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Olivia I’m surprised I was able to sleep at all. Knowing Xavier is still out there somewhere is unsettling, to put it mildly. And I didn’t think I’d ever be able to close my eyes again without having nightmares of my boys being taken from me or reliving Kaden’s close call with death. Apparently I was wrong. I was terrified after talking to Hester, bordering on hysterical, so my mates had pulled me between them, laying down and snuggling in close on either side. Between their warmth and calming scents, coupled with the physical and emotional exhaustion of the past few days, I drifted off into a dreamless sleep. The only problem is, my body knows they left me in bed alone. My eyes pop open and refuse to close again. So instead of tossing and turning all night, I decide to get up and do something productive. I know where they are, they’d told me they were going to talk to Hester. And I know they wouldn’t leave me and the pups unprotected, so I’m not even surprised to see Ryder, thei
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault, Abuse, Suicidal IdeationOlivia “Pregnant? Are you sure?” This can’t be happening! Not to my baby sister. How much more can that man possibly take from her?“The doctor told me today. He said, given the sensitivity of my condition, he withheld the information in hopes I’d wake up and he could tell me personally.” She explains, still wearing that haunted, hollow expression. “Too bad I couldn’t have just died and saved both of us the misery. No child deserves this fate, but I can’t bring myself to terminate the pregnancy.” “Please don’t say that, Bryn.” I plead with her, still holding her close and breathing in her juniper and raspberry scent that smells like home to me. “You are every bit as special and worthy of love and life as you were before. Something horrific happened to you but it doesn’t define your worth.”She chuckles, a dark, humorless sound. “Do you know I used to believe that? That I was special?” She seems lost in thought for a moment th
Kaden So far, the arrangement I made with Hester has worked to our advantage. My mother says she never leaves her room outside of meals, just spends her time reading and watching TV. And though the process has been grueling, she’s been able to help us seal most of the breaches Xavier had her create in our border wall.Unfortunately, the process drains her considerably so we’re not able to do more than one per day, but I have men stationed at the others she showed us. Xavier isn’t coming or going without us knowing about it, at least. But today I have another job for the witch. One I'm anxious to have done and over with so I can put my mate’s mind at ease.“Are you still going to see Ana today?” Olivia’s soft voice calls from my office doorway. “Hey. little flower.” I smile brightly, her presence always a balm, no matter how stressed I am. “Come here.”She pads across the room and I pull her into my lap, resting my chin on top of her impossibly soft copper curls. Her body melts again
Declan “No! Absolutely fucking not! No way!” I’m not proud of growling at my mate but she’s lost her damn mind. “Why not? Are you saying you can’t protect me?” Liv taunts me and I know she’s doing it on purpose, goading me into a reaction, so I don’t give her one. “That’s hitting below the belt, little flower.” Kaden admonishes her, but she just crosses her arm and chews on her plush bottom lip, which only makes me growl again. “It’s a good idea and you know it.” She pouts. “I trust you and our families to keep me safe. I’m not without my own abilities either. When are the two of you going to realize I’m not that weak, defenseless girl who used to trip over herself?” “Trust me,” I chuckle wryly, “we’re both well aware of your many assets.” I rake my eyes up and down her body heatedly.“Like what you see, Beta?” She saunters toward me, swaying her hips a little more than necessary. Fuck! She’s going to be the death of me! I pull her into my arms with a sexy rumble in my chest,
Olivia “There. All done.” Ellie announces, finished setting the pearl encrusted combs in my hair. I look back at my reflection and sigh. The woman staring back at me is gorgeous, so much so I hardly recognize her. I just wish it was the joyous occasion a Luna Ceremony should be. “It’s going to be okay.” Ellie bends down to wrap her arms around my shoulders and hugs me. “I’m trying so hard to hold it together, El.” I admit. “I know I did this to myself but the truth is, I’m terrified. What if something goes wrong?”“It won’t!” She states confidently. “Just stick to the plan and everything will be fine. I promise.”“Does ‘everything’ include my mates ever speaking to me again?” I dig my nails into my palms to keep the tears from spilling over. “Girl, they’re going to take one look at you in this dress and forget they were ever mad.” Ellie laughs and I try to laugh with her, though it comes out as more of a sniffle. Thirty minutes later, I’m standing at the back of the huge tents we
Olivia “Sissy! Oh fuck! Sissy, please!” I swear that’s Brynlee's voice I hear, her small hand shaking me lightly. “Please tell me I wasn’t too late! No, I wasn’t! I know I wasn’t! Wake up, damn it!” Adrenaline courses through my veins, my heart pounding so hard I feel like it will beat right out of my chest. My left arm stings like hell and my head feels full of cotton wool. Is this what death feels like? Brynlee pleads with me to open my eyes but I can’t. I’m not ready. I can't look at her right now, not when I have to tell her I failed her. This must be Hell because the idea of seeing her panic and fear is my worst nightmare. I work on slowing my heart rate and clearing my head, trying to remember what happened, how it all went wrong. Xavier followed me into the woods. He had a gun. He-, he shot me! But there’s something else, something my mind didn’t grasp in the moment. Everything happened so fast. The scene replays in my mind, almost in slow motion, and then it hits me. My e
Kaden I hate walking away from her. I hate even more feeling her falling to pieces through the bond. My entire being is aching to go back to her, to hold her, comfort her, assure she’s still mine. But I can’t. Not when I can’t stop remembering how it felt to see my sister’s mate with that horrified expression, staring at his hands like he couldn’t believe he’d let her slip through them. He couldn’t even get the words out, couldn’t tell me that he lost track of her, but I knew. I wanted to rail at him, to accuse and blame and make him hurt the way I was hurting for not protecting her. But I couldn’t do that either. It wouldn’t be fair to him. Because as much as I wanted someone to blame for the near paralyzing fear assaulting me, there was only me. Deep down I knew she would try something like this. I should have kept her glued to my side where I knew she’d be safe but I didn’t. And she took advantage of my negligence. Could I be a bigger fucking fool? It’s not like she hadn’t t
Olivia When my tears finally run dry, I take a quick shower and wash my face, hoping my boys won’t notice I’ve been crying if they happen to wake up. Unable to stomach being completely alone tonight, I climb into bed between them and snuggle them close. Even with the warmth of my pups beside me, I can’t fall asleep. They cut me off, closed the bond. I can’t feel them and it leaves me feeling anxious and empty. They’d never leave me, I know that much is certain. But I hate this tension between us. I can’t let my inability to trust someone else to protect the twins and me be the thing that breaks us. We’ve come too far and overcome too much to give up now. My eyes start to sting again but I’m done crying. Instead of sulking, I need to put my mind to better use, finding a way to fix the mess I’ve made. But when my eyelids finally grow heavy with sleep, I still don’t have a solution. I wake the next morning to someone petting my hair. It takes me a moment to remember where I am. B
Rhett The familiar scent of pine and earthy dampness greets me as I cross into Forest Trails territory. Home. Though that word feels hollow now, more obligation than comfort. Like everything else in my life lately, it’s complicated by duty and expectations I never asked for.Tracy will be waiting at the clubhouse, neutral territory for what promises to be anything but a neutral conversation. We agreed to meet here rather than the dungeon where we usually play. This isn't about scene negotiation or pleasure; this is about ending something that should have been simple but never really was.She’s already there when I arrive, perched on the edge of a leather armchair like she’s ready to spring into action. The sight of her makes my chest tight with guilt. Tracy is beautiful, willing, and uncomplicated – everything I should want. Everything I might have settled for if fate hadn't fucked with my plans."Master." The word slips from her lips automatically before she catches herself. "Rhett."
Rhett “Fuck!” I shove the papers off my makeshift desk in a fit of rage. I fight the urge to toss the un-fucking-helpful computer too, knowing how satisfying it would be to watch it shatter against the wall. But it’s a loaner so I restrain myself. “Problems?” Kaden’s gigantic frame fills the doorway, casually leaning in with an amused smirk on his face. “All I’ve got is fucking problems.” I kick the leg of the desk for emphasis, and because I need an outlet for this fury threatening to consume me. “How can someone attempting such a massive coup hide so effectively? His fingerprints are everywhere, evidence of his plans basically begging to be found now that we know what we’re looking for, but Xander himself is a fucking ghost!” “We’ll find him.” He says so confidently I want to punch out a few of his pearly white teeth. “But none of this is on you. You know that, right?” I open my mouth to argue, to assure him it absolutely fucking is on me, but he’s running his damn mouth aga
Brynlee Who am I? It’s the last thing I ask myself before I fall asleep and the first thing that comes to mind the minute I wake up. Who am I now that the person I used to be no longer exists. Sweet, innocent Brynlee is gone. She died the moment Xavier cornered her in that coffee shop all those weeks ago, even if she didn’t know it yet. But when he, and then his son Xander, put their hands on me, brutalized me in unspeakable ways, there was no coming back from that. No, sweet, innocent Brynlee, the girl everyone loved, who never put a toe out of line, she burned to ash in those moments. But what’s awoken in her place is something I can’t begin to wrap my head around. Contemplating a question I can’t stop asking myself but that has no easy answer is hard. Going to sleep and never waking up would be easier. But I don't. I won’t. For them. Everything I do is for them, the people that love me. My family who would never recover from my loss. A sentence I can’t impose upon them, even if
Olivia "That's the last box," I announce, setting down a container marked 'Isla's stuffed animals' in what will become the nursery of our new packhouse. The sprawling structure sits perfectly between Glass Lake and Crimson Moon territories, a physical representation of the bridges we've built between our packs.Through the window, I watch Ryan and Reegan directing the placement of outdoor furniture while Kat and Declan’s mom, Isabella, supervise the unpacking of the kitchen. Having Kaden's and Declan’s parents move in with us feels right – the pups adore their grandparents, and after everything we've faced, keeping family close has become even more important.My own parents chose to stay in their home, a decision I understand completely. Brynlee needs the familiar comfort of those walls right now, needs the safety of the place she's known her whole life while she heals. The haunted look in my sister's eyes is slowly fading, but her recovery will take time. Time, and probably vengeance
OliviaSunlight streams through our bedroom windows as I drift awake between my mates. Every inch of my body tingles with pleasant soreness, marked and claimed exactly as it always should have been. Kaden's chest rises and falls steadily against my back while Declan's arms wrap around me from the front, both of them holding me close even in sleep.Last night was . . . transformative. The "do-over" of that pivotal moment didn't just create new memories, it healed something deep inside me I hadn't even realized was still wounded. Every word they spoke, every touch they bestowed, every mark they left replaced old pain with new joy.Memories of last night flood through me, making me shiver between them. The way Kaden's voice broke when he finally said the words he should have said years ago: "My wolf has been reaching for you since that first moment." How Declan's hands trembled as he traced reverent patterns on my skin, whispering "Our missing piece, always our missing piece."Kaden stirs
Declan I never considered myself much of a voyeur, never saw the appeal of watching others have all the fun. But with Liv, I could watch her in the throes of pleasure, her gorgeous body writhing in ecstasy all damn day. The only thing better is bringing her that pleasure myself. And now, it’s my turn. "My beautiful Luna," I breathe, crawling over her body where she reclines against Kaden’s chest. "I was lost without you, even when I didn't know what I was missing. Every instinct told me to protect you, to keep you close, but I fought it because I thought I had to." Kaden lifts her thighs, placing them on either side of his, opening her wide for me. Her pussy lips are swollen, her clit peeking out from under its hood. And a mixture of her slick and Kaden’s cum drips from her cunt. The sight is fucking erotic. "The day you left Glass Lake, something in me broke.” I whisper against her lips, kissing them softly and swallowing her moans when I scoop their cum onto my fingers and push
Kaden Olivia writhes beneath me as I eat her out like a man possessed. I lap at her folds, not wanting to miss a single drop of the delicious juices she’s making just for me. I won’t stop until she’s squirting all over my face. But not yet. I feel her struggling to focus as my tongue moves between her legs. She thinks I’m teasing her, taking my time, and it’s making her desperate. That’s how I always want her, desperate for me. But it’s not my intention to torture her, not tonight anyway. "I should have accepted you the moment you told us," I breathe against her skin, my warm breath over her sensitive nub making her cry out. "The way my wolf reached for you, the emptiness I felt when you left . . .” I trail off so I can circle her entrance with the tip of my tongue, missing the delicious taste of her. “I was so caught up in what I thought I needed that I missed what was right in front of me."I suck her hard little clit into my mouth and flick it with my tongue. She trembles benea
Kaden Listening to Olivia confront Kyle twists something in my chest. Her words about those lonely years, about crying herself to sleep knowing we were so close yet couldn't see her, they haunt me. Even though she's forgiven us, even though our mate bonds now pulse strong and true, the guilt gnaws at me."You're brooding," Declan observes as we wait for her outside the prison."I'm thinking," I correct him, an idea forming. "About that horrible fucking night. The first time she tried to tell us about the bond."Understanding dawns in his eyes. I don’t need a mate bond to feel his own regret surge, to see it in his eyes. "The ballroom, the night before we left for training.""We should have recognized her then. Should have felt what she was trying to tell us." The memory of her face that night, hopeful and terrified, makes my wolf whine. "What if we could do it over?"Declan raises an eyebrow. "You want to recreate that night?""But do it right this time. Give her the response she dese
Olivia “Where are you off to, rosebud?” Declan steps out of the office doorway just as I’m walking by. I was hoping to sneak out without having this conversation but apparently fate isn’t on my side today. I sigh, knowing I can’t lie to him and knowing he won’t like my answer. “I’m going down to the cells to see Kyle.” I answer honestly. “What did you say? Because I’m sure I must have heard you wrong.” Kaden’s gaze meets mine as Declan ushers me inside the office, anxiety radiating off of both men. "I need to see him," I say quietly, watching Kaden and Declan's expressions darken. "I need answers.""Like hell you do," Declan growls, pacing the room. "Kyle worked with Xavier, Olivia. He was part of everything that's happened. You know this. Why would you want to see him after everything he’s done?"Kaden's silence is almost worse than Declan's anger. Through our mate bond, I feel his rage warring with the need to protect me from more pain."He saved my life," I remind them softl