Reese
My wolf was balanced precariously close to my tipping point. I wasn’t used to being cooped up, and every fiber of my being wanted to be out there, monitoring the area and making sure my mate remained safe.
Be that as it may, I knew the smartest thing I could do was remain right where I was. Scarlett was still sleeping after the emotional toll yesterday had taken on her, and I spent a few minutes going through the contents of our bag while I had a free period of time.
I was dismayed when I noticed how low we were on rations, as well as the fact Scarlett only had one clean t-shirt left. I was confused by the bundle of herbs that fell out from Scarlett’s stack of clothes, but it escaped my mind as Scarlett moaned, rolling over as she stretched her arms wide and peeked open her eyes.
Accordingly, we consumed what was left of our food, bantering back and forth, but I didn’t get to the heart of the matter until after we had sated our
Scarlett My reunion with Clarissa had not gone like I’d planned, and the frigid bath in the river hadn’t done anything to improve my mood. My full belly helped, but the cold seemed to permeate down to my bones the entire return trip. The inside of the cabin wasn’t too cold due to the kickass wood stove burner, but my mate’s fiery warmth radiating back to me was enough to make me want to stay under the covers with him forever. Then, he had to go and ruin my perfect plans for wiling away the time before the meeting tomorrow by being sensible when all I wanted was to get tangled up together in the dusty sheets. Admittedly, we did need to talk about what had happened last time. I was all for spending an evening ensconced in pleasure with this male, but I also didn’t want him attempting to claim me again either. I sat up, grasping the edges of the blanket in my fist to keep it wrapped around my shoulders as I replied, “Can
Reese Relief spread through me with Scarlett’s assertion, though my wolf was distressed instead, and our opposing reactions both stemmed from that one pesky little word: yet. She had gone from wanting to outright reject me to accepting I would inevitably be her future, so I was more than thrilled with how things were progressing. My wolf begrudgingly agreed, but that didn’t necessarily mean he would end his efforts to take the reins. Nevertheless, the raging inferno of my arousal was dulled to a weak simmering when my mate clothed her delectable body, and any traces of the sensual smoke disappeared as she dived headfirst into delicate matters. I wasn’t pleased with the plan for the meeting, but I knew I couldn’t go charging in like I wanted either. I had doubts whether I would be able to keep my word in the heat of the moment, but I would try my damnedest. The hours flew by as we strategized, and she proceeded to pour
Scarlett I clutched my arms tighter around my chest, shivering against the cool wind as I waited for Clarissa to show up with Logan. I would have been much warmer if I had chosen to wait in my wolf shape, but I didn’t want to walk into the iffy situation without some sort of shield. I knew shifting would be unavoidable in order to discuss anything, so I opted to be ready beforehand, but I was regretting the decision as my extremities began to numb and my teeth persisted to chatter. The seconds crawled by, and I felt like I had been here for hours. I had prepared myself for the worst before arriving, but I hadn’t expected to be stood up altogether. My hearing was dulled in my human form, but I ranged the sense out anyway, praying my efforts hadn’t all been in vain. When I detected nothing, I ducked my head, turning in Reese’s direction as I resolved on walking away. Even so, the instant I was about to let my guard down, Clariss
Scarlett My quivering legs would have given out from beneath me if I hadn’t already been perched on the ground. Logan’s response told me almost everything I needed to know with just that one word. Evidently, my ex-mate still lived, and the information was enough to send me spiraling into a panic as my father confirmed my living nightmare had survived. I had been okay when Reese was nearby, keeping the memories at bay, but I was by myself this time around. Well, that wasn’t strictly true, but it was difficult to take in my environs when my vision was tunneling. I forced myself to take deep breaths, and once the hammering of my heart in my ears lessened, I heard Logan humming the gentle notes of the lullaby my mother used to sing to me as a child. He kept up the soft melody until he was sure he had succeeded in bringing me back to the present, but then he said, “I don’t know what happened between you two, but I’ve known since t
Reese I don’t know how I managed to get my wolf to turn away from the direction Scarlett was taken, but I did it somehow, channeling the fury consuming my system into tearing through the frozen soil beneath my lupine’s claws. My wolf was incensed, drowning out my own thoughts as he demanded I backtrack the way I’d come, but I knew beyond any doubt that move would end badly for us both. I felt like I was leaving a piece of myself behind, but I forced myself to keep putting one leg in front of the other, focusing on making it back to the wolves’ territories for reinforcements. It was the only thing keeping me going. My mind was already racing over who I could pull for the rescue mission, but suffice it to say, my brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders with my wolf’s torrent of attempts to break through the thin barrier I held. The rough branches on the trees flying by whipped at me as I barreled through the forest, making my own p
Reese The miles flew by as I trudged through the lengthy night. The temperature remained below freezing, even with the closer I drew to Jax’s province, and I had never been more grateful for my wolf’s long fur than I was now. The frigid wind and the occasional patches of snowfall I encountered along the way was a clear signal winter was forthcoming, but it was not a joyous realization for me, as it reminded me of all I still had to accomplish to prepare my territory before the harsh conditions truly set in. I hadn’t seen any bear shifters for the last several hours, but the sudden racket I heard coming up fast from behind me let me know I was no longer alone. I continued racing forward while my wolf’s sensitive hearing picked up on the sounds of multiple assailants advancing in my direction, and I didn’t overlook how their actions intended to encircle me. I was aware I didn’t have the energy necessary to defend myself against
Scarlett I’d been stuck in this damn cell for an entire day by this point. It was proving more difficult than I’d originally boasted to wrangle myself free from the confines of the unmovable bars, but that didn’t mean I was throwing the towel in. Logan was right on a few counts, but I was well accustomed to using my brain when sheer force proved ineffective due to my smaller size. Clarissa had brought food once already, and I knew she would be back tomorrow. I waited and watched my surroundings, learning what I needed in order to get us out of here. The plan was to flee tomorrow when my former best friend arrived to take me to Hunter as she had taunted today when she brought the wolfsbane-tainted food. I didn’t let myself consider why they were trying to poison me, instead I diverted all my focus to strategizing. I felt a gnawing ache in my gut from the hunger, but Logan was thankfully doing a little better with the ext
Reese I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of repeating the arduous trip with only Jace as company, but I couldn’t argue with his logic. A large group invading the bear’s land was sure to draw attention, and we simply couldn’t afford to lose that many men. I couldn’t stop turning Jax’s words over in my mind while I laid restlessly in bed. I hadn’t come across another wolf shifter until I neared the Northern Province, but it didn’t make sense that she-wolves were disappearing left and right. The information drove home the point that I needed to return to my own territory as soon as possible, but I felt confident Oliver was doing the best he could, given the situation. I didn’t dare check in with him for the transitory time I was in range, rather I chose to keep my concentration solely on saving my true mate. I was usually the one to approach cautiously, but I lost all reason where my other half was concerned. Hence, I had to admit S