Hunter’s POV I dropped slowly to the ground, wincing as shards of glass and debris from the fight dug into my back. Focusing on my own plan, I mindlinked S. ‘Come here and wait on the porch. And, S, don’t forget, you must agree to every demand she makes.’‘Yes, Alpha.’ As my eyes became heavy, my lids drooping shut, I heard the near-silent brush of S’s feet over the grass. I could sense his nearness, my whole body tingling with it.Then I drew my attention to my breathing, adjusting it until it came evenly and slowly. My chest hollowed and filled, hollowed and filled… I was getting so sleepy…My ears pricked at the sound of Jane getting dressed, the fabric sliding up her long, lean legs and pulling taut at her waist. Even that had me salivating. There was a soft jingle, one that I attributed to the poison bottles latched onto her belt, followed by a beat of silence. Then she called out to S. “S! Come here. I know you’re outside. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”My eye

Jane’s POVThree days sounded like an age until they passed in a blur. I was kept in the cell, given food through the gaps in the bars and a bucket to accommodate my other needs. Every time a guard brought me food or water I asked them to see my sons, but they just laughed in my face and spilled my rations on me.I was no stranger to such humiliation, and it didn’t bother me. I was worried about my sons, but since they thought they were useless pups, I hoped they wouldn't bother to do horrible things to them… right? I kept reassuring myself. But it didn’t ease the panic I felt.I ate only because Ina prompted me to, telling me I needed energy to be able to rescue my boys when the time came.Knowing my sons were out there somewhere gave me purpose. So I’d listened carefully and asked questions, gathering as much information as I could before my time was up. Ina filled in some of the gaps, too, though she didn’t know much more about the Sand Wolves than I did.There were two Alphas of

Jane’s POVWhen I next opened my eyes, I was lying on a shabby bed and the air around me was filled with dust. I watched through a bleary gaze as the motes spun lazily through the slants of sunlight spilling across the small room. There was another bed beside me, on which both of my sons lay, tangled together under a thin sheet. Owen clutched at Ares, who looked back at me with the calm, assessing gaze of an Alpha heir.My heart snagged in my throat. Had the Moon Goddess really saved us?The door groaned open. I ran my dry tongue over the roof of my mouth; my head spun as I sat up, making me close my eyes for just a second –“Fucking hell,” the man grunted, and a string of colourful swearwords left him. I leapt up to cover my sons’ ears, but my whole body trembled like a leaf. I couldn’t stand, so I rested my back against the hard acacia backrest and assessed the man. Was he our saviour? Or was he our kidnapper?He was odd looking, clearly elderly, his body worn by a long life; his ha

Jane’s POVI was so shocked that I couldn’t make my limbs move at all. I gaped down at him, confusion making my brain foggy, and until he let go of me I was stuck in place.Then he grabbed my hand, put it in his mouth, and bit down gently. I hastily drew it back and hugged it to my chest. “What are you talking about?” I asked him, my brows drawing together.Ina surprisingly gave up on her nap; her eyes went wide as she looked between us. ‘What did he just say? Mom?’ She burst out laughing, louder than I’d ever heard her before, and she started rolling around. ‘Oh. My. God! Mom! Ha! Jane, you’re so lucky to have a son as big as him!’I ignored her mockery and returned my focus to Alpha Colin, who was looking at me in a daze. “You’re calling me Mom?” I asked again.His eyes were all innocent as he blinked up at me. Then he nodded, his expression serious. “Yes, Mom. That’s who you are. You’re my mom. You must be; you give me such a warm feeling. Like a mother.” He stood up, the blanket I

Jane’s POVIna’s attitude towards Colin had changed drastically since she’d found out that he was good at cooking. Now, it seemed that Colin equalled pizza in her head.Ed, who was still yet to speak, suddenly said, “Hospital? What hospital? This right here is the hospital! Everyone in town comes to see me when they aren’t feeling well.”“What?” I looked around. “I don’t see any medical equipment. And there’s definitely no X-Ray machine. Besides, are you even a doctor?” I eyed him curiously. Ed had never mentioned any of this before.“Of course not!” He shook his head, like I was the one being ridiculous. “But I know medicine.”“That’s not the same! He needs an X-Ray to make sure his brain is working normally. He’s lost his memory,” I added in a hiss.Ed threw his arms up. “My eyes are the X-Ray machine! I’ve scanned him with my eyes, Jane. He’s normal, his brain is normal – it’s too normal if anything. Anyway,” he added, like that settled it, “he needs to take some of my drugs to the