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.”
Helen POV“Of course, Russo. I won’t do that to my mate, to the other wolves, wizards—and you, of course.”“Thank you, little Luna,” he hummed, yanking me into his chest and throwing his arms around me. “You’re a good mate, and a great woman, little wolf.”Light creaking of the floorboards drew my attention from our embrace and I pulled away from Russo, finding myself crying as well. Justin and Randy stood in the doorway, my mate marking a look of hatred against his eyes and pursed lips.“Justin,” I grunted, peeling from Russo’s side and rushing to my mate.I snuck my arms around his sides and to my surprise, he accepted them, his arm resting on my shoulder and his hand tangling in my hair. Justin tipped his nose down, inhaling a long draw of an inhale.“You smell like blood, mate,” Justin snarled, his attention flickering up to Russo for an accusatory second. I gripped him tighter and he found the towel with my blood on it second. “Why were you bleeding, Helen?”I pulled away, my hea
Helen POVI buzzed in excitement. I wanted to carry my mate’s pups and hearing last night that it would become reality—it thrilled me to no end. I hardly slept at all in the hot, excited anticipation.I slipped into a comfy, flattering dress that fell to my thighs. I knew I had all day to prepare for tonight and seducing a Lycan, but I also knew that no matter what, I would have to win that creature’s trust.Randy was right.If the Lycan still hates me, I won’t get anywhere in mating with him.I left the room at last and stalked down the long, familiar hallways of this massive estate. My fingers ran through my necklace, toying with the rings my grandmother gave me. I never got the chance to tell Justin about what my father said about the rings, but I wanted to.It was up there with a lot of other things I wanted and needed to tell my mate. I followed his scent outside the house but stopped short, seeing a pair of burly warriors outside the front doors.One of them moved into my way, s
Justin POVI left Helen as she slept, and she was on my mind the rest of the morning. I should have kissed her. I should have told her I loved her and her commitment to being my mate, even when my Lycan still lacked trust with her.I didn’t do any such thing and guilt was heavy on my mind after that.Randy finished typing out a letter to return with the rogue I absolutely demolished in a beating this morning. I wanted to kill him, but then who would send my message to William and the huntsman?This would be a simple affair, and I would try to convince my Lycan to impregnate my mate before William can plan a backlash of action against our pack. Helen seemed so willing, and excited, and it truly made me fall in love with her all over again.Why wouldn’t my Lycan just forgive her first so we could move past her one betrayal?I could feel him denying that as a possibility and I sunk into my seat, Randy watching and noticing me going through this inner turmoil.“You okay, Alpha?”I shrugge
Helen POVI’ve never felt such pain in my life.I wasn’t chained to the wall or tied up to the bedpost in this little dungeon cell, but my throat was wrapped in a collar type of strap with a chain linked to the floor nearby. I could only sit up a little bit, the chain not long enough for me to even stand!The day has been a blur but I preferred it to be quiet than to be deadly. William’s scent hung on the dark, concrete walls and the nearby bars of this cell.I shut my eyes, seeing if I could track his scent and figure out where he was, but I couldn’t determine any of that at all.Pulling on the collar around my neck, I coughed, the tightness around my neck becoming more and more apparent. I coughed and fell forward, the strap releasing a little bit of tension and allowing me to gasp in inhale.“Stupid rogue!” I screamed, my voice bouncing off my cell. “Stupid, dead rogue! You will die when my Lycan mate finds you!”I heard a light laugh chuckling through the empty cells nearby and a