GINGER That Friday, I received a text from Lucy to remind me of the plans she had to go to the nightclub. I quickly responded and agreed to go, sighing as I fell into my bed. Barely a minute after I relaxed, Paige stumbled into my room, closing the door behind her. "Gigi, I need your help," she cried out, collapsing onto the floor next to my bed. I got up quickly. "What happened? Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine, but…" her voice trailed. "What is it?" I asked, getting down on the floor next to her. "I think I'm in heat!" "Oh!" I exclaimed. "What does it feel like?" "Oh, Goddess, this is so embarrassing." She turned bright red. "But I'm so…" She lowered her voice until she was whispering. "Horny." I doubled over in laughter. "Where's Dylan?" "He's working until two. Goddess, I'm dying!" "And how did you want me to help?" I snickered. "I hope you weren't expecting me to take care of you on Dylan's behalf." She burst out laughing. "Holy Artemis, no! What the hell is wrong with y
GINGER "I'm so glad you made it!" Lucy shrieked as she pulled me against her in an embrace. When she pulled away, she looked me up and down and said, "Damn, you look hot, Gigi! If I weren't straight, I'd fuck you!" She stared down at my boobs "Can I feel them?" "Sure," I replied. I was actually kind of used to it. For some reason, women loved touching my boobs. I mean, they were kind of just out there. She poked two fingers into the top of them, the skin jiggling in response. "They're so squishy." I laughed at her reaction. She took my arm and pulled me toward the living room of the packhouse where a bunch of people were already pre-gaming. "Here, have a White Claw," she said, pulling a can out of a bucket filled with ice. I took it from her as some girls made room for me on the couch. As Lucy walked away to go who knows where another girl sitting on the couch next to me grabbed my attention. "Hi, I'm Erin. Nice to meet you." She put her hand out to me. "Hey, Gigi," I replied. I
GINGER I was waiting for some of the crowd to clear when I felt a presence behind me, and someone's hands slid down the sides of my torso to my hips, a shiver traveling up my spine in response. I turned around and was about to berate whoever decided to just grab me without asking first when I came face to face with Tyce, my heart skipping a beat in reaction. So, maybe he had forgiven me? Goddess, he looked good, especially with my buzz taking control of my hormones, my whole body relaxed and aroused, my inhibitions lowered. Before I could stop myself, I turned back around and ground my ass against his pelvis. He instantly fell into sync with my dance moves, but it somehow seemed more intimate than it ever had with previous dance partners. His body heat surrounded mine, his fingers grazed my thighs, hips, ass. Soon his hands were against the hem of my skirt, his fingers gripping the skin of my thighs, and his palms gliding against the fabric of my dress. I was practically moaning wit
TYSON Oof—I clutched at my stomach. This fucking girl! Goddess, she was so infuriating! She pissed me the fuck off! And yet… I might have been in love? No, I did not just think that. I definitely did not just think that. There was no fucking way I was in love with the most infuriating bitch I'd ever met. But, Goddess be damned, I'd be lying if I said that wasn't some of the hottest sex I'd ever had—if I said I didn't want to do it all over again. Was it possible to be addicted to a pussy? Everything about her was perfect. Okay, most of the time she really pissed me the fuck off. But then there were times that I saw a different side of her—a less prickly side. And, Goddess, her body, the way she smelled, the way she screamed my name, her amazingly gorgeous tits, her big, round ass, her tight little, wet pussy. I sighed to myself and got up off the floor, peeling off the condom that contained the evidence of what we'd just done. I found a paper towel roll in a cabinet under the c
GINGERThe next morning, I woke at noon to Paige bouncing on my bed, my head throbbing and my throat dry. Goddess, why did I do that again? Why did I overdo my drinking again when I promised myself not to? "Wakey, wakey!" she sang out."Goddess, can't you leave me alone?" I groaned."Did you forget we volunteered for the temple bake sale today? Those blondies aren't going to bake themselves. Heidi's already on her way to help."I groaned again."So, come on, how was last night? I've been dying to find out how it went and what you think of Lucy." She giggled.At the mention of the prior night, all my memories came rushing back to me of Tyce's fingers inside me, pushing me against the wall, fucking me on the floor, his vampire teeth, all the shots I took with Lucy and her friends, and Tyce driving me home. "Fuck!" I cried out."What?" Paige stared at me."Oh Goddess, oh Goddess, oh Goddess.""What?" Paige asked again."Fuck, fuck, fuck.""Oh my Goddess, Gigi, are you going to tell me or
GINGER Curiosity getting the better of me (and, okay, desperation for a ride), I agreed to meet Tyce after the service, telling my parents I'd meet them at home. I waited until my family left and most of the congregation dispersed as well, many sticking around later than usual to buy some baked goods. Once I made my way outside, I spotted Tyce sitting down on a bench. He stood as I approached. "Hey, I made it." I gave Tyce a small, closed-mouth smile. "Thanks for making it." He smiled widely in return, seeming genuinely happy to see me. "You wanted to talk?" He rubbed the back of his neck and said, "I'd like to start over." "Start over?" I repeated, not sure what he meant, and definitely not what I'd been expecting him to say. "I'd like to get to know you, Gigi." "Why?" I eyed him suspiciously. "I don’t know. You seem cool." "What!" I doubled over in laughter. "All you do is make digs at me all the time. What was that you said last night? That you think I've had a train run
TYSON On Wednesday, I filled in for some trainers in the morning, followed by a run of the pack. I had to keep shifting back and forth between my forms since I wasn't able to mindlink with Blake's pack members, which got exhausting after a while. By lunchtime, I was more than relieved. As I entered the packhouse and made my way to the kitchen, I wiped some sweat from my forehead and let out a deep breath. I was pleased to see that Connie had left out my favorite for lunch—Texas beef chili. I quickly reheated it in the microwave and took a seat at the kitchen table, bringing over a bottle of hot sauce and pulling out my phone so I could look through my calendar. I smiled to myself as I noted my evening was empty of obligations and I'd finally have a chance to relax. I'd never worked so hard as an alpha before. Partially because of what I told Gigi—my whole family helped with running the pack, so it wasn't quite as much work. What I hadn't told Gigi, though, was that it was also beca
TYSON The next day, Blake rounded up his troops and we headed up north. We bused the chosen warriors and came up with a cover story that they were part of an intramural sports team that was going to compete in Quebec, just in case any questions got asked at the border. Blake and I took his car and rode together. Before I left, I got in touch with my brother to keep tabs on how he was doing with arranging a chartered flight with as many of our warriors as we could fit. While I told my brother not to worry about coming, he couldn’t help himself and jumped on the same flight with all of them. I smiled—my brother was a good guy, and I knew he'd always have my back. Although, I'd probably try to keep him in charge of the logistics rather than fighting on the front lines. He'd never been trained as well as I had. "Tyce, I really appreciate all your help, both this time around and when Jasmine was kidnapped. If your pack ever needs a favor, I'll have a flight chartered from the east coast
TRIGGER WARNING: This final scene contains torture and is not recommended to the squeamish. It is not necessary to the plot of the book and was only added to give readers some satisfaction with tying up some loose ends. --- TYSON I picked up my ringing phone. "Sara caught the culprits," Trav said, not even bothering to say hello. "Damn," I replied. "She's already tortured them, but offered to let you finish them off. You know, for pack alliance reasons." "I have a feeling that allowing someone else to do the final deed is a gift of generosity in her eyes." I chuckled to myself. Trav's mate was something else. But I'd be damned if I didn't want to watch the motherfuckers that killed my grandfather take their final breaths. Before I hung up, I asked, "Can I bring Dad?" "Obviously that's still a bit of a touchy subject but…" his voice trailed. "But you know that Dad, more than anyone, would want to be the one that does it." I finished his sentence for him. Trav let out a breath.
*Three weeks later* GINGER "Goddess, it's been such a long week!" I flopped onto the bed after showering and throwing on some sweats on a Saturday night in late October. "Your alpha schedule is no joke," I griped to Tyce. "I'm ready to go to bed now." "Do you think you could stay awake for a little bit longer?" He came over and sat on the bed. "Because I have a surprise that just came today." "A surprise? Have I been so busy that I didn't even realize it's my birthday already?" I joked. "It's a 'just because' kind of surprise." "Goddess, stop, Tyce. I can't do all this sweetness. I need a dentist! I think I'm getting cavities." "Okay, the surprise isn't really for you. It's for Splinter anyway. Are you ready for me to bring it in?" "Well, if it's not for me, you should ask Splinter," I teased. "Splinter already said he's ready." "Okay, rat whisperer." Tyce gave me a cute little smile that made my stomach flip-flop. Fuck, why did he affect me so much? Even though we'd now bee
*Almost three weeks later*JASMINE"Gigi!" Paige and Heidi screamed as their sister made her way out into the airport arrivals area. They both rushed over, wrapping their arms tightly around her. Her parents followed, doing the same.Blake grabbed her luggage from her, and then I gave Gigi my own hug. "Welcome home, well, sort of," I said."Thanks," Gigi hugged me back. "And how are the miracle pups?" She asked, looking into my double stroller. "Wow, they're so big compared to the last time I saw them!""Do you want to hold one of them?" I offered. They were staring up at her with their big blue eyes."I'd love that," she replied, with a big smile on her face. I pulled Aria out of the stroller and handed her to Gigi. "You're so much cuter in person than over Zoom, Aria," Gigi swooned, cradling her in her arms."Welcome, Tyce," I said, pulling my cousin in for a hug next."Congrats, again, Jaz," he replied, hugging me back. "We've been looking forward to this run since you left to go h
TYSON "Okay, so what's the story?" I asked Sara as she navigated the boat back to the Spruce Winter Pack. "There's not much to it. I swam back like I said I would. I found a storage closet, that I was easily able to break into and steal some clothes. Then I walked the dock and picked the boat that looked the least fucked up and hotwired it. And here I am." "Damn!" "She's amazing," Trav remarked. "Best mate." Sara glanced his way and gave him a smile. "You did really good, Blondie Baby Badass," Trav swooned. I choked, trying so hard not to laugh. I couldn't believe that was actually the nickname he'd come up for her and she was okay with it. But, I supposed, that was the mate bond. "Tyce, they're waking!" Blake called for me. I walked past Gigi and Jasmine, who were snuggled up together with the pups. We'd found a spare blanket in the boat that we'd wrapped around them to keep them warm. I entered the inner part of the boat, closing the door behind me, and made my way to the v
GINGER "Is it possible for her to go into active labor so quickly?" Tyce asked. "I don't know," I replied. "They're alpha pups," Blake added. "I think things progress much faster with alpha pu—" He didn't finish his sentence as he let out another moan. "Fuck!" "Blake, I think I might be going into active labor," Jasmine cried out. "Try walking," I said. "I think walking is supposed to help." She nodded, and Blake helped her back up. She began walking in circles as we stood around and watched. Every few minutes, another contraction would roll over her, and she and Blake would flinch in pain. "Okay, we need to make a plan," Blake said. "It's very fucking possible she's going to give birth here on an island, in the middle of the ocean, in the woods." He winced, clenching his hands into fists, his arms shaking. "Goddess, what are the fucking chances? And I thought giving birth on an airplane would be bad." "Gigi, I think you're going to have to help deliver the baby, because you kn
GINGER "Admit it, this is just as much of a farce as your shit framing job," Sara aggressively yelled. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Alpha Vic turned to glare at her. Before Sara could answer, a loud explosion rang out far ahead, as if a bomb had gone off. We all covered our ears in reaction to the loud boom, the smell of explosives thick in the air. "Oh, shit! What was that?" Alpha Vic shouted. Suddenly, a large group of mice sprinted under our feet, likely running from whatever that explosion had been. I tensed and looked toward Tyce. And I couldn't believe it, but he hadn't shifted. He stood there, still as a stone, his hands clenched, and it took everything in me not to celebrate right then and there. "The windmills!" Alpha Vic's father yelled, snapping my attention back to reality. Before anyone had time to react, Alpha Vic and his father began running in the direction of where the boom had sounded. "Gigi, stay here with Jasmine," Tyce shouted to me, and then took
GINGER "Mmm," Tyce moaned into my ear as the alarm went off, waking us early on Monday morning. I was still getting used to waking up before the sun rose. But this seemed to be Tyce's schedule, and I couldn’t believe that he'd functioned all summer like this considering how late we'd stayed up on many nights. "Do we have to get up?" I moaned, snuggling closer to him. He chuckled. "Time for my morning injection. Then breakfast and morning run before temple." "Goddess, your schedule is so intense." "I thought you wanted to be a warrior," he teased, nibbling on my nose. "But if you wanted a quickie, I could be persuaded to stay in bed a little longer." "When I see proof you have complete control of your wolf, that'll be on the table again." I gave him a playful shove. "Hopefully on the table, the counter, the wall, the floor, the chair…" his voice trailed. He chuckled again, "and in the backdoor." "Okay, Tyce." I grinned to myself. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll let you put it i
TYSON Before the end of the day, the packhouse had filled up with Blake, Jasmine, and her parents. Terri made the trek back from school. And then we got word that my uncle, whom we hadn't seen in years, had arrived for the funeral with his family. I supposed death was the one thing that really brought everyone out. I barely had the chance to introduce Terri to Gigi or even process everyone that was making an appearance when it was time to leave for the service. Gigi and I rode over with my mom, dad, and grandma. I got shafted to the middle seat with Gigi and my grandma on either side of me. My dad was uncharacteristically quiet during the drive. I got the idea that he was taking this a lot harder than he let on. My grandma, on the other hand, didn't hide her feelings at all as she sobbed quietly the entire ride. Blake pulled up in my car next to us as we parked. I'd given it to him to borrow for the duration of their trip. As my dad held my grandma's arm and pulled her along toward
TYSON On Saturday, I spent the morning training and running patrol stations. It was nice getting out and doing something active to get my mind off things. After an early lunch, I trained Gigi for another two hours. "I'd like to start training you in your wolf form," I said. "But in order to do that, you're going to have to join my pack so I can communicate with you." "Okay," she replied, but I could sense hesitation and maybe even sadness. "Do you not want to join my pack?" I asked, coming closer, taking her hands in mine. Her skin was like ice. Even though we'd kept warm by staying active, her hands were still cold, and I didn't want to let them go, trying to warm them for her. "I do…" her voice trailed. "But?" She sighed. "Please tell me, Gigi. I won't be upset. I just want to know what's wrong." "It'll just be so final. I'll lose the last bit of attachment I have to my pack and family." She put her head on my chest and I pulled her closer to me. "I want you to feel at home