ORLATHREE YEARS LATERAfter the memorial, things got a little blurry. Mostly because I felt like I did something that I shouldn’t have. Or said something that I shouldn’t have.The look I’d seen on Maverick’s face after I’d kissed Ryker, bothered me to the extent that I saw it on nights before I fell asleep. I didn’t fully understand why. I always thought that his gestures were nothing more than attempts at making fun of me and misleading me.He had looked so heartbroken.I still continued to search for more information concerning the kidnappings, but when the time came for me to finally start college, I had to shift my priorities.There were moments at school that I simply wanted to go home and just be done with it. I decided to major in History, because the world we lived in had supernatural secrets that had been buried for years. My studies showed me that werewolves, vampires and other supernatural beings had been in the world for years and years, possibly even before the appearan

ORLAOur home reeked of different perfumes and pheromones. They coalesced at the bottom of my throat and formed an itchy lump that refused to go away.I could have locked myself away in my bedroom, but I couldn’t. The people that had gathered here, did so because of me. They were eager to size up the potential leading alpha of the clan.The way things worked was that there were multiple alphas within our clan, and each presided over their own pack. To become an alpha, a beta must kill one, or have one submit to the other in a certain fashion that must be strictly followed.Dark Moon pack was the first pack in the clan, and most of the other alphas had the same blood that flowed in my father in them as well.There was nothing that brought all the packs together like such an event. Some packs were in competition with one another, and always looked forward to the moment that power would fall into their claws. My dad had to fight against five representatives from the other packs to show hi

MAVERICKI smelled her blood. The irresistible scent that she carried about every single day. I called to be, and I had to answer.I didn’t intend to see her so soon, but I went for a run, and somehow, I found myself running through the path that we’d met that night when we got attacked. Next came her scent that pulled me through the bushes and past the trees, turning the sky into a blur of colors and the air a hand brushing across my skin.I heard her grunt of pain, and the scream of a woman.When I emerged, I saw her rising from the ground like a warrior. Her eyes shone with determination, and her limbs trembled with untapped power. It made me wonder if the people with her knew just exactly what she was capable of.And then the fight was over once she slashed her opponent across the throat in a manner that looked fatal, but wasn’t. She’s claimed her victory.But something was happening in the background. Something that no one else noticed until it was too late.A man brought out a g

AUTHOR’S POVRyker paced around his bedroom, unable to keep his mind clear. Every time he closed his eyes, images of Maverick towering over him flashed through his mind and filled him with a new wave of fear. Never in his life had he felt totally helpless and useless.Even worse, he had to face such humiliation in front of Orla. How would she ever respect him when she had seen how frightened he could become? She already didn’t consider him very important in her life, or else she would have agreed to complete the mate bond with him. But she’d refused at every turn, telling him to wait just a little bit longer.Well, to hell with waiting. He wouldn’t waste any more time. He wouldn’t be pushed around anymore like a fool that didn’t know his left from right.One good thing he had done, though, was create a failsafe in case things didn’t go as he had initially planned. For Orla to give in to his requests, he would have to give her a little motivation. If she saw that he was capable and fou

ORLAAfter my would-be assailants were apprehended, I told Makila to take them and Trevor back home, with the help of Ryker, who had very unexpectedly arrived right at the scene. I found it humorous that he believed that I wouldn’t catch on to the absurdity of the situation. How was it that I got attacked, and not long after, he showed up, looking all too ready to play the hero.I’d seen the clear surprise in his expression, and while it could have simply alluded to the oddity of crossing paths with me on the street, everything about the situation seemed too orchestrated. Like how the assailants had been . . . stalling. They wasted time just standing in front of me and threatening to kill Trevor. If their real intention was to hurt me, they could have, especially since they took me by surprise initially, and had Trevor as their hostage. Things started to seem weird right from the moment the male and female that had blocked the car’s path simply stood, not bothering to do anything else