My mother was a traitor. To my pack, I am no better. I'm used to being overlooked. I've been unwanted from the time I was born, and my pack, River Crest, made it abundantly clear every chance they could that I was not welcome. No one and nowhere was safe. I've spent my entire life alone, with no family, no friends, and now, no mate. At 24 years old, unmated and unwanted, I've accepted that I must be one of the mateless. Wretched, forsaken wolves who are cursed to live out their lives alone. Or worse. The legends and histories claim that being a mateless wolf is worse than death. They suggest choosing a mate and forming a bond before madness sets in or the pack rejects me. But I've been rejected. I'm used to the feeling. I thrive in it. Because the more they push me away, the less pain and humiliation I have to face. If I can make it another year unmated, I could face banishment, and I'll finally be free. That's my goal. And I'll be damned if I let anyone get in my way. Even my mate.
View MoreChristobel’s question comes out of nowhere. A walk? Me? Am I even allowed to leave the hospital room after the stunt I pulled? I’m sure Rafe had a pointed conversation with Dr. Juniper. No doubt, I’m under constant surveillance now. I’ll be lucky to get two steps out of the door before guards are on my ass. And she’s asking me if I want to go for a walk?I almost laugh at the suggestion until I see she is dead serious.“A walk?”“Mmhm.” Christobel beams, pulling me up to my feet. “I think a little fresh air is just the thing to help you recover.”“I don’t know if I—”“Don’t worry about Rafe. I’ll let him know what’s happening through the mind link. He’ll have no problem as long as I’m your chaperone.”Did she just read my mind? And chaperone? It really is like I’m under house arrest. Now, I have to have a chaperone to walk around. The whole situation is crazy enough to be comical.To think, Makayla Pride, the outcast of River Crest, is so highly valued and protected that she’s not eve
Thane stands firm, unfazed by Rafael’s objection to being forcefully removed from my side. The growl that shook me to my core, he simply shrugs off as he shoves Rafe toward the door. That’s the last upper hand Thane gets.Rafe plants his feet and roots himself in place, refusing to budge even as Thane shoves his shoulder roughly.“Come on, kid. Move it,” Thane grunts, toe-to-toe with the younger man.Rafe’s scent shifts, and I smell Reign rising to the surface. His golden eyes flicker for a moment, and the hair on the back of my neck bristles. Milla wants to surge forward and wrap around him. As hard as I’m wrestling to control and contain her, I can’t imagine how difficult it is for Rafe to keep his wolf in check.“I know you’re worried about her, and I can understand you don’t want to leave her side—”“You understand nothing, Thane,” Reign growls, taking over Rafe’s voice. “You have no mate. You know nothing.”“Reign, calm yourself,” Thane sighs. I don’t understand how he can keep a
My mate, Rafael Crane, is a madman. That is the sad, ugly truth.I don’t know if he was always insane or if it is the result of our mate bond. But what I do know is this man is unwell psychologically. Well, that’s a bit of an unfair exaggeration. But what else am I supposed to think?He hasn’t left my side for two days. I can’t even go to the bathroom without him tailing me and standing outside the door. He watches my every move like he’s studying some mystifying, unknown creature. And when he’s here in the hospital room with me, he refuses to be further than six inches away from me. That’s if I can get him to let me go.I know it’s my fault he’s behaving like this.All of the running and pushing away has probably driven him crazy. One minute, I’m in his arms, feeling nothing short of the grace of the Goddess and the light of eternity. The next minute, I’m telling him we can’t work or outright pushing him back. I’d be insane, too, if my mate was acting like me.Still, this is too far.
“Why isn’t she improving?!”“It’s not that simple, Rafael... Her injuries... when you brought her to us, she was half dead!”“It’s been two weeks, Juniper. Wolves in far worse conditions have bounced back in half as much time!”I know this furious voice. My mate. He sounds so far away, but it’s no doubt his warmth beside me, radiating through my body.“Did someone dare sabotage her recovery?! Is that why she ran into the woods in this condition?!”I can tell he’s fighting hard to control himself; every word is growled through grit teeth. His aura is staggering, and it’s hard to breathe even while I’m unconscious and not on the receiving end. I don’t know how Dr. Juniper is still standing, let alone speaking back to him.“Rafael, please. No one has been allowed into her room besides me, the nurses, Christobel, Thane, and you,” Dr. Juniper sighs. “Let’s think rationally for just a moment. I know she’s your mate. I know you love her and are concerned. But the truth of the matter is, your
I’m off the sidewalk that follows the main road around the hospital and cutting through the grass behind toward the trees. Every step getting faster and faster until I’m no longer walking but full on sprinting toward the forest. I won’t stop. I can’t. Goddess, why did you do this to me? Why am I being tortured for something I didn’t do? I want to curse the heavens and the moon itself. Why am I Makayla Pride, daughter of Nemora? Why couldn’t I have been Quinn Iverson? Or Annabelle Lucas? Or any one of the beautiful girls of River Crest who were loved by their parents and cherished by their pack? I break through the tree line and the dense canopy overhead blocks the sun. I’m still running, legs pumping furiously as I charge toward the unknown. But I can breathe a little easier. Or so I thought. My chest burns with every painful breath and my throat aches the deeper into the woods I go. Pulling the stranger’s hoodie from around me, I throw it into the bushes as I retreat farthe
I can’t breathe. I can’t.I’m trying, but the air doesn’t reach my lungs. It stops in my throat, battling my urge to vomit. How? How?!Of all the places, of all the packs. My mother killed the Alpha of Io! She was his Beta… his lover. He’s… my father was an Alpha? There’s too much; my head’s spinning.All these years, I suffered in River Crest. All the hits and kicks and bottles and insults. All the torture I endured and the mistreatment. All of it was for nothing. I was fighting, clawing, begging to be accepted by those animals, clinging to the belief that if I was good enough, they would see me as myself and not her daughter.Deadrick Pride… Just his name makes my stomach burn with hatred now.“Makayla? Did you ever meet that woman?” Christobel asks again.I can’t answer her right now. If I open my mouth, something awful is going to come out. I don’t know if it’s puke or the truth, but I don’t want to release either. I have to get out of here.Shaking my head, I mutter a small apolo
I can’t believe I did that.I can’t believe I said that!Three days. It’s been three days since I told Rafe I loved him, too, and I’m reeling. Milla feels like she’s bouncing around inside me, giddy as a young pup, while I’m on the verge of total mental collapse. What the hell is wrong with me?I know the risks. I know the impending doom that lurks around the corner with River Crest. I know loving him is the wrong move and only puts him and his pack in danger. And telling him I love him is one of the dumbest things I could have done.Rafe’s entire face morphed when I said those words. It was like a heavy mask fell from him, and he melted into a soft mound of butter in my arms. I’ve never seen his blue eyes not charged with the energy of a thunderstorm at sea. But when he heard me say I loved him, the waters calmed, and his body relaxed completely.Dumb, Makayla. So so dumb.Why did I do that? If I have to leave him to avoid war with River Crest, it’ll devastate him. My head throbs at
I wake in darkness. Disoriented, Rafe’s slow, steady breathing and the soft beeping of the heart monitor remind me of where I am. And of everything that’s transpired in the few days I’ve been recovering. My fingers brush the dressing on my neck. The pain is almost completely gone, and the doctor said my recovery time is improving. I’m still not out of the woods yet, but he seemed enthusiastic about me fully recovering earlier. Before he and Christobel left the room, the doctor told me to continue resting my voice and limiting my movement. Rafe took it as a personal challenge to hold me still. Wrapped around me like a boa constrictor, he snuggled me into submission, and we both drifted off to sleep soon after. I’m drowning in his scent and warmth. His touch… I’m so selfish. I don’t want to let him go. I don’t want to run away, even if it’s for his own good and the good of Io. I want to stay like this, safely surrounded by his aura, smell, and heat. I want to keep my ear over his hea
Why on earth did Thane just pledge to protect me?! Not only that, but he made it a formal oath! His vow stands binding in the eyes of Io and the Moon Goddess from now until his last breath. And if he fails to fulfill his duties as my protector, he can be stripped of his title and even his wolf, should the Moon Goddess deem him unworthy! This is too much! I can’t! He can’t!“I—”“It’s already done,” Thane grunts, cutting me off and rising to his feet. He dusts off the knees of his pant legs and flashes me a bright smile. “No protesting and no takebacks. I’m your protector from this moment on.”“B-But why?” I wheeze, breathless. Christobel spoons another serving of oatmeal into my gaping mouth, forcing me to close it and chew for dear life.“Don’t mind him,” she sighs, shaking her head. “He’s always been so dramatic.”“Bellie, you wound me.” When he glowers in her direction, an unnatural pout graces his lips. It fades seconds later, replaced by a smug grin. “Drama has nothing to do with
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