“He is eager to mark and mate, don’t worry baby, I have control.” He walks me to the changing room and releases me. “Finish doing your thing, I’ll be just out here. He takes a seat next to Lottie and folds one ridiculously long leg over the other, reclining in the chair with a frustrated sigh. I try everything Lottie picked and do a little turn in each one. I leave it up to the two of them to decide which ones to get or reject. Lottie’s excitement is contagious and Zanders words and looks of appreciation build my confidence with every outfit change. By the time I’m finished there is a substantial pile of assorted clothing on the counter. Zander insisted on several pairs of shoes, more than I’ll ever wear, there must be about 10 pairs, some of them are hard to walk in, I look like a new born lamb stumbling around, but Lottie claims I’ll get used to it with practice.“Let’s take these back to the car before we head to the next place.” Zander suggests from behind the stack of shoe bo
Zander’s POVA chill runs down my spine as I close the car door and turn to see that the girls have disappeared. Where the fuck have they gone? “…..NOW.” Lottie’s panicked voice rings out from over the road. Caleb immediately tries to come forward, grey fur sprouts along my arms and my canines slice through my gums before I’m able to calm him enough to retreat. It’s like everyone on the street has disappeared and I lose all sense of my surroundings as I sprint to the alleyway the scream came from. Little mate is hurt, help little mate, Caleb growls and pines inside my head. No amount of battles or bloodshed could prepare my mind for the sight of our mate sprawled on the floor in a river of blood, the separated head of a filthy rogue only millimetres away from her unconscious body. Christian is bent over, reaching out for her, his body quaking as pitch black fur sprouts and retracts, Max is trying and failing to get to her. the pain on his face is not from the physical discomfort of
“I think that’s for the best. Security at the house is going to be tightened, she will probably find it reassuring to have another female around.” I had been thinking about asking Lottie to stay since the meeting this morning. She is the best hope we have of Liberty opening up and the only person Caleb and Max trust around her right now, that isn’t likely to change until we mark her and they feel secure in the knowledge that unmated males wont try to claim her. The downside of that whole situation being, most of the elite guards are unmated. Their duty and job role keeps a lot of them from seeking their mate, not wanting to cause them the pain of loss if they are killed in action. Gabriel almost choked on his tongue at the thought of Max’s reaction to a house surrounded by sexually frustrated, instinctually driven, unmated males, around his mate. At the time I found the thought amusing myself, now the thought is playing on Caleb and he isn’t taking it as well as I had hoped. Our two
Zander’s POVEverything is going to shit! Max is pissed because he has been pushing Christian to get answers from Liberty since we found her. Caleb has done nothing but rant and howl inside my head since we found the first rogue. I thought we would have time to get her settled, help her feel comfortable enough to open up on her own. It is obvious she isn’t secure in our bond, I’m probably to blame for that too, insisting that we take things slowly and ease her into it.“Baby there is nothing you could say that will change how we feel about you.” My heart aches at the sight of her swollen eyes and blotchy cheeks. She won’t even look at me. I wouldn’t blame her if she thought we couldn’t protect her, we have done a piss poor job so far. There is more than that though, I can feel her shame radiating through our bond, shame that I know shouldn’t be hers to carry.“I was a child when he took me. Alpha Kendrick and his men came to my pack one night demanding that my father take them in for
“Alpha Kendrick reached out to grab me and tried to pull me from my mother’s arms but she wouldn’t let me go. I was sure my ribs would break from her tight grip or he would pull my arm clean off. He got really angry, shouting that I would be his. He pushed her onto the bed and she landed on top of me, my face was pressed into the blood soaked mattress, I could barely breathe. All I could hear was shouting, grunting and my mum’s cries. I felt her body curl around mine, hiding me from him. He was... he… he…” Oh fuck, no. She can’t be about to say what I think she is. I’ll peel every scrap of flesh from his bones, Caleb growls as I fight the urge to shift.“He raped her. She used her body to protect me, and he raped her. When he was done he tore out her throat. Blood poured over me and her body went limp on top of mine, I was sure he would kill me next. Sometimes I would wish he had, I would curse the goddess for leaving me behind, I was angry at my parents for leaving me alone. Alpha
Liberty’s POV Zander listens patiently as I recount the day I was taken. I expected him to have questions, to pick apart the details, to ask why I didn’t fight harder or try to run. He only asked who my parents were, of all the things he could have asked, that was his only question. Saying their names again after so long wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. If anything, it reminded me of who and where I come from, they wouldn’t want me to waste my new freedom in a constant state of fear and mourning. I hear Zanders words as he promises justice, he tells me Kendrick and his men will suffer, something deep down stirs. I don’t know if it’s relief or something different, but I do know I will be there to see it. I want to see the light leave his eyes, just as I did my mother’s.“You already know some of what happened after.” I continue. He looks down and nods, never interrupting.“I was kept in a cage in his room, right next to his bed. Only a few people in the pack house knew o
Liberty’s POV We spent the rest of the day in bed, talking about nothing in particular. Christian bought me a new phone and laptop, he wants me to sign up for online classes, something I never thought I would have the opportunity to do. Zander said Lottie will show me how to use them properly and help me find some courses that interest me. I have no idea what I want to study, honestly, I didn’t expect to live long enough for it to matter. We talked about the pack, how nervous I am to be introduced as their Luna, a role I feel incredibly inept to fill. I only have vague memories of my mother, but she was an amazing woman, always there for our pack, the person everyone came to for help, guidance and comfort. She was the heart of the pack, my dad loved and protected her with everything he was. I remember the warm feeling when I would watch them together, they would always hug and kiss, one always touching or holding the other. Even as such a young child, their relationship was somethin
“Hold onto your leg little one, don’t let go.” I take hold of my leg as Zander tells me, no questions asked. My entire body tingles, fizzes and heats at their touch. My nipples burn and throb as Christian rolls and tugs them, my clit beats against his tongue as he gently suckles it into his mouth. A whimpering moan is forced from my lips as two long, thick fingers fill and stretch my swollen pussy, forcing the walls apart as they delve deeply. I immediately recognise Zander’s touch, tingles disperse at his fingertips as he curls them and strokes the spot inside me that makes my leg shake in my hand and my moans fill the air. “So wet.” Zander moans between the kisses he peppers my lower back with. The pressure at my core builds as Christian sucks my clit with increasing fervour, his tongue darting over my swollen, sensitive bundle of nerves. “Christian’s got you little one.” Zander tells me as Christian’s giant, gentle hand takes hold of my leg, his fingers almost wrap all the way aro