KADE It pained me to hear how she saw herself due to a lifetime of pain. It was a lifetime of people taking what they wanted from her while spitting on the broken body left behind. My mother’s story seemed to resonate with her because the shame and guilt that had been flooding her was overshadowed by determination and acceptance. Then she uttered words to me that lit my soul on fire which burned only for her. I had begun to heal her. “So, what would you like to do about what we learned?” I asked her softly, hoping that it would not evoke the same reaction as before. She played with the back of my hair while she thought about it. This was a big decision to make, and I would support whatever she chose to do. I could not begin to imagine what it must have been like this entire time to not remember anything. That little bit of time that I remembered my mother was imprinted on me to this day. It helped make me into a man that I hoped that she would be proud of. Gabriel said that it frus

KADE “You got this, baby,” Elle told me. Her lips brushed over mine softly, leaving sparks in their wake. ‘I’ll reward you by letting you have your way with me however you want to tonight if you keep from killing him for now,’ she purred to me. I growled at her offer because nothing would stop me from getting that reward since she was my addiction. If I thought that her scent was my crack then I was sorely mistaken because her body was even more euphoric. The sensations that her body could make me feel were overwhelming between the feel of her silken body which felt warm and pliable beneath my touch, sparks that set each of my nerves alight, and the way that she thrived within everything I gave her. “You drive a hard bargain, darling. You got yourself a deal,” I said, smirking as a shiver went down her spine. I loved how her body responded to me. “Apollo will come out to get you when it’s time to make your debut.” Her eyes flashed with mischief which just amused me. We were both a

ELLE Kade shot up at the sound of my scream, looking around to find the threat but saw none. I was not being attacked, but the pain was there though. It felt like a red-hot poker was searing itself into my flesh. I shot out of bed to turn the light on and pulled off my shirt. I knew exactly where the pain was coming from, but it made no sense at all to me. “Do you see anything?” My voice was high-pitched even to my own ears, but that was not my concern at the moment. I turned around and showed him my birthmark, the one that they used to verify my status as the Power Giver. Kade stood behind me and gently traced the birthmark with his finger. I turned my head to look at him, confusion written all over his face. “It’s glowing. Does it hurt?” he asked, pulling his finger away as an afterthought as he remembered my scream. “It did. It was excruciating. This is the birthmark that the file mentioned.” I took a look in the mirror, and he was right that it was glowing. The crescent moon

ELLE “You ready to go meet everyone?” Kade asked. He could feel my emotions which were currently storming within me. I was nervous and worried about what they might think or feel with all of this. What if they thought that we had anything to do with this? “Can we just jump back on the jet and fly home?” I asked instead. “We could, but that would be a tad rude,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose. “Nothing to worry about, darling. I’m right here beside you every step of the way.” His sincerity tipped my lips upwards into a smile. It was great to know that I was not alone any longer. I had an amazing mate beside me from here on out. My smile faltered when I felt a strain on Gabriel’s bond. Something was wrong. “We have to find Gabe,” I told him quickly. We ran back towards everyone because that was where he should have been. His mate had been in the pack members there. I had no idea what was wrong, but the bond never lied. It saved our asses many times over the years. “Gabe!” I

KADE My heart broke for my mate. I had never known a single person to face the sheer amount of tragedy that was thrust upon her. The heartbreaking anguish that flooded her body when she made the connection with the Alpha was enough to literally bring me to my knees. I had never felt something so raw and powerful before. I was thankful that we killed him, but I wished we had been able to give him a taste of his own medicine before we ripped the life from his body. Just when I thought that I had learned some of the worst trauma she faced, I learned even more. Faye explained to Tyre what happened so that we could understand what happened to Elle that night. I thought Dulaney and Elwyn had been the worst, but apparently I had been mistaken. To live with that guilt weighing her down … I had no idea how she was so fucking strong to keep going and continue living. She picked herself up from the ground each time she was thrown down. There had to be something that we could do to make sure t