GINAWith my guards just outside the door, I quickly unfold the paper to read the note. I don’t recognize the handwriting, and whoever wrote it didn’t sign their name. I’m sure that was intentional, so they wouldn’t be caught if somehow Silas saw the note.My hands shake as I begin reading:“You won’t be going back to your room.Silas will not let you go, despite what he promised your mate.We’re working on a plan. Be patient and remain vigilant.”Silas made a promise to Jericho? I didn’t know anything about this, and who has a plan? I wish I knew who this letter was from. I can only assume they are connected with Karli. What am I supposed to remain vigilant for? How will I know if I can trust some random wolf that might approach me?There wasn’t nearly enough information in this note.A loud bang on the door makes me jump, “Silas needs you back in the meeting hall!”Opening the faucet to mask the sound, I tear the note into small pieces and drop them into the toilet, destroyi

GINA After a 20-minute drive, we park on the side of the road, and I am forced out of the car with Samuel and Perry. As soon as the doors close and we step away, the driver takes off leaving us stranded. I turn and follow my guards as they trudge into the woods. We make our way through the forest for several hours. It would’ve been a faster trip if we shifted into wolf form and ran, but they apparently thought this would be easier to keep me under their control. They’d be right if my wolf was at full strength. Under normal circumstances she is so powerful in wolf form, that I could easily take both of these guards. Unfortunately, she’s gotten weaker in the time I’ve been away from my mate. I’m not sure that I could take them on in my current condition. I hate that my wolf is affected by this mate thing. I never asked for a second chance mate, and it’s unfair that we are affected by it. We finally arrive at our destination, and it’s a cave on the far side of the forest. Thi

JERICHO Giovanna looked so peaceful and relaxed, but it was obvious the moment she began to wake up. Tension returned to her face as she slowly emerged from her unconscious state. Based on what the beta and gamma told me, I was prepared for her to wake up in a state of panic. Gently taking her hand in mine, I prayed that the sparks of the mate bond would help to sooth and relax her as she came to. “Giovanna, I’m here.” I whisper as I rub small circles on the back of her hand with my thumb. A few seconds later her eyes blink open in confusion. I give her a few seconds for her eyes to adjust, and when she sees me she gasps and sits up quickly. Immediately she puts her free hand to the back of her head as she winces in pain. A low growl slips from my throat as I remember Gamma Emmitt saying he had to knock her out to bring her here. If we weren’t still under threat from Silas and his warriors, I would kick his ass for injuring my mate, but I know that even if we have the numbers

JERICHO After the alpha reinstated me as a member of the pack, they finalized the plans for all possible scenarios for the upcoming battles. The finalized battle plans were shared with all the warriors, and then we waited to hear from the scouts. Wild animals are smart. They can sense when danger is near, and while our wolves are predators, we don’t hunt often enough to cause this kind of silence in the forest. It feels like all the creatures have abandoned the forest, which can only mean that our enemies are drawing closer. Minutes later I see the alpha’s eyes shift as he receives a mind-link, and his entire body stiffens. Alpha Aleksandr mind-links all the warriors at once to let us know that the enemy forces have split into two and will be attacking from opposite sides. Thankfully, we have a plan for that. When the wolves broke through the tree line, there wasn’t a clear leader, but we all moved into formation and prepared to meet them head-on. Some of us are in wolf form,

GINA The house that the beta led us to was older and a little rough looking, but I instantly fell in love with it! I never dreamed that I would get to live in a fairytale style cottage with a white picket fence. The sun was just coming up, painting the sky behind the house is beautiful shades of orange and yellow. The best part, though, was the yellow door, which almost perfectly matched the shade of yellow streaked across the sky. Yellow was my mother’s favorite color, and while our front door wasn’t yellow, the back door was painted yellow on the inside. Mom said it brightened up the kitchen, especially on rainy days. It was one of the few things I remembered about her. She always used to call me her sunshine. As I slowly approached the house, I’m flooded with memories of my mother that I didn’t even know were hidden somewhere in the back of my mind. I glanced at the flowers in the flower bed and flash to a memory of my mother gardening in our front yard. I was only around