LOGINKrista had tried to go back to sleep after her nightmare, but she couldn’t. Even after talking with Hayden and calming down, when she closed her eyes, she saw Justin giving her a greasy grin. She turned on the television in her bedroom and flipped through shows until she found one about abandoned places and their history. It was interesting enough to distract her, but not so much that she would try to stay awake. Krista hoped the combination would let her fall asleep while she watched. She snuggled down in her covers, inhaling deeply to take in the lingering scent of her mate. Her call to him had helped immensely, but she still wished Hayden was with her. Krista understood his work, how important it was, and would never ask him to stop. He had saved too many lives, including her own, for him to stop. Krista had been watching television for a while and was contemplating getting out of bed and doing the dishes she had left in the sink. She was just pushing herself up on her elbow when
By the time they reached the pack’s main gate, Luna Esme was already asleep, snoring softly in the passenger seat. That made Hayden silently chuckle as he pulled near the gate and sent a text to Alpha Leo. He quickly explained that he had Luna Esme and that they would arrive at his pack house in about an hour. To help ease the Alpha’s mind, he told him about the Luna already asleep in the passenger seat. He even snapped a picture of her tucked in with her blanket and pillow, safely secured by her seatbelt, to calm Alpha Leo further. The Alpha thanked him profusely and promised to wait for them at the pack house. When Hayden finished, he pulled back onto the road and continued to Luna Esme’s home. He was almost happy that she was asleep. He wanted to drop her off and get back to Blood Moon to be with Krista. If Luna Esme had been awake, she almost certainly would have wanted to talk, and that was something he was not interested in at the moment. As Hayden drove, Luna Esme began to
The pack had stone pillars and a metal gate at the main entrance, making it look like many of the human gated communities Hayden had seen over the years. Beta Dexter was leaning against one of the pillars nonchalantly as he scrolled on his phone. Hayden pulled up beside him and was met with a chuckle as Dexter hurried over and got in the passenger seat beside him. Dexter was grinning and shaking his head as he said, “Hey, man! Stay on this road and keep going straight. The studio is on the right and hard to miss. It is lit up like a Christmas Tree.” Dexter studied Hayden for a moment, then said, “You alright, man? I was thinking about what you said about the phone call that delayed you. Is your mate OK?” “Yeah, Krista’s OK, or at least as OK as she can be after having her ex-boyfriend assault and kidnap her. Physically, she’s doing great. But tonight is the first night home, and it started with a nightmare about the ex. Forgive me if I might be a little short with Luna Esme, since I
The drive had been an easy one for Hayden. He was within a few minutes of the main entrance where Beta Dexter would meet him. From there, they would ride together to Luna Ruby’s dance studio, where Hayden would pick up Luna Esme. Depending on her mood and the amount of wine that had been consumed by the Luna, he might literally have to pick her up and put her in his SUV. He glanced at the clock just as his dash-mounted phone rang. He reached over and tapped the screen to answer it. “Taylor,” Hayden said in a short, clipped way, expecting it to be his brother or another person he needed to locate. “Hayden?” Krista asked, her quivering voice filling the vehicle. “Krista? What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Hayden asked as he pulled to the side of the road and parked. “Yeah, ah, sort of but not really,” Krista stammered. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called.” “Krista, I want you to call me whenever you want. What happened? I can hear that something is bothering you. What is it?” H
Krista had watched Hayden walk away, out of sight, before heaving a deep sigh and walking back to the table. Mimi was still sitting there, giving Krista a smile that conveyed both sadness and understanding of her granddaughter's situation. “How are you doing, sweetheart? And tell me the truth. I don’t want you lying to me because you think I can’t handle how you really are,” Mimi said. Krista sighed again and slid into her chair at the table. “The truth is, I don’t know how I am. My wolf healed me, but I do have a hint of a headache. It doesn’t really hurt; it’s just sort of uncomfortable. The doctor knows and said that it should fade in a day or two.” “And?” Mimi softly prodded. “I’m thrilled that I found my mate, and I trust Hayden with my life. He has been nothing but kind and a complete gentleman to me.” Krysta paused, swallowing hard before she continued. “But there is this little nagging voice in my brain that says, ‘What if?’ and ‘Can you really trust him? You trusted bef
Much of dinner was spent with Hayden receiving pictures and videos of Luna Esme dancing and laughing with Luna Ruby in Ruby’s dance studio. Several showed failed dance moves that left the women crumpled on the floor in fits of laughter. Hayden shared those with Krista and Mimi. He would normally keep his clients confidential, but in this case, he felt the need for Krista and Mimi to relax and find joy in something was more important for them than saving an Alpha some embarrassment for neglecting his mate. After the last video he shared, Krista and Mimi were both wiping tears of laughter from their eyes. The sound of Krista laughing made his heart soar and his wolf, Eclipse, sit up in his mind, wagging his tail in approval of their mate’s joy. Krista caught her breath and asked, “I know you rescued me, but are most of your cases like this one? I mean, she's having the time of her life. She doesn’t need rescuing.” “Some are like this one and could easily be prevented by listening to







