Eirika emerged from the dense woods, panting heavily as she sprinted towards a clearing where she could rest for a while. Her eyes scanned the surroundings for any sign of danger before she finally collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. She had been on the run for days, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and Arric. And trying very hard not to think about him – which was not easy. Her shoulders shook in tears as she cried for him, allowing herself to scream into the void for the first time since she learned of his identity. How could the goddess be cruel as to give her the son of the man who killed her parents as a mate?! And how could he seem so perfect that he stole her heart within a few weeks of knowing him? How could such a man as Alpha Roffe Barther sire a son like Arric? The thought of his name produced fresh tears from her eyes. Her very soul craved his presence, his touch, his love. He had treated her with such care and tenderness. And it had all

"Now, let me tell you how we are going to play this," Her uncle said calmly as he took her through a hallway paved in gold. As if they didn't just leave a scene of slaughtered werewolves in their wake or that a few minutes before he wasn't going to have her killed. She tried to act indifferent, not knowing where this was leading. But all her senses were on high alert for any signs of danger, clutching the dagger tightly under her jacket. She didn't know if he was mated now or had offspring. The last time she saw him, he was having problems with neighboring packs and had come to her father for help. There was never any mention of an immediate family. And with how quiet the house seemed, it appeared he was living alone. He took her into his study with bookshelves framing one side of the wall and a wine cabinet on the other. The office had a high ceiling and at two corners of it were two stuffed heads of terrifying-looking wolves, mounted high up the walls. The room smelled strongly o

Eirika saw the scar-faced guy standing up watching them intently. His eyes were cold and piercing. She held Nigel’s gaze, plastered a seductive smile on her face, and closed the distance between them, deliberately swaying her hips for effect and batting her eyelashes. “I promise, handsome, this was not my fault. The big, bad guy was being mean to me and poor Brook,” she said, pouting, and placed an open palm against his chest to stare into his unfamiliar-colored eyes. She recalled his eyes used to be hazel with gold flecks and now they were dull green like regular wolves. “And you need to be careful or I might start thinking you are following me. This is the third time we have run into each other today,” she added. Nigel’s eyebrow furrowed as he returned her keen stare. “You can’t keep getting into trouble like this, pup,” Nigel said. Eirika almost collapsed from relief. ‘Thank you,’ she mouthed. And aloud she said, “He started it!” Two werewolves tried to help Jack up but he ro

Nigel knocked on Eirika's door at the crack of dawn. She answered the door in her training gear, ready to start the day. They went for a jog in the woods, sticking to the shoreline away from the town’s border where they might be sighted. They jogged side by side in companionable silence. Nigel's father had warned her to be careful what she and Nigel discussed in the open, reminding them they were in a werewolf's pack and nothing much was hidden. He told them not to let anyone know that they had a history. Otherwise, that would get Nigel in trouble. When they returned to Eirika's cottage, she offered to cook Nigel breakfast, joking–in dark humor–about taking advantage of the hospitality. Nigel agreed, holding her gaze. Eirika cooked them a hearty breakfast, and Nigel quickly devoured his. "Thanks for the breakfast, Eirika. It's… not bad," Nigel said. Eirika threw a napkin at him. He chuckled and she couldn’t help but stared at him, still in disbelief that she was with Nigel Hartwell

After six weeks in the Silvertooth Nightstalkers Pack, Eirika had formed a pattern, she trained with Nigel as often as they could and when Nigel was busy training the new members of the Pack, she went to help Brook in the bar. Jack, Hawk, and the other enforcers often showed up at the bar and although Jack kept his distance, she had seen him giving her a cold stare across the room. And in all that time, she only crossed paths with her uncle once when Brook asked her to make a delivery to an upscale establishment a few blocks away from her uncle's house. A young brunette had opened the door for her, wearing a robe over a sexy getup. The lady thanked and paid Eirika but before she shut the door, Eirika saw her uncle walk past the lady in nothing but boxers when he saw her his steps faltered but then he walked away without saying anything. Eirika simply nodded her thanks and turned to leave. Remembering the part her uncle played in her parents' death made fury burn inside her all over