AMELIA’S P.O.VWhen Blake returned later, it was already nighttime. The moon was high in the sky and I could hear the crickets chirping outside. The only source of light was the tiny lamp on the small coffee table. I ran the plan over again in my mind being careful to make sure there were no holes in it when Blake walked in.The first thing I noticed was the smell of blood. It smelled like him but I could also smell Kaden. I jumped to my feet and rushed over to his side. “What the hell happened?”He didn’t seem injured for the most part, then again, he had been out the whole day. He opened his mouth to speak but cursed when he bumped into the couch. After that, I was quick to turn on the lights and I took him in completely.There was blood on his wrist, blood on his face and on his clothes. It was as if he hadn’t bothered to get cleaned before coming here. Maybe he just wanted to show off his battle scars or maybe he wanted to appear tough in front of me. Whatever it was, I was happy
BLAKE’S P.O.VMy head was pounding in my skull. It almost felt like someone was using my head to do construction work. I tried to open my eyes but couldn’t, merely doing that was too much for me. I had never felt so weak or worn out in my life.I could feel the cold ground under me and I tried to figure out what I was doing on the ground when the memories slammed into me like a freight train. I cursed and rushed to my feet, ignoring the pounding in my skull and the ache in my body.The room looked the same as it did before I passed out but the only difference was Amelia’s stale scent. I cursed under my breath and looked through my pocket for my phone only to find it missing. A growl nearly ripped from my throat. She had played me.I was doing everything for her- for us- and this was how she betrayed me. There must have been something in the wine. She planned this in advance and she fucking left. If I had the energy, I would have ripped the entire room apart but I didn’t have the time
AMELIA’S P.O.VI had no idea where I was going or where I was.Once I got out of the house, I ran west. Growing up, I was always taught to find a river because most often than not, a river led to a town and from a town, I could find my way home. With tears in my eyes, I ran. I just wanted to be free, I didn’t care where I was going and I didn’t even realize how long I had been running.I didn’t know how long Blake was going to be out and I knew I had only a little time before the guards came back so I ran. Thankfully, I still had my sneakers from when I was taken and it was well equipped for running.I ran for hours and until I saw the sun begin to rise. It was only then that I rested a little and slowed down. I knew I must have given enough of a distance between Blake and I so I opened the bag and pulled out a bottle of water. It did little to soothe the burn in my throat but at least it would be enough.I knew I should sleep but I couldn’t find it in myself to do it. My skin was buz
AMELIA’S P.O.VDarla and Jackson led me back to their village settlement. Darla was much nicer and chatty, she told me about herself all the while asking questions about me and I tried my best to answer them without giving her too much.Jackson on the other hand was wary of me- as he should be. He kept a close eye on me and I could see that his hand was permanently curled around his dagger, ready to attack me if need be. It was actually cute how protective he was and I couldn’t help but think about Kaden, he would probably do the same and be just as protective if I brought a random stranger into the pack.“Here we are!” Darla squealed and when I looked up, my mouth dropped open.I had been expecting a few houses or tents not an entire small city. It was bustling with people moving in and out. They didn’t have large stone mansions but their houses were beautiful nonetheless. I didn’t see a single car but I saw children riding bikes. Everyone seemed happy and at ease.They led me to the
AMELIA’S P.O.VDarla was by my side in an instant helping me clean up but all I could think about was the fact that I could be pregnant with Kaden’s baby. The thought had me almost throwing up again but I managed to stop myself. I wasn’t sure she would appreciate me throwing up over the spot she had just struggled to clean.It was cause for celebration of course but not when I was in the middle of nowhere trying to get away from Blake. How hadn’t I noticed? How hadn’t I known? It was a miracle that I was away because if Blake had found out then I couldn’t even begin to imagine what he would have done. I could have lost my child, I might have lost it.“You’re panicked,” I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up at Darla. “I need you to breathe for me, no one is going to hurt you.”Tears gathered in my eyes but I tried to do as she asked. Once I was a little more stable, I turned to the doctor. “I’m pregnant?”“I can’t be sure until I take a blood test but I have seen enough pregnant w
KADEN’S P.O.VI hadn’t left my house in days and I didn’t let anyone in to see me either.Caleb hadn’t found her and while I logically knew that it wasn’t his fault, that didn’t stop me from needing someone to blame. I could have killed Blake and I wish I did, it would have been one lest scum on the earth but I couldn’t, not unless I had her safely in my arms. I didn’t know what plans he had put in place in case he was dead and I couldn’t trust that he wouldn’t use her as a bargaining chip.Caleb had his spies combing the other places but it was a lot harder now that we had Blake’s attention. I knew for a fact that if he even thought we were too close, he would take her and run and that was what I was trying to avoid.I felt the pressure at the back of my mind but I ignored it. There were very few people who would dare mind link me right now and I didn’t want to talk to either of them. It persisted for a while but I slammed my wall firmly in place.As if on cue, my phone rang and this
AMELIA’S P.O.VJackson and I left very early in the morning and we had been running for the entire day.My paws hurt and I was sure that I was bleeding somewhere but I didn’t care. I was so close, so fucking close and I wasn’t going to give up now. We had stopped for water a while ago and Jackson told me we should be at the pack by nightfall if we kept running. He was the only one who shifted back mainly because what he rubbed on my fur only worked to hide my scent in wolf form and because I wasn’t sure if I would have the energy to shift back into my wolf if I shifted.Jackson nudged my side, silently asking if I wanted to take a break but I shook my head. I needed a break and left to me, I would have collapsed on my face but we were so close. I recognized this place, it was the same road I travelled when I came to the pack for the first time. I remembered how terrified I was and how scared I felt when the rogues chased me. Home had never felt so close.I pushed myself even harder wh
AMELIA’S P.O.VI woke up to the sound of incessant beeping and numbness. For a split second, it felt like I was floating in a void trying to remember what had happened when I heard an unfamiliar male voice.My eyes snapped open in a flash and I shot up into a sitting positon. I didn’t know where I was but I was hooked up to tons of machines that seemed to beep even louder and panic gripped me. I couldn’t recognize the people in front of me but I recognized the warm hand that settled on my lower back.I knew my mate’s touch anywhere and the memories of finding him close to the border of the pack slammed into me. Relief coursed through me and although my heart was still pounding wildly, I felt a bit of relief.I turned to Kaden who cupped my cheeks softly. “I’m right here, no one is going to hurt you, I swear it.”I couldn’t stop myself from throwing my arms around his neck. He muttered a small curse under his breath as he buried his face into my shoulder and inhaled. His lips moved ove
KADEN’S P.O.VAs soon as Caleb drove off with Amelia, I felt someone slap me upside the head.There were only a handful of people who would dare to do that- my mother, Amelia and Pamela- I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.“You idiot,” Pamela hissed. “What were you thinking? She told you to stop multiple times and you kept going. Did you not hear when she said she would hate you?”I did hear her actually, I just convinced myself that she was upset and it would be fine after. I didn’t realize that she meant it or I would have stopped. It was a shitty excuse and I knew it made me a fucking terrible mate as well.“I know I messed up,” I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. “I’ll make it up to her.”Pamela scoffed. “You stupid child, this is more than just making it up to her. After everything she went through, you were meant to be her safe place and you hurt her. This isn’t just about you outing her in public, you betrayed her trust. She has no one right now.”“That’
AMELIA’S P.O.VI walked out of the dining room and out the front door.I knew I was being a tad bit unreasonable but it pissed me off to no end that he couldn’t just trust me. I didn’t want to have that conversation in front of everyone, I didn’t want that part of my life out there. We were having a child together for goddess sake and yet, he couldn’t just listen to me.“Amelia!” Kaden’s voice echoed through the air as he rushed over to me. “Baby, please, just wait.”I ignored him and heads straight for my car. My guards were nowhere to be seen. They must have left after Kaden arrived. It didn’t matter to me anyway, I could drive. It was a terrifying thought to go home alone but I was going to do it. I wasn’t going to sit back and give him the satisfaction.I got to the door of my car when he placed a hand on the car door. “Please, Amelia, let me just talk to you, please.”“I have nothing to say to you,” I crossed my arms over my chest without looking at him. “Just go, okay? I don’t w
AMELIA’S P.O.VClara didn’t say a single word regarding my conversation with Aaron. I could tell she was thinking about it though. She was many things but stupid was not one of it. She knew exactly what that conversation was about and I expected more questions from her but there was nothing.“Do you want to come in?” was the first thing she asked when we got to her house. “My grandparents are home but that’s about it. They’ve missed you. They might want to say hi.”I didn’t want to take the offer but I also realized how cruel it was that I hadn’t come to see them yet. They took me in when they didn’t have to and treated me like their own grandchild. Before I could talk myself out of it, I nodded and followed her up to the front door.My palms were clammy and it felt like my chest was closing in on me but I forced myself to walk into the house. It smelled the same and looked the same, nothing had changed since the last time I was inside. It almost felt like I had never left.“Clara are
AMELIA’S P.O.VClara and I sat down on the wooden chairs while Aaron remained at the edge of the bed. He looked better than the last time I saw him, much better actually.“You haven’t used your powers in a while,” he didn’t waste any time before going straight to the point. “Both of you, not just you, Amelia.”I shrugged. “My wolf was drugged for weeks and I just haven’t had a reason to recently.”“You will soon.”It sounded more like an ominous warning than anything and I wanted to ask more about what he meant but he had already turned away from me and was facing Clara. She had her hands folded neatly in her laps and her face was cast down.“I just didn’t want to,” she shrugged. It was clear she was very uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.She already told me why so she didn’t need to tell him, especially if she didn’t want to. Besides, I was concerned with how he knew that we hadn’t used our powers in a while. We didn’t talk about it outside his door so there was n
AMELIA’S P.O.VI regretted my words the moment I saw the three guards that Kaden had arranged for me.He had a smile of pride on his face once they arrived and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. They were quite possibly the biggest and scariest men I had ever seen in my life. One of them had tattoos all over his arm, the other had a mean resting face that could make a grown man piss his pants. The third didn’t look as scary as the others but his sheer size alone was enough to make a person pause.“These are your guards,” he gestured to the men in front of me. “They’ll take you to Clara’s house first and you can go wherever you want after.”I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him blankly. “Are you serious?”“You said as many as I want. I wanted to get you four guards but I figured it would be too much.”“And you don’t think three is a little over the top?”“It’s this or nothing, baby.”I let out an exasperated sigh before turning to the guards. “Fine.”Neither of them broke
AMELIA’S P.O.VI was done hiding.If Blake was willing to leave his pack despite not having his wolf then he was a greater foe than I knew and I couldn’t just sit on my ass and wait for him to attack whenever he felt like. He wasn’t backing down anytime soon, I knew that much. I saw the look in his eyes yesterday and I knew what it was. It was a look of pure determination. I knew that it wasn’t about what I wanted anymore or about what he presumed to be a mate bond, this was about an Alpha whose ego was just bruised.I embarrassed him and made him look weak and he wanted me back to show that he wasn’t. I was the shiny trophy that he wanted to keep in a display and I’d be damned if I let him do that to me. He couldn’t control my life- not anymore at least.For the first time since I returned, I woke up earlier than Kaden and made my way down to the kitchen to make breakfast. It felt so good to be back in my own house, barefoot in my kitchen and able to do whatever I wanted.I had bare
KADEN’S P.O.VBlake was a fucking coward.For someone who was brave enough to keep my mate for days, he ran off like a fucking wuss when he realized that he didn’t have his wolf to fight for him.I made sure to comb the entire border to ensure that he was not lurking around. The last thing I wanted was for someone else to go missing. It was torturous enough searching for Amelia, I wasn’t sure I had it in me to search for someone else.As soon as I was sure that Blake wasn’t hiding anymore, I rushed over to Amelia. Her mind was quiet which wasn’t unusual. Ever since she returned, she preferred to stay on her own with her thoughts. I hated it but I knew it would take some time before she went back to the way she was- if she ever did. If she never went back, I didn’t care, I just wanted her.The moment I got to the car, I knew something was wrong. Caleb was standing next to the car but his brows were furrowed in deep thought. He looked somewhat relieved when he saw me but when I asked, h
AMELIA’S P.O.VI didn’t realize just how badly my legs were shaking until I got to the car. I had barely reached it when my legs gave out and I had to grip it so as not to hit the ground.“Shit, are you okay?” Caleb was at my side in an instant but he hesitated to touch me. “Do you need me to call Kaden?”I shook my head. “I’m fine, I swear, I just- I didn’t know how scary it would be to see him after everything.”Caleb assessed me warily but said nothing. I slowly sank to the ground not having the energy in me to open the car. Besides, the grass was much softer and it was fresh, the wind was blowing and I could feel the breeze on my face. I didn’t feel caged anymore and I needed to remember that.“Do you want some water?” he asked and I nodded.I watched as he reached into the backseat of the car and retrieved a water bottled. It smelled like him so it was obviously his but I couldn’t bring myself to be picky. I just uncapped it and downed the water. My heart was pounding violently i
AMELIA’S P.O.VWe sat in the tub until our skin started to prune. True to his words, Kaden didn’t say a word as we got out of the tub. He didn’t even speak as we ate lunch or dinner. I thought he had forgotten and a part of me was relieved because I knew that whatever he wanted to say had to do with Blake.My relief lasted until sometime around ten when there was a frantic knock on our door. I glanced at Kaden who looked to be as confused as I felt. He gestured for me to remain seated while he went to check it out but he should have known better because as soon as he was out the door, I was behind him.“Amelia,” he hissed but I waved him off.I was dressed in lounge pants and a loose shirt. I was prepared for whatever it could be. He muttered something under his breath that sounded similar to ‘goddess help me’.“Stay here,” he told me once I got to the bottom of the steps. I pursed my lips but I was close enough to see the door so I waited.He pulled the door open and I could feel th