That's not how he wanted that to go...
“She’s his mate?” Bryson asks for the third time since we’ve been out going to the rogue encampment that was found years ago. We’re on quads rolling through the woods since the terrain is too difficult for our trucks to get through. The woods are too dense as well. Easier to use the quads instead of hoofing it.We’re talking on the headsets in our helmet. It’s just me, our gamma Bryson, our delta Erick, and our head warrior Jakobi. Minus Ivan, we’re the strongest, most powerful, and best fighters in the pack. The fact that all four of us are out here means that this is an important mission.The thing that always rankled Alpha Derek and the rest of our father’s is that our land is so vast and there are so many hidden areas that these rogues had an encampment just a mile INSIDE our borders. They were able to rush over the border whenever we were near and had a secure place to hide from other packs and rogues. The only way in an out of their encampment was through a crevice betwe
I come out of the bathroom and he’s there. I come back from getting x-rays and an occupational therapy checkup and he’s there. I open my eyes and h’s fucking there. The goddess-damned alpha will not leave me alone. “Don’t you have something to do?” I ask, trying hard not to whine. He smiles up at me from the foot of my bed. “Like what?” He has to know that he’s annoying me. Is he getting pleasure from annoying me? Is this fun for him? Because it is SO NOT fun for me. “I don’t know,” I say, throwing my hands up in the air before waving towards the door. “Alpha things. Alpha things that make you leave this room and away from me. Preferably far away from me and for a long time.” He just chuckles and looks at me like I have rainbows shooting out of my ass. “You’re not used to having other wolves around much, are you?” I throw a glare at him, but it’s just when he starts stretching. With his arms way over his head, his shirt rides up showing a swath of tanned six p
That almost kiss, that teasing brush of our lips against each other, that fucking interrupted teasing taste of my mate has been fucking with my head ever since Sean interrupted us. I can tell that Nova has been thinking about it just as much as I have by the number of times her fingers go to her lips or she absently sucks on her bottom lip into her mouth. I want to touch her, claim her, kiss her so she knows exactly what I feel for her. But I also felt her body stiffen when she realized what I was doing. She isn’t ready for that. And I’m not allowing myself and my desires to scare my mate away. I’ll give her as much time and patience as she needs.She’s worth it. I can already tell that.She was still feeling some pain from the two broken ribs that she had, so walking was difficult for her. Hello, with broken ribs, just breathing hurts, but so do large body movements. So, she allowed me to push her in a wheelchair, to help her in and out of the car, and to get her into our ro
I wake up to the sound of banging on the door to the bedroom I’m in. “Luna! Luna! Open the door! It’s Ivan!” I kind of recognize the voice, but it’s not one that I know really well. I’m really groggy and I know it’s because of pain meds for my ribs. But the insistent banging on the door will not let me sink back into the oblivion that I had been a part of. I groan as I pull myself into a sitting position. The pounding hasn’t stopped. If anything it’s gotten more urgent. “Luna! Please open the door!” I call out, “Just come in! Geez. You’ll break the door down.” The pounding stops for a long beat before the door opens. And there is the huge giant of a man that is Beta Jude standing in the doorway. “Shit! I mean, I’m so sorry, Beta. I didn’t mean to be so disrespectful!” I’m trying to bend my neck to him while standing and maintaining my balance and there’s no way that I can do all of those three at the same time. I start to fall and the Beta runs into the roo
Jude sighs, taking a long pull off of his beer bottle. “And it’s not good, Ivan. I just…I want to make sure that you’re ready for this.” I can see the truth of what he’s saying in my friend’s eyes. He’s worried for me. For how I’m going to take this news. And that’s how I know that it’s going to be bad. I push my plate of food away from me, knowing that I’m not going to want to eat once I’m finished with this. The good mood that I had when I brought Nova home is gone as I reach for the journals. I sit there while Jude picks at his food. I don’t know how long I read or how much of it that I even fully comprehend. It’s just so…sick. So fucking evil. It takes my brain several moments to process what I’m seeing and I know that I read several pages, paragraphs, sentences over and over before my mind can process what has been done to wolves right here on my territory. She-wolves and pups were stolen by or given to the rogues for the sole purpose of human trafficking. Slaves.
Ivan carries me back to his room…our room, and we both shower. Thankfully, there is a seat in shower, so I don’t have to stand or have Ivan help me in there. Yeah, I kissed him, but I’m not ready for anything more than that. After getting dressed, Ivan helped me into the bedroom and onto the bed, then went to shower himself. I sit in the bed, waiting for Ivan to finish in the shower and think. I think about all the horrible tings that I’ve endured: the beatings, the rapes, the starvation, and the pain. The fact that I was turned into a rogue when I was 10 and that even when I was saved, I wasn’t really. I was just thrown into another kind of hell with Roy. I think about the mother that I can barely remember and how she left without taking me. How she left me with Roy, knowing what he was able to do to her, she left a 10-year-old in his care without a thought. How do you do that to your own pup? I don’t understand either my sperm donor or my incubator. I can’t call them
They had taken my blood to run tests while I was in the hospital, but it had been disposed of after they had completed their tests. So, I get to get stuck again.Yay, me.I know that it’s really weird that after everything that I’ve been through that I’m afraid of needles, but in my defense, nothing good has ever happened to be when I was stuck with a needle. I’d been injected with way too many things when with the rogues that even routine bloodwork is not going over well.“There’s got to be some blood left in the lab! You don’t need do to this,” I say, trying to convince Dr. Fern that he doesn’t need to take more blood.He looks at me, my body nearly curled into a corner and hiding behind Ivan and I see surprise followed by sympathy flow over his features. “You’re afraid of needles, aren’t you?”I try to put on a brave face, blowing out a breath. “Afraid of needles? Me? Why would you ask that?” Even as I’m talking, I’m trying to edge my way towards the door. I’m starting to
After lunch, Nova elects to take a nap. With how malnourished, abused, and freshly beaten up she was when we got her to the hospital, it’s a wonder that she’s able to walk around at all, let alone having to deal with everything that has been thrown at her recently. Especially without a complete connection to her wolf. She still gets tired easily and needs to rest frequently. I would have loved to have stayed in the room with her, just holding her while she slept. But we’re not quite there yet. Not since she’s come back from the hospital at least. And in light of everything that I’ve found out about her, I understand that I need to take things slow with her. So, even though Fang is pushing for me to stay and watch over her, I head to my office to try to get some work done. I’ve pushed off but the most urgent things to be with Nova while she’s been healing. I’ve got to get on top of things while I can. Unfortunately, I’m only in there for about ten minutes before there’s a
We’re staying in the cabin we got each other for an anniversary present last year.While still with the rogues, Cody and I would comfort each other by saying that once we got free, we’d find each other, build a cabin in the woods, and stay there together for the rest of our lives.It’s what I had been saving money for when Ivan and I found each other — so that we could have the land and the house free and clear.Admittedly, the cabin we have now—two stories, five bedrooms, a basement playroom for the kids, a pool, and a half basketball court—is a far cry from what Cody and I would have managed on our own.Still, it’s nice to get away and return to what we always dreamed of.To bring our other mate and our children here with us.We come as often as we can — for a week, for a long weekend.A little home away from home.We had the kitchen stocked and the whole place cleaned and ready, so there would be no interruptions.Which is good, because after all the teasing we did on the way here,
Checking my watch, I turn to our little girl."Do you know which one you want to wear, Lenita? Kiki and Harley are going to be here soon. And you don’t want to miss the petting zoo."My little princess is standing in front of her closet, arms crossed and her lower lip sticking out in a full pout."I wanna wear my pwincess dwess!""Chiquita (little one), we’ve already talked about this. You can’t wear it to the fair, but you can wear it later," I say, pleading with her.We’ve been at it for twenty minutes, trying to get Elena ready to go out with Kamryn and Harley before a birthday party for one of her pre-school friends later today.The party is princess-themed, hence the dress she’s insisting on wearing.Unfortunately for her—and us at this point—if she wears the dress to the fair, it’s guaranteed to end up covered in dirt and food, ripped from a skinned knee, or chewed on by a goat at the petting zoo.So, she can’t wear it.Not that she’s listening."I wanna wear my pwincess dwess,
5 years later… I wake up to an elbow in the gut. “What?” I ask, bolting upright immediately. “What’s wrong?” “It’s your turn,” Nova murmurs, her voice heavy with sleep. It’s only then that I hear one of the twins crying. Glancing at the alarm clock, I see that it’s just after 2:00 AM. Fuck. I roll out of bed, stumbling to the bedroom door and next door to the twins’ room. “Hey, buddy. It’s okay. Dada’s here,” I call, my voice rough with sleep. In the glow of the nightlight, I see Ronan standing in his crib, crying, his nose impossibly snotty. His cheeks are bright red, and drool soaks the front of his pajamas. “Da! Da!” he cries the second he sees me. “Hey, Ronan. Are those teeth bugging you, bud?” I ask, picking him up and pulling him to my shoulder. His skin is hot—he’s definitely running a low-grade fever. Both boys are teething hard right now, reacting just like human babies: colds, fevers, pain, the whole nine yards. His cries quiet the moment he’s in my arms, sniffli
“Holy shit, that was a long day,” I say, falling onto the sofa next to my mates.We’re in the first-floor common area with everyone in our leadership crew—minus Jakobi.He found his mate today. A she-wolf from a neighboring pack, second daughter of a delta. Maureen seems nice. We didn’t really get to talk to her much, though—Jakobi whisked her off, and they’ve been... indisposed in his room ever since.We might see them tomorrow.Or in a couple of days.“Fuck, yeah it was,” Jude groans. “I’m just happy to be out of that monkey suit.”“I don’t know,” Lucy murmurs, running her fingers down his jaw and pulling his attention. “I wouldn’t mind having you in it more often... and helping you out of it.”“Well, this was fun, guys, but my mate and I need to be getting to bed,” Jude says as he stands and throws Lucy over his shoulder.Lucy squeals and props herself up on his back, waving at us. “See you guys at breakfast!”“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Jude calls from the hallway.
My mates and I are standing on a large floating platform in the center of the harbor. All the boats have been cleared for today’s ceremony, and the entire pack has gathered along the shore to witness the official welcoming of their Luna and Lune. The platform is made of strong, transparent plastic, giving the illusion that we’re standing directly on the water. Flower petals and floating candles drift both on the surface and around the edges of the platform. A camera positioned at the far end captures the event and projects it onto screens placed throughout the crowd so everyone can see what’s happening. Nova looks stunning in her midnight blue ball gown, her hair swept into a messy bun. Thin straps frame her exposed matemarks, and the dress is low-cut in both the front and back, revealing creamy swaths of skin. The bodice hugs her tightly, while the skirt flows freely into a long, lacy train that shimmers in the sunlight. Cody wears fitted pants and a tailored gunmetal gray vest—no
“I really don’t want to do this,” I murmur, tugging at the hem of my skirt again.“Girl, if you don’t stop messing with that skirt, you’re going to unravel it. Stop it!” Lucy punctuates the last word by smacking my hand.I stick my tongue out at her but stop fiddling. Honestly, I think the only reason Lucy isn’t as nervous as I am is because she’s too busy managing me.At least, she doesn’t seem outwardly nervous.But I know her butterflies are causing a full-blown tornado—just like the one twisting in my own stomach.We’re heading to the Hartwood Pack, where Lucy and Cody are from. It’s been two weeks since we brought Cody home.Alpha Timothy was pissed when he realized we had “absconded with one of his most valued packmates.” He threatened to call down the Council of Alphas, press charges against our pack, and even force Ivan to step down as Alpha.All of that might have been intimidating—if it hadn’t taken him four days to even realize Cody was gone. Add in the fact that the three
The second Ivan and Cody establish their matebond, a ripple of power, connection, and pleasure sweeps through all three of us. Bite howls in my mind, the sound echoed by two other wolves—Fang and Howl. Our bond is complete. The three of us are tied together, not only by fate, but by our marks. There is no one—and nothing—beyond the Goddess herself that could tear us apart. “Holy shit,” Cody says. Ivan chuckles. “You can say that again.” “Holy shit,” Cody and I both say at the same time. We all laugh at that. Looking at my mates, I can’t help the affection that thrums through my heart at the sight of them happy together. “Let me get you guys a towel,” I say, slipping off the bed. “And the wet wipes,” Ivan calls after me. I grab both from the bathroom and bring them back so Cody and Ivan can clean up. “Thanks, Estrella,” Cody says as Ivan leans forward to kiss the top of my head. I move to the head of the bed, watching them as they get themselves together. Ivan heads into the
I watch Cody—his chest rising and falling as he catches his breath, eyes glazed over from orgasm. His shoulder-length black hair is fanned out across the bed, giving him a dark halo. His bronze-colored skin shines with sweat, and those chocolate brown eyes are begging for me to touch him.So beautiful. I mean, fucking gorgeous. It’s why I called him lindo.I’d thought hard about what nickname to give him. Nova’s was easy. Seeing her that first time at The Warren in the bunny costume, all timid and shy—she reminded me of the little rabbit she was dressed as. She’ll always be my little rabbit.But Cody and I didn’t have that kind of “meet cute.” Not even close. Still, I needed a name for him, something that felt right.It was Fang who suggested lindo. Clearly, our mate has Hispanic roots, and using that in his nickname felt like a way to honor that.Look at him, Fang says in my head, voice thick with awe. Spread out and waiting for us.Let’s not make him wait, I reply, and lean down to
Howl is going insane inside of me. He wants Ivan. I want Ivan. And we’re finally going to get him.I suck at Ivan’s skin, making a hickey in the spot where I want to put his matemark—right next to Nova’s. One of his hands grips my hair, the other wraps around my back.“Bedroom. Lube.” The words come out strangled with need.Mate! Fuck mate! Bite mate! Make him ours! Howl’s words echo through my mind, getting lost in the frenzied need that pulses between us.I’m working on it, Howl. Calm the fuck down so I can focus on him, I snap back.He smells so good. Feels even better. Fuck, Howl moans, and I know exactly what he means.I know Ivan wants us in the bedroom, but I can’t make myself move. Can’t stop touching him, kissing him, losing myself in him.Thank the Goddess for Nova.“Come on, boys,” she says, grabbing both our hands. “Let’s get to the bedroom. I want to see the two of you laid out before me.”It’s her touch that finally breaks the trance. Her words remind me there’s more t