LOGINRoman POVIn order to keep the peace, I allow Leera to believe that I’m giving her the independence she so desperately wanted, but with her being kidnapped, there’s just no way in hell I’m leaving her alone.I will not lose her again. Not now. Not ever.So I’ll grant her the illusion of my submission for now, unless something causes me to show myself.I make myself comfortable in my car, parked with a direct line of sight to the main door of her dorm building. Benny is stationed at the other end of the building. At the only other door out of her building.We’ll be tired tomorrow, but for my mate to be safe, being tired feels like a very small payment to make. Andrei, Slate, and the twins all offered to take shifts, but I refused to leave. I can’t. Benny also declined and vowed to stay in position.Thinking of how easily she allowed herself to smile at dinner, having been kidnapped mere days ago. I know she's strong, but she thinks being strong means doing everything on your own. It do
The dinner was so good, oh my gosh! We went to this little family diner that only had like seven tables, and I had the best shredded Rueben sandwich I've ever tasted.We're pulling up to the dorms now as my heart starts trying to pound its way out of my chest. I grip my legs so hard that my knuckles turn white. I'm begging the panic to spare me, but it's not. I can feel the wave of anxiety cresting through my body. I already know it's going to drown me.I have been working so hard to stay strong and show everyone that I can handle this. I want to be strong, but it's so fucking hard. I want to prove to Roman that I am okay. I don't want them to worry about me because that just draws more attention. If I can pretend that I'm strong enough to get through this, no one will give that sad look that makes me feel pathetic. Like the looks I got when Mom and Dad died.A small, broken sob bubbles out of my throat, and before I can process what's happening, I'm being pulled from the car. I start
I'll just have to do my best to convince her to move in with me so that I don't have to make an ass of myself and do it anyway.Will she want to stay with me in my room? Our room. If not, we still have plenty of space. She can have her own room to do whatever she wants with. Until I've convinced her to stay with me anyway.Bringing the conversation back to getting everything taken care of, I say, “Okay, so we took care of that one away game, we have a home game tomorrow and the rescheduled away game on Thursday…” I pause, tapping my fingers to the counter, elongating one claw to tap as well.Andrei is the first to break the silence when he says, “If she agrees to take her classes online, I don't think we'll have a problem getting her to agree to travel with us for games.”“And why the hell would I be taking my classes online?” she snaps from the hallway.Shit.I cross the space to go to her, but she's already in a battle stance. She rips the weird pink things off from under her eyes,
Each ring of the phone in my ear pisses me off even more until he finally answers.“You fucked up!” I screech.“Stop acting like a banshee and explain why you’re having a temper tantrum, India.”I can’t help but laugh.“You don’t know, do you?”His silence causes me to laugh even harder.“Care to elaborate what it is you’re on about?”“You failed again, and we won’t get another chance, Avram.”“I said, what is it you’re on about? I’m growing irritated.”“I said you failed! He has her. Roman has the girl. And better yet, he says she’s his mate!” I scream into the phone.“I figured she might be when I stopped by the house and realized she carried the same scent as the first peasant. Elaborate on what you mean by he has her? I was just at the house yesterday.”“What the fuck else could I mean when I say he has her, you pompous ass?! He has her. In his arms. Right. Now. I was just there to try and get closer to him in his time of need, and you fucked it all up again!”My lips pull into a
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!India stands in the entryway, her name-brand purse on the floor by her feet, and her arms crossed against her plastic chest. If looks could kill, I’d be so fucking dead—but so would she, because Roman looks like he might literally kill her right now.“India. What. Are. You. Doing. Here?” Roman asks slowly.“I…I…well, you didn’t call me after our talk,” she sputters before smirking at me.My stomach bottoms out as the jealousy starts swimming through my veins. I struggle to remove myself from his body, but he squeezes me once. I look into his eyes and see a silent request to listen. I nod, but I still climb out of his arms to stand at his side.It’s now that I realize I’m standing here in nothing but one of Roman’s hockey shirts and a pair of fuzzy pink socks. I internally face-palm myself, while on the outside I’m standing tall.Her furious eyes bounce back and forth between Roman and me before she smirks, taps her fake nails on her still-crossed a
It doesn't matter that she's in my arms; she's breathing. I still can't believe this is real. I made it this time. I wasn't too late.Now that she's awake, Benny and the twins are headed back to the subdivision to see if they can find out who those men were, why they had Leera, and who they work for. Slate and Andrei are going to check on our guest in the cells that I had built a level beneath our basement, which is the level beneath the garage.What would I do without my men? For a bunch of strong, immortal werewolves, this tiny little woman in my arms reduces us to whimpering pups when she's not okay. I know I wouldn't have survived losing my mate a second time, and honestly, I don't know how well my men would have fared either.Jeanine calling her Luna as she left also warmed my heart. My people would finally have the Luna they deserved.My thoughts continue to plague me of what could have happened if I hadn't made it in time when she turned in my lap, wriggling free to kneel in fr







