TRIGGERS AHEADIsaac’s words resonated inside my mind while I paced in Liam’s room, hating that it was too late, dreading this heat that spread through my body, making my skin itch in need, a feeling that was too familiar—one I loved and hated. I tossed off my jacket and opened the window, hoping the chill breeze that passed me would help, but I already knew it wouldn’t. Sweat trickled down my back, and I staggered to the bathroom, ready to take a cold shower to soothe my aching body. I hoped I could have rejected Liam before this or that I had gotten my drugs. I still didn’t understand how William knew what to give me. Isaac or Agatha didn’t need to explain what wolfbane would do. Did this mean the attacks I was having were suppressed by it? And so was this heat that I was sure I had before. When the cold water cascaded down my body, I wondered if William knew more, but I didn’t have a way to contact him, and why keep it from me? Was he a wolf? With everything I know now, it did
-Isaac-This was all my fault, my doing. However, I would have done the same if I could go back. I stared out my window, watching Conner gathering our forces, readying them to fight Dale. I had no idea how he found out I lied; maybe I never will. “Are you ready?” I asked Logan, hating his sudden silence. He stirred, crawling out of reach, whimpering. And I knew why. We were both waiting to feel it, to feel Liam claiming his mate and her coming into our pack. After that, she would only have to say the words to me and drink some of my blood to join the mind link.I sighed when I knew it was time to step outside and lead my pack members in this battle as I did before.I strode silently toward them, keeping my emotions hidden because they had no use for them. They would see it as a weakness—an opening to challenge me as I did my father. “What did you do?” Conner asked through the mind link, staring at me, but I wouldn’t meet his gaze. He already knew what I did. He wasn’t stupid like
I didn’t want to stop; I wanted to bury my cock inside her, chasing my release, making her come over and over again until she begged me to stop or take her harder. To fuck her in every way possible, make her gag and choke on my dick, wanting to mess her up, break her and worship her at the same time. She would take everything I had to give and love it, asking me for more because I knew she was going to be a good little bird for me. We would have done it all if she hadn’t pushed me away. Guilt and shame stormed through her eyes, and she left me, ran away, and I let her. Knowing there wasn’t anything I could say for her to feel better, at least I thought. My cock strained my shorts again, and I groaned, wanting to go back in time and feel her again. “Do you have any idea what you have done?!” Conner fumed, rubbing the blood from his hands with a wet cloth while I stared out the same window as before, only this time, her scent still lingered around me. I shrugged my shoulders, not c
I joined the meeting after I had taken a shower, almost whimpering when I washed her scent away. “Alpha Isaac, are you listening?” One of the Board members asked. I hummed and glanced up, Logan showing himself in my eyes. “No, I wasn’t,’ I said. His eyes drifted to the other members, unsure of what to do next. William, Conner, and Liam were all there. Joanne was the only one missing, but they said she wasn’t allowed because she wasn’t a wolf, nor was she marked yet. I hoped she would reach out to me, still having this tether between us, but it seemed she managed to shut me out. Clever little bird. “As we were saying, Joanne was taken by her mate, says William.” I nodded, knowing all too well this wasn’t something uncommon. “She was under the care of William, why wasn’t he contacted?” My lips curved, and my eyes snapped at Liam. “Yes, Liam, why haven’t you done your job as a good mate.” I crossed my arms, amusement filling me, but it soon died down. “We weren’t asking
-Joanne- What was wrong with me? I let myself be taken away, floating, basking in his touch and scent. However, the shame was too great to look at him again until I saw what he did. How he lifted that man by his throat as if he was nothing. There was one thing that freaked me out the most, I didn’t fear him. I knew I should, but I only wanted to stand by his side. I must be going insane; I knew I was. However, wasn’t that what love does to you? “I can’t believe you lied to me all these years.” I shook my head and leaned back, watching William from a distance, knowing he had heard me. “I told you once, or sort of.” He laughed, and a glimmer rushed through his eyes. I never knew what to look for or what the signs were if you had a wolf, but now that I do, I can’t believe I ever missed it. His eyes constantly changed, and I always blamed it on the lighting in the club. “When?” My brows knitted together. “You were wasted, so I can understand if you don’t remember.” Another r
-Isaac- It wasn’t a lie, but I didn’t understand why it didn’t hurt her. How the smoke surrounded us and danced on her skin. It only did that with my mate. And that’s why William wanted to talk to me. He knew this. “Is she your mate?” William asked the second the door closed behind Joanne. Running my fingers through my hair, I shook my head, searching for that bottle of whiskey, and grumbled, “how the hell should I know?” “But you like her?” I scoffed, pouring myself a glass. Did I like her? No, it was much more than that. Could I love her? Yes, but did I now? “I love her, William,” I said, and Logan purred in agreement. He grabbed my glass, and I sighed, pouring another. “I don’t blame your mate for what happened,” I said. “Yes, you do.” “I did once, but not anymore.” It was the truth. I might have lost it when I held my dead mate in my arms, watching his mate, covered in my Luna’s blood. They were friends, best even. But I couldn’t look at her anymore. Blaming her
I knew the chances were slim, maybe even nonexistent. Maybe those feelings I had for her weren’t because of a hidden mate bond but because she was the way she was. I glanced up at the sky and sighed. It wasn’t a full moon anyway, and my trail of thoughts stopped when I heard her voice calling me. “Isaac?” She turned, and another sigh escaped me. No bond, nothing. Only the love I had for her remained. I hadn’t even thought this through, what this would mean for us, the future, my pack. However, why should I care? “I did it,” she breathed, a weak smile formed, and for once there wasn’t a lingering pain in her eyes, only sadness for who she had lost. Who I believed were taken from her by her mate or ex-mate… I had to tell her, but would she listen? Would she run? Would she leave me? Would she hate me? “You did it.” I watched her come closer while anxiety crawled under my skin, reaching higher until I had no choice but to stop her. I held up my hand and took a step back
-Joanne- Holy smokes. What did I do? It was exactly two days since I rejected Liam and gave in to Isaac. I grinned, my skin heating up at the thought of what we did. The bruises on my back still hadn’t healed from the way he fucked me against that tree. I clenched my thighs, fighting the rising arousal. I thought I would feel broken and sad about losing this bond inside me. But damn, I never felt freer. This burden, this weight that kept me down had disappeared. My clouded mind was fully clear, and I felt happy. There was no lingering heat hurting me, forcing me to harm myself, there was no pain from Liam’s betrayal anymore, nothing. Only a sense of peace. And best of all, the feelings I had for Isaac were real. He wasn’t another mate of mine, or however that mate bond worked. I still fear it. After reading thoroughly through the book, I saw the chapter about second-chance mates. Please, goddess, I want to stay free. However, I also knew that I had to wait until t