Kamari's Point of View Fucking hell, I never thought he would ever have me followed. All because he wanted me back. All because I had shown him a shred of kindness. In hindsight, I shouldn't have stayed as long as I had. Or even told him I was leaving. But at the time it had seemed like the only excuse I had as to why I wanted to see him. Now Arik had hope and I was his only tether. It would be a kick in his balls if I didn't go back with these men. Would make him even angrier than he already was. But what was their plan once they got me in sight? Persuade me to go back to him? Talk to me and figure out my final destination so that their Alpha could show up to claim me wherever I went? I had no idea. All of the above was frightening. It meant I would never be able to truly escape Arik. To be left alone. Just because I had been a decent fucking being and tried to help him out of his dark pit of despair. The looks I got from Nolan, Zayan, and Malakai varied greatly. Malakai seemed
Kamari's Point of View Randal and Hunter had escorted the new prisoners down down down. Into the abyss below the house. I assumed it was where they kept all of the people they no longer wanted roaming about in public. Or where they made men bleed. Either way, it wasn't nearly as scary as seeing my mother at the end of the hallway. Her hair had lost all its luster. Eyes were cast down but I could see the outlines of the bags beneath them. Her clothes were rumpled and her shoes weren't shined. There was no doubt that she had woken up only when I told Randal to phone her. When he told her what had happened on our way over. Rachel had gotten dressed in a rush, not caring how she looked. Behind her, my dad stood and watched the door. It was barely ten in the morning but a glass of bourdon was already in hand. He drank deeply. Drank long. Clear lines were formed on his face. His forehead was a crinkled mess of the concern he felt. Seconds after I stepped into the house, her eyes spotted
Kamari's Point of View The shower was a glorious feat. Steam curled around me as I stepped out. The thwack of my wet hair against my back as I let it fall was satisfying. Having my own bathroom without my father's things cluttering every surface? Now that was a fucking ten out of ten. But when I walked out and found three men sitting on my bed and conversing, that was scary to behold. Not something I ever thought I would see in my lifetime. All of their eyes darted toward me. The conversation they were having died in their throats. I felt like an intruder. Until I realized that I was half naked and they were blatantly staring at me as if I was a meal on display. "Hello," I bleated out, increasingly becoming aware of how naked I was. Zayan's eyes trailed the length of my body. His eyes became hungry as he most likely imagined me as the first night we slept together. Naked and quivering beneath him Nolan's face flamed up and he hurriedly looked away, his shoulders twisting away as
Kamari's Point of View Malakai's eyebrows shot up into his hair at the news. Zayan and Nolan looked at each other, baffled. But I was too stunned to speak. I had seen this coming in some way or another. Knew that it was only a matter of time before my parents realized their mistakes and tried to fix them. Some part of me had always chalked up their animosity toward each other as love that couldn't escape. They bickered often. Fought even more often than that. It might have been because the mate bond wanted them together and the two of them were reluctant. Either way, it was high time they realized what they wanted. Stopped the pretense that they would never love each other again. For the small child in me, I was elated. Beyond that. It was like getting a second chance at being a family. But the bad blood between my mother and me was far from being over. On the contrary, we had barely spoken about what had happened since I returned the first time around. Yes, we fought and argued
Kamari's Point of View "Your plan is absolute insanity, Kamari! Using you as bait? Come on! You are the fucking only heir of Jagged Rock. What if something goes wrong?" Malakai all but screamed as he followed me inside the house. He slammed the door shut behind us, effectively isolating me. My parents were still outside. Zayan was sent to check up on Eris and to see if she had told Rachel's enforcers anything yet. Apparently, her screams wouldn't reach the top of the house. None of us had known they were already busy with her. Had assumed Rachel would carry out the task by herself. Although, why would she? My mother was currently in mating bliss. A part of me thought my mother was cruel for sending Zayan. Her way of reminding him that there were two sides to this fight and if he fucked up it would be him inside that room next. But it was his mate that she was freely torturing. His allegiance might be with me but she still held a piece of his soul. Gaelan had asked Nolan to go and
Zayan's Point of View The lower I descended the clearer I could hear her screams. Muffled cries of a woman in despair. Pain. My wolf reared its head with the first cry. Now it was a raging beast just beneath my skin. Rachel had taught her men well, I had to give it to her. From what I could hear, Eris was on the verge of dying. Or so it seemed. No well-trained man would let her die so easily. But her screams were laced with years' worth of pain. There was no denying that. The stench of blood was overwhelming, even from this distance. Even as my shoes clacked against the cold stone, I could smell it all around me. From what I was hearing, they were at the end of this long hall. Only lit by a single bulb hanging lonely in the middle of the passage. Although with each new slice, the sound echoed all around me. Enveloped me in a blanket of anguish. Somehow, I felt like that bulb. It was flickering and somewhat faint but still going strong. I wasn't as alone as it was but it felt lik
Kamari's Point of View The covers here were better than at home. Softer. Comfier. It was strange to think that I had lived with such scratchy bedding most of my life. Even stranger to note that I now slept in a room fit for a queen. Only the highest thread count that you could possibly find was right. Only the most expensive towels that melted against your skin after a shower. Opulent luxury. How did the pack not hate my mother for all the money she spent? The sheets alone could feed an impoverished family for well over six months. The curtains in my room could cover several medium-sized windows in any given home. No wonder Arik could rally them up so easily. Their Luna gave most of her money away on bettering her own life than theirs. Which wasn't what an Alpha stood for. An Alpha had to give his or her life for their people. It was that simple. Yet Jagged Rock had little to no homeless. No one went unfed at night. Shelters for those in need had been raised during my grandfather
Kamari's Point of View After an hour of back and forth, we finally came to a conclusion on the party. The guest list was considered modest, with only two hundred of Rachel's closest people, seeing as it was such short notice. It was Monday and the party was Friday. Most of the event was going to be held outside. The food was a seven-course meal, served by the wait staff. Fine champagne would be served, alongside an open bar. All of it paid, of course, out of my mother's personal funds. "It is going to be the event of the year, I assure you, Luna," Genevieve said, beaming up at my mother. Not up, perhaps. They stood at almost the same length. But my mother's gaze could make anyone seem small and insignificant, even a gossip-hungry woman. "Then I am happy. I want a progress report by noon tomorrow. After that, I will be unavailable. I am going to show Kamari the charity projects I have been working on. Have everyone invoice to my personal email, none of this will be on the pack's e