KennedyI woke up panting from the worst dream imaginable. The cubs were asleep cuddled with Bethany. I nudge Anna and she looks at me with tired eyes. I look at the cubs and back at her. "Sam and Skylar," she asks with understanding and I look at her with sad eyes. "Go, I'll let Bethany know."I wasted no time, so I ran to the infirmary. I had a bad feeling and I didn't like what I was feeling. It was more a lack of feeling. I couldn't feel the bonds with Sam and Skylar. I run past members of the clan as they call out to me. I needed to get to my mates.I entered the infirmary and what I saw stopped me in my tracks. Martha and another doctor were forming chest compressions on both of them. I shift back to my human form, grab a blade and cut my wrist. I hold the wound over Samantha's mouth and let the blood drip in her mouth and do the same for Skylar.Unable to stay in human form long because of the twins ties to me I shift back. I meet my eyes with Martha and she looks at me with sy
KennedyThe cubs have been up, walking and playing with each other for a few days now. None of us know when they'll take human form. Sam and Skylar occasionally shift and either play or lay with them to give me and Bethany a break. They've been exploring the clan house with one of us with them or one of Skylar's guards.At the moment they were feeding as I lay in the nest of blankets, getting my ears scratched from Anna. I haven't really been able to sleep much after that dream I had of losing Sam and Skylar. Security was being made air tight as we speak. Stronger windows were being installed throughout the clan house along with more secure doors to get in and out.They had already done the windows where I've been nesting and Anna was sent to help get me to sleep. She starts stoking my head and moments later I feel my eyes grow heavy with sleep. I look around for Sam, Skylar and Bethany but they weren't in sight."Relax Kennedy," Anna says in a soothing whisper and I lay back in her l
KennedyI let Riley carry one of the twins down when she asked knowing she was upset with whatever her parents had to tell me. I know Amanda helped distract me when I was upset so I didn't refuse her the comfort a baby seemed to give her at the moment. Bethany carried the other twin wanting to hold one of them in human form.Samantha's parents and a couple I don't recognize, I presume to be Riley's parents were waiting in the kitchen. As soon as the woman saw me she burst into tears. Alarmed of her reaction and a thick lump filled my throat. It took a few attempts before I could ask in a choked whisper, "What's going on? I thought you asked to see me?"Another couple enters the kitchen resembling Skylar and her mother asks curious, "Are you Kennedy? Daughter of David and Regina?"I shift into my half leopard form and ask in an angry growl, "What business is it to you?""Twenty-two years ago a couple came to us, seeking help to get out of their clan. They had a five year old daughter n
Samantha Two hundred years ago, our clan was divided by hatred between two brothers who wanted to take over once their parents were killed. One of the brothers took those who respect him to find new territory. He was the evil one between the two, but the remaining brother was the strongest. As first born, he was the heir to the throne of our clan. Over the years, the other clan has tried to wage war and has lost time and time again. As princess and first born of our clan, I am learning to take over my parents rule. The only thing I lack is my mate. Everyone has their mate, except me. Without my mate, my little brother will take over, but he's only ten and hasn't had his first shift. Each leopard has their first shift around their sixteenth birthday. We're able to find our mates after we turn eighteen. We'll know when we find them because only we can smell each other's scent. I'm twenty-five and I still haven't found my mate. "Sam, without your m
SamanthaTina offered to cook something while I calmed down Kennedy. She slipped into a panic attack after Tina asked her about her clan teaching her about how to be a mate. Tina felt bad for setting off her attack and I told her it wasn't her fault for not knowing.Joey came in the kitchen for something to eat and I sent him to get my mother. Tina kept apologizing for setting her off when Kennedy couldn't calm down enough to eat. I told her what Kennedy told me and my mother and Tina joined me to help calm her down.Kennedy doesn't know what it means to be loved after twenty years of being beaten daily. It was up to us to show her what it meant to be loved and what she needed most right now was maternal love.My mother came running in with my dad and I give them pleading eyes. Having heard her story, my mother comes over and hugs at Kennedy's back. She almost immediately starts calming down and I let out a relieved breath. I try t
KennedyI woke the next morning, cuddled with Samantha. She was still asleep after our long night, rescuing Zeke and calming me down with her entire clan. I slip out of bed and decide that I want to show my gratitude by making everyone breakfast.I find that everyone was stall asleep and made it easier for me to get started on the task at hand. I found everything needed to make the blueberry muffins my mother and I made when I was a kid and got to work.I must have zoned out making muffins because I jumped as Samantha wraps around my back, two hours later. I tremble in her arms as her strong arms held me tight and she whispers soothingly in my ear. I relax against her chest and she loosens her arms around me.I turn in her arms, nuzzling my face in her neck and breathe in her vanilla and lavender scent. Her hand slips up the back of my shirt to trace one of the many scars on my back. I've been finding it soothing and she picked up
SamanthaTwo and a half months have passed since Kennedy and I formed our mate's bond and the attack on her and Anna. The council accepted our union and we will take over once she learns our ways and takes part in a ceremony to join our clan.She and Anna have become close since that day and are often found together with Amanda. Something was off about this morning and I couldn't figure it out. Since she's been here, Kennedy is up before the entire clan and making breakfast.This morning started off as usual, but as she stood up to clear her plate, Kennedy lost her balance and had to grab onto the counter.Even our connection through the bond was weird. I thought maybe she was nervous about the ceremony coming up and kept encouraging her she'll be fine.We were taking a walk as the first snow started to fall when she brought her hand to her forehead, grabbing for my arm with the other and missed. She looks at me with hooded eyes before collapsi
SamanthaLooking in Kennedy's fear filled eyes and it's all it took for me to partially shift. I took off to find Grace while Kennedy kept screaming for me to come back. I spot Zeke and ask him to shift and guard my room.Members of the clan clear a path, pointing in Grace's direction with fear in their eyes. She turns from her friends and says with a snarl, "That bitch doesn't deserve to be your mate. It should have been me pregnant with your baby. I'll wait for her to be alone before I kill her and that thing growing inside her."I let out a deafening roar before tackling her to the ground, clawing at her face and chest before biting out her throat. The entire clan circled around me, my parents included and I point at Grace's lifeless body. "Let this be a warning to the rest of you who dare to threaten my mate and our baby," I growl in my leopard voice.Everyone lowers to one knee, heads bowed in respect. My mother walks up to me and whisper