Marcus POVBlack. All I can see is black. But I can feel something, static, or electricity, racing across my skin, tempting me to open my eyes. It’s soothing. It makes me want to push through this fog and swim out of the murky depths I feel surrounded by. But I can also feel him, my bear, trying to calm me and convince me to rest for just a little longer. There is something I need to do, need to see, but he’s never wrong, so I try to be patient. And I am tired, so tired. If waiting will make us better, that’s what we’ll do. Just for a bit longer.Leila POVMax drives out to the cabin to save Natalie from coming back to the hospital after her shift at the station. I know she’s frustrated about being kept out of the search for Toby, but someone has to stay in town and keep everyone safe here. We drive in companionable silence along the winding mountain road that leads away from Grey Ridge and up into the hills that Marcus calls home. He lives right on the edge of the pack territory as i

Leila POVHayley corners me in the waiting room, and I need to hide my smile when she approaches. She looks as though she might throw up. I know exactly what’s coming.“Leila, I don’t know how to tell you this, but…” She wrings her hands together, then goes to reach for me, and pauses.“It’s ok, Hayley. He doesn’t want to see me, right?” I ask and her stunned expression tells me I’m spot on. She opens her mouth and closes it again, a deep frown across her forehead.“Wait, what? How?” she stutters out, confused.“I promise, I’m alright. He’s just tired. He needs to rest. I can wait.” And I really can. Stupid bear. I saw his face twitch when I looked at him through the window. He was awake and heard every word. The big, scary grizzly bear faked sleep to get out of talking to me. He’ll run into a burning building, but facing his feelings is too much.I should be offended or hurt. I should be a mess. Which is why Hayley is looking at me as if I have lost it. But I saw the corner of my bla

Hayley POVYou could hear a pin drop when I walk into Blake Steel’s office. He’s sitting behind his large desk, lounging back in his imposing black leather chair, looking relaxed and as if he’s thoroughly enjoying himself. Marcus, on the other hand, looks tense. More than tense, like he's about to explode. He’s sitting opposite Blake, hunched over, elbows resting on his knees, one of which is bouncing up and down at a frantic speed. There is a tumbler of amber liquid in the other hand and he’s holding it like it’s his lifeline. His grip is so tight, I’m worried the glass will shatter at any second.Max leans against the wall to one side of the room, arms crossed across his broad chest, dark hair back in a man bun. He doesn’t smile as I walk in, just watches, which lets me know he is firmly in the ‘not happy with Hayley right now’ camp. I didn't lie to him exactly, I just neglected to tell him the whole truth. I stop just inside the door and smooth out my cream dress, trying to calm m

Marcus POV A wide river marks the boundary between the Grey Ridge pack and Reynold’s territory. It’s slow and meandering, the dark water reflecting silvery grey in the moonlight on this clear, bright night. When I crawl to a stop behind Rex and park my truck, a stony-faced Cooper is standing mid-way across the bridge, arms crossed over his muscular chest, eyes fixed firmly on his mate. Hayley walks up to him and stops a foot away directly in front of him, arms by her side, waiting. I hang back, wanting to give them some privacy for what I’m sure is going to be a tense discussion. Keeping secrets from your mate is not something an Alpha male is likely to accept, especially where his own family is concerned. Not to mention Hayley has been sneaking around, speaking to another Alpha and driving off his territory with no security. The night of the fire, it wasn’t Steel’s territory that she dashed off to for Leila. It was Reynolds. On her own. With a madman running around trying to intim

Leila POV“You don’t have any shoes on,” I comment absentmindedly, but what really catches my attention is the thick bulge in the front of his black combats. I can feel his hard length where our bodies press together. The rustic one-roomed cabin I’m holed up in, which up to now had seemed quaint and cosy, suddenly feels tiny. He fills the house with his alpha aura. He’s all I can focus on and I’m hyper-aware of every slight movement, every detail of him. That, and the bed that's shoved in the corner of the room but seems to call out to me.“I kind of left in a hurry,” he mutters. I can feel the heat radiating from his powerful body, and his masculine scent floods my senses. It swirls around in my mind and makes me feel out of control. Like an addict who’d do anything for their next hit.“So, what do we do now?” I ask, the need for my mate pulsing through my veins. He has to be able to smell it. My body has been crying out for him since the second I opened the door.He tilts his head s