Pain thrummed through Gail. Her head pounded as if someone had hit her over the head with a hammer repeatedly. Sweat ran down her face, pebbled all over her body, but she was cold. So cold the blood flowing from her nose felt hot against her skin. Joel’s resistance surprised her. After how easy the first alpha had been, like snuffing out a candle, she expected Joel to be the same. But he fought, and at first it gave her hope. Maybe he might stop this. Perhaps he was strong enough to break the charm.
As they fought, Gail realized that the only thing that would break was her. Before all this, using her magic always exhausted her. Gaining control over her magic and all that practice didn’t change that. Despite the magic and life Gail stole from Ricinius, Gail had used most of her energy already. Controlling Ricinius’ werewolves, fighting with Joel had been too much. He was really a true alpha, but the charm wouldn’t allow her to giv
“No,” Aunt Rose said, lifting her chin. “I’ve worked too hard, made too many sacrifices for this. You will not ruin this for me!”“You’re insane,” Gail said, not only to her aunt but to herself in an attempt to ease some of the pain of her aunt’s betrayal. “Whatever you are trying to do, you’re going to do it without me. I’m not your slave or your pet.” When Gail took off the leather from her wrists, her aunt screamed and threw her hands towards Gail.The wave of magic knocked Gail off her feet. She hit the floor hard, knocking the air out of her. The threads of magic that formed the charm tried to weave together again, but Gail called up her magic and with the boost from Joel, she tore through the remnants of the charm. Getting up, Gail ripped the bands of leather off her wrists. &ld
Gail woke up in a strange room. Her heart raced with panic until she noticed a note on the nightstand next to her.Gail, don’t freak out. You’re in Alpha Christopher’s pack house. When you’re ready, just tell the first person you come by to get me. Love Joel.She smiled as she read the note and looked around the room. It was minimal, but tastefully decorated. Perfect for guests, she assumed. Throwing back the covers, Gail got up out of the bed and looked at the window. She expected to be surrounded by woods, but she saw a neat little neighborhood. It reminded her a lot of the cul-de-sac she lived in before Ricinius blew up her house. By the sunlight, she assumed it was early afternoon.Still wearing the clothes she had been before, Gail ventured out of the room. Sounds of a party greete
The order of the alpha soured the party for Gail, so she left her plate and go back inside. Where was she going to go? She had about twenty-four hours to figure that out. Going back through the house to her room, Gail thought about her plan to go east. Perhaps she should keep that plan. It was better than nothing, anyway. She almost reached her room when she heard Joel call her name. He hurried up to the stairs, toward her. “Hey, you okay? Why did you leave the party?” She knew Joel wouldn’t have liked the warning the other alpha gave her. So she gave him a small smile with a nod. “Oh yeah, I’m fine. Just wasn’t feeling very festive.” “Right,” he said, walking over to her. “That wouldn’t have anything to do with the talk you had with Christopher, would it?” Gail’s ey
The wind blew through the trees, bringing their piny scent tainted with the metallic tang of blood to Joel’s nose. A stark reminder of what he’d lost that night. The feral howls that silenced the usual night time creatures were a reminder of what he had yet to lose if he wasn’t fast enough.Despite every muscle in his body hurt and all he wanted to do was lay down, Joel pushed himself to run faster. “Come on, we’re almost there,” he said to the others. They were now all he had left.“Maybe it’s better-” Gabriel said when a large wolf burst from the underbrush to Joel’s left. It cut off their path. Its blond fur stood on end as it bared its large fangs, growling at them. Joel recognized the wolf. Before all this, they’d been friends, but now the wolf’s eyes glazed over with a madness only a
Gail gripped the steering wheel as she drove down the tiny, two-lane road. There was nothing more she hated than driving at night. Well, there were worse things, but Gail swore this was the last time she would let Mr. Sanderson guilt her into making an after hours trip to his farm. Though it was an emergency. Stormy, his mare, was having trouble with her foul. If Gail hadn’t been there, it would’ve ended badly for the mare or colt, or both. That fact cooled Gail’s irritation. Gail sighed and focused back on the road. Seeing something dart out into the street, she gasped and slammed on the breaks. The tires squealed, and she jerked forward, but stopped herself before she hit the steering wheel. “Oh God,” she breathed, getting out of the car and rushing around the side to see what it was. She gasped again when she saw the dog laying on the pavement. She hit a d
With a groan, Gail woke up. The same bad dream, though the voice was new. She flung her arm out, searching for her phone. “Where the hell is it?” Grumbling, Gail threw the blankets off of her. She stood, listening to the sound of the alarm.It was coming from outside of her room.Gail furrowed her brow and followed the sound out into the living room. In the middle of the floor, between the kitchen and living room was her phone. “What is it doing here?” she mumbled, picking it up and silencing the alarm.Bruiser popped up from the couch to her right, his front legs dangling off the back of the couch. He gave her a little bark.“Good Morning to you too.” Gail shook her head at him, and got the last of the dog food
Gail glanced through the rear-view mirror for what had to have been the twentieth time since she left the store. The feeling that she was being followed or watched refused to leave. Yet every time she looked at the surrounding cars, none of them seemed to follow her. Everything seemed normal. Yet, the sensation refused to leave her. She looked over at Bruiser, who was now sitting in the front with her. Unlike this morning, he seemed relaxed and quite content.“It must be me,” she mumbled to herself, and turned on the radio. As the upbeat pop song came over the radio, Gail tried to let the music distract her.When she pulled into her driveway, the anxious, nervous sensation in the pit of Gail’s stomach eased. Once she let Bruiser out of the car, they started towards the house when someone called out, “Hello, dear!”
Gail woke up the next morning with a yawn. Sitting up, she noticed she was alone in the bed. She also noticed that the anxious feeling that had plagued her yesterday disappeared. She sighed with relief. It was so nice to feel relaxed again. Gail got up from the bed and left the bedroom in search of coffee. She walked into the open area that was her living room, dining room, and kitchen, Gail saw Bruiser asleep on the couch. “Wow, you prefer the sofa over my bed. Gee thanks, Bruiser,” she grumbled, heading straight to the coffee maker.As she prepared her coffee she looked over at him again and smiled. The forty-eight hour mark was coming up and no one had called her to claim him. Gail held the warm cup in her hands and turned to face the living room, resting against the kitchen counter. If no one called, Gail decided she was going to keep Bruiser. His company had become comforting, especi