CALEB POV
We held the Funeral Rite for the fallen the next night, as was customary. Izzy was part of the procession that carried Stella to the lake. There was no lack of volunteers to help her. As devastating as this last battle was, the townspeople saw her true love for the Pack and any remaining resentment on their part disappeared. The parents of the children that Stella helped Izzy save were especially grateful.
I held my mate as silent tears coursed down her face. She bravely lit the pyre, and we pushed Stella’s boat into the water along with the other three warriors. Someone began singing the funeral song for warriors and all the voices joined in, sending our Warriors on to peace.
One by one the villagers turned to go back home. Izzy stood there, watching the boat sink lower and lower into the water as the flames engulfed the body of her friend. Finally, it dipped below the surface and the light was blo
IZZY POVI left Reese to go over the logistics with the warriors and I disappeared into the bathroom to change into the dress I was going to wear to the club. I pulled it out of my bag with a grin. When I first saw it in my closet, I had no idea where I would ever wear it. Now I had a place.It was mostly strings and lightweight metal chains with strategically placed patches of metallic fabric. All my bits were covered, but barely. It was most definitely out of character for me; flannel shirts and blue jeans were more my style. It was fun to dress up, though.I looked at my tangled mass of red curls and decided a sleek updo was what this dress needed to get the attention it deserved. Half a bottle of gel later, I had tamed the mess. I added some bold makeup and checked myself in the mirror. I had to smile again. The insecure waif that walked into the bathroom was being replac
IZZY POVI surprised her. She wasn’t expecting to find me here, in Seattle, at the club she was frequenting. Honestly, I surprised myself. I knew we would find her, but I didn’t think it would be this quickly. She was predictable, I guess.She stood for a moment, sizing me up and trying to decide my intentions. I didn’t move, just kept a smile on my face. I didn’t even mind link Reese because I knew she would see that and react.She gave me a once over and then shrugged, moving into the first stall of the bathroom.“You got tired of playing the victim and decided to come to the big city?” Katie asked through the stall.“Nope,” I said. “Heard you were here and wanted to see.” I mind linked Reese to get his butt over here.“I guess I should be honored that you want to spend time with your sister,” Katie said. 
IZZY POVReese was way more nervous than I was. I heard him arguing with his brothers on the phone after I had gone to bed.“I can’t tell her no,” he was protesting. “The Council gave her permission to deal with Katie and Vanessa as she saw fit. And this is her choice.” Reese was silent but I could hear one of the brothers yelling on the other end. Probably Ethan.“Fine,” Reese snapped. “Then you get over here and tell her you forbid her to do it. I’d like to see that happen, Ethan.”More silence then, “I know. I get it. I am scared, too. But we promised her we would be better mates. Smothering her and controlling her isn’t how we do it, no matter how much we want to. And I have faith in her.”I felt a warm glow after hearing that. Reese finally got off the phone and slid into bed next to me, ga
REESE POV I watched Izzy banter with the warriors, and I felt massive pride swelling in my chest. She was phenomenal, my mate. And I trusted her. But I was so afraid. My mom had literally withered up and died after my father’s death. She couldn’t survive the mate bond breaking. I knew I wouldn’t be strong enough either, and there was no way I would be able to sit and let Katie kill Izzy. This fight wasn’t supposed to be to the death, but it wouldn’t end until one yielded to the other. I was sure that neither woman was going to yield. This was going to be a bloody battle. Izzy straightened up and began walking to the Pavilion where Katie was already waiting. Katie had stamped out a circle in the frost. “We need some ground rules,” she said pompously. I growled a warning at her that she blatantly ignored. “Everyone needs to stay out of this circle. If someone from Izzy’s side enters the circle, it’s an automatic win for me.” “Fine,” Izzy said quickly before I could prot
IZZY POVI crashed to the ground, the wind knocked out of me. Hitting Katie’s wolf was like crashing into a brick wall. I could vaguely hear Reese in the background, shouting at me to get up. I climbed painfully to my feet and shook my head, clearing the cobwebs and then leaped to the side, just in the nick of time.Kya came at Heka fast. We swerved again, skidding on the wet grass. We faced Kya as she spun and then came running at us again. Heka timed it perfectly, leaping into the air and landing on Kya’s back. We bit deep into her neck, but Kya shook us off like a pesky bug and we hit the ground hard for the second time. Heka rolled and then was back on her feet, diving low and using her teeth to slice at Kya’s underbelly. We skidded to a stop and then turned to grab her back leg, breaking it in our jaw. Kya turned to us, snapping violently, and caught our front shoulder with her teeth.&nb
REESE POVI directed all of the warriors except for Tonya to stay and take care of clean up. A council member was on their way to take custody of Vanessa and to get the official statement from everyone involved. My priority was to get Izzy back to the hotel. The council could come there and get her statement. We didn’t need to wait on them.Izzy didn’t seem unduly upset over the recent events. She was strangely calm which almost worried me.“How are you doing, little one?” I asked. She looked up at me with a smile.“At peace, if that makes any sense.”“Explain it to me,” I said, opening the car door. She slid in and I climbed up next to her. I was going to let Tonya drive.“Katie has been behind every bit of sabotage and deceit that I’ve encountered since I came to the pack. Because of some weird sense of family, and becaus
IZZY POVI pressed up against Reese’s naked body, letting the heat of his body warm mine. He took me into his arms, drawing me even closer. I clung to his neck and wrapped my legs around his waist. His lips attached to mine, gently probing, then becoming more intense. I obediently opened my mouth, letting him taste me and I felt him getting even harder beneath me.He carried me over to the bed and put me on to my back. I kept my arms around him, drawing him down on top of me. I widened my legs, maneuvering myself so that he was at my entrance.“Do you want me inside you?” he whispered.Soundlessly, I nodded, arching my back a bit more. He smiled and smoothly thrust himself inside me, stretching me with his girth. I was hot and wet for him, and he slid it deep before he pulled out and slid in again.I wrapped my legs around him tighter as he began to push in and out of me.
IZZY POVI tied up my hair into a messy bun and took one last look in the mirror. I looked okay. Nothing spectacular, but really, what are you supposed to look like after you’ve eliminated your arch nemesis?I walked into the sitting room and looked over in surprise. My mom was sitting on one of the chairs that lined the parameter of the room. She gave me a slight shake of her head, warning me not to react, so I ignored her presence and went to shake the hands of the people who sat on the couches that made up the more intimate seating area.“Elder Johan, nice to see you again,” I said, shaking his hand. He returned it and then pointed to the man and woman next to him.“Elder Doran and Elder Nicole,” he said by means of introduction. I shook their hands.“Thank you for coming,” I said. “I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.”