Thank you to everyone who took the time to read Of Teeth & Claws.
Nexus and I leave the pack house for the city. With appointments for manicures and a hair appointment, I start to relax. Nexus’s smile is contagious. Her happiness is infectious. I don’t know what she sees in Silas or if there was a choice in the matter when it comes to werewolf mates. With happiness comes sadness though. It was saying goodbye to Levi. Telling him that I was moving back to Fairbanks crushed him. It crushed me, but it had to be done. I’ve missed so much already. Tariq and Cato took so much away from me and Levi knew he couldn’t do the same. From the minute I stepped foot here everything was slowly putting itself back together. I found my family and I couldn’t be more grateful. And being maid of honor for Nexus feels right. It feels normal. After our nails are done and our hair is styled, we head back to the pack house. Only Gideon and a few random pack members are there. The twins and Nox are at Nexus and Silas’s house in wait for the wedding to start. Gideon greets
I can ignore the heavy rustling and the mutter of words, but the slam of the door startles me awake. Crawling out of bed, shuffling across the room, rubbing my eyes to clear my sleepy vision away, I spot Nox in the living room.A smile spreads across my face and my heart beats out of my chest. The relief in seeing him has me lightheaded. He hasn’t noticed me yet and I’m struck dumbfounded, unable to speak. I’m frozen in place watching him.He’s clearly drunk as he sways on his feet while struggling with taking his t-shirt off. Frustrated at his lack of coordination, he bickers with himself. Giving up, he drops down onto the couch, kicking up his feet.“Nox,” I quietly say into the room, finally finding my voice. He doesn’t answer. Did he fall asleep? Creeping further out of the bedroom, I approach the couch, “Nox,” I repeat a little louder this time.A deep groan fills the room. It’s hard to tell if it's from annoyance or rage. “Jesus, Nexus. I knew I should’ve took your fucking key a
The faint echo of my name piques my attention, but not enough to get my eyes to open. They call for me. Over and over again, but I remain immobile, drifting further and further into sleepiness. I can feel the stomping of feet race against the floorboards. They step right next to me, but I can’t get my eyes open to look at them.It could be Twyla coming to get revenge. It could be Cato coming to finish the job. “Nova. Nova, how-” A pair of arms latch onto me. They’re not clawing at me, but they do tug and prod. “I got you, baby. I got you.”Scooped off the ground, my aches and pains have my breath hitching. He shushes me as he gathers me in his arms and retreats from the room. “Gideon,” I mutter. “I’m not dead,” I mumble.A chuckle sounds under his breath and rumbles within his chest. “No, you’re not,” he agrees as he lays me in the backseat of a car. “I need you to try to stay awake, okay.” His plea is said on a shaky breath. Am I in that bad of shape? Am I scaring him?All I can mus
Driving up on the house, my stomach turns to knots. It’s in the early morning hours and I have no idea if she’s sleeping inside or if the house is empty. Exhaustion has my mind racing and my heart fluttering. All the different possible outcomes have me dizzy. Sitting in the car, I begin to rethink my plan. Why am I here? Searching for family. For a place to belong. To fill the emptiness of losing a part of myself. A part that was taken away from me. A part I’m stupidly desperate to take back. Staring at the house, I heave in a few breaths before finally gathering enough courage to exit the car. With slow cautious steps, I approach the house thinking about what I’m going to say. Whether or not I should ring the doorbell or knock or maybe just turn around and go somewhere else. But before I can decide, I notice the door is cracked open. Panic overtakes logic. Not a single thought or reason stops me from entering the house and calling out for her. Even in the darkness that shrouds the
“I want to go home?” I whine.“You can barely stand,” Wes argues back.“That’s not true.” I can stand, but it’s as if he doesn’t want me to. He’s been crowding me. Hovering. He’s lying to my face and boxing me. “I just want to be in my own bed…” my words die off as my gaze flickers to Levi.I might keep the rest of my words to myself, but Levi knows. What I want most is to get away from wolves. But they’re everywhere. Wes is always here and every time the door opens when he or Levi come and go, there are always wolves in the halls.Levi tries to give me peace of mind, “I’ll speak to the doctor. I don’t see it being a problem.” His words are cautious and almost forced. He’s told me that more times than I can count in the last two days. Does he know something I don’t? Am I not allowed to leave?“Why do we need to ask permission? It’s like I’m being held captive.” The frustration that boils within me tries to explode. It has me jumping to my feet, which I immediately regret. The stitches
I’m not sure what wakes me from sleep, but the more awake I become, the more aches and pains I endure. Eyes barely open, I struggle to sit up. “Ugh, that hurts.” The reason why it hurts slips my mind for a fraction of a second. Cato stabbed me.“Damn it, Nova. You’re gonna bust your stitches.” The familiar voice startles me as he comes from out of nowhere.“Wes? Where am I?” The room is unfamiliar, but Wes seems at ease. This has to be his pack house. “Where’s Gideon and Nox?” I left in the middle of a full out brawl. I need to know what happened. Desperate, I swing my legs out of bed only to have Wes push me back down.“You’re safe. That’s all that matters.” He grabs a chair that was at the foot of the bed, sliding it closer. Was he sitting there all along?No matter what Wes wants to believe, my safety isn’t all that matters. “That’s what I asked.” When he doesn’t reply, I force a response from him, “where are they?” Is his silence because he doesn’t know or because he doesn’t want