Jaxson The room is alive with singing voices and a homemade, candlelit cake. Jacki brings it to the table where Aurora sits with her friends, a group of three rag-tag buddies that I have no interest in being closer to than these mingling moments. I invited them to the palace the first time, and they sent her little crush to tell her they can’t be friends and interact anymore because of who her mate is.Because of me.I just wish that we didn’t have to make this trip here. After Xander’s exit, I don’t feel safe without the full protection of my warriors, but I know if it came down to a scrap, I could take him alone. I still retain backup to watch the edge of the property, taking shifts of five during the day, seven at night.I don’t want to ruin this night for Aurora, or the weekend I’ve blocked to be here so she can be with her friends and her parents, because as it looks right now, I don’t think the

Aurora My eyes are covered in thick, tightly tied fabric. Something about my senses have been dulled, a dry, toxic taste on my tongue making me cough. I don’t recall drinking anything, but the feeling of a mute potion weighs heavily on all of my senses.I try to wiggle my arms free of the binds that keep them pinned behind my back but like all my attempts before, I’m met with a harsh slap that sends me flailing onto my side, the feeling of warm blood pooling under my nostrils. I can’t even smell the blood, feeling it drip off my cheek while my arms and legs are still wrapped up in metal ties and fabric restraints, my ankles bound, and my wrists kept tied behind my lower back.I drop my face down, trying to protect it, unwilling to prompt another hit from whoever keeps me captive. It’s impossible for me to see a thing, to know the scent of my captor, unsure what else to do so I lay helpless on the cold, wooden floors, waiting

Jaxson It’s nearing a week without a sign from my mate. My wolf is ready to bite off anyone’s head who tries to tell me to stop looking for her. I have patrols sent out in droves at all hours of the night, every hour during the day, and I refuse to let it stop until she is found. I pace the ballroom, my father talking to his advisers, his beta, and Philip brough his daughter Stella.Stella is Aurora’s age, a year away from feeling the mating pull, but that never stopped her from having feelings for me in the past. I hate to admit that I used to entertain the idea if we never found our mates but now that I have, I’ve kept a purposefully long distance away from her. I don’t have it in me to talk to her now, moving away when she approaches to speak with me.I wave her away and she abides, nervously braiding her long, brown hair. She moves back to her father’s side, beta Phillip speaking to my father in hushed tones

Aurora I toy with the collar around my throat, trying to connect to my wolf, knowing that if I shift, it will break off. It’s only a dream, though, the wolf’s-bane still heavy on my tongue.Xander barges into the closet and I back up, my body shivering into the corner. He hasn’t let up on his threats, on his beatings, and worst of all I have felt him nearing closer and closer to using my body for his own pleasure.He pulls me out of the corner by my neck collar. I force myself to a weak stand, unable to keep up as he hurries us through the cabin and outside, the weather cold and the wind brisk on my naked body. I try to breathe, try to catch my breath, but it’s no use. He drags me through the snow behind his every lunging step.I finally pull back, trying to make him stop, but it only makes his fist find my scalp and pull me to my feet, tossing me in front of him to walk. I know better than to ask questions, simply ab

Aurora With Jaxson laying behind me, his legs pulled to my sides, I hold myself to his chest and breath soft kisses across his neck. His head tips back, giving me access to his throat, and I allow my kisses to spread across his collarbone and up behind his ears. He releases a soft, pleased moan, while I can feel his excitement under the surface of the water, hitting my inner thigh.I feel my body twitch, freezing, the image of Xander standing over me flashing through my mind. I cringe when he grabs at my upper thigh, taunting me, pushing my leg aside while I laid on the floor helpless, as though to give him access to— I can only imagine.Jaxson’s hands slide up my arms, taking me back to this moment, seeing his brow furrow while I blink back the fear Xander instilled in my body. I thought for sure he would do something I wouldn’t be able to ever live down. Instead, my mate wipes my cheeks gently, minding the marks, the fear of my