โTake this.โ Vincent handed me a little pill. It was smaller, but it felt huge in my hand. โWhat is it?โ Vincent shrugged. โSomething to help you relax.โ Ethan was trying not to laugh as he walked away from me. He was my brother, so there wasnโt any reason to not trust himโฆright? Tossing the pill in, I could dry swallow it since it was so little. There wasnโt a foreboding feeling about it so hopefully it would turn out okay. My hands shook as I climbed the stairs to the plane. They shook the stairs so much that Vincent stopped walking. His eyes looked at the stairs before he looked back at me. โReally?โ โF-fuck o-offโฆโ Trying to glare at him, but my attention was on making sure I didnโt trip. As much as Vincent found this entertaining, he waited for me. Grabbing my arm, he helped me the rest of the way up. โDid you take that pill?โ โI did. What was it?โ โJust a little Xanax. Something to help you relax.โโOh, boyโฆโ Vincent help my arm until he placed me in a seat across from
โGrace, wake up.โ My body shook, making me jump in surprise. โWe are here.โ When I didnโt move, sparks erupted over my body as I was lifted in the air. โI didnโt mean to make her do thatโฆโ Vincent was laughing. โIt was the alcohol that really did her in.โ Ethan sighed. There was no point to me responding. Ethan got in the back seat on the car, but didnโt let me go. โGrace, do you want to say hi to anyone while we are here?โ โFuckโฆ off.โ I muttered in Ethanโs chest. โI would say we should stay the night here, but we canโt afford to lose any time.โ Ethan kissed my forehead. โWe will just have to carry her.โโHopefully, we donโt run into any rogues.โ Zeke seemed to be getting in on the fun. Iโm not sure why but I got the visual of the boys playing hot potato with my body as they fought off the rogues. Someone was coming at Ethan, so he tossed me on Vincentโs back. Vincent got tossed back, and I landed on Zeke. It was like a rotation between them and I was just a rag doll being toss
โPack down in Flordia. Alpha Jax Horton.โ Zeke shrugged. All three of us stopped walking. Zeke took a few steps before he realized we werenโt walking anymore.โExcuse me?โ Ethan heard him perfectly fine but wanted him to repeat himself. โAlpha Jax Horton?โ Zeke looked confused. โDo you know him?โ โLittle too wellโฆ.โ I muttered. Zeke looked at me, even more confused. โYou said your parents left?โ Vincent asked as we started walking again. Zeke looked around at us before he kept going. โYeah. I donโt know why. Is something wrong?โ โHe just doesnโt have a goodโฆ reputation.โ Ethan put it lightly. Vincent snorted at this. I knew they had worked together, so it wasnโt like he wasnโt familiar with him. โThatโs about right.โ โWhere are we staying tonight?โ I asked as the sun was setting behind the trees. โWe need to make it as long as we can on foot tonight. Tomorrow, we will need to book it, but we should be able to be there by tomorrow mid-day.โ Ethan sighed as he looked up at the
My body ached from tossing and turning all night. It wasnโt the hard earth that crawled under me, the bite of the breeze that picked up early in the morning, or the misquotes that danced above my head. It was my nightmare that made my fears come to life. It all seemed so real. First one was Vincent shoving his hand deep into my chest. My body froze as I felt each finger wrap around my heart and squeeze. Then it was my dadโฆ. the man that raised me, looking me in the eyes and told me he hated me. He said I was his biggest mistake before slicing my neck with a knife. Zeke made his appearance as the most real version. I was sleeping just like I wasโฆ on the ground, in the opening. He came up to my sleeping body and wrapped his hand around my neck. He watched as my fist fought for my lungs. His eyes stayed on mine until the life left them before he went back to where he was sleeping. He had laid down like he didnโt just kill me. Slipping off into a peaceful nightโs sleep. The only thing t
Ethanโs hand reached out and grabbed mine. โSomeone is around here.โ He whispered. Vincent and Zeke also stopped walking. We were getting close, but we were still a few miles out. Ethan pulled me against him as Vincent moved around me. โSHOW YOURSELF!โ Vincent growled. They were looking straight ahead into the darkness. Even Zeke had his claws out, ready to attack. Three men walked out from behind the trees. All of them were dressed in blacked out tactical gear, holding machine guns around their chest. โIdentify yourself.โ The one in the middle commanded. Ethan and Vincent did not like that at all. โYou first.โ Vincent growled. All three men drew their weapons, pointing them at us. We had power, but we were no match for guns. โPut your guns down.โ A familiar voice echoed from behind them. Instantly, all three of them put their guns down and stood at attention. โDad?โ Vincentโs body relaxed as our dad stepped into view. โTook you long enough.โ I was too shocked to move. Vincent
โOh?โ Rose looked taken aback.โPlease know that I am not like my father at all. This is not how we operate. Donโt let him bruteness cloud your opinion on me.โ Rose was quiet for a few minutes. โI try not to judge people based on the actions of another, but I must sayโฆ watching your dad carve your family crest into my mateโs backโฆ.โ She didnโt need to finish that sentence. โI know. Iโll do my best to get them out of your home.โ Rose walked by me and paused. She smiled and put her hand on my arm before she walked out. Ethan walked in front of me and held onto my shoulders. โListen, we need to play this correctly. Please let me handle things. You get in the shower, and relax. Iโll be just down the hall. No one will bother you, but please make it quick.โ No words would come out of my mouth. Nodding, Ethan put his hand against my cheek. He didnโt need to tell me he loved me. I could see it in his expression, swimming in the depths of his soul. Too soon, he walked out of the bedroom,
Ethan carried me outside. I could hear Vincent trying to calm everyone down, but Ethan slammed the door shut. โGrace!โ He kept his hands on my arms until I steadied myself. โYou canโt be taking his side!โ I yelled with tears in my eyes. Ethanโs eyes searched mine before his hand turned my face. โIโm not blaming you. However, provoking him is not going to help. He is going to do things how he wants, regardless of what we want. You need to let me handle your dad. He will respect me more than he will you.โ โThatโs not how it should be.โ โNo, but you grew up with him. You know what his triggers were, but now that he isnโt an alpha anymore, itโs different.โ Ethan finally let go of my face and pulled me into a hug. โLetโs just do what he wants. Iโll keep my eye out for anything that seems out of place. For now, we just need to go with the flow. Iโm outnumbered here.โ โFine. Ethan, I got to tell you something.โ Ethan noticed how uncomfortable and uneasy I felt. He let me go and looked
โAlright. Everyone ready?โ Vincent asked. We were just now pulling up. Ethan, Vincent and I were in the back of the limo. The white blouse dad got me was more low cut than I liked. My cleavage was on displayed but I guess it would still be considered work appropriate in some places. The pencil skirt hugged everything a little too much. However, it was the red bottom shoes that made me hate the outfit the most. I felt like I was in a slutty Halloween business costume. โDo I have a choice?โ I muttered. Vincent smirked as the walkie talkie came to life. โEveryone is set.โ Dadโs voice echoed through the car. โ10-4.โ Vincent said back before tossing the walkie talkie on the seat next to him. Looking at Vincent in the eyes, I needed to find some space from him. โI donโt need you breathing down my back.โ โJust focus on what you need to do.โ Vincent spit out before the care came to a complete stop. His eyes locked on me. โReady?โ โAs much as Iโll ever be.โ Vincent opened the door before
โCHRISTIAN!โ I yelled back. He laughed, as that was our thing. Ethan set me down when we got to the top. Christian instantly wrapped his arms around my legs. โI missed you! You are getting so tall!โ โHey, sis.โ Vincent walked up to me with his arm out. With my belly, I could only do a side hug these days.โHow is my little nephew doing?โ Vincent shook Ethanโs hand. โVery happy where he is at.โ Vincent has been a little of a recluse this last year. Finding out the truth, being a full-time day and looking for a beta has kept him from coming around as often. Fortuantly, everyone has sympathized with him. They have really accepted him into our friendโs group. However, Roxie and Zoey are on a kick to find him a mate. Vincent game me a smile and scooped Christian up. โLetโs go inside or we will miss the party.โ Ethan held the door for us before quickly resuming his spot next to me. The moment we walked in, my breath was caught in my throat. It was just like I imagined it to be. A larg
1 year laterโGrace! We got to go! Everyone is waiting for us!โ Ethan was standing at our bedroom door. โIโm COMING!โ I growled back. My swollen belly was ready to pop at any moment. Our little baby boy was loving kicking his mother in the lungs so much that he refused to leave. โI can only move so fast!โ โYou are the most beautiful pregnant personโฆever.โ Ethan smiled at me as I walked out of the bedroom. The stretchy black evening gown clung to my body, really making my stomach look much skinner than I felt. From the back, you would never know I was pregnant, which confused me. My belly was very round, like a ball. โThis is all your fault.โ Rolling my eyes at him, I couldnโt help the smile that spread across my face. Ethan walked over and gave me his arm. โThank you.โ โJust thinkโฆโ Ethan patted my hand. โโฆ. you get to do this many more times!โ Looking up and glaring at him, โI will kick you in the nuts and end all of that.โ Ethan laughed at me. I doubt anything would hurt his m
By the time we made it to the club, I had taken a few more shots, and the buzz was going. The club was bouncing. Music could be heard from outside. There was a line down the sidewalk and neon lights were flashing all around. This was the vibe that I was hoping for. โEthan, I want to check on the computers. With everyone here, I havenโt actually got to see it yet and I want to check it.โ I had to shout since the music was so loud and we werenโt even inside. โGrace, you are a little drunkโฆ.โ Ethan raised his eyebrows at me. โPlease? Iโm not going to touch it. Just want to make sure itโs okay.โ Grabbing his arm, I put on my most pathetic face I could.โ โFineโฆโ Ethan rolled his eyes, but smirked. Wrapping his arm around me, he lead the way inside. โCallie, get everyone situated with drinks. We will catch up.โ Ethan instantly lead me away to his office. It was more packed than I had ever seen it. Granted, I had only been here like three times, but this was packed. More than once, we g
โWhat do you have that is the best with crab?โ Theresa thought for a moment. โTry the crab trio. There are three different ways crab is cooked. I think one is the crab alfrado, a mushroom stuffed crab and just steamed crab legs with a pepper, garlic butter to dip it in.โ โThat sounds perfect.โ โGreat. Would you like your legs already de-shelled?โ โYes, please.โ I said right as the guys came back. โIโll have a crab cake, please.โ Jolene smiled at Theresa. Theresa returned the smile. โFor you two?โ She looked at them. โSeafood fried roll.โ Ethan sighed and downed his drink. โI got another round coming.โ She said instantly. Ethan nodded and put his arm back around me. โWhat did Vincent say?โ I asked Ethan in the mind-link, so I didnโt hear what Nox, Stella or Rif ordered. โWell, turns out they were all people that went missing states away. None were from the same state, but they were all scholars in hacking or something cyber. Vincent thinks Zach or Derek had placed them there
Just as Ethan stood up, we arrived at the restaurant. I couldnโt help the sly smile that spread across my face before bitting my lower lip. โLetโs go,โ Ethan said before clearing his throat. He gave me a little nudge to get off the bus. โWhere are we?โ I asked as I stepped off. Ethan was quick behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist. โThis is one I have wanted to bring you to since I met you. Itโs a very upscale seafood place. I know your favorite food is crab and I think they will have what you want here.โ Ethan smiled down at me.โI love this place!โ Callie squealed. โTheir lobster is absolutely amazing!โ โIโve never been here!โ Zoey grabbed Leoโs hand, and they started the train to the front doors. โWe have a reservation. Itโs under Boone.โ Callie yelled from the back. By the time we walked in, the hostess walked off from the front. Zoey turned and smiled at us. I couldnโt help but look around. There was a massive sword fish mounted on the wall. The lighting was low, dark
After the house burnt down, we had to transport everyone back to their respected packs. However, all of our friends had to come back one last time to our pack and gather their belongings. Since they were already here, we had one last night together. Ethan set up a romanic evening that ended with everyone at the club for a night of dancing. All the girls were in my bedroom getting dressed. Callie had on a champain squence colored dress. It volumized her breast with a completely open back and only strings tolding it up. Her ass was about to hang out, but she looks amazing.Zoey had on a similar colored dress, but the top was more of a bra. Her stomach was open to a skirt that sinched at the side. Roxie was wearing a scarlett red dress. With long sleeves, the top was just enough fabric to cover her tits. It was an open stomach, but one side went down to a skirt that went to her calf. The other side had a slit that went to her hip, completely exposing her very toned legs. Stella was wea
Vincent turned and looked at us. โLetโs go home.โ He whispered and walked past us. Christian was clinging to Vincent like his life depended on it. โKeep your eyes closed, bud.โ He said as he walked out of the house. We all followed him. The battle was over and our warriors were collecting the dead. In the front was Derekโs body, Zach and Adaline. There was a rather large pile of men off to the side and a more respectible line of men that were ours. Leo was barking order with Damon, but Stella caught my attention. She was standing over Derekโs body with tears running down her face. Walking out of Ethanโs arms, I came up to Stella. She met my eyes before looking down again. โW-what happened?โ I hesitated before speaking. I wasnโt sure how this was going to impact our friendship. Though it had already been rocky as it was. โGrace?โ Rif walked up behind Stella. Putting a hand around his waist, he nodded. โWhatever it is, just tell us.โ I knew I had everyoneโs attention at this point.
Grabbing a lock of hair, I twisted it in my fingers. โYou know Vincent, she used Derekโs weakness and let him believe for three years that he betrayed you.โ Vincentโs hand wrapped around his neck. He squeezed hard enough to make her hurt but not enough to stop the breathing. โWhat should I do? Kill her or put her in my dungeon to yearsโ worth of torture?โ โIโm sorry! I can turn my life around and be the mother that Christian deserves. I only ever wanted to be a mate to you.โ She batted her eyelashes at Vincent. His grip tightened around her neck. โNothing I do will be enough. It wonโt be enough to vengue Derek, my dad or the years of head games you put on our son that Iโll have to fix.โ Tighter, he squeezed until his hand started shaking. โI regret ever sleeping with you, ever touching you, or even meeting you. The only good thing in my life is Christian. Iโm going to take your body and make a mockery of it. You will be an example of what it means to cross me. Iโm more powerful than
Ethan, Vincent, and I just stared at her with our mouths hanging open. โDerek thought he betrayed Vincent. He did everything to keep Vincent out of danger and keep his kid safe and you were playing him.โ My anger was rising as her words sank in. โYou let Derek live with this weight on him for years.โ Adaline shrugged. โWho is Derek to me?โ She mirrored those words, knowing it was going to get under my skin. โNow, my child is an heir to not only the mafia family, but to a very powerful wolf pack and a blood relative to a very profitable security business.โโYou never wanted me to create a program. All this was a lie to get the three of us here.โ The truth came crashing down on me.Marco pointed his gun at me. โYou are a very hard person to get ahold of. I told Zach to kidnap you by any means needed. He almost got you fucking killed. Iโm happy you survived, but yes, however, Ethan was only part of it because he mated to you. I just wanted Vincent and you.โ โYour dad was incredibly ann