AvaI can only stare at Josh as I feel my heart breaking all over again. This time, not just for myself but for him. I’m not sure when my Father passed away, but he lost Bella at the start of their marriage, and now he’s lost his kids.‘We’ll ship out tomorrow,’ Kylar leans back in his chair and I look at him, with a pang of regret. He is the leader of the Mercenaries that Josh was talking about. So I guess it’s his decision. I’m going to miss him. How long was he away for last time? I’m being selfish and I look back at Josh who is nodding before he looks at me again.‘Will you come too?’ He asks quietly and Kylar speaks up again,‘No,’ my future Alpha replies and I glance at him. No? I don’t appreciate him answering on my behalf. I let out a breathe and look between the two of them again. Eager to answer on my own terms. I’m tongue tied and find myself staring at my hands. Trying to process everything that happens.‘I’d really like Ava to come back,’ Josh replies and I want to si
I finish my cocoa and Marie knows that I’m reluctant to leave. So it’s no surprise that Kylar arrives at the door and lets himself in. He’s wearing the same clothes but his dark hair is tousled. Green eyes focused as he carries in a bag and offers it to me with a small smile.‘I asked Lou to pick out some clothes for you,’ he tells me quietly and glances to Marie before sighing. ‘Marie clearly knows that we’re seeing each other,’ he touches his fingertips to his temple and I nod. Marie must be speaking to him telepathically. ‘Will you stay with me tonight?’ He asks, dropping his voice, even though it’s pointless and Marie can definitely hear.I give my nod of agreement and slip behind the screen again. I hear the pair of them return to the kitchen, collecting up the mugs and washing up. Talking quietly as the door closes behind them.Lou picked out a pair of short khaki pants that reach below my knee, and a black tank top. I check the bag, grateful to find a black bra and matching
The next morning is harder than I thought it would be. Our lives have been in so much turmoil since we moved to the village, that I understand why the twins are upset that I’m going away. Lou has agreed to live in the cottage in my absence, so I know they’ll be loved and well looked after. But their tears break my heart. They’re clinging to me, and I can’t help but think about all the changes we’ve been through. We moved out of the city and came here. Then the first week they were staying with Lou when I patched up the medical center. Everything must feel out of place for them.Kayce shows his hurt with anger, being cross with Kylar for taking me away. Kylar’s not even at the house, and it’s a struggle to explain that even Kylar doesn’t want me to go. It’s not something I can easily decode for a four year old and so I hug him tightly and promise I’ll be back as soon as I can. Lou ushers me out the door, but the sound of them crying on the other side is nearly enough to make me go
I feel like we have stepped back in time, and it hits like a hammer. Josh opens up the door for us, before giving me the keys. I look down at the keychain. A simple silver half moon. They’re my keys. The keys I left behind the day I was told get out. I turn them over, even the weight is familiar. The little scratches on the metal. I’m blinking back tears and Kylar, Sasha and the others are moving into the space, looking around.‘We can decamp here?’ Kylar looks back at me from the living room and I nod.‘Yeah, that's the biggest room…’ I pull myself back to the present and set the keys down in the little bowl by the front door. Where we always kept our keys. ‘There are four bedrooms upstairs,’ I explain, trying to keep myself matter of fact. This isn’t my home any longer. Even though nothing has changed from the day that I left. On one level I can understand that. Afterall, Bella was married, she moved into a little house with Josh the day after their wedding. After my Mum died,
I sink back down on my bed. I can hear voices downstairs and close my eyes. I flick on the radio once more, drowning them out. Just hearing Ryan is enough to raise my hackles, and hearing Kylar is all kinds of painful for so many different reasons. So here I am, back in my bedroom with the radio on, trying to escape my own life again. Why did I come back? The voices stop and a while later there’s a knock at the door. ‘Come in,’ I stare as Sasha pushes the door open.‘Hi,’ she lifts her hand in a wave and I really want to dislike her. She’s incredibly beautiful, tall and has a smile that lights up the room. There’s a confidence that she carries and I stare at her, wishing that for my medical degree and life experience, I could be more mature in this moment. ‘Hi,’ I reply and push up onto my feet.’‘The Alpha and Ryan left a little while ago,’ she’s searching my expression.‘Oh,’ I nod. Relieved. Hopefully Ryan won’t come back with any more nastiness. He’s such a prick.‘They’
A shiver passes between us, a single heart beat as Kylar inhales my scent. He runs his nose against the line of my jaw and I’m powerless, pinned against the wall. I don’t even want to struggle. I don’t want to put space between us, not now. Not when he is so close. Close to enough to share my breath with. ‘I needed to know that,’ his voice is low against my ear. I close my eyes, heart fluttering as I nod my agreement. I’d agree to anything right now. His body is pressed against my own, holding me in place. Just the low light from the desk lamp casts long shadows over the room. It’s soft and intimate. I can pick out the laughter track from whatever the team is watching down stairs, but over it all. I can hear my own rapid heart rate. I can feel his breath upon my neck as I struggle to breathe, caught by the intensity of it all.‘This is hard enough, Ava, without you being Rogue on me,’ he growls and his grip tightens. I look up at him, bottom lip trembling as I push my hips forwar
I didn’t sleep as well as I needed to. In fact, I don’t remember sleeping at all. I’m lying awake when my alarm goes off, staring into space. I’ve pushed Kylar away, I know that. He was in my room, kissing me, holding me. Sharing the closeness that I had been craving all day. I was the one who sent him away, put up the barriers and made the distance. It’s hard to roll out of bed but my feet hit the ground and I’m in the shower. I can hear movement in the other rooms throughout the house and wish I knew which room Kylar took last night. I want to apologise, to explain the reason for my temporary insanity. His suggestion that we Mate, that we Bond terrified me. It would excuse my behaviour, but at least it would explain it. I shower quickly and dress. Pulling my hair back into a simple ponytail. I’m wearing khaki pants, a dark vest and dark green and black plaid shirt to protect my arms from the forest. I slide my feet into a pair of combat boots, wiggling my toes around. Hoping tha
We all know that the twins have been missing for a few weeks and that the golden opportunity for finding them has long passed. I’ve been out of wolf society for a long time, but I’ve watched enough true crime to know what we’re all afraid of. There was a delay whilst we settled in last night, but now we’re off and there’s a sense of hopeless urgency that follows us, now that we’re on the way. We’re trailing after Sasha and Kylar. Luca, Kyle and myself have dirt bikes so that we can at least try and keep the wolves in sight, and carry all of the gear that might be needed for our human selves; and the boys if we can find them. The first day feels painful, slow and irritating as Sasha weaves back and forth through the pack territory, mostly in the village with the scent of the children.It’s impressive, because even though there is something weirdly familiar in the way that they smell. As though their scent is close to my own boys, Kayce and Rowan, I can barely detect it here. It’s fa