Helen POVI hurried to get to Justin’s side, worried that Randy’s pause would grow into a fight, but he took me into his lap and brushed my hair back, letting me lean into his chest while he held me simply, carefully—lovingly.“Randy, tell him,” I plead. “Tell him he’s being irrational. You don’t like me like that.”Justin didn’t even growl at me, didn’t try to help me not defend Randy, and I thought it was weird that Justin was so smooth over this accusation that was obviously a lie.But still, Randy sat there perplexed and ignorant to reply.I kissed my mate’s lips quick, wanting to ease the tension, but I saw Randy flinch behind me, the sight making my heart drop in dread. Everyone saw it, too.Everyone could tell Justin’s accusation wasn’t false after all.I looked on in horror as Randy hung his head, straightened his chair and fell into his seat. Justin was cooing over me, petting me and being tinder, either out of sovereignty or to calm himself down, I didn’t know which for sure
Justin POVMy mate’s shrieking scream sounded off from the distance, and I tore through every obstacle in my way to get to her, including shoving that eavesdropping Fae out of my way.Randy wasn’t far behind me, the two of us running into the village square, seeing my mate laid out, eyes shutting on instinct, while a little dart is in here fingertips. She drops the dart, her body going under with her mind, and seeing her so motionless from a mere dart frightens me so much…What if it were a silver bullet? She would be dead.My Lycan snaps out of my frame without warning, rushing over to my mate where we stand over her protectively, looking around the skit of the pack village where a few of my warriors are watching on. They glare through them all, trying to find the one responsible.Randy snarls, his dark fur wolf coming out and charging towards my mate and I, a panicked look on his face that I can’t exactly read until I hear a shot being fired, like a needle whizzing through the air t
Helen POVI woke up in a hammock bed, a warm breeze carrying the smell of fresh trees and warm soil brushing past me. I couldn’t help but sit up in fear, knowing that the last time I was awake, the Huntsman had just shot me with a dart.Justin waltzed over nearby, coming to the edge of a pond where I rushed over to his side, throwing us both into the shallows in terrified precaution. He coughed a breath, both of us soaking wet now, but he look at me like I was crazy.I was just trying to protect him!“Whoa, Helen, what are you doing?”I inhaled sharp, petrified. “We have to be careful, he could shoot us, Justin.”He bit his lower lip and then sat up slow, helping me do the same until we were both on our knees in this fresh, clear water that was so cold it made my shirt cling to my body and gave me the chills.“We’re not anywhere near the Huntsman, Luna.”I tried to make sense of that claim, looking around in perilous realization. We were at the mouth of a beautiful lake, on a wooded s
Helen POV“What the hell, Helen? Are you trying to drown?!”I sucked in air through the water that had leaked into my lungs and it ached so bad that I wanted to double over, but instead Justin linked is arms around my lower back and held me to his warm, bare chest. He made sure my head stayed above water while I caught my breath.“I’m—I’m sorry but—but you wouldn’t come swim out if—”He cracked a reserved smile and only shook his head, pushing my hair back as it sat tangled with sand and knotted from the soft water where we were now swimming together. I can’t help but feel a little proud of my work.“You almost drowned so I would come and swim with you, Helen?” He looked through me as I nodded sheepishly, flustered and blushing from the couching fit. “My mate is a trickster.”His lips brushed mine softly, taunting me at first, and I caught them at last, turning a once innocent moment of closeness to a hard grinding of our flushed bodies, needy and hot together in the water.“Justin,”
Helen POVI felt my head whip with the velocity of a punch right against my cheek. I screamed, blood dribbling off my lower lip and puddling on the floor where I’m forced to lay, chained to the ground.“I hate you,” I whispered, fighting to stay conscious, afraid if I passed out in this reality, I would be stuck here instead of waking up with Justin. “Just tell me, please. Why?”“Because I like hearing you scream,” he replied amusingly.“No, not that,” I barked. “You’re not the first to hurt me to get at my mate. I’m not concerned over that. I want to know why not stop there? If you wanted me dead, I would be already. But you want the whole pack dead, too. Why is that?”His laugh filled the room but still, it wasn’t normal and kind. It wasn’t even human sounding, although I still believed that’s what he was. He looks human, has emotions like humans, and lived among them according to legend.But now it’s different.Now he’s human with a special sprinkle of evil that tasted bad.Tasted
Justin’s POVShe finally fell asleep, which I thought would never happen. Her day was chaotic and long, most of it she spent waking up out of the dreary super poison that overwhelmed her system.She is peaceful in her dreams, though still whimpering and ached from her bruising. She mumbled my name once or twice before I joined her in the hammock.Holding her, I could feel her settle. She loved me, that was proof in her calming touch, but it didn’t change that weird explanation she gave me about what he told her. My father can’t be alive, that’s impossible.I heard the broadcast, the news of his death—I didn’t have to be there to see it, I saw the aftermath and his pack claimed to know it happened for sure.So why is the Huntsman trying to throw us off track now? Why is lying?“I guess my secret can’t always be kept.”I practically jumped from the hammock, throwing myself onto the sand while my Lycan bit back his fury. It wouldn’t last long, but it had better last enough for an explana
Helen POVI sat up to find Justin had left our little oasis of a camp. I looked around for him for a while but when I came up empty, I went back to restoke the fire. I tossed a few logs on the burning, golden ashes seeing the flames eventually lick up the sides of firewood.Warmth was nice but being held by my mate earlier was way better. It almost felt like he was back, like he was forgiving me and loving me again, but I knew that it wasn’t perfect. He still had to trust me, something I knew was too hard to do right now.While I curled upright in a little ball, resting my chin between my knees, I watched my mate come through the greenery that surrounded our little camp. He had his eyes down, an odd little glass bottle in his fist that I could tell didn’t just come from this nature retreat.“Hey,” I purred.He jumped at the sound of my voice, his breath catching while he slid his hand awkwardly behind his back. He scanned the space with those dark, Lycan eyes, like he was furious alre
Helen POVJustin rented a car when our time in paradise had clearly come to an end. We didn’t get to mate, we didn’t even get to talk through all of our problems. I felt stronger though, as if I had gotten a week’s worth of rest and my body and wolf were both rejuvenated.My mate appeared to be in the same condition, his eyes lit with a new fire.He sat the little vial between us, the precarious opal-like liquid swishing around as he pulled the classic car down the mortal world’s highway. I missed our pack and the trees, especially the river, but I also needed to know what happened with Ezequiel.Justin said Randy was going to take care of him but it didn’t explain anything to me.Why would he turn on us and lead the pixies to their death? He had been given leniency with his sister staying in the pack but for him to betray that trust, it just didn’t add up. I thought of him a lot on the silent, dreary trip back to the pack.My eyes flutter shut with his name still stuck on my mind.I