What do you think?? Is Harlow in over her head with two males?
~Tate’s Point of View~*We shouldn’t be here,* Colt grunts, as he thunders through the woods. I can only agree. I’m practically faint with the memory of her touch, her breath, her everything.I’ve never been more sure of the fact that Harlow is indeed my fated mate. Just thinking about her practically naked on my lap…*Make a right, you’ll see us,* Hunter shouts over mind-link, as my wolf abruptly turns.When we break through and into the clearing, I see literally the entire council assembled, and my dearest grandfather barking orders. There are at least a dozen Shadows. Ugh, gonna be a long damn night. For the entire council to be out, together? Not good. They rarely involve themselves in our day to day.“Tate! Where have you been,” my father snaps, with my mom by his side. He’s harder on me than any other of my siblings and since we’re the youngest, yeah it pisses me off. But I do like rising to meet his demands in a way. It’s a tit for tat and based on the stories I’ve heard about
~Harlow’s Point of View~A yawn escapes my lips as I listen to Ginny carry on about her day over dinner. Today was a true test of my patience because it seemed to drag on forever. Without Luke to be a distraction, I had just my daydreams of last night with Tate. I don’t know what to make of Luke not being in school, but it irritates me. But also, a part of me has to wonder if he was telling the truth. Maybe he didn’t leave because of me. If that’s the case, how will I handle two males in my life at once?“So? The clothes are good? You look super cute,” Ginny says, pointing to the new yellow blouse I’m wearing. I had picked several tops that were loose enough to give me room to grow.I smile down at myself, definitely happy with the new wardrobe. But I was also desperate to get up to my room and into just a nightgown. My boobs and feet are killing me and the jeans I’d chosen are a bit tight. I’d stayed late after school in the chemistry lab, trying to make up for what I missed yesterd
~Luke’s Point of View~Play it cool, don’t panic because she’s a couple minutes late. Goddess you’re pathetic.*I don’t think so at all! In fact being away from her has put me in quite a pissy mood. I could really get used to--* Dante cuts himself off when we see her. He doesn’t even want the distraction of his own thoughts and I get it.Her glossy red mane is loose again, not that I don’t like the pigtails. But this just makes her even more of a Goddess. She’s got on another form fitting dress with those boots, ugh!I lick my lips before I can help myself, and stand like a fool by her locker. We were barely able to sleep last night with everything going on, and with such fresh memories of Harlow’s soft body, her heavenly aroma of arousal and--“Good morning,” she says, giving me a big smile. Before I can even control myself, my lips do that crazy thing that they never do. As she stares at me, I can’t keep myself from laughing.“You have a bit of…” I say, raising my finger to her mouth
~Harlow’s Point of View~“Ohhh my gosh! There’s so many,” I squeal, as I run toward a mama and her puppies. They look as though they can’t be more than a few days old. They’re all nursing or trying to, since they want to crawl over each other.I immediately want all of them though I know that isn’t practical. But in my head, I’m already naming them. They’re golden retrievers and they are impossibly cute. A pet was something I always desperately wanted but in foster care it would have been another mouth to feed, and they don’t like that.“No,” Luke says, as his hands move to my shoulders in an attempt to hold me back.“But it's going to freeze tonight! We can’t leave them,” I protest, pouting.“Surely you know how crazy wolves are over transferred scents? She isn’t going to want our stink all over her babies,” he says. I make a face at that, but know there is probably some truth to it. My mind instantly wanders a mile a minute, trying to figure this out. “She knows what to do Harlow, l
~Harlow’s Point of View~What a fool I am! For the second time Luke has left me and I should do the same. I should use the packhouse phone and call for a witch to zap me into another time zone. Hell I don’t even know where the Shadow Warriors headquarters is, and I’m sure that’s how they want to keep it. Could be in another realm for all I know.Is that a thing?? Put that away for another day.I throw myself into my room and lock the door, fuming. I stare at the handle, practically daring it to open. The wait isn’t long, and there’s a knock. There’s not a doubt in my mind it's Luke, and I turn to look at the window as a possibility of fleeing. But I’m on the second floor and that doesn’t seem like an appealing escape plan.My hand rubs my belly absentmindedly as I hear feet shuffling. “Can we please talk,” Luke says, his voice low. I scoff.“Why, so you can lie to me? Make up something to justify you being so weird? Or tell me you have a girlfriend back at home,” I snap, and cross my
~Harlow’s Point of View~“Could there possibly be anything more boring,” I whine, propping my elbow on my knee and dropping my chin into my hand. Luke gives me a knowing look, equally as bored. The cheerleaders are half dressed, and I do all I can not to look at them. I notice Luke isn’t the least phased by them and that turns me on to no end. He doesn’t even look twice at any other female out here and he keeps holding my hand which I love a bit too much. “I might have asked you to go under these benches so I could sneak a kiss but I just watched someone dump a large cup of liquid through the floor. Why on earth would one do that,” he asks, and I let out a sarcastic laugh.“People are wasteful and stupid,” I answer, and mean it. My fingers twitch at his mention of kissing, and I wonder what he’d do if I just grabbed his face out here and--“So am I to understand that they all just chase a ball and hit each other over it? But they’re not allowed to actually injure the other? There are
~Tate’s Point of View~“This place reeks,” I whisper, irritated. It’s been far too long already that I’ve been stuck with Megan, and I’m eager to cut out her tongue.“Smells like real men,” she taunts, licking her lips. *If real men smell like armpits and cigarettes,* Colt whines, turning up his nose.We had to make camp in the woods and lie low, waiting for a chance to even get into the damn Hair of the Dog. It may be a bar, but that doesn’t mean just anyone is allowed in. Chance had made it seem like we could just walk on by, but that wasn’t at all the case. So we had to get in with someone who could get us invited. But it helped calm my nerves in a way too; I never once saw the male who’d saved Harlow. Maybe he really had left town.But camping in the woods with my ex that still hasn’t gotten it through her thick skull that I hate her is literally the most exhausting thing I’ve ever done. There was a time having her all over me made me feel invincible, made me empowered. Now I wish
~Tate’s Point of View~The next morning when we return to the Hair of the Dog, Trek isn’t even there. It’s just the bartender. He gives us another map, and again we go and find the packages like good little minions. By the time we’re making the last pick up, I’m nearly coming out of my skin.*Tate you in range,* I hear, as I jump down from a tree. Megan shifted to go on a quick hunt, but I was trying to hold out for something to eat later.*Yeah Shane go ahead,* I reply, over mind-link.I’m relieved to hear his voice honestly, anyone but Megan. I listen patiently as he relays some updates from the others that are undercover. He mentions there’s still no sign of the bar owner, and they believe there may be some sort of mutiny going on. I tell him things seem relatively normal at the Hair, at least there’s nothing strange on the surface. Just drug dealers, drunks getting into fights and strippers, all which we expected.I find it very hard to believe that Trek could overthrow anyone’s po
~Night of the School Dance~~Luke’s Point of View~“Thank you for this, I sure as hell wasn’t about to let Sunny dress me and I didn’t dare ask Godfrey for money. He’d want to interrogate every penny and know what it was for. Hell, he’d likely show up and make the night about himself,” I say, pulling on my suit jacket. Of course I could claim going to the school dance is necessary, I mean it is in a way. Part of being a high schooler I imagine. “Pffft. Bro, Sunny has always considered herself a fashionista, but she’s not even close. And yes, they would show up, both of them. You don’t need that. River said they both gave Harlow a scare not too long ago so they definitely don’t need to be around,” Skylar says, holding up a few different tie options. Harlow mentioned her dress was a deep navy and silver so I point to the dark blue. “They did what,” I snap, remembering the triplets saying that Harlow comes to headquarters for her baby appointments. I may need to find out when those ar
~Harlow’s Point of View~My eyes wander between Diana and Ben, waiting for them to ask who the father of the baby is, and why he isn’t here. But Diana is busy, fumbling in her bag and finding a book then flipping through it.“Ahh! Hmmhmm,” she says, after a quick read.“Hit the lights and set the mood so Ben can begin his spell,” she says, but doesn’t look up. Skylar does as she asked but thankfully leaves a light in the kitchen for me to have some vision. I draw a deep inhale and catch the various herbs she’s placed around me. And honestly, they are relaxing. I wait patiently while she fastens her hair back and adjusts her dress. “Okay, I’m going to levitate over you, so you can watch my eyes, don’t freak out. I won’t fall on you. Once you’re deep in the trance I’ll go back to my seat. I’m going to work to get you there, but once you are, Ben is going to be able to kind of follow along with you, see what you see. Though it won’t be as vivid, he’ll sort of share in your experience.
~Two Nights Later~~Harlow’s Point of View~“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” I whisper, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. “Well she’s already on her way, and not someone I’d care to piss off so looks like we’re doing it,” Lilly says, putting her hands on her hips and looming over me.All three of her mates are around their house, and three of their children are on patrols outside. It seems with the Blacks, being a Shadow is a family affair. So I’m perfectly safe here, nothing to worry about. It’s totally normal to invite a vampire and a warlock over for a chit chat. A vamp that’s… how old? Two thousand years?? Fuck, what does that even mean? I can’t even begin to wrap my head around it.“She’s very tame about blood due to her age, she’s well adjusted. But she’ll need to taste you. You should be aware that will allow Diana to have a blood bond with you. It’s almost like a signal, she can find you. Just a few drops it wouldn’t be that obvious, but the more frequently she does it,
~Anna’s Point of View~What in the stupid human is this little girl doing?I scowl as I watch the little redheaded Harlow from high on a tree branch. She makes pretty dumb decisions, and if not for her looks I’m not entirely sure what Luke sees in her. But I truly don’t take him to be that shallow of a male. There has to be more to this story.I teleport from place to place around the forest as I follow her, trying to keep my distance but also never letting her out of my sight. Babysitting is so not my thing, but Shane insisted Luke was far too close to her and needed to cool off.That won’t last. It’s obvious the male is bat shit crazy for her. A little red riding hood wolf basically. How fucking charming. I could kill the council for pulling me off my overseas mission for this backwoods nonsense. But I’m here, so I’m doing this.My body freezes when Harlow looks around, having heard the wind blowing some leaves and making a rustling sound. It wasn’t me! I’m too good at this.When I r
~Harlow’s Point of View~~A Week Later~Sweat prickles my entire body, making me thrash around. I know I’m dreaming, but I just can’t seem to wake up. There’s a fire and all I want to do is get away from the intensity of the heat, but I can’t budge. My mind says it isn’t real, but the urgency my body feels says otherwise. A male figure calls out to me from the shadows, and he’s familiar. I yell for him, and when I feel his hands on me, I search for his face. Suddenly my legs are free, then the air is cleaner. I cough to rid my lungs of the smoke but it burns so bad. “Daddy,” I cry out, as I’m put down on the hard ground. The jolt of it makes me choke, and when I draw a deep inhale, it doesn’t burn because the air out here is clean.My body jerks upright as I continue to try and gasp, and get all the air I can. My eyes dart around my bedroom, in the familiar Dark Thunder packhouse. There’s only a faint light from outside as the sun is still trying to rise. I close my eyes and hold my
~Harlow’s Point of View~Suddenly all I can think about is getting to headquarters, getting answers from River or someone. And I have to come clean, I have to--No. No, no. The bar! I need to go by the bar and demand answers. That's my first priority.“And you? You’re Harlow,” the giant mountain of a male shouts, making me jerk upright in full attention. Because well, he sounds like he should have a whistle and be yelling at me to do push ups. The few close by practically part in unison as he stalks toward me. I gulp and push myself off the table and to my feet.“Uhm, yes,” I say, tentatively. “In private, now,” he snaps, making me jump. Out of nowhere, Penelope seems to appear, and I swear she hadn’t been there before.“I’ll go with you. Because… of course you’ll need someone you know with you,” she mumbles, but she brushes past the guy without any fear. I look up to see Beta Ryan only a few steps away, clearly fuming.Penelope leads us to the far side of the packhouse and away from
~Harlow’s Point of View~Tears soak the blanket I’m holding over my face as I hear Luke getting dressed. I’m terrible at hiding my emotions, always have been. Crying in front of my bullies is the worst… or so I thought. No, this is gut wrenching.How could I possibly give him up? His heat, his intensity, his touch? He’s done nothing wrong!“Harlow I just…” Luke says, as he shrugs on his coat. I peek just my eyes out of the blanket and while I know this is what has to happen it's impossible.“Go Luke. Please? This was just a mistake okay? I’m a silly girl who just needed to get laid and I have now so I’m good. I come with more baggage and issues than you deserve. It can’t ever be more and we both know it. You were just a cute face and a great cock, that’s all. You won’t be a real boyfriend to me, a father to my baby. So just go,” I say, then pull the blanket back over my head. It's a low blow, especially since he’s hardly had much time to sit with the whole baby thing. Literally no tim
~Luke’s Point of View~Harlow says nothing on the ride home from the school, and I don’t know what to make of it. The entire night was a clusterfuck that quite frankly the Beta should be embarrassed by. The fact that I felt the tingle in my mind of other Shadows in the vicinity only leaves me with a hundred questions I can’t get answered right now. Were they watching, if so for what? The entire reason the pack went in was because there was no one in the area. Supposedly.They had to have come in at the last minute. Meaning with the help of a witch or a vampire. Neither of which I smelled. Could have blocked their scents but why would they need to?Godfrey made clear that my mission here was extremely “need to know.” Very few people even know about me outside of those I deal with directly. Fewer know about my “other half,” they just know me as a normal wolf. So if other Shadows that aren’t privy to my mission catch me out and about… I’m not sure what to say. That wasn’t covered at all
~Tate’s Point of View~“Shit! Who are those fucking people,” I whisper, as I see a literal troop of at least half a dozen males come running out of the school. They’re moving toward the hut we were just in, and it's obvious they’re looking for something. Something we have.*I don’t like this, they’re not Shadows…but wait do you feel like a weird buzz? Like there’s a mind-link connection not too far off,* Megan says, over mind-link. I do, but it could be someone on the road. There are several nearby. These people though… they’re clearly organized, some even have tactical equipment on.My basic instincts are to shield Megan, get her the hell out of here. She’s a female and therefore needs protection. But I know better, if anyone can handle her own it's Megan. We’ve had real fights several times and while I’ve won, they were all close. When she’s in a real fight for her life, there’s a different kind of fire inside her and that used to turn me on to no end.But even together, we’d be gro