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Testing the waters
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๋ฐ์ดํธ:
2023-12-21 21:13:26
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Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Unsatisfactory loophole
*Tatum* I watch in horror as the oath retaliates against Maverickโs rigid body. This time is worse, so much worse, as it seems to hold him in its grips longer. I try to talk to him, my hands rubbing over his heated skin, but Iโm not sure if I am making it worse or better. I contemplate running for the healer, or maybe Artemis, to help, but leaving him is an impossible task. Not when he is so vulnerable. โMav,โ I whisper, leaning close to his ear. โBreathe through it. You can do it,โ I feel like a damn idiot cheering on a sports team in the last minutes, but what the hell does one say in this situation? I doubt that there is a handbook for me to learn from. So I press my palm to his head, a sigh releasing from his clenched jaw, and I exhale, relieved to have some response even if itโs not a verbal one. โIโm still here, Mav.โ I tell him, leaning over him and pressing my forehead to his. I dare not touch my naked body to his flesh for fear of what it could do to him, so instead I
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-12-22Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย A way out?
The soft sound of snoring wakes me, as I turn my head, smiling up at a sleeping Maverick. So much for him not sleeping. Though not that I can blame him. Yesterday was a crazy day and last nightโฆmy cheeks heat as I remember what we did. So out of the usual for me, but still so precious. I watch him as his chest rises and falls; me wrapped up in his arms and then I lean forward, dropping a gentle kiss on his cheek. His arms tighten on me, and I chuckle. โHow long have you been awake?โ I ask him and he smirks, eyes still closed. โYou donโt think I actually snore, do you?โ he looks amused with himself as I roll my eyes.โHonestly, I thought it was sexy. Itโs a shame you donโt actually snore.โ I tease, and his eyes open, focusing on me. Then he quickly closes them, snoring loudly, his chest heaving up and down with effort and his lips upturned with a flirty grin. He peeks open one eye, watching me. โHowโs that? Super sexy?โ He asks, and I snort out a laugh. โOh, I can hardly restrain
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-12-23Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Ally in an Alpha
*Maverick*I watch as Tatum says her tearful goodbye to Clem, hugging her and reassuring her everything will be okay. I want to share in her sentiment, but how the beta treated Tatum has me doubtful that Alpha Kit is actually in full control.An alpha with no control is one that is not respected and things will spiral out of control when the alpha is seen as having any weakness at all. The last thing anyone needs is a bunch of feral wolves staking claim on our territory because they feel their alpha is a lost cause..โDo you think Artemis will tell everyone about the ghost wolves and their true origin?โ River asks, standing beside me as Artemis converses with Kit. I shrug, not really sure what kind of answer she is looking for, but I can be honest.โMaybe. It might be in everyoneโs best interest to announce it and allow a safe crossing between the two kingdoms.โโThat makes sense.โ She muses. โIf finding your mate is rare or uncommon here, I can only assume they will want to come over
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-12-24Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Seperation
*Tatum*I stand in my old room, the one I was leaving before Russelโs untimely neck poke, rendering me unconscious. Maverickโs arms slide around me, his chest pressing into my back and his chin tucking into the crook of my neck as I relax into him. After everything, his embrace is still where I feel the safest.โWhat happened to Russel?โ I ask.โI will have to ask Artemis,โ he says. โHe sure as shit wonโt show his face here again now that everyone knows he is a traitor.โโTraitor? Or just loyal to a different Alpha King?โ I ask, turning to look up at him and the corner of his lip tips down. โThey are the same thing in this pack, Tatum.โ he says softly and I can feel a little of my hope slipping away. Our last potential option is Maverick going rogue and hopefully being welcomed into Alpha Kitโs kingdom. But how would he handle that? Truly? As someone who not only respects but is friends with the very Alpha, he protects.Would he grow to resent me for his actions? And what if Kit doe
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-12-26Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Home
โHow annoyed do you think Jackson will be?โ Maverick asks me with an amused grin.I reach up and stroke my thumb over his stubbly cheek. We have had one day to come around to terms with the idea of me leaving with River. Though if Iโm being honest, he might get more done with me gone. Maverick will be more likely to search through the night rather than taking a break and spending time with me. โI bet he will be more excited than you think. Now he has a reason to see you more often and you canโt run from him again.โโIt will be nice to finally catch up.โ He sighs and I snort.โOh, Mav, you have at least a year of scowl and cold shoulders ahead of you.โ I assure him, and he chuckles, shaking his head. โYeah, probably deserved.โ He nods as he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me close.โDefinitely deserved,โ River says, stepping up to us. โYou ready?โ She asks and I nod, going up on my toes to press a chaste kiss to Maverickโs plush lips.โI will see you in a week.โ He says, his
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-12-27Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Shared pain
*Maverick*My eyes burn, the writing all bleeding together as I try to focus on the journal I found. The cracked old leather binding showcases how damn old it is, though it doesnโt have dates or a name to whose handwriting it may be. It has taken me five days to get to this book. The last one in the whole fucking library and now my only hope for answers. After this, there is no hope that anyone has ever broken out of the oath outside of going rogue, which, according to the books, has only happened a handful of times. Iโve gone back and forth between second chance mates books to oath books, hoping for crossovers and find nothing. All it has done is make me crave my mate and fill me with a deep need to accept this bond. A second chance mate is a rare gift. We all know that, but I didnโt know how rare. And the occurrence of a second chance mate being the same mate as the one once rejected? Well, that actually occurs more often than I thought it would. It is an attempt to heal a soul th
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-12-28Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย No hope
โWhy wouldnโt you tell me this before?โ I ask. It feels as if the room is spinning, fuck my life is spinning, like a fucking spinny toy at the top of a set of stairs dancing with the edge before flying off into the abyss. โI was hopeful we would find something sooner rather than later. And with Tatum gone, I figured the oath would be safe for a week, giving us the time we needed to find answers. Clearly, I was wrong.โโFuck.โ I growl, my hands gripping my hair in frustration. โWhy the fuckโฆ? Alpha, I donโt understand what is happening. Why is this happening?โ I ask, lost for words and logical thoughts. How can I think logically when nothing makes sense? Itโs very obvious the oath is growing more strict, is it trying to cut me off from any type of intimacy? Like punishment for continuing to push too far? โI truly donโt know, Maverick.โ Artemis sighs. โThe only thing I can think of is our oath is a bond itself, so it must have similar traits to that of the mate bond.โI ponder his wor
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-12-29Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Goodbye
Itโs bitter out. The cold air is relentless as it whips around, the wisps of little snowflakes blowing in my face as I stare at my parentsโ grave. Their grave is massive, no doubt costing thousands, and I tilt my head, wondering how Tatum of all people paid for it. The thought of her creates an ache throughout me, my heart exhausted and battered from all the back and forth for the past two days waiting to see her.I couldnโt bring myself to text her back or even attempt to answer her calls, as I hid like a coward. If I would have answered I would have told her, There is no hiding the truth from her and she deserves to be told in person. I deserve to witness her heartbreaking so I can never forget what I have done to her time and time again. โYouโve been avoiding me,โ her sweet voice calls out behind me and my eyes slide shut, relishing how she sounds, the happiness that laces her teasing words. I want to hold on to this, fucking cling to it like a baby clings to its mother, but Iโm
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2023-12-29
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Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Author's note
Hey!! SO this is ending differently than my usual they are happy for 5-10 chapters! why? Becuase I felt their relationship was developed along the way, showing them over that many chapters again would have felt like filler which i promise never to give you. I have also left a few things open for specultion. There is a reason for that. There is potential for a Clem and Kit story, a shorter one but that won't happen until I get the second book in the Rebel Rising series up and completed.Clem and Kit's story would pick up from the moment she is traded to him for Tatum so we would also get alot of Mav and Tatum in their story as they are important characters in their lives. As always, THANK YOU, for hanging in there with me. This was a fun one to write. I will be doing some editing and such and may add more to give us more details about River and Artemis but they also may have a small novella coming if I feel like their story needs to be told from their POV. Basically, everything
Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Epilgue
Tatum sits sobbing in the bed, her eyes locked on mine as I hold the little screaming bundle in my arms. I look down at my sweet, perfect, and very loud son, Maxwell Mason. Tatum rubs her eyes, her chest heaving up and down, and I canโt help but laugh. I know itโs an awful thing to do, especially considering the circumstances, but I canโt help it. Tatum looks beautiful and exhausted. โBabe, go to sleep.โ I insist and she shakes her head no.โWhy wonโt he sleep?โ she blubbers. โI am so tired,โโTater tot.โ I say firmly, โThen go to sleep. Iโve got him. He is okay. He just needs a change and a bottle.โโBut I should be able to nurse him,โ she sobs, looking at her hands in her lap.โAh.โ I sigh. So thatโs the actual issue. Tatumโs milk supply has yet to come in and it is the third week. My poor sweet mate wanted nothing more than to be a mother and be a perfect one. And now that she has a baby, she feels like she isnโt enough because she canโt breastfeed him. โLook at me,โ I say, walki
Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Always
*Maverick*The healer walks around me, a look of concentration on her face before she looks at me and clicks her tongue. My heart falls. Clearly, this physical evaluation is going fucking poorly. And here I thought I was going to be giving the go ahead to make Tate mine tonight. It has been two fucking weeks of not being able to make her mine.No strain on my body, no marking and no fucking sex. Worst fucking rules ever, and here Tatum is all happily complying. I have been a patient man all my life waiting for the day I can fuck my mate whenever I damn well please and yet here I am dying to sink my teeth into her neck and make sure every damn single male in this pack knows she is mine.โJanelle,โ I growl at the healer who Artemis sent with us to ensure my healthcare was consistent for optimal healing. She shoots me a glower that says to shut up and wait. โI think your healing has expedited with your new title.โ She says, finally standing upright and giving me a satisfied smile. โYour
Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Tater Tot and Beta
Maverick stares at me, the haziness finally completely gone as he just observes me silently. I reach out to touch him, my heart pounding. I have been touching him, helping him with the bond the whole time he has been injured and out of it.But nowโฆhe is coherent enough to realize I am actually here. He flinches as I come close and my heart aches at his fear, who would have thought he was easier to work within when he was fighting during his treatment than he is right now after a solid 4 days of healing sleep.โMaverick,โ I keep my tone light and assuring. Even after explaining to him it will no longer hurt him, he is still hesitant and I understand now just how much the oath was tormenting him. The very sight of me seems to cause him pain and confusion. The fucking oathโs attempt to ruin us is still so damn raw. โY-youโre sure?โ He asks, swallowing roughly and licking his lips โIโm positive.โ I nod. โThe oath is gone,โโHow can you be so sure? I donโt understand,โ he mutters, lookin
Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Vow
Maverick tries to reach up to touch me back, his eyes distant but happy, as if he is moving in a fog. My tears run unchecked down my cheeks as I try like hell to calm myself. There is so much happening all at once. In my mind and around me, I feel overwhelmed, completely lost in what to do with all of it. โI need you to keep him from moving.โ The healer tells me, touching my shoulder gently. โWe have to get his arm bandaged before infection sets in and he loses it.โI lower my head, pressing my cheek to his as he turns into me, a satisfied hum on his lips.โMav, stay still. You have to stay still, otherwise it will hurt,โ I whisper in his ear.โI want to touch you,โ he says back, his words sounding slurred as he tries to turn toward me.โNo, no,โ I rush out, splaying my hand over his chest to still him. My stomach boils when I touch his open wound, but I keep my eyes closed, my face pressed to his as I breathe through it. โYou need to heal. โโI donโt want to.โ He mutters, and I sigh
Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย It doesn't hurt
*Tatum*I fly out of the car before Jackson even has it in park, sprinting up the heavily decorated stairs as the doors whip open. River throws herself into my arms, holding me as my chest beats and all the terrible thoughts one can imagine flit through my mind. I havenโt been able to catch my breath since she told us to hurry. I can only think the worst. It has to be terrible if she wonโt tell me over the phone. โRivโฆโ my voice quivers as I pull away trying to force her to look at me, but she avoids eye contact. Jackson places his hand on my back to comfort me.โThatโs enough waiting. You have to tell her, River. She needs to not be in the dark anymore.โ He tells her and she looks over at him, biting her lips. โWe found him.โ She swallows, rubbing my arms in a soothing manner. โBut itโs not good, he isโโI move her aside, rushing into the pack house, my eyes trying to locate where he is. IS he in our old room? Or did it cause him so much hurt that he has now moved to another room?
Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Yes, Alpha.
*Maverick*I know I wonโt be able to see Tatum tonight, not without the pain that will overtake me like it does every fucking time she comes to my mind. With the way the oath is going, it is trying to burn her from my memory, punish me for the bond that was divined for me.If I had any other option, I would take it. I have searched for two months alongside Artemis and Milo and at times, even River would pull an all nighter looking for something. Anything that would relieve me of my suffering, and Tatumโs as well. There is nothing, just as there wasnโt two months ago. The only way I can think to end the suffering, truly be rid of the pain, is to end it. No, Iโm not the type of man to kill himself. Thatโs not how I plan to go out. I have respect for the life I was given, the talents I have. What I donโt have respect for are the rogues that started this all. The callous, soulless assholes who only wish to maim and murder for fucking entertainment.Their attack is the one that led me dow
Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Hurry
The waves tickle my bare feet, the warmth of the sun seeping into my shoulders as I stand side by side with my mom. I couldnโt NOT bring her with me. I wasnโt in a good enough place to go anywhere alone and with Clem and River both busy living their own livesโฆwell. Mom wanted to be with me. I guess she was worried I would wander off and never come home. But this ending with Maverick feels lessโฆI donโt know. Itโs different. My heart is in tatters, but itโs different from the first time. Back then there was an ache, feeling like he didnโt love me, or I wasnโt enough. This timeโฆthis time I get it. Maverick loves me, and he loves me as much as I love him. Which is why I have traveled the last two months like he asked me to in his letter. I knew deep down if he thought there was a way out of his oath, a way we could be together, I know he would utilize it. โHow are you, my sweet girl?โ My mom asks softly and I smile, lifting my chin for the sun to kiss my bare cheeks. โHmm, Iโm good to
Torn Between The Alpha and His Bodyguardย ย ย Goodbye
Itโs bitter out. The cold air is relentless as it whips around, the wisps of little snowflakes blowing in my face as I stare at my parentsโ grave. Their grave is massive, no doubt costing thousands, and I tilt my head, wondering how Tatum of all people paid for it. The thought of her creates an ache throughout me, my heart exhausted and battered from all the back and forth for the past two days waiting to see her.I couldnโt bring myself to text her back or even attempt to answer her calls, as I hid like a coward. If I would have answered I would have told her, There is no hiding the truth from her and she deserves to be told in person. I deserve to witness her heartbreaking so I can never forget what I have done to her time and time again. โYouโve been avoiding me,โ her sweet voice calls out behind me and my eyes slide shut, relishing how she sounds, the happiness that laces her teasing words. I want to hold on to this, fucking cling to it like a baby clings to its mother, but Iโm
