로그인Grace's POV.A few months later:"She's absolutely perfect, Grace."Rhyder's eyes brimmed with tears as he held our daughter in his arms.She in turn, stared up at him with big, round eyes.My heart grew so much that it felt like my chest would rip open and it would burst out."She is..."I smiled at them as he held her tiny little hand between his fingers.He was completely in love with her already."What are we going to name her?"He spoke to me without taking his eyes off of her."I was thinking that we could call her... Hope."He finally looked at me. He had a gentle softness in his eyes and the curves of his face."Hope..."He tested the sound of it on his lips. The corners of his mouth twisted up."I love it... it suits her perfectly.""Is it my turn to hold her now, daddy?"Tate looked up at Rhyder with hopeful eyes. Rhyder looked over at me, waiting for my consent.I nodded my head with a happy, but tired smile."Sure it is, Tate. I think Hope will be very happy to finally mee
Rhyder's POV.The three heartbeats were very different from each other.One was fast, eratic, and shallow - Alexis.The second sounded like I was listening to it under water - my pup.And the third worried me the most: it was faint and fading - Grace.She was hurt - badly. And she was barely hanging on.I had to get to her before it was too late. I had to get her out of there and away from Alexis.I strained my ears, trying to listen for any sign of movement from inside the shed. I was trying to figure out where exactly Alexis was and what she was doing.The shed was quiet, but I could hear them breathing.By the sound of Grace's breathing I could only assume that she was unconscience.Alexis sounded out of breath. Like she had exerted herself physically.A thousand horrible possibilities flashed across my mind as I tried not to come up with all the ways that Alexis could have exerted herself to leave my mate, my wife - the mother of my children in such a state.My wolf clawed at my i
Rhyder's POV. I leaned down to pick up the bouquette of flowers that Grace and Tate had been making for her mother's birthday. It was ruined: the flowers were all trampled, the delicate petals crushed and soiled. Some of the leaves still clung to the broken stems. "She has to be around here somewhere, Alpha..." Jackson's anxious voice pulled me back to reality. I blinked a few times and let the ruined bouquette slip from my hand and fall to the ground. "It's not possible for her to have just disappeared without a trace." I turned to look at him. His expression was strained, his shoulders and back rigid, and a dark shadow hung across his face. He had his hands balled into fists by his sides - his knuckles had turned white. "She hasn't..." Even to my ears my voice sounded strangely calm. It didn't reflect what I was feeling on the inside. The truth was that I was losing my mind: my chest felt painfully constricted, it felt like I could hear my own blood coarsing through my vein
Grace's POV."No! I won't let you! You can't have my baby!"I strained against my chains, forcing my body forward, fighting against whatever it was that made me feel so weak."Let me go, Alexis! Or so help me God..."I pulled my hands forward over and over again. The rusted metal dug into my skin, burning my raw and exposed flesh.I didn't mind the pain. It made my adrenaline pump. My heart pounded in my chest. My breaths came in quick shallow bursts. My mind struggled between thoughts of what Alexis was planning, ways for me to get away from her - back to Rhyder and Tate, and all the possible ways that I could end her miserable life once and for all."Untie me, Alexis! Right now! You know that Rhyder is already on his way here! Let me go!"I was feeling desperate, scared, and frustrated. My chains wouldn't give no matter how much I struggled.My wolf was unresponsive.Rhyder would never find me in time without my scent to track.There was nothing I could as long as I was tied up.An
Grace's POV.I woke with a start, a strong pungent smell assualting my senses, burning the back of my throat and making my eyes water.The setting sun filtered through slits and chips in the walls. When I tried to lift my hand to shield my eyes from the penatrating light, it caught mid-way and I realized that I was bound.I yanked my other hand up only to realize that it too was bound.I followed the length of the rusted chains - they were locked around an old water heater.I pulled with all my might, but the chains wouldn't budge.I scanned my surroundings, looking for something that I could use to set myself free - trying to find a way out.The room was small and despite the warm light filtering through, it felt musty and cold. It was mostly empty save for a rickety wooden table and a single chair in the far corner, a tiny rusted stove with a dented kettle on top of it, and a weathered iron bed in the opposite corner with a flimsy blanket rumpled on top of it.The single window was
Rhyder's POV."Well, that's the last one."I exhaled sharply as Jackson and I set down the last log - we'd been working for days, getting things ready for the big birthday bash.I straightened and dusted my hands on the front of my jeans.Jackson scanned his eyes over our hard work and whistled as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand."You sure are going to a lot of trouble for this party, Alpha... we all are."I followed the route of his gaze before settling my own on him, shrugging."Well, it's not everyday that you turn 60."Jackson nodded his head in agreement, rubbing at an ache in the back of his neck."Besides..."I continued with a hint of laughter in my voice."She's my mother-in-law now. I have to make sure that I impress her.""Yeah... lucky for you, I think you impressed her by simply being born."Jackson patted me on the shoulder."How about a beer?""Sounds great."We both turned and started heading in the direction of the pack house.I stopped sudd
Rhyder's POV."What do you mean, Jackson? What's happened?"He looked nervous and hesitated to answer which only added to my frustration and impatience.It was just like Alexis to ruin anything even remotely beautiful."Out with it, Jackson! Don't make me ask again."He gave me a tight nod with his
Grace's POV. He opened the door and took my breath away - quite litterally. I had to swallow hard and it took me a few seconds to remember why I was there in the first place. Rhyder was dripping wet - he must have been in the shower when he heard me knocking. He was wearing nothing but a cris
Grace's POV.I stormed out of the hospital wing, tears of anger and disbelief blurring my vision.My hands trembled with unrestrained rage as I rushed back to the spot where I had left Tate.I barely even noticed the looks that the other wolves were giving me and when Rhyder stepped in front of me
Grace's POV.I spent the entire night tossing and turning.My mind plagued with memories of Rhyder ravaging me in the woods - my skin still tingled with the ghost of his touch.But images of Alexis lying motionless on his bed, clutching his shirt to her chest in a sort of desperate plea kept interu







