Scott made his way up to the house with his men behind him. The first of the meetings were scheduled for tonight, and he needed to get there before the sun went down. He’d spent most of his time at the diner watching Lilly. She served him without really seeing him. He’d never anticipated her anger like he did. Alaric had been right, and he’d get punished for keeping Lilly secret. They all had rules, and lying about his mate broke the rules.Lewis refused to talk to him, and he sensed Darcy and Nathan’s disapproval.Crazy Lizzy sat on the steps outside the house. She stared up at the sky. “You’re early,” she said.“I’ve got nowhere else to be.”“Everyone is waiting for you.” Lizzy stood then walked into the house.He turned to his men. “I know you think I did the wrong thing, but you’ve got to understand I was doing what I thought was right to protect her.”“You’ve put her in more danger by refusing her claim by your side. I sense her leaving us,” Lewis said.“I won’t let Lilly leave.
Scott watched her head toward the door. Her depth of emotion startled him. And she’d been right in everything she said.You can’t let her get away. She’s our mate.We need her.Fix her and keep her.Charging to the door he placed a hand on the hard wood against her head.He closed the door. Her shoulders slumped as her head rested against the door. “What are you doing?” she asked, quietly.“I’m sorry.” With his free hand he brushed the hair off her neck. “You’re my mate, Lilly. I’m an idiot. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I’m a wolf, and I’m the alpha, and for the first time I was scared.” He cupped her neck, stroking the pulse that pounded under his touch.“You’re doing this on purpose,” she said. Her voice sounded breathy. Arousal gripped him as he pressed against her. Every time he was arou
Scott held Lilly’s hand as he made his way through the forests. He felt the happiness of his pack as they saw her. Alexander and Charles were standing at the head waiting for him. Crazy Lizzy danced toward him.“This is the right thing to do. You’re saving yourself and her,” Lizzy said, smiling. She wrapped her arms around Lilly. “Soon, we’ll be good friends and Layla will too. I can’t wait for Layla to join our friendship. She’s going to be a hoot. You just need to drop that pesky thrall.”Lizzy danced away. He watched as she wove her way around his pack. Alaric stood without his shirt with his bears. Gripping her hand tightly, Scott made his way toward the head. Several murmurs erupted when they saw the state of his back. Lilly had marked him deeply. Her scent covered him. The smell of strawberry and vanilla permeated the air.When he got to the head of the pack, Scott took the time to show Lilly to his vis
Three months laterLilly stared up at the sun as Scott caressed her face with a daisy. The last three months had been a whirlwind of activity. The biggest change for her was the tattoo she now held on her back with a wolf and Scott’s name underneath. The love she felt for her mate had grown, and every day that passed without the vampire’s enthrallment had brought her closer to Scott. There were no lies, and they were inseparable.Alexander and Charles remained in town, but everyone else had left to go and deal with their own covens or packs. The fear of the Disaster of the Otherworld still stayed with all of them. Lilly wouldn’t forget the mark of the cult that was determined to ruin all of their lives.“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Loved.”He chuckled. Scott moved the daisy down to her exposed breast. They’d made love in the fields next to the lake. He wouldn’t let her out of his sight, a
Ava watched as another of her pack was slaughtered by the intruder. The silver chains around her wrists, ankles, and neck stopped her from doing anything. Her alpha and his queen had already been killed in the invasion. She was originally from the city, but every month around the time of the full moon she traveled to the country to run with her pack. Ava knew she shouldn’t really see the pack she ran with as hers. They only put up with her because Zedi and Roger demanded they did.None of the other members of the pack really liked her. Still, the open air of the city did not compare to the scent of the forest, the fresh grass, or the feel of other wolves, even if they were unfriendly. She had not found any other pack and wasn’t interested in being rejected at every turn, which was why she stayed where she was. Better the devil you know and all that. But now even that was being taken away from her as she watched members of her back being slaughtered by a man she didn’t know.She was kn
Fred stared down at the woman before him. The girl who she’d tried to bargain for was whimpering off in the corner. He really couldn’t give a shit about anyone in the pack, but this woman’s scent drew him to her. There was no evil on her person whereas the rest of the whole pack was riddled with it. He wouldn’t be satisfied until all of them were fucking dead and he was burning their bodies to piles of ash.“Am I supposed to speak staring at the floor?” she asked.“What’s your name?” Fred asked. Max had a hold of her hair as he pressed her to the floor. His man was putting on a good show, which Fred was proud of. All of his pack was doing the best they could in the current situation. He was holding his shit together. Glancing at the blonde girl behind him, Fred walked closer. The girl couldn’t be older than fourteen, and she didn’t have the same scent as the rest of the pack. Grabbing a chunk of her hair Fred inhaled her fragrance. The girl was innocent, but she was still a member of
“Why did you do that?” Jane asked. This was the first time Ava had been close to the young girl. She always tried to keep to herself as she knew the disgust the other pack had for her. It wasn’t like her half breed blood was going to jump out and change the other members of the pack. She heard the sounds of the men and women as they ran for their lives. The pain coming from them in animal and human form scared the life out of her. She’d never heard anything so horrid as the sound of death.“Why did I do what?” Ava asked, glancing at the blonde. Jane was slender, beautiful, and would be a wonderful wolf one day.“Ask them to spare me? You’ve given yourself to that monster in order to save my life. I don’t understand.” Jane’s eyes were red and swollen from crying. She winced every time the noise of a fallen pack member echoed throughout the night.“I did what I had to. You don’t deserve to die when you’ve not even lived. Whatever problem this pack has with ours, they’re not going to thi
Jumping over the edge, Fred followed her down. He’d met a half breed in the city, and they’d become close. During their time together, Fred asked the man how he’d stopped himself from the turning. The man had been bitten by a female wolf. She’d helped him through the change, but she’d been turned out by her pack for turning a mate.Fred didn’t have a problem with half breeds, and he was friends with the young couple. They were not part of his pack as neither of them wanted to be part of a pack.The water surrounded him, and he pushed up to the surface, gasping for air. The rush was amazing, and he knew he’d be coming a lot more to jump over the edge. Ava screamed out, pushing the hair out of her eyes. Laughing, Fred dipped down. The water wasn’t cold as it was turning out to be one of the hottest Augusts ever. He loved the heat as it meant not many clothes needed to be worn. The one thing he hated about life in the city was the fact he had to wear clothes to work. Fred loved being nak