I don’t remember how Rafe and I got back to my trailer, but here we are. I’m only now realizing how exposed I am as I lie shirtless on my beaten-up mattress. A water-stained ceiling above me, Rafe’s careful hands remove the rest of my clothes, his mouth placing tender kisses along my collarbones. “Beautiful.” Rafe’s breath heats my skin as he mutters the word over and over between kisses. I don’t think he’s even speaking to me as much as he’s repeating a fervent prayer. His hand slides down my thigh, pushing my pants and underwear down with it. Strange and instinctual, I lift my leg from my garments, and he does the rest, pulling them from me completely without ever lifting his lips. “You smell incredible,” he sighs, pressing his face against my bare shoulder. He draws in a deep breath, and a low growl follows. “Even when it’s muddied by the scent of that bastard. I can’t get enough of you.” “I should shower first.” Embarrassed, I shift away from under him and move to get up. But h

It’s a conspiracy.A damn conspiracy, I tell you. No sooner than I turn on the shower and it warms above freezing, I step in and the stream fades to a drizzle. I thought I refilled my water reserves earlier this week.But no.The night I was supposed to take my tanks to the river to refill, Deadrick stopped by. I was so busy trying to avoid him that I completely forgot everything else that had happened. It’s my fault, but I feel better blaming Rafe, Milla, Alpha Thane, and everyone else that bothered me.If they had just left me be, I would have full water reserves to bathe in and wouldn’t be slightly damp, sticky, and sweaty. Unfortunately, pawning off responsibility on someone else doesn’t change the fact. My shower is useless, and I’ll have to bathe in the river.Frustrated and soggy, I slide an old set of clothes on and grab a change of clothes, my bathing supplies, and one of my water containers. Ignoring Rafe’s offer to help and his attempts to coax me back into bed, I race out

Yes, sir. You don’t have to tell me twice.I don’t think. I just obey. Grabbing up my clothes, I slip my shirt on and jump into my pants and shoes with lightning speed. It only took a few seconds for me to go from half-naked to fully dressed, a personal record. I’m halfway through gathering the rest of my supplies before Alpha Nolan can react.“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Pride?!” he snarls, snatching me to him by the arm. “How dare you follow the orders of another Alpha in front of me! Like I’m not even here!”Alpha Nolan shakes me roughly and shoves me to the ground, kicking my water container and bathing tools out of reach. He laces his fingers into the waistband of my pants and starts pulling them off me.“I didn’t give you permission to get up! I didn’t tell you to get dressed!” My pants rip as he furiously tugs against the fabric, clawing like a wild beast. “You don’t move unless I say so. I am your Alpha. You are mine!”He roars the last word, but it sounds small

Rafe didn’t let me in on his and Alpha Thane’s plans. Even when I whined and begged, he just kissed my temple and told me to rest while he got his hands dirty. Does he even realize how frightening that is for me?All my life, I’ve done whatever I could to keep the heat off my back. I flew under the radar, bent and broke myself in half to please others and keep the peace. And now… now I have no idea what’s going to happen. I know it will undo all that work and make me an even bigger target.Then again, Nolan and Wesley already have it out for me. There’s no telling what Quinn will do when she’s off of house arrest. My father has all but sold me to Nolan and will no doubt find some other way to punish me for simply being alive and “causing all this trouble” with Io. I doubt Rafe and Alpha Thane could do anything to make matters that much worse.That’s what I honestly believed. It’s what I hoped for beyond hope.I am, of course, completely wrong. And the new rumors circulating around the

Milla growls through me, biting at Nolan’s fingers as he caresses my brow and temple, completely unphased. He looks at me like some hidden treasure, finally uncovered after decades of searching. “We’ll have plenty of time to get to know one another. I think you’ll find my wolf to be amenable and courteous,” he muses. My breathing’s ragged and out of control. Milla’s pulling against me so hard that I can barely keep my focus. It’s taking everything just to hold her still and keep my mouth shut. “Let me speak, Makayla. I have so much I want to tell this monster!” she demands. “You can’t. If he finds out about Rafe—” “Our mate is strong! We are strong! We do not have to bow and accept this from the likes of Nolan. Let everyone know about Rafael Crane. Let them talk and then watch them go silent in his presence. The weak are like that.” “Milla, please.” She lets go, settling deep into the quiet of my mind. I’m in control again and exhausted. Too exhausted to struggle against Nolan’s