Share
Split Second
Related chapters
Forsaken Mate What Have I Become?
How did my absolute last resort become the only option I had left?I did everything right. Or I tried to, at least.I accepted beatings, insults, mistreatment, lies, scandal, ridicule, harassment, and assault. I took every lick and kept on bowing and thanking them for it. I learned the laws, the customs, the proper way to show appreciation for being told to lick their boots, and for what?Had I known I was going to end up like this, running through the woods with blood on my fur, the wind in my hair, and a laugh tickling in my throat, I wouldn’t have wasted time with any of it.Why did I try so hard? Why did I bother being anything else?I feel so free with Milla taking the lead; she charges effortlessly through the trees and carries us to the river. Leaping into the cool waters, we rinse the blood of the warriors from our fur, paws, and mouth. I catch sight of my reflection in the water, mentally tallying the ways we’ve changed since the last time I was allowed to shift.Our eyes are
Forsaken Mate Graveside Talk - 1
As I near my mother’s burial mound, I hear my father’s muffled voice. It takes me a few seconds to understand what he’s saying, but I’m not surprised when it’s a string of vile insults against her and me. Whore, traitor, disgusting, worthless. I’ve heard these words time and again. They mean nothing to me now.But his voice.It lacks a particular venom that I’ve grown accustomed to. There’s no punch to his slurred hatred this time. But the pungent smell of liquor lingers heavy in the air surrounding him. At least that’s consistent. This wouldn’t be a Deadrick Pride rampage without the whiskey. Though I must admit, I don’t appreciate the venue change.I didn’t think he’d remembered where she was buried. Then again, he hated her so much it would be impossible for him to forget. If it were Wesley or Quinn, I’d forever have their grave site ingrained in my memory. I’d visit every week, just to make sure they’re right where I left them.“I hate you so much,” Deadrick groans into the soil, p
Forsaken Mate Graveside Talk - 2
And there it is. The grand scheme.Regardless of Io’s demands during the alliance talks, River Crest never intended to honor them. Alpha Nolan and the rest of the pack leaders were going to take the resources from Io, use them to strengthen our military force, and then suppress Io and any other pack they could. That was their real plan and why Nolan tolerated Alpha Thane’s brazen disrespect and disregard.Disgusting isn’t a strong enough word for these cowards. But now Deadrick is trying to rope me into their plans as a pawn. This, I cannot excuse.“You want to sell me to Io to swindle them?” I ask, sneering.The blow came hard and fast, sending me to the ground. The smack echoes through the trees, followed by my father’s panting breaths. Every exhale sends a cloud of alcohol breath down on me. Familiar. This is the Deadrick Pride I know, not that smiling, hugging bastard from before.“You should be thankful for the opportunity!” he shouts. “You can finally be useful for once and not
Forsaken Mate Out of Darkness
It’s dark and quiet. And strangely warm.I thought death would be cold for some reason. Empty and cold and still. But it’s none of those things. I feel someone beside me in the dark, pressing warmly against my body. And a rhythm, a rising and falling, keeps me from being still.“Makayla?”Milla is here? I thought she would split and return to the Moon Goddess when I died. That’s what the legends say. But I feel her and… see her?She stands before me in the darkness, light gently emitting from her dark fur. Her green eyes glow in the dark as she stares from the shadows.“I’m sorry, Milla. I couldn’t…”How can I explain what I did and why I did it? She probably hates me for taking us away from our mate. But I just couldn’t do it anymore.Hearing my father discuss River Crest’s plans to betray Io and use me as a pawn pushed me over the edge. After everything I’ve suffered, I couldn’t keep pressing onward. Even if I ran away and became a rogue, I couldn’t outrun River Crest and Io. War wa
Forsaken Mate New Fear Unlocked
Six hours later, the fog has worn off and the missing pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Rafe patiently explained everything leading up to his appearance at my mother’s grave when I “took matters into my own hands.”Apparently, when Alpha Thane sent me out of Nolan’s study, he mind linked Rafe everything that was about to happen. He instructed Rafe to pack me up and get me out of the territory as soon as I arrived at the trailer. But I never showed. It was only after Rafe brutally interrogated one of the guards at the packhouse that he discovered I was locked away in the dungeons. It took Alpha Thane and three other Io delegates to subdue Rafe and drag him out of the territory before he could tear the packhouse down.He made sure I knew that. Repeated it twelve times to be absolutely sure.“I didn’t leave you behind. I would never leave you there,” he repeated, holding my hands against his heart as if swearing an oath to me. “They dragged me away and chained me to a tree right outs
Forsaken Mate Christobel
It takes two days for Rafe to move more than three feet from my side and let someone other than the doctor and a single nurse near me. My recovery is taking a while, slower still because of the weakened mate bond, the severe blood loss, and how deep I gouged my neck. The pack doctor has said repeatedly that it is a miracle I survived. Miracle. I think I’ve read that word once or twice in my life. Never has it been used to describe any part of my existence.Now, I’ve heard it probably three dozen times.Miracle. Miracle. Miracle. Goddess’s Blessings.“If your mate hadn’t been there, you wouldn’t have survived, Ms. Pride.”“The Goddess is smiling down on you that you are still here with us.”“Your bond must be incredibly strong. It seems Rafael willed you back to life.”Every update on my health comes is peppered with these statements. And Rafe squeezes me tighter every time, nearly purring into my hair or shoulder. Wide awake, recovering in his arms, I don’t doubt the doctor’s words. I
Forsaken Mate Caring for Makayla
Christobel’s caring face twists in a grimace of pain as she watches me from above, squeezing me tight in her embrace. It’s as if she feels my pain beyond rote sympathy.I’ve seen this expression before when I was a child.Of course, it wasn’t directed at me but at one of my classmates at the pack school. After a rough game during recess, a little girl fell to her knees and skinned them on the hot asphalt. Her mother, one of the teachers at the school, scooped her up and soothed her immediately.The little girl recovered quickly, but her mother was still shaken for some time, refusing to let her child go once the skinned knees were treated, and she was ready to resume playing. The pain on her face… as she wept with her hurt child, even harder than the little girl. A strange sight for me, the outcast without a mother. The tainted child whose own father treated her like scum on the bottom of his boot.I knew better than to expect a display of affection and care like that. But I always wo
Forsaken Mate Safety is an Illusion
The air around us shifts, and Christobel’s soft voice takes on a pointed edge.“When you arrived in that state, I—” Christobel sits the bowl of soup on the side table and takes my hands into hers. “Rafael was inconsolable. It was the most gut-wrenching thing to see. My strong boy weakly crying out for help. And then he told me what happened to you.”Again, distress tents Christobel’s brows, and a pinched frown drags the corners of her lips down. She’s fighting the tears brimming, holding her composure by a thread. Mine slips at the sight of her heartbroken expression.“He told me about what your father did and said. How you spent your entire life hated in that place, treated like…” She squeezes my hands, bringing them to her lips and kissing gently on their backs. “I promise you, Makayla. You will never suffer like that again. Even if you double down on rejecting the mate bond and refuse to let Rafe into your heart, you will always be welcome in Io. We will accept you and treat you li
Latest chapter
