Arabella’s POVI may have been stubborn, but now I knew what I wanted. And that was Leo. The only problem was that I’d pushed him away. I could have stayed quiet, but keeping secrets wasn’t the best way to start a relationship. Honesty has always been the best policy, and I would continue to believe that even with this hiccup.“Just tell me how I can prove you wrong, and I’ll do it.” Leo placed his hands on the edge of the sink, his knuckles turning white as he gripped it before lowering his head.“I don’t know, Arabella, I really don’t. What I do know is that you’ve got a big night tomorrow and should be focusing on that. Not me.” Turning around, he finally faced me. “You can hit, but can you fight?”“Hang on, what? Yes, of course, I can fight.”“Good, then meet me outside in ten minutes and show me.”I took it as my leaving queue as he stepped into the shower. After getting a fresh pair of shorts and a sports bra, I waited by the back door. Leo came up behind within seconds of arrivi
Leo’s POVJealousy is often an expression of a person's insecurity, but I wouldn’t admit that. Not out loud.Harry was becoming a rather large thorn in my side, one that was about to be pulled free and destroyed. Whenever I saw him, images of my wolf ripping his head from his shoulders would play in my mind. Being an Alphas son, my possessive nature was strong. So knowing he and Arabella had once been romantically involved bugged me more than it should have. Not only did it upset me, but it was now causing me to drop my guard. Something that could not only be dangerous but fatal.Arabella’s eyes widened when she witnessed how quickly I healed. She wasn’t scared, but I knew she wouldn’t let it go. She was the kind of woman that would keep digging until she uncovered the truth. The trouble is, I wasn’t ready for that, not yet. Not after the problems and the heartache our kind had already caused.At the moment, I was stuck in limbo. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing. Be
Arabella’s POVI didn’t sleep enough last night, so I knew I would be in a crabby mood today. That and tonight was a full moon. Our tempers were always worse on the day of. Every emotion we felt was heightened, something that made what we were both a blessing and a curse.As the hours passed, I spent most of them avoiding everyone. I wanted to be alone, but my friends didn’t understand that. No matter how many warnings I gave them, there was no way I could be angry at them. Other than my mother, they were all I currently had left.“Are you ready?” Sara stood before the window, her arms crossed over her chest as she gazed at the moon. Sara preferred to be in wolf form; she said she felt at peace—a feeling she couldn’t reach any other time of the month. Unlike some other wolves, I felt the same. If given the choice, I’d be on four legs and covered in fur any day. There was something about how it felt as the wind ruffled your fur and how we could explore further in less time. I just wis
Leo’s POVFuming didn’t begin to describe how I was feeling. Joshua knew the fucking rules. Everyone in every pack knew that no weapons were to enter the ring while a title challenge was taking place.Arabella’s mother, Linda, was a mess. Clearly, she loved her daughter, but the screams accompanying the waterworks were a bit much. Yes, her daughter was in a bad way, but she wouldn’t die. I wouldn’t let her.‘Do it… mark her.’ Shadow’s taunts echoed in my mind. Closing my eyes, I took several deep breaths and tuned him out.We had the means to save Arabella, but I wouldn’t do it unless there were no other way. It would set in stone her fate, a choice that nobody should ever have taken away.“The doctors here, come on, Linda, let’s give them some space.” Susie and Sara escorted her from the room so the doctor could attend to his patient. Sara questioned me because I stayed rooted beside her best friend's bed, but Susie told her to drop it. I watched from the side of the room as the doc
Arabella’s POVCarefully swinging my legs around the bed, I attempted to stand. The problem was that my legs were like jelly.“I need to use the bathroom. Could you help me?” Leo hesitated for a second before agreeing.He placed his arm under mine and took the weight from me as we slowly walked to the bathroom. Once he knew I was ok, he let me go and closed the door behind him.When I had finished, thankfully, my legs weren’t as shaky standing back up. Taking it one step at a time, I walked to the sink to wash my hands. Bending over, I splashed some cold water onto my face. Once standing, I took the hair band from my wrist and placed my hair into a bun. That’s when I saw it. A fresh mark sat on my neck. Its edges were rough and raised; it tickled only when I ran my fingers along it. A sensation that felt oddly… alluring.‘We are his and should mark him back when our heat hits.’ It was clear the voice was in my head because I was alone in here.‘Ok, who the hell are you?’ Closing my ey
Leo’s POVMy mother's scent clung to a piece of broken bench. Linda had defended herself but to no avail. She was no match against a beast like my mother, like me. My mate had already lost one parent; I wasn’t about to sit back and allow her to lose the only living relative she had left. It wouldn’t be easy, and I’d be putting my own life on the line in the process. But for her, it would be worth it if only to see her smile one more time.As I returned to Arabella’s room, I knocked gently before opening the door.“Did you find her?” I could see the hope in her eyes and the disappointment on her face when she realised her mother wasn’t with me.“I did. She’s not ready to face you yet. She thought she was going to lose you too. Give her some time, and she will come.” Thankfully, Arabella believed my story. “Look… I know the timing is bad, but something has come up, and I need to head out of town for a couple of days.”“But my…” I sat beside her, knowing what she was going to say. Sara m
Arabella’s POVAs the priest gave his final blessing, I stood with Margaret at my side. With my mother not turning up, I didn’t want to do this alone. I couldn’t. Together, we walked up to my father's coffin and placed our roses on top, Margaret’s hand growing tighter around mine as I began to tremble.Throughout the entire service, I had somehow remained strong, but now, as I stood by his side, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. Bringing my fingers to my lips, I kissed them before lowering them to the pine box that would forever house my father.A part of me wished I’d had the chance to see him in his final moments, but I know in my heart it was better to remember him through my memories. To remember him as the handsome, kind-hearted man he was and would always remain. As I looked out over the faces of our pack members, it was clear they felt the same. There wasn’t a dry eye in sight.He should have been buried before now, but I couldn’t change that. All I knew was that now, in
Arabella’s POV“He’s a friend, happy?”“No, Susie, I’m not happy. There’s more going on, and you know it.” We stood there in silence, but another question sat on the tip of my tongue. It was one I didn’t want to ask but knew I had to. If they had a past, I needed to see if I would have to compete against my friend. “Have you slept with him?”“ARABELLA, NO! That’s disgusting!” I could see her disgust as plain as day, which eased me a little, but that only meant something else was happening.“I’m sorry I needed to ask. If that’s not the secret you’re hiding then what is it? Because I know there’s something.” Shaking her head, she turned her back to me, which left my blood boiling. Letting my temper get the better of me, I gripped her shoulder and forcefully spun her back around.Susie, unimpressed, swung her fist in my direction. Before it could touch me, I grabbed and twisted her arm. As Susie winced, she swept her leg under mine, knocking me down. Growling, I jumped back up and floore