Teagan's Point of View
By the time the sun rose, I was already awake. Had been for the last couple of hours, just staring at the side of Harland's face. His chest rose and fell evenly. Lips were parted slightly. The picture of relaxation. Of peace.
Whilst I on the other hand felt like drowning every sorrow I had with a bottle of whiskey. Not a very ladylike quality but one my mate had accepted through the years.
Somehow his scars had healed. Whereas mine remained black and blue.
Exhaling deeply, I flung the covers off of myself. Swung my legs over the edge of the bed and groaned as I stretched. The more my chest expanded with air, the hollower I felt.
I was leaving today and there was nothing I could do about it. There was no Harland to keep me sane. Keep me out of prison. Only me and my thoughts and the cunts that had put them there.
Sighing, I slid off the bed and into the closet. A rather large walk-in that Harland had specially commissioned for me once he got promoted. Once he got enough capital to set us both up for life.
My passion had always been clothes. Shoes. All of the nick-nacks that made a girl a woman. So, when Ozias found us and offered to send me to school for whatever I wanted, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
"Come back to bed. It's too early to be up." Harland groaned from where he still lay in bed.
Looking over my shoulder, I smiled timidly at him. Clicked my tongue softly. "It is well past sunrise and I have been awake for hours. Get that delicious butt out of bed. We have work to do." I scolded, keeping the grin firmly on my face.
Harland groaned in reply and nestled deeper into the covers. I turned. Stared at the mound of blankets for a moment longer before launching myself across the room. Before he had another moment to himself, I was already on top of him.
Air rushed out of his lungs in one large gush. The blankets ruffled beneath me. Harland let out a stifling groan but quickly recovered and wrapped me in the blankets. A cocoon of his scent and warmth around me.
"You have to try harder than that to detain me." He said, a chuckle breaking the air around us.
I tried to free myself. Moved my hands and feet in every direction to try and get out. But Harland's arms were tightly wrapped around me. Around the blanket. There was nowhere to go.
Giggling, I stopped moving. Waited for him to let up. Which he did, of course, after only a moment or so. He was always so scared he would hurt me.
The moment his arms eased up, I sprung into action. Rolled to the other side of the bed and before he could think to follow, I was already on him. I tried tickling his sides. Then beneath his arms. All the while Harland was just staring at me with a dry expression.
"Fucking hell. Still not ticklish? Unfair." I bemoaned and Harland cocked up an eyebrow.
"So many years and you think that fact will change," He leaned toward me and pinched my chin with his fingers. "How utterly adorable."
I swatted his hand away, giving him my most intimidating hiss. "Fuck off, jackass. You could pretend at least."
This made Harland laugh. Not just a chuckle but a full-on belly laugh that vibrated through his body in waves.
Rolling my eyes, I scooted to the edge of the bed again. Stood up without looking back. But Harland's hand wrapped around my wrist. Pulled me back in.
He planted a kiss on my lips before I could protest. Sweet and fleeting. It left my insides floundering around.
"I love you too."
***
A pile of bags sat next to the door. From the look of them, it seemed I was going away for years and not weeks. Or rather, months. It all depended on how long the trade took. How long it took Jonah to agree to our terms.
He was a stubborn bastard on the best of days.
"You look beautiful," Harland whispered from behind, wrapping an arm around my stomach.
He smelled freshly showered. Renewed in some way. His own scent was enhanced tenfold. It smelled like home.
"I really don't want to do this," I grumbled and fell back into him. Pressed my back into his chest with all my might.
Maybe if I pressed hard enough, we would become one and then he would have no choice but to go with me. Together forever, like the goddess had always intended it to be.
"I know. Trust me, I don't want you to go, either," He said and spun me around. I was two inches shorter than him. Maybe a bit more but the heels I was wearing closed that gap slightly. "If I had it my way, we would burn that place to the ground and dance on the ashes."
A tempting idea. If Jonah refused the proposal, I could do that. Burn it all to the ground and roast marshmallows as the people screamed.
Dark. Too dark.
I shook my head. "No. We are better than that. Eiecrunt is better than that and at the end of the day, we represent Eiecrunt now. We are no longer just pack members but part of the elite who makes this place tick."
Harland eyed me warily. His arm slipped from around me until it hung limply by his side. "You are right. I know you are. But I still can't shake this feeling of dread. Like something horrible is heading our way."
Placing my hand on his cheek, I smiled up at him. A beaming thing that could leave the sun seeming dark. "I will be fine. This is fine. We have come a long way and I won't let them drag me back. I promise. Besides, the moment something happens to me, Ciaran will most likely send them all to hell. You know that."
Comforting words. If only I fully believed them.
Yes, Ciaran would tear that pack to the ground if I got hurt in any way. I was an extension of him if you thought about it long enough. Harming me meant harming Eiecrunt. Plus, Alvara would mourn me too deeply for him to ignore it.
But I doubted that would stop anyone in that pack. None of them seemed like the rational type.
***
All of them wanted to give me a proper send-off. Even Maverick had decided to join in on the not-so-festive celebraTion. Ciaran had also left work for long enough to meet us all at the airport.
"I am going to miss the fuck out of you," Alvara murmured as she stepped in to hug me. Her floral scent encompassed me then. Threw me back to a time when I hadn't even considered being friends with a girl again.
It would only be a few weeks if my charm worked well. But it felt like I was leaving them for the rest of my life. As if I would never come back. I never considered that they might be the reason Eiecrunt felt like home.
The people in it.
"It's only for a little while. I'll be back before the little munchkin decides to greet us." I said, taking a step back and placing my hand on my friend's stomach. Alvara beamed down at me as I smiled at her belly.
"Still, Eiecrunt is going to be so quiet without you in it."
I glanced at Harland over my shoulder. He had formed a huddle of sorts with Ozias, Ciaran, Maverick, and Dargan. Deep in conversation. Or rather, they were discussing business. At a time like this.
"Harland can still keep you on your toes." I tried to reassure her but Alvara only frowned.
"With everything going on, I doubt he will be able to find the time. None of them seem to have time lately. I can feel a shit storm brewing but have no idea how to avoid it."
She had the same lingering feeling as I did. That something was wrong and we just couldn't put our fingers on it. For now. Once the ugliness reared its head, we would find a way to deal with it.
We always did.
"Are you done hogging my mate now?" Harland asked from behind me. A corded arm wrapped around my middle. Tugged me closer to him. I giggled with glee and savored the sparks.
It was going to be a while before I felt them again. Such a pity.
"She is all yours," Alvara replied, smiling happily at my mate.
But before she could move away, Ciaran was by her side. Wrapped both of his arms around her. Stuck her in place, unable to give us our space.
"Are you sure you don't want to take the private jet? we can have it fueled and ready within the hour. It is a lot more comfortable than some stuffy airline." Ciaran offered.
Shaking my head, I placed my hand over Harland's on my stomach. Enjoyed every moment we got together. Facetime wasn't the same as seeing him every night. Holding him whenever I wanted.
"I'm fine. I don't want to make a bigger statement than I already am. Besides, first class is hardly some stuffy coach flight. We need to keep a low profile as much as possible. Play into your father's ego somehow." I explained and Harland nuzzled the side of my neck.
I shoved a moan to the bottom of my stomach. There was no time for a quickie now.
"You mean to tell me that the whole deal can fall through because his father would feel intimidated by our wealth, simply because of a fucking jet?" Ozias asked and clapped his friend on the back.
Hard.
Ciaran gave him a warning look, which was only met by a nonchalant smile. Alpha and Beta, always at each other's throats.
"It is possible and not worth the risk. I don't want to stay longer than I have to."
That was a fucking understatement.
Teagan's Point of ViewThe air was as dry as I had remembered. Nothing but sand for miles on either side of the airport as I climbed down the rickety steps of the small plane. But this was Desert Sun. What did I expect from a remote town in the middle of mines? A 5-star fucking holiday? Not.Even the airport itself was minuscule. Nothing compared to the grand luxury of Windhoek airport. I was officially in the backcountry. The place where few humans dared to venture.The scarf around my head was tight against my scalp. Pressed in from all sides as the winds threatened to blow me away. At least it kept the sand out of my hair. Maybe I should have opted for pants instead of the pencil skirt.But I wanted to look all business and no pleasure. Not that this place could provide me with any pleasure. It could barely provide itself with fucking water.Gritting my teeth, I sauntered down the path to the entrance to the building. Jonah would send someone to come and fetch me. Or I hoped. I ha
Teagan's Point of ViewThe inside of the house was the picture of opulence. With the foyer alone that spanned up until the third floor and a crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of it. Exposed sandstone walls. Garling fountain in the middle of it. But I couldn't walk another step before a maid appeared out of nowhere. Snatched my luggage right out of my hands with a beaming smile on her face. She bowed her head at Jonah before scuttling off."Another will come to show you to your room," Jonah assured me and walked further into the house. "Would you like something to drink in the meanwhile?" He called over his shoulder.His hands were stuffed into his beige pants. Feet bare against the light floors. Everywhere I looked there were golden accents. Light classical music played in the background.This was straight out of a movie. Something I never thought I would see.Ciaran never spared any expense with his homes but this was on another level. Some warped version of a health spa only
Teagan's Point of ViewI could feel the banging of the bass right through the walls. A relentless meowling entwined with it. Some might call it singing, I called it harassment to my ears. It was somewhere in the early morning hours when the music started. People giggled and laughed along with the horrendous assault on my ears. Bottles of booze crashed to the floor, making the people pause. Right before they carried on in those loud voices.Groaning, I turned on my stomach and plopped the pillow over my head. Pressed it hard against me but to no avail. The meowling carried right through. Pulsed at the base of my skull until I had had enough.Flinging off the pillow, it thumped against the far wall. Slid to the floor. I could barely hear it. Could barely comprehend my own thoughts.How could Jonah allow such loud noise in his house, much less at this time of the night?"Can you keep it down out there! Some of us want to sleep!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.There was no sign of th
Teagan's Point of ViewI was out of that house before the sun even rose. Not that I could fall asleep again after seeing Bellamy. Realized what he was to me.But fuck that. Fuck this.I had Harland. I needed no one else. Loved no one else. And I sure as fuck didn't have the capacity for more than one mate.My only solution to the problem? Get my work done and leave this place once and for all. It seemed simple enough but Jonah wasn't going to make that easy. Not in the slightest. I had to find the weak spots here. Had to exploit them to the best of my capabilities.Last night, Ciaran had given me full power to promise anything and everything. Nothing was off of the table. From his urgency, I could tell that this venture was more important than he had first led us to believe.Something else was brewing. Inside Eiecrunt. Desert Sun. The world. But that was none of my concern. All I had to do was finish the task at hand and carry on with my life. Go back home to my loving mate and my own
Teagan's Point of ViewI told Alvara all that I could. How dismayed I was by what I found. Desert Sun was perfect in ways I couldn't have fathomed. From my childhood until now, things had changed drastically. Everything was different. People were well looked after in every sector of this pack. It made me nauseous to my toes because it meant the deal might fall through after all.My friend took my rambling in stride. Listened silently until I was panting and on my second coffee.Then her sunshine voices beamed through on the other end. "We have something else to offer him besides help with the pack." She replied, keeping an upbeat tone in her voice.In times like these, this was why I adored Alvara so much. She kept her cool. Her calm. Marched right into the pits of hell with a smile plastered to her face. Sighing, I hunched over my table. Gripped the side of my face for dear life as a headache started forming. "Like what? The bastard only likes money and fucking flaunting it." I gro
Teagan's Point of ViewI couldn't remember the last time I ran. Maybe about two years ago. I was on yet another stint to get healthier. To grow myself as a person and thought I would indulge in some exercise. Needless to say, that had been the last time.Well, today I made an exception to my vow to never run again. I booked it back to the pack house. People swerved to miss me as I came in hot. My Chanel handbag flapped against my side whilst my ribs expanded and contracted relentlessly to keep my lungs from collapsing at any moment.By the time I reached the pack house, I was a sweaty mess with rumpled clothes and melting mascara. Not a pretty sight but everyone who saw me could go fuck themselves.If you saw me running in the future, you should run as well. There might be danger about. The only reason I would ever book it again.Unless Bellamy showed up and I had to high-tail it out of there. But that was something else entirely.I couldn't get past my guilt. It was a monster inside
Bellamy's Point of ViewThere was no denying her beauty. I had never seen someone more radiant. Regal. Unmatched in every way possible.Flowing long chocolate brown hair. Pouty lips. And curvy in all the right places.Last night, my intentions with the girls from the party were clear. Bang them. Thank them. Then hang them out to dry. As simple as that. Another Tuesday for me.Until I saw her at my door. her hair a mess from sleep. Eyes thick and bleary. A slight fury hung in the air after her conversation with one of my conquests for the evening.All of my thoughts of having them evaporated. Disappeared in the blink of an eye.I was thrust back nine years ago when I saw her running off. The mate bond screamed at me almost immediately and I could no longer ignore it.Yes, I was solely driven by the mating bond up until that point. Then she kneed me in the balls in that alley and the mating bond gave way to genuine curiosity. This woman had the gall to hurt the heir of a powerful pack.
Bellamy's Point of ViewThe back porch looked out over the rest of the grounds. Had a clear view of the training ring and pasture. The stalls to the horses were a bit to the left. Several heads bobbed in and out of view there. At this time in the day, the stalls had to be readied for the horses to go back in.Just beyond the farm was the ocean. A vast expanse of sand lay between. On good days, we would be taken out on horse rides on the beach. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. The horses would run into the water on occasion, making most of the children laugh.Those were my fondest memories. The times when I didn't have to worry about being the heir or my cunt of a father. All I had to care about was my duties. Activites. Making sure the horses were well taken care of."She will come around. You tried telling her you don't always mean what you say?" Pop asked and folded one leg over the other. His coffee was tightly wrapped in his hand as he stared out into the distance.