Chapter 13 - RibbonsColetteZane left the ceremony before we had to kiss, and I counted my blessings because even though I hated him, I knew that if we did kiss, the ice around my heart would melt. Any further contact would already be hard enough, as it was. I thought he would have noticed that I healed his palm during the ceremony, but I guess the moon goddess had blessed me with another moment of secrecy. He didn't pull me aside or put me in front of his pack, or I guess it was our pack now.My heart still felt heavy with the overwhelming presence of all the pack members welcoming me through the link. It was a strange feeling hearing voices in my head from other wolves again. I hadn't been able to link since I was a child. I had felt every connection with my pack slowly disappear as each member was killed, and I never thought I would ever feel that again.After I was brought to the Silvermoon pack Alpha Carter never officially welcomed me into his pack, so I never got to link wit
Chapter 14 - Shutout Colette Everything hurt as my wolf ripped away at the mental barrier I had spent years building to keep her contained. I felt as if my bones were melting. I let out a cry of pain as she destroyed the last tether of mental strength I had left. "Let me out," She snarled again as she trashed against my hold. I clenched my jaw so tightly that I was sure I might crack some of my teeth. I struggled to breathe as my heart pounded against my chest. I put every last ounce of my will into keeping her contained. Not letting her gain control of my body. "Not here," I cried out as I forced myself to my feet. I clung to the wall, trying to find my balance as the room started to spin. My skin itched with the need to shift. But the first shift was always the worst, and having it forced could kill me. We always had someone to help us shift when we turned eighteen. But by then, we had already established a bond with our wolf.I was in a heap of trouble; not only had my wolf be
Chapter 15 - CapturedZane I was livid, anger consuming me as I tried to calm my nerves by leaning on the railing and looking down at the water. No woman had ever gotten so far under my skin as Colette did. Everything about her pissed me off. Maybe it was because I was forced to be with her before I was even born. Or perhaps it was because it wasn't even her I was supposed to marry. I couldn't decide whether that was a blessing or a curse.The fact that fucking Carter thought I was too stupid not to notice the differences only added fuel to the flame. But either way, she pissed me off, something wasn't right about her, and maybe Carter was the dumb one for being too cocky not to fucking notice how strange she really was, but I was going to get to the bottom of it.When I returned from the mountains, my head finally clear once again. I made my way back to the celebration. I had to make an appearance, and as much as I wanted to avoid the little wolf for the rest of the night, I didn't
Chapter 16 - TruthColetteI gasped as cold water was dumped over me. Sending a shock through my whole body, ripping me from the darkness that had consumed me after my wolf had locked me out. Bright fluorescent lights blinded me as I opened my eyes. The world looked hazy as I tried to understand where I was. My body hurt, and my throat felt like I had swallowed some sand. I closed my eyes again, my head ringing. A panic set in as I tried to remember what the hell had happened. All I remembered was being locked out of my mind, my wolf stripping me of the control of my body. A muffled voice nagged at me, but my eyes felt too heavy to open, and I didn't want them to burn from the bright lights. Another downpour of cold water assaulted me, and this time, I cried out in shock. My eyes darted open, spotting the culprit. Zane stood before me, no longer in his suit but in a black shirt that hugged his toned body nicely. His tattoed arms were on full display as he crossed them over his chest
Chapter 16 - Turmoil Zane I stared at Colette, her words resonating with me on such a personal level. It seemed to coincidental. I couldn't believe her. It was a lie. Or at least I wanted to believe it was. A whole pack couldn't be slaughtered without someone finding out. The elders would have known. There would have been a trail left behind. She was playing me, another one of Carter's tricks. I had to figure out his angle and put a stop to it. I needed to learn more about her pack and their history before something else happened that I couldn't stop. The images of my mother lying lifeless on the floor while my father gave everything he could to get to her flashed to the forefront of my mind. The fear, I felt, trying to creep its way out of the cold depths within my soul, twisted my gut. Before it could fully surface, though, I turned it into anger, shoving the fear further down. Because the thought of someone using my past against me like some joke made my blood boil. "Cut th
Chapter 17 - FeralColetteI stared at the door as tears started to pour down my face. My body finally giving in to the rawness in my soul as I was forced to relive the past that continued to haunt me in my dreams. I had tried so hard to keep it all locked away, but when Zane provided the proof of who I was, I couldn't deny it any longer. I laid it all out for him and told him the truth—a weight falling from my shoulder after years of keeping it to myself—one of many truths I could never share with anyone else before now in fear of what would happen to me. But now, I guess that didn't matter anymore. So instead of hiding it, I let him see how broken it made me. I thought he understood me; I thought I saw a flicker of something in his eyes, a moment of vulnerability, but as soon as it rose, he shut out and stormed off. I called for him and pleaded for him to stay, but he didn't. Instead, he slammed the door behind him, leaving me alone with my dark thoughts once again. I honestly did
Chapter 18 - TwistedZaneSophia looked at me, her lower lip wobbling as she stepped toward me. The smell of fresh blood, Colette's blood, filled my nose. "I did it for us, Zane. She tried to run away. She broke the contract. You're finally free. We can be together now, just like you wanted." I moved down the last few steps so fast that I was surprised I didn't tumble. I didn't waste any time grabbing Sophia by the throat and pinning her against the wall. A furious snarl burst through my lips; my canines elongated as Clay stepped forward. Nothing pissed me off more than someone disobeying a direct order, and Sophia had always pushed her boundaries, but not she crossed a fucking line. Laying her hand on Colette made me want to rip her throat out. I was too consumed by rage to think what that meant. To ask myself why someone I hated more than anything had me feeling this way, like my head was about to explode, and my blood boil when she was only getting what she deserved for trying to
Chapter 19 - Stressed-out ZaneDaredevil by Stellar blasted my eardrums as I pounded into the punching bag. Sweat dripped from my forehead as I took another jab. My knuckles were split under the wraps I had placed on my hands. Blood staining them pink as I took swing after swing, my knuckles stinging with every hit. But that was how I liked it. The pain kept me focused, staying on task, and right now, I needed to focus more than anything. Colette still hadn't woken up, and it had been two days since Sophia attacked her. After Drew stitched her up and had given her medicine to counteract the wolfsbane, she still slept. Doctor Peterson assured me that was normal, but I couldn't help but worry, which pissed me off even more. I wanted to go check on her, but Doctor Peterson told me it was best if I didn't, and honestly, I didn't even know what I would have done if I had gone to visit. No one knew what we were to each other, and I didn't plan to tell them either. Since she clearly didn