BLAKE As I descended the stairs, a faint smell of a decomposing body wafted into my nose—the scent oddly feline. I scrunched my nose as the aroma got stronger. I was planning to continue following it to see what it was when I was distracted by the ring of the doorbell. Jack and Tyler walked in as soon as I opened the door and similarly began sniffing. "What's that smell?" Jack asked, scrunching his own nose. "What, are you using the packhouse as a torture chamber now?" Tyler asked. "Do I need to call CPS on you for traumatizing my nieces or nephews before they're even out of the womb?" We followed the scent into the dining room, where a plastic bag was left in the middle of the table. I untied it immediately, only to be greeted by the head of a bloodied bobcat. "What the fuck?" "Blake! I know you don't like my cat videos, but you don't have to go all Godfather on me!" Tyler chuckled. Jack joined him in laughter and added, "For someone that likes pussy, you sure don't respect it.

GINGER He leaned toward me, and in a low, deep, gravelly voice said, "I was thinking about how I want to bite into the inside of your thick, delicious naked thighs, especially now that you're letting me touch you again." I stared at him, my lips parted and breathing turning heavy. A warmth spread through my inner thighs, every part of me awakening with need. "Anyway, we should get to the hospital." He put the car into drive as if he hadn't just overheated my whole body. Fortunately, the wait for my booster wasn't long, and Tyce insisted on holding my hand while they injected me. "Are you going to give me a lollipop too?" I teased him. "The lollipop's for me." He smirked. Then he leaned closer and whispered in my ear. "Be careful, I don’t just lick. I also bite." I'm pretty sure my ears turned red from that comment. Scratch that, my whole body was flushing. Tyce was on a roll with teasing me and I was dying of anticipation. On our way back, he took a turn I wasn't expecting and par

JASMINE "Blake, Blake, wake up," I gently shook my mate's shoulder. He stirred and opened his mesmerizing blue eyes to me. His lips turned upward into a smile as he brushed my hair out of my face. "Blake, the pups—they're kicking." He instantly moved his hand to my belly, sparks drifting across my skin as he kept it there, little pops inside me. His smile widened. "I can feel them! Already alpha warriors." He pulled me against him and kissed me. "I wouldn't expect any less of course, with two alpha parents." I snuggled into him, listening to the drumming of his heart in his chest. "You've been getting better, Blake." "Maybe you're just getting used to it like I have." "No, I definitely think you're getting better." He didn't say anything and rubbed his hand up and down my back. I could barely bring myself to get out of bed to get ready for the day. It didn't help that I was constantly exhausted. Growing twins in six months was taking a toll on me, and I imagined alpha ones likely

GINGER A few hours after my exit, Paige burst into my room. "What did I tell you about knocking!" I yelled. "As long as I don't walk in on you getting a golden shower or having anal sex with Tyce, I think I'm good." She snickered. "What about him wearing my panties?" I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. "Well, I'm thinking the important things would be covered in that case. And, anyway, I've already seen him naked." "What! You have?" I was furious at the thought, and my fingers began contorting themselves to turn to claws, similar to the night I went to the club. "I am a warrior, you know. We're constantly shifting back and forth between our two forms." I calmed down after she gave her explanation, relieved that nothing more nefarious had gone on. "Especially Tyce since he can't mindlink with us. And it's literally all the other female warriors can talk about. You should hear them. I think they're worse than the guys!" "What do they say?" I asked, my ears perking up. She snic

GINGER The morning after the sisters' potluck disaster, I woke up to find the house empty. Paige was nowhere to be found. I figured she must have had Saturday duty along with my dad. My mom also wasn’t home, and the family car was gone. I breathed out a happy sigh. It was nice when I got the house to myself. I could just wallow in my misery alone without anyone bothering me. I spent the entire morning and early afternoon in the backyard, laying out in the sun while reading and listening to music. The sun was bright without a cloud in sight—the perfect day to sunbathe. I knew I'd regret it later since my fair skin didn't take well to the sun. But my sunburns eventually faded into tans, so I suffered through it. Around mid-afternoon, a group text came in from Lucy, with a bunch of phone numbers included I didn't know. Lucy: Club tonight! Packhouse 10 sharp! I was going to ignore the text at first, but then, I thought, it would be nice to get out and ignore my problems. I double-che