Riven “He’s waking up.” “Well, go ahead and kick him awake, we don’t have all day. We have to get moving for that big bad son of a bitch.” Pain spreads throughout my body. I’ve been through a lot of shit, and I’ve gotten into some pretty bad scraps with some pretty big wolves, but whatever the hell they put in that werewolf stunner has completely incapacitated me. A groan falls out of my mouth, and I blink hard, trying to will the pain away. The pain is both annoying and persistent. I press my palms against the dirt and drag myself into a sitting position. Blurry, I can’t see. Is that sunlight? “Oh good, he’s waking up. Good, good.” Who the hell is that? I whip my head in the direction of the voice, but my ears are proving to be my strongest resource because my vision hasn’t come back yet. Don’t panic. They’re just humans with fancy tools. I shake my head back and forth, and blink, and I keep blinking until things start to clear. Something shuffles beside me. The so
- Riven I’m used to being in charge. There’s been a few times in my life where I’ve had to fall back and listen to my superior wolves, but this is the first time in my life that I’ve ever had to take orders from a human, and it’s the highest insult. Humans are far more disorganized than they would have you believe. Over the last day, I’ve watched at least a half dozen humans shuffle in and out of this cabin, exchanging information with Cody that he’s already said at least three times before. Why are they so stupid? More importantly, why am I allowing myself to be held captive by them? I look to the right of me, where Cody is sucking down a to-go bowl of soup that he got from a local restaurant. Steam rolls off the plastic bowl, and he clamps his fingers tight around it, as if he’s concerned I’ll lunge forward and take it from him. Taking it from him wouldn’t be out of the question, though. I can’t remember the last time I ate. I clear my throat. “Hey. I’m hungry.” Cody loo
- Riven Monica lets out a low growl, as if she’s agreeing. I move my hand toward her and she shakes her head. I glance over my shoulder, readying myself for Kera’s pinched expression when she sees me talking to another wolf. If I’m really lucky, Kera’s werewolf hunter tricks won’t stand a chance against two of us. I whisper, “You’re not going to shift.” Monica stares at me, then blinks slowly. God, how does she manage to be condescending in her wolf form too? I nod and say, “Okay, fine. I should fill you in. A group of werewolf hunters found me at Marcel’s camp. That son of a bitch got away, and I was taken by them so that they could use me as some sort of fucking weapon against Marcel.” Monica’s eyes glance over my shoulder, then back at me. She paws against the dirt, before turning away from me. This is it. Is this my chance to escape? Thanks to Monica, I don’t even have to hurt the Kera girl. “Riven! Riven! Have you found any deer yet?” Monica turns her head sligh
- Riven Kate sends me a nervous glance, then looks toward the door. “I should get going. If Monica is out there, she’s going to kill me.” I ignore the pain shooting through my side. Talking to Kate has been a welcome distraction from the pain I’ve been feeling ever since Monica rescued me. “I’ll make sure that they don’t.” I lean forward and brush my lips against hers. My muscles relax as I watch the way her eyes flutter shut. Kate heads toward the door and pulls it open. I walk to the door, and Monica is standing in front of Kate. Monica’s lips curl in disgust. She crosses her arms over her chest. “What are you doing here? I would have thought that you would be asleep.” To my surprise, Kate stands up straight and boldly says, “I can think of other things to do than sleep. After all, we’re in the middle of a crisis.” She does a poor job of containing the scathing look that she gives Monica, and slides past her. I can feel the heat radiating off of Monica, but I can’t
- Riven I run my finger down the length of my wound, which is already starting to scar. The only thing that leaves me concerned is the fact that it still aches after all this time. I don’t know what that bitch Kera used to try and take me down, but whatever it is, it’s leaving a lasting effect. Footsteps move toward me, and I jerk my head up as I spot Niles walking toward me. He’s wearing a smile, something he’s been doing more often ever since I became a pack leader. He even invited me to come and stay in the pack leaders’ cabin, but it felt weird to leave my own space. But I know another reason that I haven’t wanted to move in to the pack leaders’ cabin, and it’s because I can’t picture Kate slipping into a cabin with Niles, Monica, and Harrison in it and sliding into my bed. She said that she wants to put things on hold, but my mind won’t let me move on. I don’t think that things are over between us. If things were that simple, we would have been able to leave each other alon
- Riven I’ve had a great wolf under my nose this entire time. This entire time, I’ve been training Kate and waiting for her to stand up for herself, but she’s never really needed me. I just wish that someone had told her that she didn’t need me. Monica and Niles scan my face, waiting for a reaction. I cross my arms over my chest. She’s still the same Kate. Nothing will keep me away from her. “I don’t think that she’d truly hurt anyone. But, I’ll take what you said under consideration. I need to get some exercise. I can’t let my muscles atrophy while I wait for this little wound to go away.” I stand up and push the chair back. I nod at all of the pack leaders and turn on my heel. I step out of the cabin, and my muscles relax when the smell of the woods fills my nostrils. I keep my feet glued in place, feeling the planks of wood underneath my feet, hearing the smack of an axe hitting a piece of firewood. I sigh. I need a moment to reset, and figure out how I’m going to assembl
- Kate It feels like electricity is shooting up and down my spine. He’s kissing me with so much want, so much need, that I feel like I might disappear into him completely. As my lips move against his, my mind is still tugging me toward thoughts of what the pack leaders might think. They probably saw him walk into my cabin. If he’s in here for too long, then they might start to talk about separating us. I pull back and I soak in the look in his eyes, the longing that he’s making no effort to hide. Riven is as tough as nails, but in this moment, he needs me to want him back. He needs me to forget that we’re looking for Marcel, or that we captured someone, or that we’re still trying to avenge Rico’s murder. He’s kissing me like he needs me. I let my tongue tangle with his, and something surges through me, racing all the way down to my fingers and toes. What is this feeling? I’m bracing myself for more thoughts about the pack, about what people will say, but they won’t come. I g
- Kate I’ve seen Marcel from afar, but I have to admit, Riven was right. Marcel is a sight to be seen. His hulking wolf sends chills down my spine as I push my legs apart and dig my heels into the ground. His wide, dark eyes focus on me, and I can practically picture the smirk that he’d be wearing if he was in his human form. “Fuck...” Riven groans from beside me. His hand flies to his side, where one of the bullets struck him. My heart pounds against my ribcage as I look past Marcel. My pack mates are exploding into their wolf forms and sinking their teeth into some human werewolf hunters, along with the battered forms of some of Marcel’s pack mates. My pack is fighting for its life, and right now, I have a chance to defend us, to show the pack leaders that I have always been here, and I have always been ready to be seen as a real part of this pack. As I bend my knees, and prepare to transform, heat spreads throughout my body. My limbs are tingling as if I just pressed my