- 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
- Kate “You don’t know how to control your power yet, but I bet it will be useful.” A groan escapes me as my eyes flutter open. The aged wood of the cabin’s ceiling rests above me. I blink, and inhale, fully expanding my lungs. What the hell? I shake my head and gnash my teeth together as I pull myself into a sitting position. I relax the muscles in my jaw, and my mouth hangs open as the bitter taste of medicinal herbs settles on my tongue. Memories sail into the front of my mind. Riven, the silver tipped blade, and Payna’s soft smile as she blotted a towel against the sweat-slicked, cold skin on my forehead. Marcel. “Power…” I glance at the fingernails on my right hand. They’re perfectly normal, deceptively human-looking fingers. There are no remnants of the long claws that rested there before. I open my mouth and slip a finger against my canines. The sharp points are gone. What’s happening to me? My head snaps toward the door as it creaks open. Payna steps inside
Kate Why is it that every time I see him, I’m reminded of exactly how much I want him? It’s especially bad because I can’t want him. The pack leaders have pretty much made it clear that I am not to be treated like a true member of this pack. Because I’m dangerous. But what’s more dangerous is what I’m capable of when I’m left alone with Riven. Riven grins and steps to the side. “You’re okay.” I nod and step inside the cabin. I press my back against the door, and I say, “I’m fine.” “I haven’t seen you all day.” He frowns. “I thought that you might still be with Payna.” “I’m fine.” He steps toward me and sets his hand on my shoulder. “Kate, what’s wrong?” The tears from earlier start to sting my eyes again, and I know that I can’t let him really see what’s wrong. But I also can’t let this go, I can’t leave without talking to him about it. “How much have the pack leaders shared with you?” Riven frowns and says, “What do you mean? They’ve shared just about everything
- Kate “What the fuck was that?” My head snaps toward the sound of a branch being crushed under a heavy boot. I picture a solid, black boot attached to someone that’s been watching me from the darkness. My heartbeat quickens and my muscles tighten as I narrow my eyes and scan the darkness. A doe looks at me curiously, her round, black eyes are also searching for threats as we look at each other. She cautiously lifts one leg, waiting for me to move, then she takes off. I exhale and shake my head. If I had been thinking straight, I could have gotten dinner for the night. Riven wouldn’t have hesitated to kill that deer and have it served. Him being so proactive is part of why they made him a pack leader for now. I let a long sigh that I’d been holding onto since I left squeeze past my lips. Riven. Every time I stop moving my feet, an image of him rises to the front of my mind. I picture the set way his jaw sits, and his eyes as he soaks me in. When will someone look at me like