Novels by Annie Whipple

1. AlienationBELLEI fell asleep on the bathroom floor that night. It was a bit demeaning to sleep on the cold, marble floor, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave. I didn’t want to face Grayson. I groaned in pain when I awoke, then rolled over and sat up so that my aching back was against the cabinets. I sighed when I finally stood and saw what I looked like in the mirror. My hair was going in every direction, and tear stains streaked my face and neck. I’d spent most of the night silently crying, not wanting Grayson to hear me but also not being able to stop myself from replaying what had happened between us. I didn’t know what I had done to deserve all of his harsh words. It took me awhile, but I finally worked up the courage to leave the bathroom. I felt terrible after last night. What hurt the most, though, was that I knew he was partially right. I was his mate. I was supposed to be okay with him touching me. Wasn’t I? Take the time you need… His earlier words repeated

1. Sinister ShiftBELLESometime during the middle of the night, I was awoken by the feeling of fiery kisses on my neck. My eyes flew open immediately and I gasped, recognizing the familiar sparks. “Grayson?” I asked into the darkness, reaching out for him. “Mm-hmm?” he asked as he continued his kissing and gripped my waist. I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the light. My heart soared when I realized that he seemed to be in a better mood than the last time I’d seen him. He seemed to have found his old passion for physical contact with me. I sighed in relief. I guess he was just stressed earlier. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips to mine for a deep kiss that chased all the tension out of my body. After a few minutes, I pulled away to try to catch my breath, and Grayson returned to kissing my neck. I tried shoving him away from me playfully so that I could see him and talk to him, but he just growled loudly and snapped his teeth at me. Okay… Suddenly,

1. Cold AwakeningBELLEI woke up the next morning feeling cold and groggy. I hadn’t slept well. After Grayson had left with his shocking news, I’d taken a shower and put on the ‘pajamas’ he’d given me. Then I’d sat on the bed for a couple of hours, waiting for him to come back, worried out of my mind. I didn’t know anything about vampires, and, although Grayson had promised he would be okay, I couldn’t control my anxiety. I’d stayed up as long as I could before the jet lag had gotten the best of me, forcing me into a restless sleep. Once awake, I had rolled over to snuggle closer to Grayson, only to find that he wasn’t in bed. He didn’t have his arms wrapped around me—wasn’t caressing my face, my back… Playing with my hair. I frowned and sat up. This was the first time since I’d met him that I hadn’t woken up with him by my side. It didn’t feel right. My anxiety immediately spiked as the events from last night came back to me. Grayson never came back. I got out of bed an

1. Scent of PossessionBELLE I let out the biggest yawn of my entire life as Grayson and I walked up the stairs. I leaned heavily against him, letting him lead us to his room. He chuckled and swiftly lifted me into his arms. I sighed happily and nuzzled into his chest. I felt his lips on my head. “I feel like two human newlyweds as I carry you off to our honeymoon,” Grayson said. I laughed, “Yeah, it really feels like that.” “Well, this is the beginning of our new life, so it might as well be our honeymoon.” The only difference was that newlyweds knew that they were going to be together forever.Who knows if Grayson will really always want me? The thought of Grayson getting tired of me and not wanting me in his life anymore made me suddenly sick to my stomach. Who would’ve thought… Only a few days ago, I was plotting to get away from the man holding me, and now I was panicking over whether we would be together forever. As we came to a set of wooden doors, Grayson sto

1. Becoming LunaBELLEAs we turned off the path that had led us through the Minnesota wilderness, and onto a long pebbled driveway that would take us to Grayson’s home, it felt like there was a bundle of nerves sitting at the bottom of my stomach like a rock. It was the middle of the night, so I knew that I probably wouldn’t have to meet many people tonight, but I was still nervous. I was about to start my new life in my new home with a man I had only met a few weeks ago but somehow loved. If that wasn’t enough, I was supposed to help him lead with no experience of leadership. I mean, I barely knew anything about werewolves, and now I was about to become ‘luna’ of an entire pack. How did that make sense? We were sitting in the back of a car that he had left at the airport. Grayson, always knowing when I was feeling uneasy, wrapped a comforting arm around me and gently pulled me to him. He rubbed his nose against the side of my head. “What’s bothering you, baby?” I shrugge

1. Change of HeartBELLEI sat on the bed late in the afternoon, watching Grayson pack up our hotel room as we prepared to go home. We would board our flight tonight around midnight Paris time. I had tried to help, but he’d just growled at me and told me to sit down. Tired from our adventure-filled day, I hadn’t bothered arguing. We’d spent the day seeing everything there was to see in Paris, and it had been absolutely amazing. My face hurt from smiling so much. I was still smiling as I watched Grayson move around the room, glancing at me every once in a while and smiling back at me. Everything about him was perfect. I couldn’t help but admire the way his body moved and how his large muscles flexed. He was breathtaking; it was hard to believe that a guy like him would want a girl like me. “Grayson?” I asked him hesitantly. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Please don’t be mad,” I said as I wrung my hands. He turned to me fully. “Okay, now you’ve really got my attent

4. Unexpected ReinforcementsGRAYSONI stood stoically at the edge of the training grounds as I watched my pack members train.After my conversation with Kyle, I needed time to process things, so he left me alone and went to train with the others.Something small suddenly wrapped itself around my leg. My first instinct was to kick the thing off me, but then I looked down. It was Zoe.Zoe was only five years old, and one of my pack’s more rambunctious young wolves.I wasn’t surprised to see that she had somehow managed to sneak away from the pack house where all of the younger pups were supposed to be. Zoe was always finding ways to get into trouble.She didn’t say anything as she hugged onto my leg like some sort of monkey. She simply watched the werewolves in front of us with wide eyes filled with interest.I always liked Zoe, and she seemed to like me. She was one of the reasons that I wanted to have kids.We formed a bond a while back as soon as she could talk and ended up spending

3. The Unwilling AlphaGRAYSONThe training grounds—a huge plot of land, only a five-minute walk from the pack house—were full of werewolves.Most were already in wolf form. Some were fighting off in the distance, but many were in a large group, listening to Casimir speak.I wasn’t surprised. Casimir was Zagan’s second-born, a vampire prince.I remember sitting with my father when I was young, listening to him tell me about the Mortars and the special abilities they obtained.They were an exceedingly gifted family and had been this way for centuries.Depending on when they were born in relation to their siblings, each child that was conceived had a unique role.As expected, the firstborn was the heir to the throne. They were born with natural leadership skills.The firstborn Mortar became king or queen when they came of age. Azazel had been the firstborn of his family, destined to be king.The second child born into the Mortar family was a warrior, strong and agile. They would take ov

2. Unwanted AlliancesGRAYSON“Go with the beta,” Zagan told Minnie and Casimir after Kyle had left the room.“Inform the wolves how to fight vampires during battle.”They nodded and followed in the direction that Kyle had gone.Once alone, Zagan and I faced each other. I didn’t hide my narrowed look. I wanted him to know that I didn’t trust him. Not yet, at least.How the king of vampires came to be standing in my bedroom, in front of the bed where my mate and I were meant to sleep, was beyond me.Never in a million years did I think I would allow this to happen. My wolf and I were on edge with the entire situation. I was anxious to leave.I didn’t want to stay here with him, knowing I should go help prepare my pack, but I had questions that needed to be answered.Zagan looked around as he approached me, examining the large suite. He nodded in approval. “I have to say, Alpha, your pack house is very impressive.”I nearly scoffed. This was coming from the man who had lived in a castle

1. Haunting MemoriesGRAYSONMy head was spinning.Everything was a blur, my ears were ringing, and my stomach felt as if I were about to heave up my intestines. What the hell had just happened?I opened my eyes. Still disoriented, I looked around the room, trying to gain my bearings, although it proved very difficult.One second I had been standing in my room with Kyle and three red-eyed vampires, and the next, I was in a forest in front of hundreds of newborn vampires and Azazel, all of them determined to kill me and my pack members.I was relieved when I realized I was back in my room once again, lying on the hardwood floor.Although my body felt sore and weak—an effect of some sort of magic, I’m sure—the pain coursing through me wasn’t my initial worry. War was coming. And soon.Azazel’s threatening words were fresh in my mind.“Tell my brother to prepare himself, Alpha Grayson. His time as king is over,” he had said. ~“We’re coming.”~I became aware of other people in the room,

3. Tension and TemptationAce drove us to school in silence. Silence wasn’t unusual with Ace. He was a quiet, brooding man, yet he commanded the attention of every room he entered and could quiet anyone with a single look.Usually, I didn’t mind how quiet he was. I liked doing all the talking. Ace was an incredible listener and, though careful with his words, gave great advice.Today, however, his silence was unsettling. He was white-knuckling the steering wheel, his arm muscles taut. There was something on his mind.I wanted to ask him about what we did this morning but I was too nervous to bring it up.I didn’t regret anything, but I wanted to know what he was thinking.The way he touched me this morning was new and shocking and…good. It felt right.But he was my best friend. And although what happened this morning made it seem like there might be something more between us, it could also have just been a fit of his teenage-boy hormones.He called me his friend this morning, didn’t h

2. Forbidden DesiresAce grinned against my skin and repeated the motion again and again until we had an easy rhythm going as we gyrated against each other.It took me a moment to realize what exactly he was doing to me and why it felt so good. He had found my clit and was now dry-humping me against him, rubbing the pulsing nub against his leg. Heat arrowed down to the juncture between my thighs, leaving throbbing pleasure behind. I bit my lip to keep my moans in, even though I knew he hated it when I did that.“Never keep your sweet noises from me,” he always said. “I want to hear it when I make what’s mine feel good.”Noticing my silence, Ace squeezed my hips in warning. I dropped my lip from between my teeth. He continued to guide my body against him, rocking me, and the whimpers came pouring out of me.Why didn’t we start doing this a long time ago?Because you’re just friends, you idiot! the voice of reason said in my head. ~This doesn’t mean the same to him as it does to you!

1. Morning SparksELEVEN YEARS LATERThe early-morning sun was on a mission to blind me the moment I woke up. I groaned and shoved a pillow over my face.Ace shifted behind me, hugging me closer to his chest and nuzzling his face into the back of my neck. Sparks raced down my spine.This was how I woke up most days: dressed in one of Ace’s shirts and a pair of panties, with Ace wrapped around me like a koala and a warm feeling in my chest.I wouldn’t have it any other way. It felt like he was guarding me from the rest of the world, like I was wrapped in a cocoon of his protection.“Ace,” I said, elbowing him to get his attention, “what time is it?”He didn’t reply, simply tightening his arms and nudging one of his legs between mine. I couldn’t tell where my body ended and his began.I groaned again, lifting my head so I could look at the clock.“Oh, my gosh!” I yelled. “Ace, you need to get out of here! It’s almost seven thirty!”Ace didn’t react, behaving as if I had said nothing at

PrologueI was six years old the day I met Ace.I was on a cruise with my family in the Bahamas. Back then, it was just me, my mom, and my dad. Joe, my stepdad, and all the kids that came with him didn’t come until much later.I remember being happy. So, so happy. It was the first vacation we had ever been on as a family, and my parents had saved up for a long time.My parents and I were splashing around in the pool, laughing as we enjoyed ourselves. It was the summer they taught me how to swim.Back home, they were always so busy, especially my dad. After school every day, I went straight to daycare and wouldn’t see them until late.We spent weekends together, but I never had their full attention on me. Something always came up. Dad was definitely a workaholic, returning home late every night.So, this vacation, with their undivided attention on me, was a dream come true.My dad had just pulled me into his arms and was getting ready to toss me back into the water when Ace appeared ne