mate.There’s an awkward silence in the room, but I don’t think any of us know how to begin this conversation. To be honest, I’m torn. I understand where Tia’s coming from, and I’d probably have the same mindset. I just don’t think it’s wise to risk herself like this when we can come up with another way.Tia takes her time getting to her feet, and she stretches once she does. I swear she could have me on my knees literally, and she wouldn’t have to do much. Not only is she gorgeous, but she’s everything I ever wanted in a mate. I’m so grateful she was called home for our ceremony; otherwise, we would have missed out. Lincoln was the first to speak.“Tia, I think we should talk about everything. I think tempers were
~Tia~I hit the punching bag again with a left uppercut, cross combo. I do it again and again before throwing some kicks in. My anger is off the charts, and this is the only thing I can think to do to calm down.How dare they act like I can’t help with this. We need to draw them out, so it makes sense to use something that they want badly…..someone…..me. I’m the Luna of this pack, and it’s my job to help them protect everyone. I’m fully capable of protecting myself and would have no trouble doing the job.I continue to hit and kick at the bag, letting my anger permeate through the room. They are the reason that my father is dead. One day, I’m going to have to explain to my child why his grandpa disappeared. They were so close, and Dad couldn’t wait until he was old enough to start to train. He told me all about how he was going to teach him everything he knew so he could be a powerful Alpha one day.My falling tears are making it hard for me to see what I’m doing. I’m starting to miss
~Landon~We are all in our office, ready to have yet another meeting. I don’t know that I’ve ever participated in so many meetings, but I guess there’s no reason to complain. I could have easily succumbed to the injuries from the battle, and I wouldn’t be a part of another meeting ever again.In defending our pack and trying to protect our mate and child, Lincoln and I got bitten by the vampires a few times. The bad part is that vampire bites are poisonous to werewolves. The good thing is that we have the necessary anti-venoms to help if we get bitten. Lincoln and I had to stay in the clinic for a while to get the venom out of our systems.We hated that we couldn’t be by our mate’s side as she dealt with the loss of her father. I may have hated the bastard before, but he’s grown on me lately. He became the father he always should have been to my mate and an amazing grandfather to our child. I hate that he lost his life the way he did and by his own child. I hate that Tia’s in so much