**** Beta Jayvon **** It's almost midnight, and I'm trying to convince my drunk Alpha buddy to go to bed. He doesn't let himself get this drunk often. Usually, he insists on perfect self-control. That self-discipline is the one thing his father never had and the one thing Enzi has always tried to maintain to prove to himself that he'll never be like the old Alpha. Not that the way he went about it was always perfect. Today is her 21st birthday. It's also the anniversary of when she left him. Technically, she left the day before her birthday, but it's this day each year that he's always a wreck. If she'd stayed just one more day, Enzi would have explained everything. If she'd stayed just one more day, the mate bond would have snapped in for her. Not that Enzi wanted to rely on the bond, but he hoped it would encourage her to give him a chance, encourage her to listen. He wanted her to love him for him. To understand that the choices he made were for her protection. But she left just

**** Beta Jayvon **** Her apartment is located in a cheap neighborhood with dirty, dangerous streets. Enzi would die if he knew this was where his treasured princess was living. I pick the lock, a skill I learned a couple of years ago when I realized that she taught herself how to pick locks in order to escape us. I was surprised at how easy it was to open an allegedly locked door. The wolf hearing helped. I click the door closed behind me and take a minute to survey the apartment from the door, knowing I'd need to make sure I leave everything exactly as I found it. Pulling out my iPhone, I take a few shots of her apartment from every angle from my spot at the door for later reference. She's neat, neater than I was at 21, that's for damn sure. Not crazy neat like an OCD maniac, it's more like she's a minimalist. Then it clicks. Perhaps she's a minimalist by necessity. There's not a lot here that's deeply personal. Some photos I see as I start to wander around her living room area.

**** Alyssa **** "She said no," I hear Luke's voice chime in, slowly enunciating each word, his tone heavy with menace. Goddess, I love him — in that father figure, non-creepy way. Looking back, I see Luke and Nathan now also surrounded by Enzi's warriors. I sigh, "Please, go back in. The last thing I wanted was to involve any of you." A werebear is way stronger than a werewolf, but a werewolf is rarely alone. Enzi has at least a dozen guys here. While Luke is scary as all heck in his were form, he'd struggle against this many, even with me by his side. And no, I'm not counting Nathan. A muse has many talents, but fighting is not one of them, not for Nathan, anyway. Luke and I could take several down with us if it came down to it. If I had to fight my way out on my own, I would, but I'd rather swim naked in a piranha-riddled river than have my friends caught in the cross-claws of my problems. So, flight it is! "Please, come with me," Enzi repeats. I raise an eyebrow slightly

**** Alyssa **** “I’m so sorry! In my defense, when the bear growled, your wolf clamped his jaws tighter. I was happy until then to let him think he had me bested. I wanted to avoid this fight, but then when he bit down, I had to get him off me,” the Duke tries explaining as he kneels beside me. I hear the words, but they still don’t quite register. Frantically trying to stem the bleeding, my hands slipped in the rapidly pooling blood. I can’t think straight when there’s this much blood. It’s hard to even tell where the worse part of the wound is. “What did you do?” I mumble, more to myself than anything, my voice soft and shockingly fearful. “He was going to kill me. I had to defend myself,” the Duke answers. “I get that!” I snap. It doesn't make me feel any calmer though. “What exactly did you do?” tearing my eyes from my mate’s blood-soaked belly to glare at the Duke. Surprisingly, he does look regretful. He also answers immediately. “I shifted my claws and tried to shove him

**** Alyssa **** "Good morning! I knew you were awake!" Merideth squeals with way too much excitement. Instantly, I'm smacked with déjà vu and that failed shopping trip so many years ago. "He's always up early," Merideth says as she winks at Enzi, who responds with a noncommittal grunt. I can sense he's displeased at her interruption, but surprisingly, he doesn't kick her out. That could be because she thrusts an oversized coffee mug in his hand before she continues babbling on. "Did you sleep at all? You have massive black bags under your eyes!" Merideth says, softly gripping my chin and staring intently at my face. Far out, this is a lot for first thing in the morning. I glance at the man behind Merideth, who wordlessly mouths the word "sorry" to Enzi and me. The sheepish look on his face makes me smile. "She looks beautiful," Enzi whispers. "Suck up," Merideth groans, and I laugh out loud at that. "He's your mate?" I blurt out, pointing to the Enzi look-a-like with a tip on m