RIDERGreen trees pass by in my peripheral vision, blurring together and morphing into something that becomes insignificant. I want to find my mate, I need to hold her, convince myself she's alive, even if she won't talk to me. Though we did make up, didn't we? "Look at us looking like busted rejects and about to kick the bucket anytime soon, " Quinn laughs hysterically, tapping his hand against the back of my seat. "Yeah this scene will definitely go down through the annals of time." "What the f***k?!" Veron barks. "Did you just hear what you said asshole? What anal?!" "Annals you dimwit, " Quinn retorts with a snort, moving to spell it out for him "ANNALS not anal. There's a difference. Why the hell would I think about talking about asses right now?" "Because you've been known to talk garbage that's why. " "Listen man-" Quinn starts getting defensive. "Just shut up. Everyone's ears are begging for a rest. Shouldn't you even be sleeping? It'd help speed up that busted clavicle o

I blink, taking a closer glance at my palm, finding it devoid of any scars or wounds for that matter. Relief washes me immensely. The nightmare felt so real not to be, thank goodness it is. However, it's only a pity he can't be one. My gaze moves back to Ragna who has moved inwards of the room during my mounting panic, the door now shut, trapping us both within this small space. I move to sit up, wrapping the covers around my feet, watching wearily as he takes a seat at the edge of the bed, the poor thing, dipping beneath his huge weight. A weight I'd have to get used to bearing quite soon if I didn't figure a way out in time. Photos of Ragna pounding into me suddenly clouds my mind and I quickly shake the trauma away. One struggle at a time. "The Luna ceremony is in the next two days," Ragna says. "You do know that right?" "How would I know that? No one tells me anything. " "Are you getting cold feet?" I pause, a little stunned at the tenderness in his voice, before recovering.

RIDER "Are we gonna talk about last night?" "No", I brushed Oliver's question to the side and kept walking, a scowl on my face. "Wait, " he grips my upper arm but I yank it away refusing to stand and talk. I already said no, he should just let it go. "Hey! " Oliver runs up blocking my path. "I get it okay. You don't know what to do about your mate, you don't know if you'll be able to save her. I get that. " "Really?" "Yeah, " he answers, either oblivious to the sarcasm in my voice or he chose to ignore it "No, no you don't get it. " "I'm a brother too, you know. I'm a part of the family. I get it. I'm the outsider between you and Jax. We all know you both grew up together. The only other reason I'm here is because Allison is my mate. So I get how you feel. It's the same way I felt when Jax took his sister away without even consulting me first. It made me feel insufficient, makes me question my role as the pack's Gamma. I wondered if he didn't trust me enough. But most of all, I

My body feels heavy, like lead, my mouth dry and when I open my eyes, everything is suddenly too bright. I lifted my hand to my eyes, feeling my body suddenly spilling over and I fought to catch myself, hands pulling me backwards instead. When I finally open my eyes, it's almost noon, and I'm strapped to a chair, a cream-colored lace grown attached to my person while women placed the remaining decorations in my hair. My feet are bare, my shoes confiscated and if I run away by some weird chance, I wouldn't be able to get far. Flower petals and blossoms line the way to some final destination, children running around happily as if sealing my fate with a monster was a royal decree. Eventually someone releases the bands that keep my body and feet hostage and I hold onto the chair, standing up. "How was your sleep?" Ragna asks, his unexpected presence making me jump. "What did you do to me?" "Nothing that you didn't cause on yourself, " He says looking me over. His eyes slid down my body

RIDER It's a small jerk, then another and then the sound of sputtering that pulls me from my reverie and to her side. I lift my mate, helping her to sit forward as she coughs up water swallowed from having gone under. Halie immediately wraps her arms around my neck, shivering, pressing her mouth to mine and I return her kiss in fervor. Maybe she didn't think I'd make it while I was losing hope that she'll remain alive. Halie pulled back, staring into my face for a while, tears streamed down her cheeks, lips trembling and I pulled her closer, squeezing her against my chest. She didn't need to say anything. I already knew and understood. "You actually came," she whispers. "For me. " "I promised I'll always find you, didn't I?" "That's so corny. " Halie chuckles against me and I soak everything up, determined not to let these memories slip. I decided here and then that I was going to do better, be better for her. Believe in her. "Erhem, " Someone coughs from behind me, and Halie pe