GINGER After taking a few breaths and pulling myself together, resolving not to let anything happen, I finally stepped foot outside. But clearly Tyce was not on the same page as me, because before I even had a chance to close the door behind me, he grabbed me and had me pinned to the wall, his body heat surrounding me, and his massive arms on either side of my face. I stared into his intense amber eyes for a moment, my whole body alive, my breathing shallowing. Fuck, he was so hot, and if he kissed me, I knew I'd totally give in. And then he did, closing the space between us, crushing his mouth against mine. My hips jutted forward in reaction as he wrapped his arms around me, grabbing my ass, and pressing me closer to his body. I ran my fingers up his chest to his neck and then his face, memorizing the feel of his cheekbones and stubble, knowing I'd always want to remember everything, including how his cheeks felt as our tongues twined and how his hard steel rod of a cock pressed up
TYSON"Is this the best way to do it?" I asked Blake, staring at the small shot glass in front of me."Yeah, that's how we started. First we drank small vials until we regained our ability to shift into our wolves. And that's when the injections started.""Fuck, this shit smells horrible." As I brought the shot glass to my face, stomach acid traveled up to my throat in reaction. I didn't know if I'd be able to get it down without retching."I mean, it's natural, right? It's our kryptonite. We're going to be averse to it. Maybe you can put it in a smoothie or something to help get it down. We didn't even have the option. They'd just whip us if we didn’t drink it or threw it up." Blake shrugged. "I still can't decide if swallowing that shit or getting whipped was worse. I never threw up, so I can't say for sure.""Fuck, bro. And you did this shit for four years?""It got easier once they started injecting us."I nodded, continuing to stare at the shot glass. This wasn't going to be easy
GINGER She's lucky she'd almost fully developed her wolf already.It only takes two milligrams to kill a human.Her wolf died so she didn't have to. "Why do you smell like wolfsbane?" I screamed. He had his arms around me almost instantly. "Gigi, it’s okay." "It's not okay! It's not okay at all!" Tears were spilling from my eyes. I had already been emotional that morning but now that scent was putting me over the edge. "Gigi, listen to me. It's fine." He had his mouth close to my ear, and the scent was touching my skin. I began to sob, imagining my skin boiling from even his breath touching it. "I'm just drinking it to build up a tolerance, so I can get stronger. I know it smells bad, but I won't kiss you, I won't hurt you, don't worry." "Get away from me!" I screamed again, pushing him off me. "Don't touch me!" "Okay!" He instantly backed away and put his hands up. "I promise I won't touch you again for the rest of today, okay?" "Thank you," I replied, wiping the tears from my
GINGER The only question I could think to ask was, Will my wolf come back? "Okay, dear. You have your question?" I nodded. "Wonderful, now shuffle please." She handed me the deck. I did as asked, shuffling for a few seconds, and then handed it back to her. Again, she fanned out the cards. "Please pick one and turn it over." I hovered my hand over the deck for a bit until I finally found one to pull. I flipped it over. Death. I let out a cry and ran out of the room, unable to listen to what Sybil was going to tell me. I couldn't bear to hear it. I ran until I was outside, down the street, and then I leaned my back against the brick wall of a building and began sobbing. I'd already been so emotional all day, and that had finally put me over the edge completely. All I wanted to do was go home and pretend I'd never seen that card. "Gigi!" Tyce's voice rang out. I looked up to see him jogging over to me. Once he got close enough, he asked, "What was that all about? Why did you run out
GINGER The evening of the full moon finally came. This was the night of all or nothing. Either my wolf came back or I'd finally have to accept that she was gone for good and any life I'd continue to live would have to be as a human. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the moment of truth. After all the lights in my house were out and everyone was asleep, I snuck out once again as I had since I'd come home for the summer. It was the perfect night, with a cloudless sky, and the full moon shining down onto earth in all its glory. I crossed my fingers and hoped it was a good omen as I slipped into the forest to make my way to my usual spot. My stomach squeezed with nervousness. I didn't know if I was ready. What if all of this pain and suffering I'd endured had been for nothing? What if my wolf really was never coming back? No! I straightened my shoulders. That was the wrong attitude. She would come back. She had shown signs, and even Sybil told me she wanted to come back. So wh
TYSON She quietly cried in the front seat, her tears spilling down her cheeks, chin, and neck. Seeing her like that pained me and broke my heart. I absolutely hated it and was ready to destroy entire cities to make her happy again. Once we were on our way, I asked, "When you said you don't have a wolf, what does that mean?" "It means exactly what it sounds like. I. Don't. Have. A. Wolf. I can't shift. I'm basically just a human." "But how? How is that possible? Your twin has one and you smell like a werewolf…" "Because I made a dumb mistake seven years ago. I was only twelve and really stupid, and now I don't have a wolf anymore." She began sobbing again, and I decided to stop with the questions for the time being. But I still wanted to know more. I wanted to know everything. And, most of all, I wanted to make it better. I wanted to fix whatever was making Gigi cry so much. I went into the place I'd never been before—a human hospital. And I hated it. It was so depressing, filled
BLAKE As I descended the stairs, a faint smell of a decomposing body wafted into my nose—the scent oddly feline. I scrunched my nose as the aroma got stronger. I was planning to continue following it to see what it was when I was distracted by the ring of the doorbell. Jack and Tyler walked in as soon as I opened the door and similarly began sniffing. "What's that smell?" Jack asked, scrunching his own nose. "What, are you using the packhouse as a torture chamber now?" Tyler asked. "Do I need to call CPS on you for traumatizing my nieces or nephews before they're even out of the womb?" We followed the scent into the dining room, where a plastic bag was left in the middle of the table. I untied it immediately, only to be greeted by the head of a bloodied bobcat. "What the fuck?" "Blake! I know you don't like my cat videos, but you don't have to go all Godfather on me!" Tyler chuckled. Jack joined him in laughter and added, "For someone that likes pussy, you sure don't respect it.
GINGER On Friday morning, I turned over and looked at my phone to see another text message from Tyce waiting for me and my stomach did a somersault. Tyson Chicken: Hey how's your leg? Fuck, I was in way too deep. I was trying my best to ignore him, but he definitely wasn't getting the hint, and I couldn't lie and say I wasn't having a very hard time keeping my mind off him. I moaned into my pillow. He now knew my big secret and he had to understand why we had to stay away from each other, right? I mean, this was clearly a one-way street to heartbreak. My phone pinged again. Tyson Chicken: In case you forgot you're due for your next shot today. Do you need a ride? I moaned again. He was right. I could probably just ask to borrow the family car and go myself without him. But something inside me was desperate to see him again. No, I couldn't stay away. I was about to get out of bed when Paige burst into the room. "Holy Artemis, Paige! Haven't you ever heard of knocking? You could
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