All Chapters of Mated in the Shadow of Betrayal: Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

(Piper POV)Leo made no secret of the fact that he was not happy when we left Dr. Tuttle’s office.When we got back to the packhouse, we sat down side-by-side on a shaded bench in the garden to talk about it. Thankfully, no one else was around… although I am pretty sure that was because Leo mind-linked everyone to leave.“Little Pea, you can’t take the herbs again.”“You said it would be my decision, Leo. And you heard what the doctor said.”He rubbed his hand down his face. “I did say that. And it is your decision. But… not really. I’m sorry, Little Pea, I really am… but I can’t let you take the herbs again.”I glared at him. Was he really going to go back on his word? I tried to move over to put more distance between us, but he pulled me closer to him instead. I resisted, but he was stronger than me. He used one hand to tilt my chin up so that I was looking directly in his eyes. “Little Pea, I know what I promised you. But my gut… it is rarely wrong. Those herbs are da

(Jenny Brogan POV)My mate, Nick, and I have finally arrived at the Bloodstone Pack. It is the 75th and largest pack that we have visited in the last year. From what I can see so far, the pack itself is beautiful, but I am exhausted and not really in the mood to be here.Our official reason for travelling so much this year is that Nick and I need to find a new pack to live in. That is definitely true, but it is only half the story.I do not like talking about painful memories, but suffice it to say, Nick and I have struggled the past several years. That is thanks, in large part, to some really horrible things that each of our sisters did. Although I eventually helped expose our sisters’ misdeeds, I made some huge mistakes of my own along the way, and as a result, the relationship between Nick and I almost fell apart completely. In fact, we lived apart for over a year.Thankfully, Nick and I eventually reconciled, and we are in a good place now. However, I am still haunted by some

(Piper POV)Obviously, I survived that round of pain. No surprise there. You may think that my fear that I might drown was an overreaction, and maybe it was. But I did not know how long the pain was going to last or how bad it was going to be, and the rounds that preceded it had been absolutely awful. I was not exaggerating when I said that it was really hard to move during them.Unfortunately, consistent with my fears, the “bathtub wave” of pain was probably the worst it had been yet. Thankfully, though, adrenaline helped me get myself out of the bathtub, and I was able to lay myself on the floor (in the fetal position) just in time. Also thankfully, this round of pain only lasted for about 15 minutes… although fifteen minutes was, of course, 15 minutes too long to listen to Penelope whimper inside my head.In any event, once the pain passed and Penelope and I were able to catch our breath, I quickly took a shower and got dressed. I also took an extra dose of the herbs, hoping

(Leo Bloodstone POV)“I don’t understand. Why is the werewolf council an off-limits conversation? Isn’t it going to be natural for them to want to talk about it, given who Nick’s sister is?”I sighed.After breakfast, Piper and I had stepped into a small conference room so that we could talk before we met with Nick and Jenny Brogan for the first time.To her credit, Piper was not angry with me when I asked her to avoid talking about certain subjects with them. However, she was genuinely confused… and I was not enjoying having to lie to her.“Yes, they probably will bring it up. But I will try to steer the conversation away from the council as much as I can, and I would appreciate it if you did the same.”Piper continued to look at me with her big, beautiful, confused eyes.“But… why?”“Because I do not want to talk about anything that might lead to questions about who you are and where you came from.”“But I don’t know anyone on the werewolf council, and I never have. Why would ta

(Nick Brogan POV)Just before we separated into two groups, I took a minute to talk to Jenny privately. “What the hell were you doing earlier?” I asked her.“What do you mean?” she asked innocently.I scowled at her. “You know exactly what I mean.”She sighed.“Fine. But it’s her, Nick.”“I figured that much out.”“So then why are you upset with me?”Frustrated, I put my hands over my face.“Do you have any idea who the Bloodstones are, Jenny? They destroy other packs for sport. You were practically taunting them.”“I just wanted to get information about her while I could.”“You had all the subtlety of a pickaxe.”“Was it really that bad?”“Worse. You seemed like you were on the attack. Leo looked like he was ready to kill both of us. That’s why I mind-linked you to back off.”Jenny frowned.“Don’t you think it is strange, though?”“What?”“The marriage. She isn’t his fated mate, and she doesn’t smell like she is a ranked wolf.”“So? You weren’t a ranked wolf before we met e