KADEN’S P.O.VIt had become a routine for me to visit Caleb’s house once I knew that Amelia was asleep. Clara was so used to my presence that when I knocked on the door last night, she just opened it and side stepped me. Even Pamela and Devin were used to seeing me around and when I walked in, Devin just smiled at me softly before retreating to his room.I already knew the way to her room and I knew the way around her room but I needed to make sure she was deeply asleep because according to Clara, if you bothered her within the first thirty minutes of her falling asleep then she would wake up. Anything after that was fine but those first thirty minutes were crucial and I didn’t want her to wake up and see me in her room.She would freak out and probably be more terrified of me than she already was. I knew what I was doing was considered weird by many standards but I didn’t know how to stay away from her. I was trying my best by staying away from her when she was awake and giving her t
AMELIA’S P.O.VI was so deep in thought wondering what Kaden could possibly want from me when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped slightly and Serena looked at me with raised brows. She must have thought that I was crazy and all I could do was offer her a small smile.“We have about an hour before the next class,” she began slowly. “I wanted to know if maybe you wanted to get some coffee from the café. It might help you stay awake longer.”I nodded and walked out of class with her. We walked side by side in silence but to my surprise there was nothing awkward or tense about the silence. It was rather comforting and when we got to the student settlement, she led me to a café that I had never been to.“They have the best things here,” she said and I chose to believe her because I knew she has been in the pack longer than me. “Why don’t I buy you a drink,” I offered. “Seeing as you brought me here.”I dug through my bag to find some cash and I muttered a curse when I realized t
GREGORY’S P.O.VBrittany was silent next to me as I drove into the Dark Fangs territory. I have never been here before and I was still reeling from the insult of the last time I was here and wasn’t allowed to cross the territory. I knew it was because the Alpha didn’t know me and I had come unannounced but it didn’t make it any less of an insult to be turned away like a commoner.When I received the offer, I almost declined it but I realized that the business I had to conduct was a lot more important than my pride so I shoved down every feeling I had in relation to the situation and accepted. I immediately wanted Brittany to come with me even though I knew how unusual it was.On diplomatic missions, it is advisable to carry your Beta but there is no one I trust more than Brittany. She was the only one who knew the true reason we had to come and I also wanted to teach her an important lesson about dealing with other Alpha’s for when she becomes ruler of the pack.I could feel Brittany’
AMELIA’S P.O.VDevin’s words settled like lead in the room but I couldn’t bring myself to believe it. As soon as the words left his lips, I started to laugh. Laughing proved to be difficult because it only intensified the ache in my bones but it was all I could think to do. I didn’t fully understand the concept of shifting because father never explained to me. He told me that I didn’t have a wolf so I didn’t deserve to learn but I knew it had to do with finding my wolf and I didn’t think it was possible anymore.At some point I had just come to terms with the fact that I might never have a wolf but hearing Devin say that I might be shifting had reignited a lost sense of hope that I had even forgotten I had. I stared at him after my laughter had died down with wide and hopeful eyes and Pamela walked over to him.She pulled him off to the side and I saw them engage in a serious discussion. I couldn’t hear what they were saying properly but I heard my name and I heard the word shift used
KADEN’S P.O.VIt took every ounce of self control that I had mastered over the years to stop me from responding to Gregory. I sat there immobile trying to figure out if I had heard properly when he branded his own daughter a traitor. I could tell that Caleb was holding his breath and waiting for my reaction but I stayed perfectly silent not saying a word.I tried to reconcile the narrative he had just painted of Amelia to the scared girl who stumbled across my border and I just couldn’t see it. I could not see a reality where Amelia was a traitor or anything even related to being a traitor. I may not have known her for long but I knew and so did my wolf that she was not what Gregory said she was.I could tell that Gregory was gauging my expression for a crack in the mask. Something that would tell him that I knew what he was talking about. I had already given him too much intel when I turned to him after he spoke but I was determined not to make it easy for him at all and I kept my ex
AMELIA’S P.O.V It felt like hours had passed since I had started to feel weak. My fever was worsening a little and I could feel it. It felt like my head was on fire and I felt so weak, almost like someone had run me over with a tractor and left me for dead on the side of the road. I couldn’t move a single limb and I knew the moment I opened my eyes that I was dreaming because I was back in my old pack. I was in my closet sized bedroom and I was sitting on my old and worn sheets. I wasn’t in the same clothes that I fell asleep in. I was in one of my more common outfits from home. It was a faded grey dress with brown leather slippers. My hair was in a braid over my shoulder and I knew I didn’t have the energy to do it myself. Even in my dream, I was completely weak and it felt like a chore to get up from the bed but I managed to do it. I had to brace my hands on the wall and the dresser so I wouldn’t fall over and my legs felt so shaky, almost like they hadn’t been used in a very long
KADEN’S P.O.VEveryone was staring at me and desperately waiting for me to give a reason as to why I stood up so urgently. I could feel Gregory staring at me with barely controlled interest as if he could somehow get the answers out of my face while Caleb was looking at me in concern. He hadn’t gotten the mind link like I had so he was completely in the dark and I knew he hated that.After a few seconds, I cleared my throat and straightened the collar of my shirt then brushed off invisible lint off my clothes to appear uninterested.“I am afraid I have some important work to attend to,” I said and with one leveled look at Caleb, he rushed to his feet as well.I walked past Gregory without offering any explanation but before I could reach the door, I heard him clear his throat. He was as annoying as a fly on the wall and I wanted nothing more than the sick satisfaction that would come with squashing him like a bug but I knew that it was a shameful act to attack someone when they were u
AMELIA’S P.O.VWhen Blake leaned down to kiss me, my first thought was to turn my head to the side and avoid his kiss. I was angry with him for leaving me. I was angry with him for keeping me in the dark about everything. I wanted to know how long he had been aware of the plans my father and Brittany had against me. I wanted to know why he felt so comfortable with leaving me. I was furious but I couldn’t bring myself to pull away from him.There was something comforting and familiar about his touch. There was something warming about his hold and I couldn’t help but just lie there and allow him press his lips to mine. Even if I wanted to, I was too weak to push him away and so I did nothing.I barely had time to process his lips on mine when the door flew open and Kaden appeared. He was drenched by the rain and his clothes were wrinkled as if he had put them on in a hurry. His body was dripping wet and his hair was plastered to his forehead. At first there was shock on his face but it
CHAPTER 195AMELIA’S P.O.VFor a moment, Kaden just stood there staring at me and I wondered if I had pushed him too far. Perhaps it was never about me being ready, maybe he wasn’t ready to be with me after everything that happened.I felt so incredibly stupid and attempted to turn away from him when he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. I didn’t want to but we were like magnets, always drawn to each other and I couldn’t stop myself from staring straight into his eyes.“I’m only going to say this once so get this straight,” he began slowly. “I don’t ever want to see that fucking look on your face again. The only reason I said nothing is because I was thinking of how much of a bastard I would be if I fucked you right here instead of taking you up into a room.”I cracked a smile. “I don’t think I can make it upstairs.”“Me neither.”The words were barely out of his mouth before he kissed me again. I felt something akin to relief in the center of my chest. It felt good to be a
AMELIA’S P.O.VIt had been two days since Aiden came to visit and Kaden had not spoken about him. We acted as if it were a fever dream that was locked away in the far parts of our minds.I knew that Aiden wouldn’t give up anytime soon and I knew that one day, I needed to tell Kaden about what had happened but I couldn’t even figure out how to bring it up. It was unsettling and uncomfortable but I didn’t have solid proof that he meant for anything malicious to happen.“You’re thinking hard,” Kaden’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to find him standing at the doorway to the kitchenIt was his presence that reminded me of what I was doing and I cursed as I pulled the oven open. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw that my cake hadn’t burnt but if I had left it for a few more minutes, I wouldn’t have been able to say that at all.I rushed to get it out and put it on a cooling rack all the while I could see Kaden trying to hide a smile out of the corner of his eye.I was
AMELIA’S P.O.V“Hi,” I managed out as I made my way over to them and their conversation instantly ceased. I could see that Serena was itching to touch me but they both held back for my sake. “I’m not going to shatter just because you hug me.”That was all Serena needed before she rushed to her feet and threw her arms around my shoulders. She didn’t cry like the last time but I could feel her relief as she held me. I wasn’t sure how long that lasted but as soon as she pulled away, Clara’s arms were around me.“I’m so sorry,” she whispered and I could almost taste the guilt that was radiating off her.“It wasn’t your fault,” I assured her. “We were ambushed, we were sidetracked. Thar had nothing to do with you. I need you to know that.”“You were gone, for so long.”“But I’m back now,” I pulled away and grasped her shoulders. “All that matters is that I’m back now.”She gave me a small nod. I knew it would take more than that to deal with the guilt that she felt but it was a good start
AMELIA’S P.O.VIt was exactly one week since I had been back and I was yet to leave the house.Kaden had been patient with me, not forcing me to go anywhere until I was ready or making me do anything I didn’t want to but even I knew that life had to move on. I couldn’t just sit in here forever and pretend like things were fine and the constant state of boredom was driving me mad.We were having breakfast when I spoke. “I want to go out.”Kaden stopped eating, his eyes finding mine and I could see the worry in them as he slowly ran his eyes over me. He was more protective over me than usual and I didn’t blame him, especially not after what happened. If I wanted to go anywhere, especially now, I knew that there would be crazy rules to come with it.“Where do you want to go?”I shrugged. I hadn’t really thought that far. All I knew was that I didn’t want to be within the four walls of the house anymore. I wanted to talk to my friends, I wanted to be normal, I wanted to see people without
KADEN’S P.O.VWhat Amelia needed whether she realized it or not were her friends.Just those few minutes with Serena had brightened her day more than I thought was possible. It hurt that they could do more for her than I could but I didn’t care as long as it meant that she was fine, that was all that mattered to me.After the interaction with Serena, Amelia declared that she wanted to go home. I didn’t protest, didn’t even make any other suggestions, we just got into the car and drove. She didn’t hide from me when we returned which was a plus in my books, she simply sat on the couch, laying her head on my shoulder in silence.I wasn’t sure how long we stayed there but it could have been ten hours and I wouldn’t have minded. She seemed so peaceful, more than she had since she got back and I loved that for her.“I hate the silence,” she whispered and I turned to her. “When I was there with him, it was always quiet. I couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t do anything, it was just the two of us
AMELIA’S P.O.VI didn’t want to leave the house the next morning but when Kaden told me that it was to say goodbye to Jackson, I forced myself out.Going to the pack house was terrifying and the entire time, it felt like someone was breathing down my neck and the worst was yet to come. Kaden was a firm pillar by my side the entire time, he never once took his hand out of mine and he never strayed from my side. I knew that I was safe with him but that didn’t mean I still wasn’t a little scared.“You look like shit,” Jackson drawled as soon as he saw me.Kaden stiffened, not liking his tone but waiting to see my reaction. I was silent for a second before a small smile pulled at the corner of my lips. I wrapped my arms around his center clearly catching him off guard.For a moment, he didn’t move and then, ever so slowly, he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed softly.“I would say you look like shit but you actually look better,” I whispered as I pulled back.He had clearly taken a s
AMELIA’S P.O.VI knew I was hurting him by not letting him in but I couldn’t.How could he help when even I didn’t know how to help myself? I was home and that should have been the most important thing but I still found myself terrified. In my nightmare, I was back in Blake’s little hideaway house. I was back with him and my baby was gone.How could I tell Kaden that knowing fully well that he was going to lose his mind and panic? I didn’t want him stressed- didn’t need him stressed right now. One of us needed a clear head and it was obvious that person wasn’t going to be me.“Amelia, baby, please look at me,” Kaden’s voice was soft and coaxing as he wiped my tears off my cheeks. “Please.”I wasn’t sure if it was the please or the sound of pure defeat in his voice that had me slowly opening my eyes. He gave me a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and I couldn’t help it, I leaned up to kiss him. It wasn’t a deep kiss of unbridled passion, it was soft, almost explorative, just
KADEN’S P.O.VI couldn’t bring myself to fall asleep.Amelia claimed to be fine but I knew her better than I knew myself. I knew every bit of her, every smile, every freckle, every curve of her skin, I knew her emotions better than I knew my own sometimes and I knew for a fact that despite her saying otherwise, she was far from fine.I could see it in the way she hardly ever met my eyes, in the hesitation in her voice and in her determination to avoid speaking about whatever she might have faced in that place. I knew the guilt that she felt, sometimes when she let her wall down by accident, I could feel it like a bitter poison at the back of my throat threatening to choke me.It didn’t matter how many times I told her that I was fine with what happened, she couldn’t forgive herself and if she couldn’t, there was no way she was going to move past it. I wasn’t a fan of the idea of her being with Blake sexually but she did what she had to in order to survive and as much as I hated it, I
AMELIA’S P.O.VI was discharged before the end of the day.Kaden clearly didn’t agree with my choice but I doubted he could bring himself to refuse me. I knew I was being a little irrational and illogical but I couldn’t bear to be anywhere else. I wanted to be surrounded by people I knew and by my home, I wanted to be surrounded by him.He carried me into the car despite knowing I could walk and for once, I didn’t protest. Clara and Caleb were nowhere to be seen by the time we were leaving, I presumed they were giving us our space and for that, I was grateful. I loved my friends but today was not that day.As we drove past the turn to the house, I turned to Kaden. “Where are we going?”“Our home.”“But it’s that way,” I pointed towards the turn that we had missed. “Kaden, where are you taking me?”“That was my house, I’m taking you to ours.”I didn’t realize what he was talking about until he pulled up in front of a familiar building. The last time I saw it, he was still trying to per