I want to tell him to listen to his Alpha, but I don't, because the truth is I don't trust myself around him either. I should be afraid. I should listen to my gut that's telling me that this isn't the same person I fell in love with all these years ago. But he feels so familiar at the same time, and it's not like I have a lot of options. Between staying with him or Alexei or being locked up in some dungeon... "We should go," Thomas says after I stay silent for a few seconds. "The sun will be up soon." He hands me some plastic slippers and opens the door. The hallway outside is eerily silent as we make our way out. I was expecting someone to talk to us or that we'd have to do some paperwork to be released, but we just walk out of the hospital and I'm surprised by the bluish pink sky. "Do you want to drive?" he says, throwing me some car keys. He smiles and keeps on walking toward the parking lot. "What? I don't even know where we're going." I barely manage to catch the keys an
I've done it. I've finally managed to shift. I don't know how, or what the hell just happened, but I'm on all fours, and my senses are maxed out. Everything smells stronger, the light is brighter, and the strength I feel in my limbs is something I've never felt before. It's like I'm moving on clouds. I have paws and claws, and I feel like laughing because my fur is red, almost redder than my hair. I can't speak, though, but I let out a howl that pierces through the morning sky. Even though I'm not paying attention to the house, it's like the fur on my back can feel the four eyes watching me. Tommy stands next to the pool with his jaw dropped, and Alexei is pacing back and forth. "Isn't she too old for this to be her first time?" he grunts. "I don't like this. The place isn't secure enough." I can hear his voice faintly even though they're far away from where I stand. How have I been living without this for so long? "Just let her be for a few minutes, will you?" Tommy snap
Tommy's hoarse words send a shiver down my spine, making the hairs on my arms stand. I want him so much that it hurts. "I'm not scared of you," I whisper into his ear, bringing my cheek next to his. He slowly pulls his face away from mine, letting go of my wrists. Without warning, he pushes me onto the bed, and the towel that had been covering the lower part of my body slips away, leaving me completely naked.Now I'm so aroused that I want to squirm, but I try to play it lightly. Gods, he's gorgeous. I watch him head over to the windows and close the curtains, though it's clear he's having a hard time keeping his gaze away from me.He roughly tugs at them and they're closed, and he turns his full attention to me. Like a predator, he circles the bed, his eyes devouring every inch of my bare body lying on the bed in full display. I slowly stretch my arms and pull apart my legs just enough so he can't really see me. "I should shower," I say, and yawn. Then I start to sit up. He grab
I've spent hours pacing around the room and watching the prettiest but loneliest sunset of my life. Back at home, I could at least call Joan. Here, I don't dare leave the room in case Maximilian is still downstairs. And I'm still mad at Tommy for leaving me the way he did. A knock on the door stops me in my tracks, and the door opens before I can respond. "Dinner," Tommy says coldly, closing the door behind him. The instant it closes, his face changes into a frown. "He's still here, isn't he?" I say. I don't even need to name him. Tommy nods and sets down a tray with chicken and noodles. "Lena, if he even suspects..." I rush to him and his words are drowned by the kiss I place on his slips. Without meaning to, I've slammed into him, sending his back against the closed door. "Stop," he pushes me away gently but firmly. "Do you really not understand what he'd do to me if he knew?" His angry voice only encourages me further, but I let go and brusquely turn away. "You're a cowa
☽ MAXIMILIAN ☾ "Useless." Petra wipes her sweaty brow and bends to pick up her shirt from the mat. "That's what you are unless you learn how to shift and fight." Without glancing in Lena's direction, she heads over to the locker rooms, still panting from beating up Lena. The Princess is on the floor, also catching her breath. Dark blue and purple bruises are beginning to form on her stomach, ribs, arms, and legs. I'm not sorry for her. Ok. Maybe Petra had gotten a little carried away. She could have paced herself once she realized Lena really couldn't shift or fight. But everyone in the pack undergoes this ritual. To become stronger your first need to break. I would know. She stands and sways a bit as if gathering her strength, giving me a deathlike glare before stepping outside. I find her leaning against the car, her head resting on the top. Her neck and chest drip with sweat, threatening to give me a hard-on. I wish I could say her messy hair and beat-up look make her le
Tommy pulls away a second before the door opens. "I knew it." I gasp in surprise, but also with relief. It's not Maximilian, but I also have no idea who the pregnant woman standing at the door is. "Special guest, my ass! I knew you were with some girl!" The woman storms in and slams her fist against Tommy's shoulder. He cringes with pain, apparently still feeling the aftermath of his wounds. His eyes dart between me and the woman, and I sit there, at a loss for words. Is this his girlfriend or something? His very pregnant girlfriend? "Lilly, stop! What are you doing here?!" Tommy grabs her hands and stops her from hitting him again. "Calm down." Lilly looks at me with rage, her eyes wandering all over my bruised body. As she realizes the state I'm in, her eyes widen. "Did you... did you do this to her?" She backs away, pulling her hands from Tommy's grasp. "None of this is what it looks like," Tommy says, more to me than to Lilly. This seems to infuriate her again. "Fuck
"Get up," Petra says after I've spent a few seconds panting on the mat floor. Tommy dropped me off at the gym this morning without speaking a word to me during the ride. Then he drove away, leaving me alone with Petra. This time, however, Petra is going easy on me. It seems Maximilian has instructed her to actually teach me something instead of just beating me up. I stand, wiping the sweat off my forehead. "Don't get distracted by my words. When someone's lunging at you, it doesn't matter what they're saying. You move out of the way or block them." I nod, preparing myself for another attack. Despite disliking Petra on principle -my body is still covered in the bruises she gave me yesterday- I find that I'm actually liking this. Petra rushes toward me, intent on grabbing my legs again. This time, however, I'm ready for her. Instead of getting out of the way, I stand my ground and kneel. Her arms wrap around my own and with a cry of rage, I throw her off me before she's able t
My jaw drops."Thorn?" I say, as if I hadn't heard the name clearly. "Maximilian is my grandson. Not a lot of people know in the pack, and I'm trusting you with this knowledge because it might help you." "I... I don't think I understand," I say. Help me with what?Ada sighs as if frustrated with my lack of comprehension. "Maximilian carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, fighting battles on dozens of fronts. His ways may not be the most ethical or legal, but everything he does is to protect Shadowmist pack. Sometimes there are innocent people caught along the way, and I believe humanizing him might help you understand him and the motivations behind the things he does." Ada stands and heads towards a back door without waiting for me to reply. But I don't want to understand Maximilian.Everything I've seen and heard about him so far paints such a different story from the one I've heard for such a long time. The truth is that I'm still his captive and my reality is the com