Helen POVJustin kept me on his knee as he announced to the entire arena about the first event. I leaned into his solid chest and he brushed a hand down my thigh, feeling my warm skin as the dress hugged me impossibly tight.The first duel started in the dirt arena and I pulled from my mate slightly, straining to see the fight between wolves, but Justin ran his hand around my lower back and pulled me back into his chest.His lips found my cheek, then my shoulder and the inner run of my throat.I panted and collapsed like putty into his muscles.He purred a laugh and made out with the mating mark, sending sparks deep into my sex. I writhed in his lap, using his knee to apply pressure onto my sensitive clit.He snickered and lifted his knee up more, playing into my innocent need to have my mate sooth my heat. I finally met his lips with mine and the wolves around us cheered over the duel.I couldn’t pull myself away from Justin and he seemed to be having the same struggle.Tomorrow is t
Helen POV I sat up, disoriented and confused, wiping the dirt off my cheek from where my head hit the arena. Blinking back spots, Justin’s Lycan stood over me, fighting back the rogue. When everything came back into view, I gasped, scared and too close to this fight. The wolves above were in a tizzy with this challenge and Randy ordered everyone out of the arena. When the stands cleared, the beta came over to the side of the railing, leaning down as far as he could to lend me his hand. I reached up, standing on the tips of my toes, but a searing hot whip laces my spine. I gasped in searing pain, the rogue pacing behind me with a calculating grin spread over his crooked lips. Lycan pulled himself off the ground from where he was assessing his wounded, bleeding arm. They collided again and Randy fell into he area, standing over me in sovereignty. Russo came next, and then Oscar jumped into the pit as well until the rogue was vastly outnumbered. I felt my bloody, sticky back peel o
Justin POVSeeing her on her knees before me was difficult.She smelled of that damn rogue and I needed it to go away, I needed to claim her in my aura and aroma. It was impossible not to see the dismay and the shame on her features, though.“Get up,” I growled at last, trembling to hold back my Lycan from pinning her to the ground and fucking her into next week. “Come here, mate.”I held her hand as she stood, her eyes wide and wet and violated. She wiped her pink, raw eyes and blinked back some composure, though I could tell it was hard for her to do so.“Follow me,” I breathed.I steadily, and wearily, led my mate outside the arena. There was still an edge of a buzz, of action that had been left over from the event today. I couldn’t believe how another harmless day of activity and bonding with this new pack of ours had led to such quick and sure disaster.“Justin, please, I—” she began to whimper.One look from my Lycan and she knew to settle down. I couldn’t let the whole pack see
Helen POVI knelt by his feet, watching as he crumbled into a chair by the fireplace. I hadn’t even thought to find a robe, or to slip into my dress from earlier as it reeked of William’s scent still.I leaned my clean, warm cheek against my Lycan mate’s knee and watched him turn over the envelope carefully. He didn’t want to open, that was obvious, but my curiosity was certainly pricked.“Are you going to read it?” I asked solemnly. “It could be important.”My mate looked over me, kneeling at his side, and I could see a hint of a grin threatening his lips. He watched over me in this favorable position, though there wasn’t much sexual tension between us sense he fought his Lycan from penetrating me in the arena after William kissed me.I was sure Justin would make his aura and scent over me known, but he withheld, and that was surprising. He must not have enjoyed hearing William call me a bed slave…I didn’t enjoy that at all.“Are you… Are you mad at me, Justin?”“For what?” he growl
Helen POVI locked myself into the library, a place I have been many times before.Justin and I came here last in high hopes of clearing my name against, well, everyone and everything. It didn’t work of course, but we loved each other more through the tribulations.I sat back at the table and chairs in the corner of the library, shifting through the mess of books left on the floor and the ones still left on shelves that had been tipped against each other and crooked on the walls. I had pulled any book on old folklore and hoped it would mention the huntsman.I shifted through the first few books in front of me, yawning in tire as they all came up empty on this mysterious figure mentioned by my mate. It was getting late and the ceremonial dinner for tonight would be happening soon.Justin hadn’t ripped through the estate yet in search for me, thankfully, and I feared that he would find me and drag me out to dinner before I could even find out what they were talking about.“Where are you
Helen POVI could feel my heart rattling in my chest, seizing in pain over what was happening to me again. The first time it happened, it hurt so bad that I went to the bar to get drunk, but then I ended up finding Justin soon after.Hearing it now ached me more now than before.I shuffled off Justin’s lap, heaving to breathe, the rejection my first mate lead onto me so long ago was being played through speakers somewhere, but it was as though Scott was standing there, saying the words again verbatim.“Find the source and eradicate it,” Justin barked to his warriors.I doubled over on the ground, weak and shivering. The rejection in my mind was the best thing for me, and I was happy when I found Justin because he was such a better mate anyways. Before I betrayed him, he loved me more than anything in the world.But this was a different kind of pain.Hearing that rejection brought back the chills and heat and shock of being betrayed by my mate. The man I loved who married my sister, an
Helen POVI had washed myself of the blood, cleaned the room that had gone through an unforeseen fight earlier tonight. Justin was with Randy still, so I shifted through the closet until I could find something sexy to wear.It was only Justin’s clothes, which made sense, but I did find some dresses he must have had brought here for me to wear through the various celebratory events. I couldn’t see myself wearing nay of those hideous gowns but did find a bright red and lace thong and bra.I slipped into the dazzling, ruby set and stood in the middle of the room, anxiously awaiting my mate. The marks on my shoulders hurt from the last few days but I knew they would feel so much better soon.So would my heart. And my wolf. And my mate.I could hear Justin coming from down the hall, his long, tired, and heavy steps echoing through my eardrums on repeat.When he came around the doorway, his head was down, his eyes on the floor, until he spotted nothing but my bare feet and rose his focus up
Helen POVI collapsed in the shower my legs tired and weary. I coughed, finally free of my mates bruises kisses. He wasn’t kidding when he said we weren’t done, and I can’t determine what lead a little bit of sex meant to heal me, into hours of endless passion.I leaned on the wall to keep upright but exhaustion was taking over.Justin lathered himself up with more soap, doing the same to me after we both drowned ourselves in come and sweat.“You are amazing, Helen,” he breathed, kneeling beside me under the hot, raining shower water. “So, very amazing. Do you feel better, baby?”I nodded, exasperated and out of breath. “Yes, Alpha. I—I can’t catch—catch my breath.”He pet my hair back, damp and warm with the clean shower water and hints of soap still in my scalp. Justin kneaded it into my long hair, washing it thoroughly, as though I hadn’t done it well enough earlier.“You can go to bed, mate. You’ll need your rest. Tomorrow is the last day of celebration. It’s also the full moon.”