“Wolves are surrounding us,” Lucas informed me. “They’re cutting off all exits and slowly moving in.”I nodded. “The women and children?”“All at the safe house.”Sucking in a deep breath, I tried to scent them. There was no doubt in my mind that Rowan was the one attacking. Somehow the kid must have gotten word out to him before reaching the pack. Ryder had kept a close eye on him while trailing him, but there could be a possibility that the boy might have sensed that he was being followed and decided to call Rowan and warn him. “Don’t attack unless he attacks first,” I warned my men. “Once they enter the center of town, you surround them to make sure that none of his men sneak off.”“Do you think it will break out in a fight?” one of my men asked. I frowned at him because he sounded excited. “I don’t know,” I told him honestly. Rowan was probably hoping for a fight. Anything to blackmail me into doing what he wanted me to do. But I was older and a lot wiser. I knew how he worked
I blinked up at Keiran as he hovered over me. I had been woken by him numerous times during the night as he came to check up on me. It was sweet of him to check up on me, but I was starting to get annoyed. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as he fixed the collar of my shirt. “I just want to make sure that you’re okay.” “I am okay and I was okay the other hundred times you checked on me,” I told him. Keiran cleared his throat and moved to stand, but I reached out and grabbed hold of his wrist. “Why?” I questioned. He swallowed loudly as he turned to face me. “I told you about Laura,” he said softly. “I didn’t tell you that I had marked her because I thought it was what she wanted.” “And she rejected your mark?” “Yes,” he muttered. “Within seconds after I marked her.” I sat up, and reached out to grip his hand. “If I wanted to reject your mark, I’m sure it would have already happened.” “I didn’t want to do it until I was sure that it was what you wanted,” Keiran said. “I wanted things
I frowned. My body was relaxed, my mind clear and my stomach full. I wasn’t hungry. I could sense the sun starting to rise so I should be sleeping. But something woke me and I wasn’t sure what. Sitting up, I glanced around the room. Nothing was out of place and there was no sign of anyone inside my room. Letting out a sigh, I got comfortable again. “Axel…”It was Cora’s voice, but she wasn’t inside my room. Jerking upright, I got to my feet and hurried towards the stairs. Pressing the button, I waited for the door to open. There was a soft click and then the door slowly started to open. I pushed it open faster and stepped out of my room slightly. I flinchedThe room was bathed in rays of the early morning sun. A low moan made my eyes snap towards Keiran’s desk. Cora was on the chair, her head resting on her arms on the desk. Another pained moan fell from her lips as her head rolled from side to side. “It hurts,” she cried. The fact that she was in my head should have shocked
I glanced at Keiran from the corner of my eyes. It would be very rude of me to answer my phone during a meeting with the council, but it was the third time it was ringing. Something had to have happened because the only person I could think of who would call was Axel. “She has accepted your mark, but that does not mean that she has accepted you as her mate,” one of the elders was saying. “Given your history with your previous mate, you understand why we need to look at things from every possible angle,” Demetrius muttered. “Your pack has grown considerably over the years and don’t get me wrong, you are a great alpha. But we need to make sure that your pack will be protected if the past gets repeated.”“Cora is nothing like Laura,” Keiran growled. “How can we be so sure?” someone asked. “We know nothing about her. Rowan has given us a report and based on that, she is a troublemaker.”“You all know that Rowan can’t be trusted,” I interjected. All eyes turned towards me. “Why exac
I was too hot. Biting back a whimper, I shifted slightly. My eyes fluttered open but I immediately squeezed them closed again. The bright light made sharp pains shoot through my already aching head. Every inch of my body ached. It felt like I had spent hours at the gym. The last thing I remembered was the pain and Axel’s soothing words. I shifted. Jerking upright, I glanced around. Axel was on the bed to my left and Keiran to my right. A wolf was resting at the end of the bed. “Oh.”“Don’t be scared.” A hand was pressed to the small of my back. “It’s Ryder.”His fur was the same colour as his hair. The wolf stirred and slowly opened its eyes. They were one and the same. Just like I had been with my wolf. I looked at Keiran to find him already studying me. He reached out and pressed his palm to my forehead. “You still have a fever.”“I changed,” I whispered. “I was a wolf.”Keiran smiled. “You did. Do you remember?”I flinched. How could I not? My bones had literally snappe
“As alpha of this pack, it’s my job to do what’s best for my pack.” He folded his hands together to the desk, and slowly raised his head to look at me. “I’m sending you away.” “W-what?” “Since you are not of legal age and nobody wants to take you in, I will be sending you away to live with your uncle.” Uncle? I frowned at him. As far as I was aware, I had no other family. It had always just been Mom, Dad, and me. There was never any talk about other family members. “Your parents never mentioned him?” I shook my head. “I’m not surprised,” Alpha Rowan muttered. “There’s been some bad blood between them for a few years now.” “And you want me to go live with him?” His eyes narrowed. “He is the only one willing to take you in.” If there was bad blood between him and my parents, I was sure that I wouldn’t be treated any better at his pack than I was being treated at my pack. “I turn eighteen in a month,” I told him. “By law, you need to stay with a legal adult until you are
My heartbeat escalated, and sweat broke out over my skin. He knocked again, snapping me into action. I pulled the door open and watched with a frown as he hurriedly stepped inside the cabin and pushed the door closed behind him. Dean glanced around. “All packed up?” “Y-yes,” I stuttered, feeling unnerved by his presence in the cabin. “Good.” He swallowed loudly as he turned to face me. “We need to talk.” “O-okay. Do you want to sit down?” “No, I won’t be staying long.” He shifted from foot to foot, eyes darting around. For some reason, he seemed extremely nervous, which made me nervous. To think that a few years ago, I used to have a crush on him. My tormentor found out and told everybody, including him. He had joined in on them making fun of me whenever he got the chance. “Did Olivia ever explain mates to you?” he asked. I frowned at him. “Come on, Cora. We already had the sex talk in school. You must have had some questions for your mother.” “I don’t want any part of wh
Another bout of thunder echoed around me. It was already raining heavily. The first drop fell an hour ago and it had been falling harder and harder since then. I was soaked to the bone, freezing cold, and I seemed to be walking in circles. My panic had long since faded. I had accepted the fact that I was going to die. In a few hours, I would be joining my parents. I was okay with that. I had tried to find my way out of the forest, but no matter how hard I tried or how far I walked, I couldn’t get out. The trees seemed to go on for miles and miles, and I had yet to find a sign of something familiar to help me get home. My foot caught on something, sending me falling to the ground. I tried to stop my fall, but ended up twisting my wrist. Instead of getting up, I curled into a ball with my injured wrist cradled to my chest. It took too long for me to realize that the thunder wasn’t the only thing echoing in the air. My body jerked when a twig snapped behind me. I sucked in