Reese
Ordinarily, I’m the levelheaded one out of the three of us. Asher joked around too much, and Jax had a tendency to act before he thought in most instances, although I conceded he had changed considerably in this regard since meeting Willow.
I didn’t imagine kissing my mate on a whim for the first time, but I hadn’t been sure what else to do in the moment. She was going to reject me, just like that. I hadn’t even known her name at that point.
Yet, her flaming locks, mile-long legs, and striking blue eyes were ingrained in my mind the second she had strolled into that room earlier this evening.
Thank Luna, the mating bond seemed to have held us together for now, but for how long was anyone’s guess.
She’d had this tortured look in her eyes when she began her rejection, like it was the last thing she wanted to be doing.
Maybe I was imagining it, but I didn’t think so. The evident torment gracing her beautiful features was enough to prevent me from freaking out about the fact my happiness was balanced so unsteadily on a knife-edge.
It had nearly killed me to walk away, and I’m convinced I only managed it because she placed the barrier of the solid wooden door between us before I could reach out and pull her lean figure into me once more.
My wolf was royally pissed, and I was only holding him back by a thin tether as I continued tramping away from where we both wanted to be.
I sent out a mind link to Asher, hoping for any type of distraction.
{Hey, Ash. Are you guys still hashing things out at Jax’s?}
His response was immediate and gave my random wanderings a purpose as I redirected my route accordingly when he informed me of his whereabouts.
{No, Jax was eager to wrap things up after the excitement faded. I have to say I’m shocked to hear from you so soon, man. I’m at my lodge if you need to talk.}
I refrained from transforming into my wolf, knowing I would lose any shred of control that hadn’t already slipped through my fingers if I gave my animal another centimeter.
I may not have been as vocal about Asher for my desires to find my soulmate, but I had prayed as fervently as him for the female I could cherish as my own, at any rate.
Asher’s temporary residence was in sight when I heard the foreboding howl pierce through the normal noises of the night life.
My wolf redoubled his efforts to break free, and I found myself hunched over with my elongated claws digging gouges into the earth after I wrangled him back into the corner of my head and assessed my position.
I didn’t like the feeling of trepidation spreading through me, but I couldn’t pinpoint the reason behind it. I had an all-consuming desire to return to Scarlett’s side, but I had promised to give her time when we communicated for those brief moments.
The last thing I needed was to push her, especially when she had already been so quick to attempt to deny our bond.
I righted myself and joined Asher who was standing at the open door to his abode, eyeing me inquisitively, but wisely ignoring my lapse in control as I followed him into the kitchen. He promptly poured me a scotch, skipping the ice, so the liquid went down smooth as I guzzled it like it was water.
I promised myself I would give Scarlett until the morning after our less than satisfactory discussion before, but my frazzled state told me I likely wouldn’t make it that long.
“That bad, huh?” Asher asked as I tipped my glass in his direction, indicating the refill I wanted.
He readily obliged me as I answered, “I don’t want to talk about it. Tell me what I missed during the meeting.”
“Basically, a bunch of bullshit, man. There are reports of rogues moving throughout all of the provinces, and the bears are moving near the Northern Territory. I haven’t had time to root out the elders in between juggling my pack and helping here, but we didn’t figure anything new out after you took off.”
The alcohol did little to numb my senses, and I had difficulty concentrating on Asher with my mind continuously circling back to my mate, no matter how much I tried to listen to his words.
The rogues’ activity made sense considering the number of wolves Asher and I had ousted from the Southern Territory after Zeke revealed his hand, but I didn’t have the right headspace to chat about the overall threat to our species at the moment.
I got to the heart of the matter regarding my ulterior motive for seeking him out, not knowing if it was germane to his current line of conversation as I dived in headfirst, “We need to find someone to take over permanently as alpha here. We can’t keep dividing our attention between our packs.”
“I can’t say you’re wrong, but we will have to discuss it later. Go get your girl, man. You’re obviously too distracted to do anything else. Ryker should be able to handle things here for now with Theo’s help after he gets here, and I’m not leaving for another few days.”
I didn’t waste time making up excuses or arguing with him. Rather, I took his words to heart and reversed back down the hallway and out into the cool night air after giving him a sharp nod of thanks.
The short walk to Scarlett’s house went by in an instant, and I was knocking on the wooden door a few minutes later
My enthusiasm faded as Veronica opened the door, but the anxiety I had been attempting to squash escalated to a near fever pitch at the sympathy I saw shining like a beacon through her eyes as she peered up at me with a pained expression.
“Hey, Reese. She’s not here.”
Those three words confirmed my worst fears as she got straight to the point. I don’t know how I made it through the next few minutes without spontaneously combusting as she told me the little she did know about where my mate had absconded to.
At the same time, I comprehended that talking was futile when my words came out garbled through my growls. Further, her answers proved to be less than informative, so I gave up the attempt altogether.
My wolf exploded from within, and I was racing after Scarlett’s most recent scent trail before I knew it.
At first, I didn’t believe she could’ve made it far, but I was swiftly shown just how wrong I was to underestimate her when I followed the delicate scent of wildflowers straight to its end at the edge of the ice-cold river.
My mate was far cleverer than I had given her credit for, but it only pissed my wolf off more to be at a loss for where our other half could have disappeared to.
Reese I burned through a ridiculous amount of time and energy chasing dead ends, and I had almost given up altogether when I felt that first gentle pull. I had collapsed to the ground, resting my legs after travelling through most of the night when I noticed the first sign of something off. I had expected to find Scarlett within the hour, but my expectations were thwarted before long as the hour turned into me journeying through the territories in search of my wayward mate. She had managed to stay one step ahead of me this entire time, and I was nearing the point of exhaustion. Regrettably, I knew I would have to find somewhere to rest before I passed out in my present spot. I hated the idea of closing my eyes without her safe in my arms beside me, but I wouldn’t be of any use to her if I got myself killed while dozing out in the open. I couldn’t get the thought of rogues, bears, or any other heretofore unfamiliar threat out o
Scarlett I had never seen Reese’s wolf before, but I would have bet everything I owned on the long-furred, gray wolf who appeared out of thin air being my mate, anyhow. Initially, I felt elation at his arrival, but it was overshadowed by the ensuing pandemonium unfolding after his advent. I wasn’t able to process the events transpiring around me until after I made Jace help me get Reese back inside the cave when he lost consciousness after the fight. I hadn’t noticed the dark shadows under his eyes before, but I couldn’t unsee his worn-out countenance now that I had, not feel horrible for putting him through the wringer when he had done nothing wrong. I searched my mind for another topic. I wasn’t ready to confront my inner demons, but I wasn’t thrilled with the alternate path I latched onto in my desperation either. It wasn’t easy to accept my former friends had completely changed from when I knew them. The bear shifter had s
Reese I’d fought right alongside my males and the other alphas for two long years against the invading bears, and those years had been fraught with danger and death around every corner. Many wolves hadn’t made it through the darkest times in our recent history to be able to forge new beginnings. Even so, I honestly believed my jaunt through the forest with my mate to my home base would be what finally did me in. Our progress was slow at first due to our injuries and exhaustion, but we eventually made it to the pack house in the Western Province a few hours ago. It had been hell keeping my hands off of Scarlett, especially with Jace’s scent still clinging to her skin the few times we shifted shapes, and I was ultimately unable to resist at least kissing her enticing lips once more. She may have fled afterward, but it didn’t escape my notice that she returned my affections until she tore herself away, fleeing in a flustered stat
Reese The renovations were coming along nicely, and there hadn’t been any more rogue attacks nearby since we arrived in the Western Province a few days ago. I idly wondered how long the calm would hold before everything went to shit again. Once I was sure Oliver was prepared for my absence, I found Scarlett, wearing a new path through the front lawn as she anxiously paced back and forth. “Are you ready to go, Fire?” She froze, stiffening as I approached, but she relaxed a second later, answering, “Yes. My wolf needs to run.” She didn’t dither, pulling the hem of the striking blue blouse she was wearing up and over her head as she finished her statement. I ripped my gaze away from her tantalizing curves on full display, knowing we would never make it to my personal refuge if I let myself drink in her figure. “Remember to stay with me. I’m not taking any risks with your safety, and you’re going to love the place
Scarlett My mind was racing a million miles a minute as I moved my feet over the rocky earth, wearing a path into the ground with the number of times I had already traversed it waiting for Reese so I could finally shift into my wolf de novo. I hated not being free to do as I wished, but I was used to the limitations after living under Zeke for so long. That wasn’t to say I was a stranger to breaking the rules, but I understood the importance of them this time, so I restrained myself from sneaking off for a sprint on my own. We had been here for a few days, but I hadn’t seen much of my mate. He crept into my room each night and slept near me as his wolf, but I made a concerted effort to avoid him at all costs each morning after. I knew it wasn’t the mature thing to do, but I was still struggling to come to terms with the idea of having another male in my life for any period of time, let alone another true mate. R
Scarlett Communication was hard while I was on four legs rather than two without mind link to connect Reese and I as we ran in sync after the scout. It was near impossible with us stealthily tailing the wolf who had been spying on us, and it made interacting with one another difficult, to say the least. I wasn’t sure if Reese had seen the same thing as me, but he followed after me without a second thought, regardless. Nonetheless, I didn’t need his deep voice constantly cautioning me in my head through mind link to know I needed to fall back as I began to comprehend the magnitude of what our sleuth led us to sometime later. Reese stayed shoulder to shoulder with me as I dashed back to the vehicle, but I didn’t bother shifting shapes when we got there. My mind was still reeling with the unmistakable indicators of the impending battle heading our way that Reese and I had uncovered. I registered him speaking
Reese My mind had been a muddled mess ever since the first second I’d laid eyes on the fiery vixen soaking in the hot springs before me in Jax’s lodge about a month ago, but I had felt more myself over the last several days as I used my analytical side to give the others the best chance to fend off the incoming attack. I hadn’t originally been sure if the infiltrators would follow the same pattern as they had been, but my beta had kept me updated about their movements on the fringe, so it was music to my ears when Oliver informed me the bears had funneled in through the North as we intended when they launched their assault. I had been consumed with dealing with all the information filtering in from elsewhere since the evacuation went off without a hitch. Consequently, Scarlett had been able to successfully avoid the topic of how she was so familiar with the bear shifters up until now. I slipped into the temperate water beside her, wad
Reese I awoke in the morning feeling better than I had any other day of my life, the difference being Scarlett had allowed me to ensconce her in my arms for the remainder of the night as we found the land of dreams together. The pleasant feeling coursing through my blood put an extra pep in my step as Scarlett and I set off for the bears’ territory. I had rigged up a bag I would be able to carry on my shoulders as we traversed the country, but I needed my mate to secure it in place before she shifted. I didn’t let myself admire her mile-long legs or other desirable assets, knowing we would never make it to the bears before the elder if I started down that path. I was thrilled with the progress I made in getting my other half to fully accept me, but my wolf was antsy to advance to the claiming stage. I couldn’t say I blamed him, it had been over a month at this point, and there were times when I thought I would go mad with the