Glendaโs POVMate.The words echoed through me as I let Matt kiss me as if he wanted to steal all the breath from my lungs. Mate had been such a distant idea for me for so long, like the faintest star in the sky, but I remembered how bright the idea had been when I was a little girl watching the way my parents loved each other with everything they were.After Dan, Midnight, Larryโs, and all the memories that I shoved to a deep dark corner in my mind, I had never thought that I would find such a person, let alone like this. Even if I were to find my mate, I was sure that everything that had happened to me, every scar and trauma would make them reject me, yet here he was, kissing me so desperately.Matt was my mate. Had he always known? Why hadnโt he said anything?Would I have believed him if he had?I couldnโt resist. I didnโt want to fight. After everything that had happened tonight, I just wanted to be safe. I couldnโt remember feeling as safe as I had with Matt.Mate, Alyssa said a
Mattโs POVLucas was furious, but not angry enough to push me to do anything more than what had been done. I could still taste her on my lips.Why did you not tell her? Why did you stop me? He roared, She must know us! She must not think we are not mates. Havenโt we waited enough?That was a stupid question. Of course, we had.Everything in me wanted to pull her close, howl, and mark her as soon as she said it, but now wasnโt the time. Mordecai was still nearby. The area was crawling with Midnight officers. If that wasnโt bad enough, Ben was still too close.There were too many eyes and too many unknowns around us to think it was safe. She had already been kidnapped because she was important to me. There was no telling what would happen to her if Ben found out we were mates. Heโd take her and likely hold her for ransom or worse.Allowing her to say it in these circumstances had already been risky, but I was pretty confident that no one had been close enough to hear her. We were treadi
We got back to Mordecaiโs estate quickly. Heโd updated it more than I had realized the last time Iโd been there to include a pool as well as a view of the coast. Renda had remained sleeping for the entire ride. The bruises on her face looked to be healing more quickly than I thought they would. I supposed her wolf was much stronger now than it had been before. I lifted her out of the car and into my arms, following Mordecai into the house.โYou can stay in your old room,โ he said with a glint of humor in his eyes. โI think all the action figures are still there too.โMy face heated and I scowled at him, โHow kind of you.โHe laughed and shrugged out of his jacket as a butler I vaguely remembered showed up and led me down the hall to my old room at Mordecaiโs house.True to his words, it looked just as it had when Iโd last stayed in it. It seemed like it had been a lifetime ago. I carried her to the bathroom to clean her up as much as possible and change her into something more comfort
Glendaโs POVThe scent of blood and gunpowder pulled me out of my sleep. Jayโs shriek of fear and his accusations rattled around in my head. Andrewโs cold dead eyes looked at me in shock as if he had some right to blame me for his death.I killed him, but he was only going to kill me or worse.I felt no guilt about how he and his father had died, but I was troubled. Would my parents approve of this? Maybe they would have found it in them to forgive Jay and Andrew and everyone else who was a part of the attack.Who else was out there that might know who I am?My mind wandered to Matt.What time was it?I didnโt know where my phone was and there were no clocks in the room Iโd woken up in. The covers were dark and across the room on a shelf was a collection of small figurines of wolves engaged in battle at the base of a tall mountain.Was it supposed to be Looming Height? Aside from the lovers who climbed to the peak, there were other myths about the mountain, pointing back to centuries
Emoniโs POVI woke up just a few hours after I had gone to sleep. From the darkness outside the window, it was sometime around midnight. I got out of bed and walked out of the room. Matt had been kind enough to move my father and Grayson to another room and establish Warhammer Guard around us.I was grateful for the security but troubled by the company.Demi growled. I could feel her pacing and upset in the back of my mind.Males are so fickle. He should be proud that we are his mate. We are strong, capableโฆ How dare he not take the hint given!I almost laughed at her indignation. To be fair, the hint I had given him could have been taken any number of ways and the night had been too wild for any of us to have our full faculties.Telling a man we should talk more when we had a chance, in private, preferably away from my father was probably a bit too subtle.I didnโt know what Grayson had been through while serving Teagan and her daughter. I didnโt even know if it had been willing or s
My legs felt shaky and everything was bigger. I realized quickly that I had shifted. I stretched and twisted. The shiny saber coat of fur lifted my heart.I didnโt think Iโd ever be able to shift. I felt Alyssa fully settled and solid in my mind as I turned to look at Matt. His eyes were wide as I went up to him and rubbed my face against his leg.โYouโre beautiful,โ he said, kneeling and stroking my head. โCan you shift back, so we can talk?โI whined. Alyssa panicked and he chuckled, hushing me. He cupped my jaw and rubbed at the spots of tension there. It felt so good. I didnโt know what else to do but practically purr at him.โTake it easy. You donโt have to turn back right now,โ he said. โI know it can take some getting used to.โHe shifted and Alyssa sat up in alarm as we looked at Lucas and Matt through her eyes. He was so much bigger than us, stronger. His eyes glowed with red light. He could break my neck with such ease. I should have been scared, but I knew he would never hu
Glendaโs POVMatt was different. His eyes were clear and his jaw was set, but he hadnโt said much of anything to me other than I needed to dress nicely.I got in the car in a nice dress and heels. He was in a three-piece suit. His hair was styled, and he looked as though he needed some space, yet he didnโt release my hand.โIโm giving a press conference,โ he said. โAboutโฆ everything.โHe turned to look at me, โDo you want to speak about Fluorite?โI looked away and shook my head. I didnโt think Iโd ever be ready to speak in such a public way about what happened.โDo you want me to talk about it?โI nodded.He squeezed my hand, โWill you stand with me?โI looked at him and squeezed his hand back, โYes.โSome of the tension bled out of him and he pulled me close, โI have to tell you the basics before we get there so you arenโt surprised. Iโm sorry I couldnโt talk about it. I justโฆโโItโs okay,โ I said, turning into his arms. โI know itโsโฆ been a lot. Heโs dead.โโMordecai was my real fa
My ears were ringing.My motherโs video had answered a lot of questions, but not enough. My mother and Mordecai were mates. Due to some political issues on the west coast and Benโs military force around Warhammer territory, Sharon had to make a decision: the people of Warhammer or her mate.Sharon hadnโt rejected Mordecai, but the distance and the ruse of pretending to be Benโs mate wore on them both. Mordecai had been dying long before Sharon died, and if Ben had waited just a few more years, he wouldnโt have had to have her killed.Sharon and Mordecai had shared one night together after Sharon and Ben were married. That was the night she conceived Joel and I. She had me and Joel registered in Midnight when we were three, just after Ben came home with Sonia to protect us because she figured that Ben would realize they were mates and start to suspect that we werenโt his sons. That was the same time that Mordecai found out that we were his sons.Soon after, Ben sent her to the mental h
Matt shifted and pulled the door open. Ben was just on the other side, kicking Mordecaiโs body aside. He was still breathing. I could hear his breath rattling out of him as I fumbled for my phone to call the paramedics.Matt said that Warhammer Guard was no more than five minutes away.Mordecai had to have five minutes.Matt looked like he didnโt know what to do as ben approached him. He was staring at Mordecai, shocked pale as Ben pointed a gun at him.โYouโve caused me nothing but trouble your entire fucking life,โ Ben said.โYouโฆโ Matt breathed. โHeโฆ Youโฆ canโtโฆ IโฆโBen laughed again, โI didnโt think you were Mordecaiโs type.โMatt turned, his eyes flashing brilliant red and I heard Lucas in his voice, โShut your mouth, you sick fuck.โBen stumbled back and his gun lowered just enough not to be aimed at Matt any longer. Alyssa pushed to the forefront of my mind. I felt her reaching for the dagger beneath my shirt. I heard Tzipporahโs voice in the back of my hand and knew what was a
Mattโs POV The restaurant Ben chose was an upscale little place away from a main city. The entire building had been emptied out. Uriel warned us that Ben had armed people waiting around the area, but just outside their area of operation, I had stationed Warhammer Guard. If anyone wasnโt making it out of this alive it was Ben, Sonia, and Wade. โMatt, itโs so nice to see you,โ Sonia said. โYou should really come see your stepmother more.โ I didnโt respond to her, โOdd that youโd bring her.โ โI wanted it to be clear.โ It was a ruse. He was hoping to keep the gunfire down from our side because she was here. โI figure the women can stay here and get acquainted,โ Ben nodded upstairs, โIโve had our table set up upstairs.โ I turned to Glenda and pressed a kiss to her cheek. โDonโt eat anything,โ I whispered, drawing back. I ushered her to her seat and pushed her up to the table before following Mordecai and Ben who were putting on airs about how close they were. Wade glared at me wit
Matt’s POVI collapsed into my seat and listened to Mordecai pour us drinks as the captain got ready to take off. If I didn’t have to stand in front of a news reporter again in life it would be too soon, but I was glad for it.Mordecai sputtered and laughed, “What a fucking dumbass!”I looked at him, “What’s going on?”He offered his phone, “Ben’s a dumber son of a bitch than I thought! Oh, moon. I didn’t think it was possible.”I sat up and took the
Ben’s POVSonia whimpered, clutching at my leg and rubbing her face against my leg, trying to restrain and convince me to spare the ungrateful little whelp on the ground. I should have listened to Mordecai years ago about Matt. While he was headstrong, had I kept a hold on him he would have never crossed me like this.At the least, he wouldn’t have been caught and cost me so much. Wade’s ambition overrode his sense.“Have you anything to say for yourself, you little shit? Huh?”He choked and curled up. His injuries from
He shrieked in agony and rolled off me. The sticky heat of his blood coated my hand. The metallic stench of it filled the air and I turned, screaming, driving my knife into whatever part of him I could reach. He choked and cried out. The scent of the dungeon filled my nose. Blood and more blood came spurting out and I remembered the sight of my blood pooled beneath me, spreading across the ground.Two, three, four, five…He choked and thrashed. His body wiggled and jiggled, but I kept going, counting each thrust of my dagger as I heard his voice in my memories offering me candy, taunting me, ordering me to serve him. I heard Armina screaming in pain and fear. I heard Angelia whimpering. I heard the last breath rattling out of a young girl whose face I could no longer remembe