ALEKSANDR We were finally alone again and seeing Rieka standing there barefoot in the sunlight with her beautiful muscular thighs on display for me for the first time, I couldn’t hold back any longer. I walked up behind her and pulled her close to me. Now that her scent is full strength, the mate bond is almost impossible for me to fight. I inhale deeply filling my head with her enticing scent. Almost immediately I felt as if I was drunk, and my wolf began to take over. I kissed her on the neck, and she responded so well that I kept going. Moving down her neck towards the spot where I would eventually mark her as mine. I could feel my fangs elongating and I was losing control of my wolf. He was ready to mark her right here and now. At that moment, Rieka slowly pulled away, as if she knew that I needed help to control myself. Thankfully, her movements were slow enough that I was able to shove my wolf back down and compose myself before she turned to face me. “Can we talk abo

ALEKSANDR As soon as Rieka left with the kids I grabbed an extra pair of shorts, shifted, and ran as fast as I could back toward her house. When I got close, I shifted back into my human form, put my shorts on, and ran straight to her house. I didn’t want to freak her out by telling her that the rogues had her shoes and therefore her scent, and we don’t know what they intend to do with it. However, I wanted to personally make sure her home was safe before she and the children returned. I didn’t see, hear, or scent any rogues in the area, and I didn’t want Rieka to be upset with me for staking out her house, so I took off before she would ever know I was there. While I was running back home, I mind-linked Dustin, Emmett, and Ian and asked them to meet me in my office. They were all waiting for me when I walk in, and from the looks on their faces, they had a pretty good idea what this was about. “Alright, the rogues have Rieka’s shoes, and can now track her location. It might ta

RIEKA It has been two days since I spoke with Drea, and over a week since I have seen or spoken to Aleksandr. The mate bond keeps tempting me to call Aleksandr or go to him. I want to desperately, but I’m stubborn and I hold out. I thought the distance would help, but the more I’m away from him the more stressed I feel. I haven’t slept well, I have been more easily irritated with my kids, and I have started to feel a bit depressed. I hate how much power this has over me. I wonder if he’s feeling it the same as I am, or if it’s even worse for him since he’s a werewolf. I have no more clarity than I did the last time I saw Aleksandr and now I’m wondering if Drea really was right. Maybe I do need to talk to Aleksandr to work through all of this. He has done such a good job of giving me space and respecting my wishes. He only texted me once to ask if I was doing okay. I answered with “yes” and didn’t say anything else. I was surprised that he didn’t follow up with additional messages but

ALEKSANDR Sebastian and Asher look at Jericho with disgust and then their eyes slide over my direction. I’m sure they want to question what I’m waiting for, but they know better than to openly question me in front of a rogue. They wait patiently as I just stare at Jericho, but Jericho keeps his eyes on the ground in front of him. While I appreciate his submissive posture, I want answers. “Jericho,” His name comes out of my mouth sounding more like a growl, “explain yourself.” Asher’s jaw drops open, while Sebastian does a better job of maintaining his composure. Jericho takes a deep breath and I watch his shoulders rise and fall, but he doesn’t speak. I let out a low rumbling growl in warning. Jericho takes another deep breath, “They have Giovanna.” He whispers. I don’t need to ask who Giovanna is. The only way a wolf would go to the lengths that he has, is for a mate. They must be using his mate to get him to do their bidding. “Have you seen Rieka? Do you know where she

RIEKA Silas seemed pretty upset about his group of rogues being forced to relocated because of Aleksandr’s expansion plans, but I was sure that Aleksandr wasn’t doing it to intentionally force them to move. I was confident that he didn’t even realize there was a group this large in the area. I still don’t trust Silas either, so I want to proceed with caution. I watched as Silas’ eyes glazed over in what I recognized as a mindlink. I thought rogues couldn’t mindlink without a pack. A minute later I saw Gina walk back into the room followed by the two cavemen who were following us earlier. In this room with brighter light, I realized that they didn’t look as much like cavemen as I initially thought, and they were just as attractive as the other werewolves. It must have just been the poor lighting in the hallway, but I find it ridiculously unfair that all of these people get to be so flawlessly attractive. Gina walks over to the table as Silas stands. He looks down at her and sa