LEON:Liam is having a hard time opening up about everything, but Seth and I are patiently waiting."At first, I was a little upset to have to share, but ultimately, I remembered what Theo had said. He told me that I would be better suited to help her with this quest since you were her mate," he says, taking a deep breath."So you chose to listen to some Theo guy over the Goddess's gift to you?" Seth quirks back.Oh no."Yeah," Liam says, surprising me.I was getting ready for a brawl, but Liam admitted defeat at this point."I don't get it. Why didn't you just talk to her or me or anyone before you made such a dumbass choice? You made Lucy cry," I say, harsher than I meant to.I can feel Seth getting tense beside me as he hears what I say."I guess I had accepted that Lucy and I weren't mates after I had originally thought we were. I was upset she was your mate when I found out, but I got over it and accepted the task that Theo had given me. Now she hates me," Liam says, tugging at h
LUCY:I watched with great anticipation as my mark worked through their system.They were nearly 100% healed.I had to hold back my tears when I recognized they were reconnecting with their wolves.A knock draws all of our attention to the door. All of the girls quickly pull up the blankets from the bed to cover themselves, shrinking under them.I send them encouraging emotions, strength, and safety, and I feel content with their reactions as they relax."It's just my mate—the future Alpha of the pack. You saw in the memory that he is good." I smiled while trying to reassure them they were safe while opening the door.It definitely was my mate, but not the one I was expecting. His marshmallow scent wraps around me quickly."His hair has grown a lot since that memory," Amelia giggles."What memory?" Liam asks, looking at me strangely."It's nothing. Uh. This is Amelia, Sophia, and Acelynn," I smile, pointing at each of them as I say their name.I'm feeling so uncomfortable that I could
LIAM:She's agreed to hear me out but won't even look in my direction. We're sitting, waiting for food, in awkward silence.'She is just ignoring me now,' I link to Leon.He chuckles through the link before responding.'What do you mean? Where are you?' he asks, with a smile in his voice.Lucy glances at me and quickly turns away.'I took her to the burger place by the hospital. I thought if I showed her I paid attention to her, maybe she would open up to me,' I explain to Leon.He starts laughing full-on through the link again.'You took our mate to a public place to have a private conversation? When did you get so bad at this?' Leon says through his chuckles.Shit. Okay, he has a point. I closed our link because I could tell he wanted to start bantering with me, but I needed to focus on Lucy.I get up, startling Lucy for some reason."I'll be right back; please don't leave," I say.She looks at me and nods before looking away again."Do you have anything you could put the burgers in
LIAM:I waste no time going into my unprepared speech."There's not really any excuse I can come up with to justify what I did, so I'm not going to waste too much time trying to sound like I can make it right," I start.'That wasn't the best approach,' Bo says.She lifts an eyebrow at me while finishing her bite but doesn't say anything."What I mean by that is I spoke without thinking clearly. I didn't mean what I said," I say, rubbing my hands together.I'm so nervous that I've lost my appetite and my palms are sweaty."You know, I thought I was going to be the one who had a hard time being a good mate, but I think somehow you and Leon ended up being worse," she starts laughing.Is she seriously making a joke right now?"Lucy, I'm being serious!" I'm irritated as hell by this.She tries to make a serious face before she starts laughing again."Why are you laughing?" I'm genuinely confused by this, but Bo starts to chuckle, too.Now I'm smiling, trying to bite back my laughter as she
LIAM:I swam in place, watching her swim on her back in circles for a while.She was softly singing, something I'd never heard before, but it was beautiful.I had no idea she could sing, but I suppose I didn't know much about her yet."Mom used to sing to me sometimes. Always the same few songs," she comments, now opening her eyes.I swim over to her and grab her, pulling her body into the water.I was struggling to see her presented so openly to me, but she only made matters worse when she wrapped her legs around me.Goddess, she smells so good. "You brought me here to say sorry?" she asks, finally talking about what I've been trying to talk about.She seems almost intoxicated. I'm trying to balance between what I want and the right thing to do."Yes. I also wanted to share this place with you," I say honestly.It was all I thought about the night after I made my mistake. My mom had made the perfect suggestion, but I was too busy in my head to see it.Lucy wouldn't usually be this i
LUCY:Just like at the Silver Lake, I felt myself saying my truths without wanting to.I was wrapped up in my mind as we ran back to the grounds.'I could feel it too, Lucy,' Nia finally spoke up.I had been so focused on my thoughts that she startled me in my head.'It feels connected to the lake, right?' I ask her.'I wasn't in your dream when that happened to you, but from what you're thinking, it sounds like it has to be,' she says, confirming my suspicion.I didn't want to go behind Leander's back, but I needed answers. Something needs to start adding up for me before I lose my mind.'When will Trish be back?' I link Liam, who seems so smitten now.I wanted to be more invested in our bond, but it wasn't easy. He went from hot to cold so quickly. I was still upset at what he said to me.A simple apology wasn't enough to erase the pain I felt in my heart that night.'I'm not sure. I would think she would be back by tomorrow at the latest,' Liam responds to my question.'Leon, what
Lucy:Leon grabs the sweater from Liam and puts it on me."Sometimes you just have to do it. She gets stuck in thought. She and Nia talk to each other more than any other werewolf I've met," Leon says after pulling the sweater over my head."Sorry," I comment—Leon's right.'We've had to make up for a lot of time,' Nia comments. She's right, too.My mind drifted to the years I had spent without being able to talk with Nia. She was nearly gone. She was always burrowing herself to deal with what was happening to me.So many things in my life I had suppressed in order to deal with the constant abuse and rape. There were many things I was now starting to realize about myself.Liam walks to the other side of the vehicle and gets in as Leon pushes me into the middle seat, leaving me trapped in the middle."Good thing you're so small. I don't think anyone else would fit in the middle seat like you do," Liam laughs.I look at Leon, who is smiling at me as we drive off.'Should we make bets on
LEON:Lucy was uncomfortable at every store we went to, and even though she didn't say as much, it was apparent.She clung to me the entire time.She didn't know her sizes very well and didn't like to ask for anything, so Liam ended up staying behind to grab things he thought she would like.We were both trying not to push anything nor did we want to embarrass her by asking personal questions. We already figured that if she hadn't been out to eat, she likely had little to no experience in a shopping mall or outlet.'You're going to love what I found at the last store,' Liam links me.We were still getting used to sharing a link with Lucy. We were able to separate the two, but I knew we would have to be careful to make sure we were linking the way we intended.'Oh yeah?' I ask him as Lucy clings to my arm.She was right. Everyone was staring at her—more than even I had expected, but no one had done or said anything disrespectful yet.Liam stayed at the last clothing store we were at w
Lucy:The scent wasn't fresh, or at least, it wasn't potent.Whoever had been in here likely wasn't here anymore, but of course, I checked every space that someone could be hiding in.'Maybe it was that driver,' Nia ponders, even though we can both tell the scent isn't the same.The idea sounds better than the alternative.I take a mental note to ask my mates if they've had anyone in here for any reason. I let out a massive sigh of relief as I opened my dresser drawer and removed the clothes. The key and journal were still tucked beneath the stack of clothes.What would they be in my room looking for? This wasn't exactly the best hiding spot, but I had never worried about anyone breaking in.'The door isn't damaged, and it was locked. That means, if someone did come in here without permission, they would have had to have had a key,' I say to Nia, trying to sort things out.The book on my nightstand that I knew had been there was gone. From what I could tell, my brush was the other m
Lucy:I was going to have to face the entire pack soon. Tallie was essentially supposed to be like practice for me, but the moment she burst into tears, I no longer knew how I could possibly address the entire pack.Tallie sobbed for an awkward minute or two. I wasn't sure if she felt comfortable with me consoling her, so I stood there silently with my hands clasped in front of me, praying to the Moon Goddess for anything at all."Umm... Tallie, I'm sorry if I scared you," I mutter, my voice cracking.She shakes her head and wipes her tears off her face before sniffling and regaining her upright position to face me."It's not that. I mean, you didn't scare me," she explains, throwing her hands around in the air.I walk forward and hug her, letting my magic flow from me to her, similar to how I did with Saul. She needed to feel understood and not so alone. This was something I was good at.She settles down dramatically, her body relaxing and the trembling disappearing almost instant
Lucy:Leander said yes, of course. I knew that he would.Rosie was over the moon with excitement, and while I think we were all still shaken up about the crazy driver situation, this was a silver lining."Of course, Tallie and Maddel will have to agree. After all, they did adopt Rosie, and she is not an adult yet," Leander states.I couldn't tell what it was, but I didn't care too much for Rosie's adoptive mother, and I hadn't met her adoptive father yet."You're like a magnet for danger!" That's Trish.About time she shows up.Oh no. She doesn't have Saul.It's getting late. We've been here for longer, or the entire crash and chaos took more time than I had thought."Trishy, where is your mate?" I ask, staring at the cottage in hopes that Saul will come around the corner, but he doesn't.He went with Seth.Of course, he did. It makes sense, but I still can't help but feel bad. I keep feeling like everything is my fault. Anyone around me is put in danger left and right."Stop," Seth
Lucy:A gentle hum vibrated from my connection with Rosie before everything went black.Am I the only one who can hear her this way?"Hello?" I ask into the darkness.A blue light illuminates the darkness. I shield my eyes with my arm momentarily until the light dims, and I'm left sitting on a garden bench."You're okay," I hear Liam's voice.I jump, startled by his presence in my space.My space? Where am I?"What? How?" I ask, turning my body to face him fully now.Liam just smiles at me and pulls me onto his lap to straddle him."This doesn't-" I'm cut off by Liam's lips softly pressing against mine.He gently wraps his arms around me, pulling my body closer to his in the process. For a brief moment, I let myself go, bringing myself into this moment with Liam."Wait!" I pull away."This isn't real. You aren't real!" I say, tearing up again.I had a horrible feeling about Liam going on that mission.How do I get out of here? I need to find Liam. Real Liam.Dammit, Rosie, what did y
Seth:'What do we do?' Leon links me.Lucy has been crying in his lap for at least five minutes now as we drive to Rosie's.Goddess, why did she have to live so far out of the way? A large spot on his shirt was soaked with her tears. He's been doing a great job soothing her, the best anyone could, but she's not being receptive like she normally is.I can tell even Leander is getting nervous. Lucy's mood seemed to sway anyone within 20 feet of her.'Maybe it's a good thing we're going to Rosies,' I link back.Honestly, I have no idea. I had never seen Lucy act this way.Liam's leaving broke her into pieces. At least a million of them."Lucy!" Leander speaks up before clearing his throat.I watch as she hiccups and clears her throat, wiping her tears as they continue to flow steadily down her cheeks."Liam has been on a lot of scouting missions. This is his specialty. He managed to make it to Kragen's facility, find you, and come home in one piece. He will be okay," Leander states, sw
Lucy:'Lucy! Wait for us!' Liam links me, but Nia isn't listening.Neither am I.I gave Nia complete control; she needed this. We should have gone for a run first thing this morning.We're gaining on him. I can feel the strength running through our blood, supplying us with more energy.The sound of his heartbeat sounds like rocks beating relentlessly against a drum.He's scared.Good.'There he is!' I say, even though I know she can see him too.The sound of paws is now beating heavily against the dirt ground, echoing off the solid oak and maple tree trunks. Of course, he had headed straight towards the forest. Anyone trying to get away would run in this direction but an unanswered question pops into my head.Where is he running to?'Wait! Nia! Let him get away!' I shout as loud as I can.I feel her growl vibrate through our entire presence as she leaps over a fallen oak log, our paws nearly brushing against the bark.I force myself forward, shifting mid-air against her will. My body
Lucy:"We'll have to take a car to Rosie's," Seth says as we head out the front doors of the pack house.For the most part, everyone understood what I had explained to them earlier about the connections, but if there was one thing I was holding very close to me, it was Hecate telling me to trust my gut.I had a third sense for things. It wasn't my core gift, but it acted very close to it.At some point, I needed to get Seth alone to help me plan for my other mate's birthday.While the ceremony would be on their actual birthday, I had a small idea of what I wanted to do for them as my gift, and it wouldn't be able to be on their actual birthday.The typical black SUV pulled around with a driver I hadn't seen before. It wasn't their usual guy."Can I take the passenger seat?" I ask, feeling oddly uncomfortable with this new driver for some reason unknown to me at this moment.While it may seem odd to take the passenger seat with how I'm feeling, it's really not. The closer I am to this d
Savina:"What took you so long?" I hiss.They left me for dead; I just know it.My throat feels like sandpaper as I sit up in the cot I had been in for the last several days."Be thankful we came back for you at all," Kash says.I have no clue where we are. The room is dark, and they haven't let me leave since I got here.They lied to me. Lucy wasn't supposed to have her magic. It was supposed to be an easy task.Although my plan was never to take her out in a challenge, I was improvising.The goal was to separate her from her mate's bond so that if her magic ever came to fruition, she would not gain her full strength.Kash never told me why we were doing it. Some might think I was a fool for following his orders blindly, but I trusted him.I loved him.I never wanted Leon the way that I had made it seem. It was a means to an end."How could you say that, Kash?! I did what you asked of me!" I defend.His comment nearly shattered my heart into a million pieces."You are a fool, Savina!
Lucy:We had lunch and revisited the plan we had made with Zeak after getting blood samples. There were still many things to do at this point, and I wasn't sure which direction to take next.We decided to have lunch at the pack house cafeteria. I told my mates we needed to start being more present in the pack."This doesn't mean that Savina is a demi, does it?" Liam asks."No, there weren't enough markers. She was given a gift somehow. That means we're working against magic that we hardly know anything about," Theo explains.Nadia looks worried, even though she is trying to pretend otherwise."Are you not going to explain to me why you want my blood tested?" I ask Nadia for what has felt like the millionth time.I know she isn't being completely honest, but what I had said to Seth was true.I want to build her trust and guidance, but I don't want to push for answers because I know sometimes we just don't know what the answer really is.I gave Theo another sample of blood—a fresh one.