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6
SERENA
As I stare down at the array of shopping bags covering the entirety of the large bed, I can’t help but have mixed emotions. Most girls would be falling all over themselves at a gesture like this, right? But I guess I’m not most girls.
I know I should be grateful for Reid’s thoughtfulness and generosity, but part of me rebels against being taken care of like this, determined to prove to the world that despite what I’ve been through, I’m not a victim and I can take care of myself. So instead, as I take in the overindulgence spread out on the bed before me, I’m just racked with guilt. I feel guilty for harboring resentment rather than gratitude, and I feel guilty for being on the receiving end of Reid’s kindness once again, because I sure as hell don’t deserve it.
I’m still thrown by this whole fated mates thing, and still don’t have a clue what I’m going to do about
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Alpha Reid 7
REIDI’m closing the front door behind my friends and their mates when I hear a creak on the stairs behind me. I don’t have to turn around to know it’s Serena- both because she’s the only person staying upstairs in my wing of the packhouse and because my wolf perked up as soon as her sweet scent registered. I keep discovering aspects to the mate bond that I never anticipated, like how my senses all seem heightened when it comes to her. I’ve been hyper-aware of her presence when she’s near, oddly attuned to her body language like I can almost read her well-hidden emotions.I turn to look her way, my eyes wandering her form as she hits the bottom step. She’s evidently gone through some of her new clothes- she’s changed into a pair of navy blue high-waisted yoga pants and a white cropped hoodie, her long red hair swept up into a neat ponytail. I’m not sure how it’s possible for her to be
Alpha Reid 8
SERENA“This is it,” Reid says as he turns a corner and I get my first glimpse of the squad complex. He told me all about this training facility on our way here, but even so, nothing could’ve prepared me for the reality of actually seeing it with my own eyes. His description didn’t do it justice- this place is absolutely massive, surrounded by imposing walls that tower nearly as tall as the trees that surround it on all sides.As impressive as it is from the outside, I can’t wait to see it from the inside- I’m antsy as Reid swings the Mustang into a parking spot up front beside a big black Escalade, shifting the gear into park and cutting the engine.“This place is incredible,” I breathe, craning my neck to look up at the structure through the passenger window as I unbuckle my seatbelt. “This is all just for training?”“Our full-time squad members liv
Alpha Reid 9
REID I don’t know what it is about a woman in red lipstick that I find so damn attractive, but when that flame-haired little vixen descended the packhouse stairs tonight in a tight little skirt and red lips, it immediately did something to my dick. I’ve been sporting a semi all night, barely able to think straight around Serena. Hardly able to breathe. I’m actually somewhat relieved when one of the girls suggests they go take shots and I’m given a little bit of a reprieve to collect my thoughts. “So how’s it been going?” Gray asks as soon as the girls are out of earshot, turning his attention to me. “Good,” I mumble absently, eyes glued to Serena’s ass as she heads for the bar. The crowd fills in behind her and I turn back to the guys, meeting Gray’s dubious stare. “Yeah?” he asks skeptically. I shrug. “Sure. I mean… as good as it can be going?” I scrub a hand over my face, chuckling wryly. “Fuck
Alpha Reid 10
SERENA It feels like electricity is crackling between us, and my thoughts are so clouded with lust that I can’t concentrate on anything but Reid- his heady scent, his dominating presence as he towers behind me. The growly baritone of his voice. I suck in a breath as his other hand joins the first, stroking down my back until one lands on each hip, squeezing gently. Then he moves them both down over the curve of my ass painfully slowly, his fingers toying with the hem of my skirt as my core starts to throb with need. I’ve never done this before- never even considered it. But when Reid asked if I wanted him to punish me, I came to the startling realization that yes, that’s exactly what I want. There’s no mistaking the way my body reacts to his, and I don’t want to think anymore, I just want to feel. Even if it can’t last. Even if it’s just for right now. “You sure about this?” he asks, and my body’s so on fire t
Alpha Reid 11
REID Using a pair of tongs, I grab the last piece of sizzling bacon out of the frying pan, adding it to the plate beside the stove that’s already piled high. Despite the chaos of last night, I had a fucking fantastic night’s sleep and woke up feeling refreshed, ready to take on the day. I came downstairs, started cranking Bruce Springsteen, and got to work making breakfast- my mom’s famous French toast that she used to make when I was a kid and two full pounds of bacon. I turn off the burner on the stove, nodding my head and singing along to the Springsteen hit ‘I’m On Fire’ as I head to the fridge to pull out a carton of orange juice. My favorite line of the song drops and I bust a little dance move as I turn around to set the juice on the counter, reaching into the cabinet overhead to retrieve a couple of glasses. Now all that’s missing is… I glance up toward the staircase, smiling as I spot Serena on the la
Alpha Reid 12
Serena“Fuck,” I mutter as I trip over a tree root protruding from the earth, coming down hard on a knee. I catch my upper body with both hands, skinning my palms as they slide across the hard-packed dirt of the forest floor. I’m tired and sweaty and exhausted, tears of frustration springing to my eyes as I struggle back to my feet. I’ve been out here for hours, trying my damndest to figure out where Reid and I first ran into each other the other night. Trying to retrace my steps, though at this point that exercise seems pretty fucking useless.It doesn’t help that I don’t know this terrain at all. I tried my best to study the map of the six-pack territory in Reid’s office last night, but I didn’t want to linger in there too long and risk getting caught- and it’s a lot different looking at something on paper than it is actually trying to navigate it on foot. The territory borders are fairly
Alpha Reid 13
REIDI look up from the open refrigerator as I hear the front door of the packhouse swing open, my wolf instantly perking up as Serena breezes through.“Hi!” she greets brightly, her delicious scent practically slapping me in the face as she pushes the door closed behind her. She’s wearing leggings and another one of those cropped hoodies that shows a tantalizing strip of her flat stomach- this one is light blue, the same hue as her eyes. Her hair is pulled back in two French braids, and I can’t help but crack a smile as I recall a joke that Theo used to crack about pigtails being used as ‘handlebars’.“Hey,” I call back to her, reaching for a bowl in the fridge filled with fruit. I select a juicy looking red apple and step back, the refrigerator door swinging closed as I step over to the sink to rinse the piece of fruit. “How’d it go?”I had some pack business to
Alpha Reid 14
SERENAThe moment his lips descended on mine, I was a goner.Damn him. Damn him and those ice blue eyes that seem have a way of staring straight through to my soul, threatening to steal my secrets.Damn the way his smile makes my heart stutter in my chest and his touch makes my skin smolder beneath his capable hands.Damn those soft lips and that demanding tongue that skillfully moved against my own and robbed me of every last ounce of resolve.Damn him for ruining me for all other men, because I know I can’t have him, and as long as I live nobody else will ever begin to compare to Reid Raines. I bring a hand up to my lips as I lay on my bed, tracing my fingers over them while my eyes slide closed and my mind drifts back to that moment between us in the forest- the moment when we both finally succumbed to the pull of the mate bond. In the days since it snapped in, we&rsquo
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