“There she is, Mommy!”My head whipped to the side at the familiar tiny voice, except this time instead of pleas of sorrow and anguish, her tone was sweet, filled with excitement and happiness. I looked down to meet the eyes of the little girl I had seen on the battlefield along with the woman that was her mother, the woman I saved with my blood.I frowned slightly peering down upon the girl’s small angelic face, but when she smiled widely revealing a missing bottom front tooth, it was hard not to match that smile. I felt eyes on us once again with obvious curiosity, but I ignored them. I was glad to see them both in better spirits.“Hello, little one.”“Hi! I wanted you to meet my mommy for real this time!”Atlas had now come to my side standing closely, protectively, and I felt the presence of the other three not far behind, but I was not surprised. Where one was the rest seemed to be close by. I would have to come up with a name for their little man group. The woman looked

Atlas’ POV“Atlas…”I wasn’t sure if her words were a warning or an encouragement, either way, the way my name rolled off her tongue did things to me.“You know I love the way you say my name. You’re only tempting me more.” I pulled her closer, grinding her ass against me.“Back away. I need to go to the restroom.” She jumped up suddenly severing the connection. Fuck. I almost had her. Maybe trying to seduce her in front of a crowd wasn’t the best idea, but I didn’t know how many chances I’d get, and it was fucking tempting being so close to her. Her scent invaded all my senses and made it hard to even think straight. I sat there for a few minutes until I realized I didn’t think she was coming back. What the fuck? Had I pissed her off that bad? I guess I shouldn’t have been grinding my dick against her like some horny teenager. Ah, shit. What was I thinking?I got up walking around following her scent back to the pack house. It didn’t take me long to figure out she’d gone back to her

The comforting warmth of his body against mine lulled me to sleep so quickly, much sooner than I had anticipated. The mere fact I was comfortable enough to sleep so easily was a bit unsettling. This was not my home, and yet at times I felt more relaxed than when I was at the compound. His body tensed against mine while he caressed me softly and lovingly, taking great care to heed my warning about sensual touches. A smile pulled at the corner of my lips knowing he was so on edge about the situation. He held me close to him even though he put a pillow in between us, no doubt to be a backup in the event he was unable to control his urges. No, I did not truly believe he only pursued me for physical reasons. I knew the feelings he held for me. Perhaps this test was just an excuse to keep him close. Even though I gave him a bit of ease, I was not ready to open up completely. Still, with him, I felt safe and protected and cared for, all feelings that had been so foreign to me, things I never

My chest heaved heavily as I struggled to catch my breath. I looked at the faces around me feeling the many eyes looking back at me in return. Never would I have ever imagined being in a room like this so conflicted on where my loyalties lie. Ezekiel lie still on the ground with Araya beside him. She looked frustrated and defeated emotions I rarely recognized on her. Luna Ximena was in the corner obviously upset. Acelin and Alpha Adrian leaned against the far wall with their brows furrowed seemingly in deep thought. I stood by Atlas attempting to calm him. He had a thin layer of sweat on his brow and his powerful aura that had once filled the room finally was starting to dissipate. Manix and Wolfe’s wounds had begun to heal. Their eyes darted from person to person but they still seemed to be confused. So much had happened in so little time. I should not be so surprised. This was not the thought-out plan it should have been. Although my feelings had seemed to change and perhaps, I was

“Just the pair I was looking for,” Ezekiel’s face lit up when he saw me and the wolf walk into the room. My eyes darted to Luna Ximena who stood off to the side. Like her son, she wore her emotions on her sleeve, and it was very evident something was upsetting her. Now was not the time to be falling apart. Within a few minutes, the stooges would advance on us, and without knowing exactly what Ezekiel’s reaction would be, on top of not being able to calculate for all mishaps, we were treading in dangerous waters. Araya would be able to mask their presence, but once inside, once in the room, there was no telling how long it would take for her to fix this issue. How long would we have to hold others at bay? We had enough man power, two alphas, two vampires, one spat out straight from hell, a disheveled luna, and a witch, but still things never go quite as planned. Perhaps my negative outlook on life was tainting my perception. As much as I tried to calm the wolf, I was also on edge about