Just after eleven, Marcus found Danielle on the roof garden, her gaze fixed on the pale strip of beach below. Her sadness pressed against his chest like a weight. Did she know what had happened yet? Would she only piece it together once their separation began to poison her life in the pack?He stepped beside her and watched some children playing in the sand or chasing waves while their watchful parents or guardians lounged in the sun. They looked untouched by war, duty, or blood.“I’ll take you to the beach one day,” he murmured.“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Marcus.” Her voice was soft, but the sting was sharp. “I want to make them,” he said, swallowing the lump that made his voice break. “I want to make so many of them.” But they both knew he couldn’t. He exhaled and turned away from the view to look at his soulmate.“Have you packed?”“I didn’t have much with me,” she answered.“Will you... Will you be safe when you get back home?”Aidan’s warning kept playing back in his
Marcus had just set the delivery bags on the table in the kitchen diner when Aidan appeared.“Morning, lovebirds.”He rolled his eyes, continued plating Dani’s food, and took the seat opposite her. He’d been eating more than usual lately and only survived on Dani’s blood. Now that the mating was complete, would his craving for food fade? And when she was gone, would he still be able to take animal blood? Aidan dropped into a chair next to Dani. Up until last night, he would have already had Aidan by the throat for that. They said territorial instincts ran high during mating, but they dulled once the bond was sealed. It seemed that was true. Dani didn’t seem to know this; her fork hovered mid-air, eyes flickering between him and Aidan as if she was waiting for an explosion. She didn’t know a lot of things.Like why her wolf, Kira, had locked her out entirely last night. He wasn’t aware that could happen, that the wolf could take over entirely and lock out the other half. Only rogues
Danielle woke pressed against a warm, solid chest, her legs tangled with Marcus’s. His large arms circled her like they belonged there. It felt nice. She didn’t think she’d ever woken up this content before. She inhaled deeply, and his scent hit her. Only it wasn’t just his. It was mixed with hers. Like he belonged to her now.Her eyes flew open, and the first thing she saw was the vivid bite mark on his neck.Flashes from last night tore through her mind, but she didn’t remember any of it. They were Kira’s memories; disjointed, not making any sense. Had she attacked Marcus? The last thing she remembered was fury, and feeling territorial and possessive when she caught another female’s scent on Marcus. Now she was naked in his bed, staring at something that looked an awful lot like a mate mark.No. She couldn’t have!She tried to call on Kira for an explanation, but her wolf was gone. Again. Why had she come last night and then vanished again? “Morning.”Marcus’s voice was rough and
He had stripped her damp clothes, dried her, and carried her to his bed much later. Now she lay tangled in his sheets, her skin a canvas of his marks. Each one was a quiet claim that soothed the beast inside him. Dani stirred, but didn’t wake when he pulled the bedding over her. Something shifted in his chest at how right this felt. She was where she belonged. For now, anyway.Every muscle ached as he slipped downstairs, lowering gingerly into the same chair Dani had used with Aidan. He’d barely settled before Aidan appeared beside him.His skin glowed, and he looked very much like the cat that got the cream.Marcus didn’t need to ask what he’d fed on. Jealousy surged again, but he had no strength to punch the bastard. “Well. That was something,” Aidan said with a chuckle.“Shut up.”“There’s a nice, big beauty on your neck, too,” Aidan continued. “If you don't stop...” Marcus let the unfinished threat hang, because he was in no state to do anything.Aidan laughed, ignoring his gl
In the haze of this overwhelming, feral, unrelenting rage, Marcus felt Dani’s anger rising. No, it wasn’t simple anger. It was something more, something sharper. Something dangerous. It cut through his haze, clearing his mind as he looked down at this woman.She was perfectly still, but her beautiful violet eyes lit from within, and she let out a growl that chilled him to the bone. It had to be her wolf, but he had never heard anything like it, not in all the centuries he had battled them.His rage began to cool, but hers only climbed higher. What the hell was she reacting to? He wasn’t the one who had been settled in with someone else, laughing at his stupid jokes like she was enjoying herself. After he’d left Bethany, he’d come straight back— Oh...Dani sniffed the air and snarled, and he knew there was no hiding Bethany’s scent. She stood slowly, and he stepped back. He’d never noticed how her presence shifted space. Danielle was only an average height for a female wolf, maybe fi
When Aidan didn’t explain any further, Dani rolled her eyes. Cryptic warnings were her least favourite thing, especially from a man she barely knew. “Staying put is not even an option,” she snorted.“Haven’t you been feeling weird lately?”She looked at him again. He was still casually watching the view outside as he sipped his drink, as if they weren’t talking about impending doom.“Are you one of those people who like to drop little crumbs and watch people scramble for them?” she asked, her irritation spiking. “Tell me what you want to tell me, or shut the hell up. I have enough to worry about right now.”“Sorry, Alpha.”She froze. The word hit her like a bullet. Though rare, female wolves with pure Alpha blood were not called Alphas, even if they were the strongest in the pack. That title was reserved for the males—males who supposedly led better. Even if she were Luna and, by rights, meant to lead beside her mate, that would never happen with Alpha Ethan. But how the hell had