The following morning, Ava stared at a sleeping Caspian. When he’d carried her out of the forest, claiming that was just the beginning, she expected him to make love to her the moment they got to the cabin. He’d taken her to the shower, where he’d washed her body, quite thoroughly. Her cheeks heated at the memory of his hands on her ass, spreading her cheeks wide as he cleaned there. She’d never had anyone clean … any part of her.None of the pack liked her.She pushed those thoughts right out of her head, and instead, looked at Caspian. He looked so peaceful.After the shower, they’d sat and he’d read her a book.She’d been so tired. Just as she was about to fall asleep, he cooked dinner. She expected the rest of his pack to join them, and then she’d been a little disappointed when they didn’t turn up.Did they not like her?Sure, she was a bit strange, and her ability to heal would freak out a lot of people, but the last thing she wanted to do was unnerve anyone.She kept her hands
Ava didn’t stop him as he touched a part of her that set her on fire. He knew what to touch, and what to tease. Within seconds, she was coming as well, screaming his name and not wanting him to stop.The feelings he inspired within her took her completely by surprise as he rocked her entire world. They were just coming down from their makeout session when the cabin door was knocked on. She heard Caspian’s name being called, and then she chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed to have been caught in the act.Caspian stared at the security footage, and with each second that passed, he was even more pissed off. “When was this again?” he asked.“A few hours after we all left.”Sean had set up security cameras around Ava’s apartment to keep her safe—to keep all of them safe. This was their way of protecting themselves against any potential pack threat.He’d never gone out to cause a war with anyone else. There were times he’d declined invitations from others because he refused to be part of
A strong alpha female.The words rolled around Ava’s head as she tried to understand them.It seemed nearly impossible to think of herself as strong. Why would she? All her life she’d been held down in some way. Forced to live a life in fear. Wondering when the next bout of punishment would arrive and if she’d be able to withstand whatever they threw her way.She stared up at the night sky, feeling the warmth within her core, alerting her to the fact she was close to what Caspian had told her.Mating heat.She’d never experienced it before. There was no doubt in her mind that Caspian told the truth, but even as she knew it, she couldn’t help but still deny it. After living her life for so long without anyone, always being hurt and never being able to trust, it was hard for her to start now.Wrapping her arms around her legs, she pulled her knees up. She wasn’t quite able to put her chin on top of her knees, but she sat, calm.She listened to the night, the animals running through the
Ava was avoiding him. Caspian stared around the empty cabin and shook his head.“You okay?” Sean asked, following in behind him.“She’s gone.”“She hasn’t gone far. I got a text from Melissa and Raine. Ava is with them.”Caspian spun around and headed back out of the house.“Where are you going?” Sean asked.“To go find her.”“Whoa, man, I don’t think that is a good idea.” Sean moved quickly in front of him and placed a hand on his chest. “You might want to rethink this idea ofgo and see her.”Sean still didn’t move, and Caspian wasn’t prone to violence against his own pack, so going, and you know, helping out.”“I need to he growled instead as a warning.“I know. I know. I’m pissing you off, and all of that, but come on, man. You know this kind of shit isn’t going to end well. At least not for you. You cannot force this, even if you want to,” Sean said.“You know what happened last night?” Caspian asked.“We’ve all got good hearing,” Sean said.“That’s why I’ve got to go to her.”“M
Melissa and Raine had told her to trust him. Told her that Caspian was a good alpha, and not only was he a good alpha, but he was also the kind of person you stood beside.When they first met him, he didn’t want to be any kind of leader. He didn’t want to be anything to them, other than to help.They all had guided Caspian into the role of alpha. It was a title he didn’t like.Ava knew he took his role seriously. She’d seen the way he talked with the pack, the way he cared. They all had an unwanted story to tell.With his lips now on hers, she felt safe, she felt … loved.Caspian was her mate.The wolf within her mind kept on chanting the words as if it was some kind of stuck disc, or she was afraid that she might actually forget, which was impossible. There was no way she was going to forget that Caspian was her mate.Her wolf wouldn’t let her. Neither would her body.This morning, sneaking out after he’d made love to her, taken care of her, and fucked her again, had been so damn har
Caspian knew he was leaving everything until the last minute when it came to the mystery man in Ava’s life.He should have gone back to the city by now. The full moon wasn’t far away, but leaving Ava, he couldn’t do it.Liam, Sean, Books, Simon, Raine, and Melissa all wanted him to tell her. To show her the security footage, but he didn’t want to scare her.He didn’t want her to fear any more. She’d lived that life for far too long. Her time for being scared was long over. There was no way he was going to ever allow her to be afraid again. The pack was behind her.No one else from her pack had made an appearance. Just this one man.Caspian didn’t know for sure if it was a trap or if he was being too cautious. His gut was telling him to be careful.The sound of a twig snapping made him smile.He pushed all of his thoughts to the back of his mind, and instead, focused on hunting. Ava was close. The scent of her was intoxicating, and it was a smell he wasn’t going to deny aroused him so
The moment the words spilled from Ava’s mouth, Caspian launched into action. He pushed her behind him, and a snarl rippled from his lips. His entire pack went on high alert, and she gasped as each one made a wall around her, protecting her.She wasn’t used to this.Each one stared off with the man who claimed to be none other than her twin, but that was impossible. She had no family.She wasn’t quite as tall as Sean, Liam, Books, and Simon, who’d stepped in front of her, going either side of Caspian. It was impossible to see if the man’s face stirred some kind of memory.“Whoa, whoa, stop. No, this is not what is happening here,” the man said. “I get it. You’re all protecting her.”“You wanted to hurt her?” Caspian asked, tensing up, ready to strike.“Hell, no. I’ve been waiting, for fuck’s sake,” the man said.That was a bad thing to say as all of the pack began to growl. The low hum of their anger filled the air, making her hair stand on end.“She doesn’t know who you are.” Caspian
“His story checks out,” Sean said. “He hasn’t lied to you. Everything is as he says. There was a cabin at the far edge of the woods, just past the border of Ava’s pack. All of it. The death of the alpha. George is telling the truth. With his keen sense of smell, I’m guessing that was what he was doing. Trying to sniff her out.”Caspian looked across the park, to where George and Ava were catching up. The heat building inside her was getting stronger with every passing minute. The full moon was tonight, and Caspian knew she only had hours before it was too late.“Good,” Caspian said.“You’re not going to stop him from, you know, being with your woman, or anything?”“I’m not going to do anything that would jeopardize her friendship with him. He’s her brother. I won’t come between that.”“The guys want to know if you’re going to accept him into your pack.”He couldn’t help but curse as Sean held up his hands.“Don’t get angry with the messenger. I’m just along for the ride and all that,