LucasArmed with nothing but the description Zane had extracted from our warrior and the directions Maggie had given me, I made my way across the border. It took time to pick up my mate’s scent of apples and cinnamon because of the need to run along the border to find where she had crossed. The scent was faint, only detectable because of my heightened abilities as an Alpha. It felt like I had been meandering along for hours, moving slowly to avoid losing the scent, when I finally came to a small house.            I shifted and dressed quickly in the clothing I had carried with me. The house smelled and sounded empty, but if my mate were truly an assassin, then I wouldn’t be surprised if she were skilled in stealth. Cautiously, I moved toward the house, peeking in the wind

SeleneMy mother was freezing me out while lavishing praise on Lucas as we sat around the dining table. My father looked at me with sympathy and shrugged as my mother prattled on about how wonderful it was to have an Alpha in the house. I wanted to vomit. I hated that my family was taking to the man I was meant to kill so well. I ate in silence as my family fawned over him. Lucas had pulled a typical Alpha stunt, buying a lavish meal for everyone and having it catered in my parent’s home.            I picked at the food before me for awhile before I couldn’t take anymore of the way my family was reacting to my mate. There were other things I needed to tend to, plans to be made so I could continue on with my life. I excused myself and made my way down the hall to my childh

            “Aunt Lenie!” I heard the girls squeal, causing me to open my eyes just before they landed on me with a thud.            “Good morning, girls.” I smiled once I recovered from having the wind knocked out of me.            Glancing aro

Selene             Things between Lucas and I had reached new levels of awkwardness after giving into our base desires the night before. He sulked around the apartment, flipping through the few magazines I had and channels on the television. I remained seated on my bed, looking for new constructions in secluded areas. I needed to find a place that had live wires but was far enough of the beaten path to avoid interruption by a passerby. I had been at it for hours, searching for permits and new utility connections, when I finally found the perfect place. I shot the address to Rory in text and dropped my phone on the bed.            &

             “Please don’t leave me.”            I couldn’t believe the words had left my mouth, or that Maggie agreed to stay. Even the darkness in the immediate aftermath of Selene’s death hadn’t been as comforting as the idea of a friend who knew what I was going through. Maybe it had been weakness breaking through the cracks of my powerful Alpha exterior, but I knew I couldn’t keep it together without her. I laid in my bed, unable to sleep, feeling torn by the request I had made of Maggie before we went to our separate rooms. I had never shown weakness like that to anyone, not even my mate.