LOGINSutton’s mouth fell open in shock. Hurt filling her eyes. My stomach twisted in knots knowing my comment caused it but I didn’t feel bad about saying it. It was the truth. She needed to let this go. Even Rhonen backed me up for once.Tears formed in her eyes and she rushed from the room.“Sutton…” I called after her, pushing my hands through my hair as I decided whether to follow or not.I hated Anders too. I despised the bastard. I wanted to wring his damn neck for causing this mess. But what’s done was done. And digging into that invitation wasn’t going to undo that. Figuring that out could wait.I went and laid on the couch, deciding to give her some space. It wasn’t like she had time to work through anything the night of the ceremony. Maybe if I gave her a little time to think it over, she’d move on.I tried to get some more rest. I wasn’t joking when I said we had several more days ahead of us before her heat passed. I needed to recover. But it was pointless. I wanted Sutton. She
My eyelids felt heavier than they ever had. I searched for an ounce of strength in my body and was surprised to find some. It was enough to open my eyes halfway and lift my head. The first thing I saw was the clock on the bedside table. I blinked away the blurriness to make out what it read.“Is that the right date?” I croaked out hoarsely.Lucas grunted next to me, rolling onto his side to pull close. “Yes…”A lazy smile spread across my face as I fell back against my mate. The last thirty-six hours playing through my mind again. It had been everything I’d hoped it would be. More even. If I died right then, I’d die happy. I wanted to hold onto that feeling as long as possible.Unfortunately, my stomach had other plans. The growl sounded through the room. My dry mouth echoed the sentiment as it demanded water with a less than pleasant taste. I groaned in protest as Lucas chuckled. His own stomach follow my lead.“We need sustenance,” he declared. Kissing my hair, he dragged himself ou
Wrestling Sutton into the back of the limo had been a challenge. She wasn’t thinking straight. All she could think about was eliminating the threat. I had to shift her focus. But that would present a whole new problem. With her heat in full swing, there was only one thing that would get her under control. We would never make it to the manor house in time. The pain would set in any minute. If her heat wasn’t satisfied, her body would rebel. Causing excruciating cramps that would last until she was mated.When I finally managed to get the vehicle door closed, I hit the roof and yelled for the driver to go. Sutton was breathing heavily, practically snarling as she tried to adjust in the seat.“I’ll kill him,” she raged. “I’ll rip him apart for touching you.”“Sutton.” I grabbed her arm, gripping her chin to force her focus back on me. “He’s gone. He won’t touch me again. Breath.”It took a few moments but her breathing started to slow. Her pupils contracted as her eyes returned to their
I watched Lucas carry Sutton off kicking and screaming. Her claws and canines extended as she tried to attack Alpha Anders again. Her eyes practically glowing orange as Nova tried to force her way through. I’d never seen her act like that before. It was terrifying and inspiring all at the same time. Seeing Hannah like that was hard enough, but at least I had a good idea why she was in that condition. I couldn’t say the same about Sutton.My father kept an arm around me, possessively or protectively I couldn’t tell. Probably both seeing as the man who basically kidnapped and brainwashed his other daughter was only feet away. Even if he was dragging himself off the ground. Jaden was hovering over him just as Gamma Max and other security came running over.Anders spat blood on the ground as he got to his feet. “Crazy bitch,” he muttered under his breath.Jaden advanced on him. “Shut your mouth, Anders,” he growled menacingly. “You can walk out of here on your own or we’ll carry you out.
We ran a path around the packhouse grounds before returning to the gardens. It was by far the best run of my life. I almost wasn’t able to regain control from Rhonen with the euphoric state he was in. But we had guests waiting to congratulate us and a celebration to continue. We shifted back as we returned, our pack members following suit.We were instantly bombarded by people vying for our attention. Before they could overwhelm us, the crowd quieted down. Parting as King Osric approached, a look of pride on his face. Extending his hand, Sutton took them, returning the warm smile.“Congratulations, my dear,” King Osric told her. “I have no doubts you will prove to the world what a credit to your pack you are.”“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Sutton replied.“Alpha Lucas, I hope you know how lucky you are,” the king commented.“I’ve never doubted it,” I replied, resting a possessive hand on the small of Sutton’s back.Prince Raphe stepped up to greet her next, followed by Princess Nomi prai
Raising my hand between us, Lucas led me out of the tent to the stage stairs. My heart was beating in my ears and I was holding my breath. Fearing I would have a panic attack if I looked in anyone’s eyes, I focused on the space above the crowd. Only looking away to ascend the stairs and take my place center stage.‘You’re ready, Sutton,’ Nova assured me, coming to the forefront of my mind.We had rehearsed this a dozen times. I knew every word and every action that was needed, even if they felt fuzzy at the moment. I could barely hear Lucas speaking to the crowd over the sound of my heart still pounding in my ears. But it was okay. I knew what to do.‘Turn, Sutton,’ Nova urged.I moved to face Lucas. As our eyes met, my heartbeat calmed slightly and my mind started to clear. Nobody had ever looked at me like Lucas did. Nobody had ever seen me the same way Lucas did. And he did see me. He saw me better than I saw myself most days. And standing her now, the adoring look in his eyes told







