Cary’s POV “Darling, please sit down and rest. Between your pacing and your frustrated scent permeating the air, you’re triggering every Alpha instinct I have. Colton, please make her sit. She’s driving me crazy!” I pleaded with my brother to step in and help me settle our mate before my wolf lost his mind. By the way Mallory was biting her nails and wearing a path in the carpet, she was obsessing over something again. It had been her favorite pastime since we’d brought her home and I was beginning to worry. It was almost like she couldn’t let her mind be quiet for fear of the memories that might creep in if she did. Colton’s head snapped up from the report he’d been reading and he fixed me with an irritated glare. I’d asked him to be the bad guy this time and it was a role he was nowhere near ready to play. When Mallory had allowed him to move in, Clay and I thought we’d have an ally when it came to taking care of our mate, but that just hadn’t been the case. How dare we sugge

To all my wonderful readers, I just wanted to drop a quick note to apologize for being unable to update today. I tried to write but am not feeling well and unable to give it the attention it deserves. If I am feeling better and able to get enough done, I will try to post an update on Sunday to make up for the missed day. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding! On another note, I wanted to let you know that when RTAT wraps up, I will be including a short novella at the end of this book for Nathan and Charlie. Nathan is a good guy and deserves his own HEA, though it won’t be without its challenges. Much love, Cara

Mallory’s POV “Everything is going to be okay, little wolf.” Clay reassured me again, pulling me into his lap and nuzzling my neck to soothe me. I suspected my leg nervously bouncing so fast it could have taken flight was the real motive behind him trapping me in his arms but I couldn’t help myself. The closer we got to Hazelwood, to the place I knew Quade was, the more anxious I became. It was maddening to let him have this power over me but I felt helpless against it. “Sure. I’ll believe that when that monster is behind bars for good.” I muttered. “Hey,” He tipped my chin up and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “Do you trust me?” I nodded, earning a lopsided grin from him that made my stomach do somersaults. “Good. Then trust me when I promise you I won't let anything or anyone hurt you again.” “I trust you. All of you.” I sighed, leaning my head against his chest and letting him rub comforting strokes up and down my arm. It was the truth. I did trust them. And sudd

Mallory’s POV “Mallory, you don’t have to decide this today. My brother’s marks will be enough. I won’t let you be pressured into accepting me.” Colton’s voice was firm but his eyes held vulnerability. Clay and Cary had gone in ahead of us. They asked Colton to stay with me while they cleared the packhouse of unmated males, but I knew they were trying to give us some time alone to talk. Dr. Diaz’s advice caught us both more than a little off guard. Logically, I understood where Colton was coming from. Hopped up on hormones while your wolf is begging for her alpha mate’s bite isn’t the best time to be making life-altering decisions. But emotionally, his attempt to be noble just felt like another rejection. I stared out the window, trying and failing to contain a whimper. Colton must have sensed where my head was at, because he pulled me into his lap and grazed my neck with his finger. I shivered under his touch and burrowed into him, chasing his soothing scent. “Look at me,

Mallory’s POV Colton rolled me onto my side and propped a pillow under my top leg, bending it at the hip to spread me open for him. He entered me from behind, fucking into me brutally. With his fist in my hair, he wrenched my head back to take my mouth in a filthy, dirty, open-mouthed kiss. I reached over my head to tug at his short blond strands, intent on locking him in place. “You love it when I wreck this tight little cunt, don't you baby?” His lips still brushed mine, as if he wasn’t willing to separate from me even to speak I just gripped his hair tighter and moaned into his mouth in response, slamming my hips back to meet his thrusts. It was rough and raunchy. The sounds of flesh slapping filled the room. And I loved every minute of it. Something changed between Colton and I when he marked me, completing our bond. Having a direct line to another person’s soul came in handy. Suddenly, he could feel that he wasn’t going to break me, that I wanted him to stop treating me