Elena I have no idea what time it is when I finally wake the next day, Mason’s semi-hard cock still sheathed snugly inside me. For someone who claims to have been a virgin before last night, he seemed to know my body better than I do. And he was insatiable, intent on trying everything his very vivid imagination could conjure, all in one night. At one point I’d drifted off only to be roused awake by his face buried between my thighs, his silky tongue sliding between my folds while he moaned like I was his favorite meal. When I threaded my fingers through his hair and let out a breathy sigh, he looked up at me with a wolfish grin, pure male pride written all over his face. Not that I'm complaining. It’s my new favorite way to wake up. But now I have to return to reality and the truth is, I have no idea what the fuck I’m going to do. Mason is my Goddess-given mate, there’s no denying that. But Asher and Aspen might be too. I asked them all for space then practically begged Mason to

Mason The chains binding Asher and Aspen’s body are connected at both ends to the shackles on their wrists and ankles. I aim for the ankles first as they’re easier to reach. The clang of metal on metal and the sickening crunch of bones breaking, along with Asher’s scream, echoes through the cavernous space. The shackle cracks but Asher’s ankles are bent at an unnatural angle and it takes all I have not to lose my lunch. I breathe through my mouth, trying not to add the smell of blood, fury and fear to the already nauseating conditions. I’m about to aim for the metal ring in the ceiling his wrist cuffs are strung through when I hear Ellie behind me, lashing out at the twins’ father. “Why? Why did you do this to them? I’ll fucking kill you!” I spin around to see her staring at him with her fists clenched, the roots tightening around him. “Ellie, stop!” I reach for her, pulling her away from him. “I can’t let you murder him. And if I can’t trust you not to hurt him, I can’t focus on

Elena I’ve been arguing with my parents for the last hour and we’re at a stalemate. I get that they’re worried about my safety, but I won’t be bullied into leaving my home or my mates. Sooner or later, they’re going to have to accept the fact that I’m a grown ass woman and can make my own decisions about my life. I mean, what would Mason even say to his pack if he brought me home? I’m nowhere near ready to be named his Luna. The two of us have barely begun to share the same space without irritating the fuck out of each other. The future is a topic neither of us has dared discuss. Adira is clawing at my skull, anxious to be let out to bond with her mates. She has no interest in this conversation beyond it being over and I’m inclined to agree with her. The four of us need to spend some time together. Everything else can wait. “Look,” I sigh, tired of fighting. “I know this is coming from a place of love and I'm so lucky to have parents that care the way you all do. But our bonds

Elena The icy shards of betrayal pierce my heart as the truth sinks in. Everyone I’ve ever trusted has lied to me. Everyone I thought I knew, thought I could depend on to always be truthful with me, they all fed me falsehoods, deceptions of their own making, and then looked me in the eye and told me they’d always be there to pick up the pieces as I crumbled, knowing full well they were the cause of my shattered life to begin with. “Elena, please! Try to understand!” Ryan, I refuse to call him father, begs of me. “Understand what? How you all schemed behind my back to ruin my life? How you forced the one person I needed more than you, more than my next breath, to abandon me? How you let an adolescent boy, barely more than a child himself, rip my heart out, shredding his own in the process, and guilted him into taking the blame for it? “How could you possibly expect me to ever understand that? Do you have any idea what you’ve stolen from us? From me? You destroyed every dream I eve

Asher “What the fuck are you doing?” Aspen attacks me the second Mason pulls Elena aside. “You’re my brother, my twin, and I’ll always support you but this is our mate, our entire future at stake. You better explain this shit to me right now!” “I know it sucks but you also know I’m right. We need to be here for dad’s trial and there’s still a killer on the loose. Our time is better spent here, finding the fucker and making Elena safe!” I try the same line but he isn’t buying it. “No! That’s the bullshit you plan to distract yourself with so you don’t spend all your time thinking about how fucked up it is that you let our mate walk away for no damn good reason! We can’t keep her safe if we’re not with her and you fucking know it!” Aspen always has this uncanny ability to see right through me and he doesn’t hesitate to call me on it. All I can do is shake my head and sigh. He’s not going to let it go, leaving me no choice but to shatter his happy little bubble. But it was bound