“What good is gathering us all in one place. Like Matteo said, they set off that machine and every one of us, corralled in the valley, will be rendered useless. No one will be able to turn or fight back. It’s easier to massacre a race when we’re all laid like fish in a bowl, and no one’ll be free of its effects if the only area we patrol is the valley. I’m sure they can make bigger, or use multiple, to hit us all at once.” Jesus is now on his feet pacing, agitated, and getting worked up by the second. I’m starting to feel the restless unease spreading through them all like a virus, as they mumble their agreeance and I keep looking to Colton to say something. “This is pointless… you think I don’t think the same and that I didn’t try and reason with him? Nothing I said made a difference. It never does.” Colton stands up, losing his temper, agitated too, and utterly drained. I can feel it coming off him inte

Kissing him is so familiar and as I open my mouth to let things progress quickly, all those feelings and crazy urges rush back like a massive tidal wave hitting the shore. So easy to become consumed and intoxicated with need when we’re touching this way. My lips parting wider, to give him access as his tongue slides against mine and he kisses me with passion and expertise that makes my toes curl and my stomach tingle.Colton stirs against me, his body easing against mine, relaxing into the hold we have on one another and meeting my groan with his own murmured growl of enjoyment. We’re made to kiss one another, and I can’t imagine anyone ever tasting this good or making me feel this complete. Neither can deny our bond when we kiss, it’s potent and all consuming.Just as his hands begin to slide down my back and over my ass, bringing my pelvis to his, hinting at his sexual excitement, he stops abruptly. Catching himself, he pulls away fast, so suddenl

The pack is getting uneasy and Meadow mentioned that he hasn’t called any kind of communal since, as though he’s avoiding any real dialogue with any of us. He knows the pack will have questions about this. He brought me to them, made it seem like I might have a chance and then snubbed me as they were beginning to accept my presence. He’s caught inside his own head as he tries to work things out, but we’re losing time. Ticking away slowly as the full moon approaches in its cycle and I don’t think I can take much more. Logic is telling me to give up on him, but I don’t want to accept this is it. That he’s done and given up on us after what he said to me. My heart doesn’t want to believe he could be this way.I’ve been lost in my own thoughts, anxious, obsessing, crying, and worrying myself sick with the chaos of this lack of closure. I’m not being a cold idiot and cutting him off, or avoiding him, like he is me. I

“Colton isn’t weak…. he’s confused. Even I can see that. What do you think Juan would do if he defied him and marked me on the full moon? Do you think Juan would send him away, send us away?” I have to know if there’s hope of changing his mind, that maybe Colton will still come through for me. Even if his behavior is telling me that he’s already pushed all indecision aside and chosen a path to take. I need to cling onto a tiny little ray that there’s still time to sway him.“I didn’t, until Cole told me he believes his father would find a way to take you from him if he defied his decision. Juan hasn’t said it outright, but he’s implied it. Cole’s worried you would be the one taken in the night the way his madre was and kept from him with no way of finding you again. God knows he hasn’t stopped trying to find her, but there’s no trace and those who know, they don’t speak about it. He

I pick at my tray of food in the mess hall, pushing my salad around, completely distracted. Counting down the minutes before I can head upstairs, already on edge, unable to think about anything else despite telling myself I’m only making it worse. My nerves are already shot.Meadow is keeping her distance, sat down the far end of the long table because she knows she won’t be able to hold it in if we sit close. She isn’t really doing a great job of acting natural either and I can almost taste her tension waving this way. I catch her eyes on me a couple of times, but she looks away quickly, as though we’ve had some sort of lover’s tiff and I wish she would stop before someone picks up on it. I think she’s the reason I’m on such high alert because she’s adding to my stress levels. The rest of the sub pack are dotted around me, although still grouped in an obvious unit. I’m stuck between the twins, who decided they w