All Chapters of Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

(Piper POV)As I walk into the diner, I am aware that Leo Bloodstone is nearby. It is weird that I can somehow sense him even though he must be too far away for me to smell him… but I can. Maybe it is just that his strong alpha energy sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the humans in this area. In fact, that is probably exactly what it is. When I was younger, I remember always being able to sense when Xander was around when our families went on trips together through human territories. (Those trips did not happen very often, but I have fond memories of the few we took.) Now that I have sensed Leo nearby, a part of me wants to keep running. However, at this point, I am too tired to do so. Penelope is too. Although my head wounds are healing, the more the adrenaline fades, the more drained I become. On top of that, neither Penelope nor I have gotten much sleep since we ran. We have alternated between our wolf and human forms, in the hopes of giving one another rest breaks,

(Piper POV)“Good. Now let’s really talk,” Leo says.I nod, but my heart starts racing. I’m nervous about this conversation. Really nervous.“You know, Leo is pretty hot,” Penelope links me. “And I like that he keeps protecting us. I wouldn’t mind a repeat of what happened between you two at Wildwood.”I sigh. I want to ignore Penelope’s comments as being more silliness from my unusually sex-crazed wolf, but the sad truth is that I agree with her. Leo’s dark hair has grown a little since I last saw him at Wildwood. It is still fairly short, but it is long enough now to reveal that he has natural waves in it. Meanwhile, his arms —which are just as muscular as before— look absolutely mouth-watering in his button-up shirt, which is rolled up to his elbows. And don’t get me started on his tight a&&, which I got a glimpse of when he got up to send Charlie away. In fact, his a&& alone looks good enough to make me want to drop my panties right here and now.No. Stop it Piper. I

(Piper POV)Note to self: Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it.I wanted a reason to hate Leo Bloodstone, and he had just given it to me.“What the f&ck, Leo? Why isn’t this ring coming off?!?!”Leo smiled. That sexy, evil smile of his.“I had it spelled by a witch. It will come off only when I release the spell.”His tone was so matter-of-fact… and so innocent… that you could almost believe that it was no big deal. But, of course, it was a VERY big deal. To think just fifteen minutes ago, I was getting upset about a stupid sandwich when he had this up his sleeve the entire time.“Told you,” Penelope linked me.“You don’t get to tell me ‘I told you so’ when you were the one wanting to jump his bones not even ten minutes ago,” I linked back.I turned my attention back to Leo. “Do you really think an engagement ring is going to prevent me from running away from you again?” I sneered. “Or make me marry you?”Leo laughed. “You have no idea, Little Pea.”“I don’t li

(Piper POV)I woke up feeling happy, well-rested, and energized. My pillow was a little firm for my liking, but it smelled really good.“Little Pea?” a husky voice said next to me.Thanks to just-waking-up grogginess, I was a little confused to hear another voice in the room. In my groggy mind, I was alone in my bed back at Moon Shadow. I got even more confused when I felt someone begin to rub circles on my back.But then —much quicker than if I had been in a drug or alcohol-induced haze— everything came back to me. I opened my eyes. My “pillow” was Leo Bloodstone. And he was the one rubbing circles on my back. I sat up and started to panic, but Leo brushed my hair out of my face and took my face gently in his hands.“Ssshhhhhhh. It’s okay, Little Pea. You are safe,” he soothed.Safe? He thought that I was safe? I was alone in a hotel room, in bed with the wolf that I have been running from for over two years. How was that safe?“I-I have to go.” I tried to push Leo’s han

(Xander POV)“Bring me three more shots of whiskey and a Long Island Iced Tea,” I tell the bartender.The 30-ish looking human gives me a funny look. “Man, you’ve already had four rounds of those in the last hour.”“And?”“I can’t serve someone who is visibly intoxicated. Liability issues.”I roll my eyes. “Do I look visibly intoxicated to you?”The bartender shrugs. “No, I guess not. But I’ve seen men pass out after drinking far less.”“Do I look passed out?”“No.”“Then bring me my f&&king drinks,” I growl.The bartender watches me for a few seconds, and then backs off. “Fine. I’ll be right back.”Goddess, this is why I hate human bars. Bars not familiar with werewolves tend to water down drinks or get all judgy, like this guy.Normally, I would get annoyed and go home, but this is the first time that Daphne has let me out of her sight in four f&&king days, and I am going to enjoy every last minute of the peace and quiet. And then tomorrow, we will go back to Blue Ridge.Hon