LOGINI walked away from the Business Center knowing that all my hard work had been for nothing, thanks to the neanderthal that was Alpha Carter. I should have known the instant Beta Hudson mentioned he would be present that today would not go the way I hoped. The thing that made it harder to accept, was that I had worked so damn hard for it all. Put so much effort into it, and I truly believed I deserved to gain the backing of the men that had come to the meeting.
Tears stung at my eyes as
My head was awash with doubts. Confusion. Uncertainty. I had so desperately wanted to throw myself upon Carter and question why he had treated me the way that he had. Demand if it had all just been a mistake. The strong masculine scent of his teased at my senses, making it difficult for me to think straight; yet, thankfully, I had been able to keep my head. The lingering ache within my heart was a reminder of the coldness this man could exude.The closeness of him was hard. Every touch of his hand sent me swirling into a pit of confusion. Need. Desire. Hope. But, deep down, I knew he was simply fulfilling his duty as an Alpha. He saw what had happened between us as a mistake. I had to continuously remind myself, despite the doubts I had about that. Believing that made it easier to dismiss him. Instead, I had focused on news of home.I had heard that my brother had wanted me home. Back where I belonged. And, I knew neither he nor Matty would allow that unless it was saf
Hudson’s words sunk in. He had been more supportive than I think I could ever have imagined. All my inner fears were out there, yet I did not see one ounce of judgment upon my friend's face. He seemed to understand. He seemed to be encouraging me. Maybe this could work... Draven paced excitedly within my head, as thoughts began to overwhelm my mind. So many possibilities swirled in my head it became hard to think: Was there hope? Could I put up a fight worthy of Mari? One to make her see that I was worth staying for? Maybe I deserved happiness after all...“You don’t hate me?” I asked gently.Hudson chuckled, with a gentle shake of his head. “You are a dickhead.” He nudged me gently with his elbow, in what I assumed was an attempt at affection. We were not overly affectionate, and I knew Hudson had already been more than overly-caring since he rushed to catch up with me. “Why would I hate you? All I want is for you to be happy,
I was just coming back from the warrior base. All was secure within the pack now, and things were returning to normal. I was happy we had done all we could to return pack back to as close to normality as we could with as little damage as possible after the rogue attack. There had been some losses, but thankfully they had been minimal. We were a well-formed pack, and our security teams were well established. They had done exactly as they were expected, and it had shown.Nerves would be on edge for a while, of that, I had no doubt, but things should return to normal. Now, I could return home. A rest was well overdue. As was time with my mate. As I walked along the path, I caught sight of a figure I had not seen in days. Unshaven, and looking desolate. Seeing Carter looking that way, I knew home may have to wait...My eyes narrowed at the sight of him. He did not look good. But it did not make sense. I was sure Sonny had said Mari had woken, or according to his friend, on
The words had slipped from my mouth before I had meant for them to. Tumbled out in the wrong way, and then I could see the look of surprise passing across Mari’s face. I do not think she was expecting that her brother would be demanding her return. A momentary look of doubt decorated her delicate features, but she quickly offered me a sad smile before nodding. “I will arrange heading home.”Wait... That was the last thing I had expected to have happened. That was not how it was meant to have gone. “You want to go back?” I stuttered, suddenly feeling like I was struggling for air. My chest felt tight, and I gasped in desperation to gain more oxygen. The girl had decided before I was able to voice my suggestions. She seemed keen to leave regardless of what I thought. Yes, Leo and I had said we would speak to her together, but I wanted to do this part in private. I wanted to offer her my thoughts. I believed she may want to stay...Mari nodde
My whole body ached. I did not know what had happened. I did not care to know what happened. I wanted the aching to stop. If that was not possible, I think I wanted a new body. The one I had currently did not want to do as I wished and it hurt! Do not get me wrong, I was not unused to having my whole body ache, but this was like something else. Like I had been through a wringer, or run over by a steamroller. Like a team of sumo wrestlers had decided they would use me for their bed. I was aching in ways I did not know were possible.And my eyes felt heavy as I moved to open them. I moaned in discomfort. “Mari?” I heard a voice filled with hope. A voice I recognized. Hope or not, I did not want to see him. What the fuck was he doing here? Asshole. Avoided me for days, and then had the damn nerve to appear.I groaned again as I moved to adjust myself, unsure where I was or what the hell had happened. It was only as I did move, and my eyes opened, adjusting to
Dealing with my father being back in the pack was becoming tiresome. He may not be free to do as he pleased, but he was still as much in my head as if he had been. His mere presence was enough to bring me down. And his constant demands to see me were slowly driving me insane…He believed he could influence my choices. Trusted that he still had the power to dictate to me how I should take over the role of Beta when the day came. No. I had done enough cowering to him, I once again reminded myself. A reminder that was becoming so frequent, it was almost a mantra. The man was being punished, and I would be the man I was meant to be. The man I wished I could have been for my sister all along.I walked away from the safe house where my father was currently being kept. Alpha Aaron being too kind in not having him locked up in the cells to suffer. Long-time friendship meaning far too much. The man had allowed my father to get away with too much, and his loyalty to my father still lingered. To







