After Reid continued to apply his boyish charm, David eased off the interrogation with his daughters mates. Granted, he still wasn’t pleased by Brielle’s decision, but she was right when she said it was her decision to make, not his. Besides, it turned out Reid was right. He really does have a way with parents, 10 minutes after declaring his forfeit of the challenges David had taken the alpha under his arm and headed into the pack house for a beer. Brielle, Harlie and Sophia found themselves rendered speechless as they watched the pair joke over Brielle’s stubbornness. Sophia was happy her daughter had embraced the sacred bond she was blessed with, adoring the way Brielle’s face lit up as she interacted with them. King Nathaniel and Queen Serena had headed back to Amaris shortly after being updated on the situation with Zion, they decided the next best course of action was to liaise with Gladdis and attempt to track down the witches helping him. Brielle, her three mates, Harlie an
Ryker opened his arms for Brielle’s embrace as she and Reid wandered into the living room with wide smiles. Her eyes softened as she noticed her readily awaiting mate, before taking a seat next to him on the brown, vintage leather sofa and resting her head against his chest. Ryker placed a soft kiss on her forehead as Reid plonked himself down beside them. Harlie and Scarlett were sat on a matching sofa opposite the three alphas, both wearing knowing smirks as they eyed Brielle. River was sprawled out in an arm chair at the side of Ryker, flicking through the channels on the tv as he considered the film options. Scarlett shuffled her fingers through her bowl of popcorn, still grinning at her alpha. “Nice of you both to join us.” She teased, earning herself an eye roll from Brielle. “Was the shower taking too long to heat up, Bri?” Harlie pondered, before taking a handful of Scarlett’s popcorn and shoving it in her mouth. Scarlett scoffed. “I think the problem was trying to cool i
After a morning of emotional goodbyes, the group headed back to Amaris Castle just as they had planned. Unlike the previous day, the car journey back was much less eventful. Reid blasted out his favourite Kelly Clarkson songs, Scarlett grumbled over his ability to stay on key, Harlie was still in a daze over watching the Queen in action, River was concentrating on driving and Brielle and Ryker calmly enjoyed the views from the backseat. River would sometimes catch Brielle’s gaze through the rear-view mirror, but any thoughts remained unsaid. They had made progress on this trip, progress which they both hoped would continue. But they both knew they had a lot to discuss before any real developments could be made. A small smile fell on Brielle’s lips as she thought back to how he took care of her last night, she didn’t know he had that side to him and it had been a welcomed surprise. He held her in his arms until the sun rose and despite all the conflict between them, she felt comple
Brielle and the triplets spent the remainder of their day settling back into life at the castle. Their meeting with the Royals and Gladdis had been shortly adjourned thereafter, with Gladdis concluding that she needed additional time to reach out to her contacts and discuss her theory on who she believed to be helping Zion. She hadn’t told them much, only that she believed the witch to be a lady named Nimue before stating the woman ‘was nothing but trouble’. The triplets, Harlie and Scarlett had been assigned watch duty on Brielle, or as she preferred to call it ‘baby sitting’ to ensure she didn’t attempt any more disappearing acts. Brielle had to admit that it hadn’t been all bad though, she would have been lying if she said she hadn’t enjoyed the constant attention from her mates. Both Reid and Ryker had refused to leave her side since they left the office. However, as she woke up with the both of their legs sprawled over her and not an inch of room for her to move, she was debati
After Brielle and Ocean were formally announced the winners of the tracking challenge, River congratulated her before quickly scurrying off. She had been hoping for an opportunity for the pair of them to talk following recent events, but as he dashed off before barely finishing his sentence, she found herself more confused than before. Politely excusing herself from the presence of the King and Queen, Brielle headed back to the castle grounds. It was only a short walk, but it was long enough for her to contemplate what had just happened. She couldn’t help but find it bizzarre that River appeared at the finish point so long after her. Sure, Ocean was quick.. but Kane was quicker. There wasn’t an ounce of her that believed it genuinely took River and Kane over an hour to track a singular scent. “What are you thinking?” Ocean perked up, also finding the whole ordeal slightly strange. “Do you think there’s a chance he.. let us win?” Brielle pondered, feeling uneasy just at the thought
The sun rose sooner than Brielle had hoped for, she wasn’t ready to leave Reid’s warm embrace. After completing the bond last night, the pair had spent the following hours talking, laughing and exploring each other further. Reid had opened up about his father and upbringing, allowing Brielle to feel closer to him than ever. The same horrified nausea she had felt when listening to his story’s reignited as she thought back. Many things made sense to her now. If she had endured the same torture her mates had, well she would feel the same apprehension about mate bonds as they initially did. She knew now more than ever that a conversation between her and River needed to happen sooner, rather than later. As soon as Reid’s death grip on her waist loosened, she would go and find him. Although as he pulled her back closer against his chest, she knew she wouldn’t be escaping any time soon. She melted into his embrace, instantly relaxed by his peachy scent. She smiled to herself, unable to r
River’s lips claimed Brielle’s in a greedy, passionate kiss that made her forget anything else. His fingers possessively wrapped around her throat, desperate to finally feel her. Brielle melted under him, embracing the warmth of his touch as she tangled her fingers in the back of his hair. River’s sandalwood scent filled the world around her, consuming every fibre of her being. He growled against her lips, intoxicated by her warm minty breath. Something unlocked within him, a raw primal need to feel her, taste her. He gripped her waist, digging his fingers into her skin, pulling her body against his so there wasn’t an inch between them. Brielle didn’t fight against him, instead moaning slightly as her body slammed against his rock-hard chest, causing River to let out a possessive snarl as her whimper drove him into into a frenzy. She’d never been kissed like this before, so animalistic and intense. Like they would die the second they stopped. There was nothing gentle about what th
Hours of conversation, laughter and stolen kisses had passed before Brielle and River finally drifted off to sleep. Brielle hadn’t intended to stay in River’s room tonight, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave him. So instead, wrapped securely in his arms under the duvet, she invited sleep to take her. She’d felt the most at peace in this moment, content as everything was falling into place. She missed her other two mates, but she also wanted to enjoy this time where it was just her and River. They had barely spent any time alone since they had met, this was their time to bond.. just the two of them. Skin on skin, scents intertwined, nothing to be heard but the sound of their own simultaneous breathing, their hearts fluttering with every gentle brush of their lips. They had formed their own little bubble, no one allowed entry apart from them. They had fought through their tiredness, not ready to succumb to the darkness of the night until their exhaustion left them no alternativ