THORNE Nadine had asked me to stay the night, which was more confirmation she wasn’t freaked out by my wolf. This meant everything. My wolf vibrated with triumph. He’d expected things to go this smoothly, though.After all, he had already known she was his mate.He also had high hopes for what would happen between us tonight, and as I walked up the stairs to her apartment, I growled at him mentally. Nothing would happen tonight. Not unless Fane initiated it. She’d been through a lot and I would push for nothing.When we reached her front door, she glanced at me and smiled. I caught sight of the purple bruise shading her cheek and any sexual thoughts fled my mind and my wolf’s.My vision tunneled, and red rage flared through me instead.My teeth gritted together as I tried my damnedest to force my anger away, reminding myself she was safe, and that there was no way Brooks would ever hurt her again. It didn’t help.“What?” she asked, innocently.“You need ice,” I said. “Let’s head ins
FANEI grabbed another crate of flowers and put them in the cooler. The door to the shop opened and Thorne walked in carrying two more.“Where do you want these?”“Are those the daffodils or the baby’s breath?” I asked.He glanced inside the crate and made a face. “This one is baby’s breath, and this one looks like curly twigs.”I laughed. “They’re curly willow tips.” I pointed to where Liv stood at another cooler. “Let Liv have them. They go in that one.”He walked her way, and I stared at him, still blown away that he was mine. It had only been two weeks since the night at my apartment when I asked him to stay after everything with Brooks happened, but it felt like we’d always been together. There was an ease with Thorne I had never felt with Brooks.Life was magical with him.Liv took the crates from Thorne, and then I noticed her checking her watch. That had to be the tenth time in the last few minutes. When she chewed the inside of her cheek—her telltale sign she was nervous—I kn
*** Helen ***As I wait at the side of the road in my broken-down car, panic rises in my chest. My stomach turns and churns and the tension band is back, right around my head. I just called my breakdown recovery provider to come and rescue me only to find out that my husband, Alan, has cancelled our subscription without telling me.I have called him at least six times now and it rings and rings before going to voicemail. My texts also go unanswered, and my panic is growing because Summer, my two-year-old daughter, is waiting for me to collect her from her daycare.I have no one else to turn to so I call my boss and close friend Halle and ask her to collect Summer for me even though I feel terrible asking yet again for her help.I call for help from the SOS public phone box and wait the compulsory sixty minutes for them to tow my car.The mechanic eyes me suspiciously. "How are you getting home, Miss?""I will call a cab now; I will be fine."But he shakes his head. "No, no way, my mate
*** Helen ***Alan eventually crawls home at 1am, stinking of booze and stale urine. I’m surprised about him actually being here, he does not usually bother coming home anymore. I’m less surprised about the state of him, he has been on this downward spiral for a long time, and I will be damned if I let him take me and Summer down with him. He tries to climb into my bed, ranting and raving about it being his house and he will sleep where he wants. After screaming at him, asking nicely, and trying to kick him out forcefully, I give up and go and get into bed with Summer. I hate living like this and for the countless time, I cry myself to sleep. The next morning, I am getting Summer her breakfast before she goes to daycare when Alan swans in. “Can you shut her up? I am trying to sleep.” I glare at him; he has got to be joking. “Shall we sing Daddy a song, Summer? Which song is your favourite?” My daughter giggles and squeals in delight, she is such a cutie and I encourage her to sing
*** Manzitti ***Slayne and Ivan have not been back to my apartment, and I do not know whether to be even more annoyed than I was or relieved that at least I will not have to listen to them frolicking. I just feel so restless and agitated tonight and my wolf, Roman, is also on edge. What’s wrong, boy? I ask him but he is confused and cannot answer me. I have several car showrooms. For the last five years we have been expanding into the human territory and I am due to visit one of the newer ones today. Once I am showered and dressed, I wait for Beta Ivan to come for the morning meeting before making my way to the car showroom. Hopefully, I will be done there by 10.30am. Beta Ivan does not turn up and I mindlink him and Slayne and tell them to get into my office and my sister has the gall to growl at me. Kind of busy here Aidy, we are pulling sickies until my heat is done. I know she is trying to punish me for hitting Ivan yesterday and in the cold light of day I know I am being unreas
*** Halle *** “Papá, te prometo que los hombres lobo están locos. no envíe una bomba ni un pistolero,” (Papa I promise the werewolves are crazy. I did not send a bomb or a gunman). I have been trying to convince my father for the past half hour that I was not responsible for trying to entice a turf war with the mutts, but he does not believe me. He thinks I am eager to take their land when in all honesty they do not really show up on my radar. As long as they keep their heads down and do what they are supposed to, I don’t really care about them.Well, that was until I was accused of dropping the gauntlet in their ballpark. What do I look like? An idiot? My father stung my pride, he told me to get back in line or he would send Brad to take over. Threatening me with Brad! He does not know his ass from his elbow, the stupid jerk.It was only after Alpha Manzitti called me to apologise that I realised what the issue was. “Your car was spotted on our premises and I’m sure you can underst
*** Helen *** As I drive along in my new car, I feel like things are looking up, I feel lighter, more confident and it gives me a new determination to get my affairs in order. I want Alan out of my life. I do not want to live like this anymore and I am not tolerating him coming into my house whenever the fancy takes him when he is sleeping with someone else. I have tried desperately to give him a chance to be in Summer’s life but he is not interested. He has made it clear since the day I found out I was pregnant that he does not want to be a father. I thought once Summer was here, he would change his attitude, but everything was so sour between us, he didn’t even try to love her. I know I have pushed this because of my own lack of father growing up. I have tried and tried to get Alan to accept our daughter, but enough is enough. How could he not even love his own flesh and blood? I suppose his reaction to me being pregnant in the first place should have warned me that this was not
*** Melanie *** I have never seen Alan as angry as he is now. He is stomping about my dining room, ranting and raving about Helen and how she is trying to ruin his life. When I first started seeing Alan, I knew he was married but I saw him as fair game. I knew both him and Helen before they got together. At the time Alan and I had been seeing each other in secret and we carried on sleeping together even after he became involved with Helen. He told me he was seeing her as a bet with his friend Luke and I believed him. It broke my heart when he married her a few months later. I walked away from him and had a couple of children with another man, but I thought about Alan every day. He was my first love and I thought he had loved me back. I didn’t see him for almost three years and then out of the blue he started drinking in the local pub where I was working. It wasn’t long before he was fucking me against the rubbish bins in the alley behind the pub. He told me all about Helen, how s