Spit flew from my mouth as I screamed at him. โYou tortured her for finding you fucking my step sister. She had every right to reject you.โ I squeezed. โYou are an unworthy male.โBrandon tugged me off Derek, and I allowed him to do it. Vince watched with hawk eyes to every movement, every gesture. Brandon pulled me against his chest, and again I allowed him to. โCalm down. At least let him speak. If you rip out his throat, then you wonโt get to hear his reasoning.โ โHis reasoning?โ I snarled, and Vince winced. But Brandon cupped my face. โIโm sorry. I said the wrong word. But let him speak and then your conscious will be clear if you kill him.โ Vince nodded, and I knew he was feeding him the words. I wanted to roll my eyes and scoff. Megan rubbed against the barrier. Allow them to believe they are convincing you. Fine, but you owe me. She chuckled, but I turned back to Brandon. โFine.โ I turned back to Derek. โSpeak boy.โHe pushed back a bit, and I took in a deep breath. His fe
โSo you tortured her for what? Hope that she would accept you as her mate.โ I scoffed, but I made it weak. โHow was that ever going to work?โโIt could have worked.โ He shouted and then wilted. โIf she wasnโt so strong, it could have worked.โI leveled him with a look. โShe was from my fatherโs pack. You should have done more investigating.โHe threw up his hands. โWhat does that even mean?โโThis pack follows the old ways. They give males an excuse to not hold true to the mate bond.โโHey.โ Vince looked a little agitated at that, but I just raised an eyebrow. โWe have had this conversation before.โ Vince sighed and then nodded.โYes, we have. All I will say on this matter is that we follow the way my forefathers paved for us. Wolves, not just males, when they shift have too much going on to control every urge. Sex is a way to curb the aggression.โ I just looked at him and he raised his hands. โYes, I know your fatherโs pack pivoted to training, but not every pack does.โI finally no
His gaze moved to face Vince, but he looked away. Then he gazed at Brandon, who was behind me. I donโt know what he saw there, but I watch the fight drain out of him. โMake your choice.โVince stood and walked over to my side. โDoes it have to be decided right this second?โI slowly turned my face to look at Vince. โYes. I know you have seen her. Her condition is nothing new to you. She is wasting away. You both will come now to release her, or I will kill him. Then I will only need you to come to release her. But either way, it will be done right now.โ I let my eyes flash. โNot later. Not tomorrow. We will all be leaving this office to head to my house, or the three of us will leave to head to my house, and the omegas will have a body to clean up.โI left no room for negotiations. No chance for confusion. Brandon pressed against my back. โHe is my beta.โ I looked at him over my shoulder. โThere are other betaโs in the fucking world.โ I snapped back. โYou might be friends with him,
โStop fucking calling me boy. Iโm a twenty-seven-year-old man.โ Derek snarled, but I just smiled. โIf you want me to treat you like a man, like a male worthy of the beta titleโฆthen act like it.โ I turned to Vince. โAre you ready?โโI am quite busy.โ He started, but froze when another savage growl ripped out of me. He raised his hands. โBut I will make the time to come down with you right now to remove my command.โI nodded. โGood.โ I looked down at the ground. โSorry, I am obviously on edge. She is the last member of my pack and I failed her.โ I looked at the wall and waited for Vince to nod. โNo alpha wanted to feel like they failed a member of their pack. And I can understand your anger. You left her in my care, and you came home to this.โ Vince scratched the back of his neck like he was feeling bad. But I knew this was just an act. โI apologize for my hand in this mess.โI nodded. โI appreciate it. As long as it rectified today.โ Brandon walked over and grabbed my hand. โIโll ta
I looked back to Brandon and I mouthed sorry. I wasnโt, but I needed him to this I was. Then I turned Lynn back towards my house and brought her inside. We headed straight to my bedroom, but I froze. The fucking door. โToya?โโYeah?โ She came up behind us. โTake Lynn to my room. I need to speak to my mom about some food.โ She saw the look in my eyes and nodded. โOf course.โ She sidled up next to Lynn. โHey honey, Iโm Toya. We are going to become the best of friends you and I.โ Lynn barely registered her, and just leaned on her. They started upstairs, and I turned back to the kitchen.โMom?โ โYeah baby?โ She came around the corner and she saw my face. โDid you kill that boy?โ I just shook my head. โPity.โ She turned around and headed back into the kitchen. I followed her inside and leaned against the counter. I needed a second. โThat bad?โ I nodded again. She just came over and hugged me. โYou did good, baby.โI shook my head. โNo, I didnโt. If I did, this wouldnโt have ever happen
I heard the door open and Shannon gasp. โNo freaking way.โMy mom turned to me. โWhat the hell is this?โโMom, did you think I didnโt notice you eyeing up Joraโs SUV the last time you came up?โ My mother blushed. โIt was nice.โ She pouted.Shannon ran up to us. โWhose it for?โ I ignored her. The SUV was fully unloaded and the delivery guy was walking over. โI am looking for a Mrs. Maclean.โ I smiled as my mom turned to me. โAn Ainsley Maclean.โ She whipped her head back around to face the driver. โIโm guessing thatโs you.โ His chuckle was soft as he walked over and dropped the keys into her hands. โHope you like it.โ Then he was gone. My mom turned to me. โI might have gotten you a new car, too.โ I grinned. โBut Iโm going to go help Lynn and Toya pack, so Iโm going to go. Go look at it.โ I pushed her towards her new car and turned away.Shannon was pouting behind us. โYou bought your mom a new car?โ I nodded as I went to go past. โThis isnโt fair.โ She stomped her foot like a child
Nix nodded as she came closer to the barrier. Yes, she has finished the carving. I waited and watched so that I could tell you where she carved what, just in case it was important. Smart. I leaned down and grabbed the book from the floor. I didnโt even think of that. Okay. I paused, ready to start. Which one first?Nix pushed forward. She pointed at the first symbol, a weird-looking N. She did this one on the bottom. I shifted my hand into my claws and carved the N into the baseplate of the door frame. Nix pointed at the circle with a line through it. This one is in the middle of the left-hand side. I carved mine in the same area. This one, a sideway S with a few dots, is on the top. I stood and went to carve the symbol above the door but Nix stopped me. Not there. She did it like the bottom on the top plate. Like the sides. I nodded and carved it into the crossbeam on the frame. And the last one was the star she did exactly across from the circle. I finished the carving, then kne
Only to run face first into another fucking door. โOw.โ My eyes snapped open, and I rubbed my forehead. โWhat the fuck?โ I placed my hand on the wood and tapped on it, making sure it was solid. โWhat?โ Toya came up behind me. She peered over my shoulder. โIs that another door?โ I nodded. โWellโฆโ She nudged my back. โOpen it.โI puffed out my cheeks. โIf I donโt come back, Iโm blaming you.โ I opened the second door quickly, slamming the door against the wall. โWhat the fuck!โ Wendy screamed. โHoly shit, it worked.โ I whispered as I stared at my friend. โIt worked.โ Toya clapped behind us. โAmy!โ Carly came running, and I opened my arms. โHi baby.โ I hugged her to me and then pushed her back as I crouched down. โHave you been a good girl for Aunt Wendy?โWendy smiled and nodded. Carly bounced. โWe played board games.โ Wendy sighed. โShe beat me every time.โ I chuckled.โGood.โ I looked up. โWe have all the stuff here. We can hand it through, but we will have a guest with us at th
I walked out of the office with an exhausted grin on my face.โDid you do it?โ Alannah stood at her desk with a grin on her face. โI did. Got it just as the counter was counting down.โ Alannah jumped as the door swung open and Vince walked in. โAmy!โ He yelled as soon as he walked in. Alannah swung around me as naturally as she could. โYes Alpha Vibce. What can I do for you?โ Alannah stepped into Rickโs office, creating more space between them. Vince looked at her retreating, but I turned away from him and grabbed my purse from my hook, pulling his attention back to me. โYou canโt call off the mating ceremony.โ His face was smiling, but I saw the glint in his eye. He sounded like he was begging, but he meant it as an order. โBrandon loves you.โI nodded. โAnd I love him, but I love him enough to respect him and his reputation.โVince furrowed his brow. โWhat do you mean by that?โI sighed as I stepped out of my office, pulling my door shut. โAlpha Vince, I know rumors donโt get ba
I covered my face with my hands. He doesnโt want me. My wolves laid down and I knew they were sad. We know how you feel about Rowan. How you feel about Thoth if you are ever going to admit it? We already told you we wonโt interfere, but Erubus just snuck up on us. Megan huffed out a breath as she flopped over. Nix nodded. We thought we were just getting past the anger and the hurt that the two of them caused us. So that we could all learn to work together. And we did. Nix sighed as she laid her head down on her paws. Okay. I can understand that. I sat back. But what happened?He wasโฆjust himself. No interruption. No human getting in the way with his emotions. Rowan talks himself out of a lot. Nix shook her head. He takes a lot onto himself, more than needed. He thinks that his mate will make or break the realm. Nix sighed. I feel bad for the weight he forces on himself. He must be exhausted all the time. Megan nodded. He never pushed us, never made me feel excluded or uncomfortabl
I started in on the first firewall, which I breeched with no issue. But the second firewall blared the alarm. โAmy!โ I sighed. โGot it.โ I fixed my breech and tried again. And again. And again. I wanted to bang my head off the screen by mid day. I groaned in frustration when I heard Alannah call out again. โAmy.โ โSeriously?โ I slammed my keyboard in anger. I had made it halfway to the mainframe undetected, but I was stuck around the ninth firewall. I stood up and started to pace.Alannah came to the door. โWhy donโt you take lunch? Take thirty minutes to regroup and then come back and attack. You will still have three hours to get rid of the virus once you settle.โ She smiled and handed me the menu. โMaybe your hangry.โI huffed out a breath and then nodded. โYou are probably right.โ I sighed and dropped back into my chair. I looked over the menu and decided I needed meat. A lot of meat.Is everything okay? I called back to my wolves.Nix looked at me with wide eyes. I think we a
I watched his face go through a barrage of emotions and settled on anger. โNeither the pack nor Shannon can tell me who I can or canโt mate with.โ He grabbed my face. โI want you, Amy.โ He kissed me again and I had to hold myself back from puking. I couldnโt hold in the shudder, which made Brandon smile. He thought it was from need and not utter disgust. โYou will be my mate. Promise me you will give me time to fix it.โI looked off to the side. โYou have less than two weeks.โ I turned back. โIf Shannon hasnโt retracted everythingโฆif she hasnโt stepped back, then she can take my place. I wonโt be second place in my bond.โ I slid out from in front of him and walked to the door. โUntil then, I donโt want to be put in a situation where I would be considered the other woman.โBrandon watched me from behind y desk before he finally nodded and then walked back towards me at the door. โI respect that.โ He leaned over and kissed me again. โIโll handle it. Give me some time.โI just nodded and
I sat back, watching the grey curser flashing on the screen. I needed to answer him, but I was still a little lost on how to approach him. Itโs still weird knowing that Thoth is a man. When my dad introduced us, it was just vague information. Thoth will help you. No gender. No name other than user name. I asked over and over, but he stayed quiet. We talked about computers at first. But then our conversations grew deeper. He asked about my day, complained about his own. It wasnโt until I joked with him about telling Brandon that he was a human female that he finally cracked and told me he was a man. Another alpha my father was friends with. One he had grown close to from overseas. I shook my head to clear it. Whatever feelings I did or didnโt have for Thoth would have to wait. I wouldnโt approach any relationship until everything had been handled.NixtheGoddess: Hey. Iโm alive. Vince had captured me for a few days, but I got out. Iโm at work. I have a full day, but I will do a full d
Humans fall in loveโฆ The words bounced around in my head. There was no fucking way. I turned to look at my wolves, who were sitting comfortably. There is no gods damn way.Nix snorted as she looked at Megan. Sheโs really trying to convince usโฆwhen we share her fucking soul and already know the truth. Megan shrugged. I wasnโt going to point it out to her. She ran to her computer every night for months, talking to the man. If she wanted to be stupid, that was her prerogative. They both looked at me and I staggered back. YOU KNEW!Both shrugged. Look. Nix stepped closer and ran her side down the barrier. After Brandon. I wasnโt going to agree to any mate. But then you met Rowan.And while we both liked him. Megan pressed against the barrier, sending love. There were too many things holding you both back. Including us. What are you guys even talking about?Nix sighed. She pulled back and looked at her paws. I knew you loved Rowan. We both did. And before we realized Erubus was Rowan,
I sighed before I pulled up our chat screen. The dark screen was full of messages that I had missed.Thoth: Hey. You missed our chat last night. We were going to work on getting into the mainframe. Is everything okay?Thoth: Amy? Hey. Itโs been hours. Iโm starting to worry.Thoth: Amy? I called your dad. He said he hasnโt been able to get in touch with you, and heโs even starting to worry. Is everything okay? We are starting to panic.Thoth: Okay, listen, I know you are probably busy. Especially with the kids. I know you said that the king was in the past, but maybe you should reach out to Rowan about the kids. Maybe he can help.Thoth: Hey itโs been another day. Are you okay? I fully expect you to message me back today. I called you but you didnโt answer.Thoth: I just realized it might be weird that I called youโฆI got your number from your dad. I figured since we are friends, you wouldnโt care. Thoth: Okay, donโt be weird about me calling you.Thoth: Iโm panicking.I laughed at tha
I walked into the office early the next morning. I was exhausted still, but I had things to do. Alannah stood with a shout. โAmy! Youโre back.โ She ran over and hugged me. โI was so worried when I hadnโt heard anything from you.โโI just spent some time with my mom on an island off the coast. Cell service was bad.โ I sniffed her. โYou smell good.โ I pulled back, patting her back. โI like the perfume, what is it?โShe looked a little confused for a moment. โItโs vanilla.โI smiled. โIt smells great, but I can tell itโs wearing off. You might want to add a little, so it lasts all day.โ I winked at her as understand entered her eyes. โGood idea. Iโve been running around all morning, so I was really sweaty.โ She turned around and went to her desk, pulling the bottle from her purse and spraying herself. She turned to me expectantly. โHowโs that?โ โPerfect.โ I looked around. โIs Rick in?โShe shook her head. โHe left early yesterday after his meeting with the alpha. I think we werenโt fee
I opened myself up as I sat down and sent out a call. โSorry it took so long.โ I sighed as I sat down next to her. โYou were busy.โ Carlโs voice was sad, and as I looked over, both he and my grandmother looked worried. โBut you are here now.โโI didnโt expect both of you.โ I sighed.โDaddy.โ Carly called as she jumped up, but I grabbed her. โHeโs not really here, baby, remember? You canโt touch him.โ She trembled and then she sat back down. They settled across from us with the grave between us. โI forgot.โ She looked at him. โI miss you, daddy.โโAnd I miss you too, baby.โ He leaned over, then need to touch his daughter too much. โI heard every time you prayed to me.โ His eyes softened. โAnd I want you to know, baby. That if you want to call Amy mom, or if at any time Amy gets a mate and you want to call him dad, your mother and I wonโt mind. We will always be your mommy and daddy.โ The tears in his eyes were full of love.Carly looked at me and I smiled down at her. โYou donโt hav