WOLFThe floor is moist, cold and hard against my battered skin; the constant slow drip in the distance and low lights clearly indicate where I am. I'm lying on the floor in the large communal shower.I have to get up, but I know the second I move, it's gonna hurt like a bitch. Clenching my jaw, I pinch my eyes shut when I finally roll myself over from my side to my stomach.Fuck!I feel it instantly, groaning; my body aches, and everything hurts. It feels like I've been hit by a goddam bus, and I know I've got broken ribs. Every time I breathe, something sharp pokes into my chest.Wincing the second I push myself onto my knees, the stretch in my back has me fisting my hands, my entire body tensing as my jaw clenches. Resting my forehead against the concrete floor, I don't want to move, but I can't stay here; the events from earlier come crashing down when my beast unleashes a guttural growl. I want to punch something; every part of my body feels like I've been dragged through a gian
WOLFThe moment the bandaging drops, my eyes widen in disbelief as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. Blinking, I furrow my brows in response as my jaw slackens. Am I hallucinating?I fell asleep battered and bruised with a few broken ribs, but this morning, however…I can't stop staring at the reflection looking back at me; my abs are ripped as fuck, my biceps are huge, and I've got to do a double take as my eyes slowly roam over my features. I've always been lean and well-built, but this is next level; everything has doubled in size. Have I grown two or three inches taller than last night? That's impossible.At eighteen, I stopped growing two years ago, the norm for mutts. I mean, you either fill out, become lean, or stay scrawny, it all depends on your wolf, but this, however, is just unreal; what the fuck is going on?My body went through this insane transformation overnight while I was asleep; this is off the charts.My mind is still racing a mile a minute after the franti
WOLFFive days.That's what I've got; only five days until the life Sasha knows will be ripped away from her, and all hell will break loose under a full moon where Caius expects to mark her and use her for god knows what.I've been spending every waking moment out in the forest, training and running by myself, not with Caius's rogues, fuck that; I don't want to train with them. My beast wants out; he's clawing at me from the inside, growling for freedom, which I can't give him now. My wolf feels trapped, like a caged wild animal, and it doesn't help that he constantly wants to lead me back to Erebus, back to Sasha.It doesn't matter how often I go for a run to blow off steam; I always end up close to the Erebus pack, having to force myself to stop and turn back. I can't give in to his needs, and it's got both of us fucking losing our minds; his carnal instincts are to protect what's his, and Sasha is our mate; I'm so torn between what I have to do and what I should do. If it wasn't fo
WOLF I can't think straight. As roughly twenty-four rogues pile into two black commercial vans parked near the mine shaft entrance, my eyes narrow as I watch them with a bitter taste in my mouth. If they touch a hair on Sasha's head, any of these fuckers, I'll rip their heads off. That's a promise. Caius sent another group of mutts ahead on foot; he says it's just precautions in case Fenris tries something, but I'm not so sure; we're meant to get in, capture Sasha and get out, but by the level of carnal excitement splitting through the air, it's clear that there's something else going on here, the mutts seem way too fucking eager for something to happen, and it has my wolf on edge, the itchy feeling under my skin has me wanting to tear into them as I stand here, it's taking some serious fucking self-control not too. Mason stands beside me, and she's staring out in the same direction as I am at the mutts as they drive away. I'm not paying any attention to her, so when she murmurs,
WOLF Everything falls silent on the drive back to the mine shaft. Sasha is in my arms, securely held against my chest, and my wolf is basically purring, a soft, gentle rumble vibrating against her body. But I can't fully enjoy the sensation, not after what happened back there; the heavy darkness that's blanketing this moment of happiness in shrowded hollow ecstasy cuts like a knife to my soul.Sasha is still out cold, and I suppose I should feel relieved because once she wakes up, everything will change. Descending into the mine shaft after we arrive back, Mason keeps giving me this weird look, but I don't pay her any attention. I have Sasha tightly gripped in my arms, holding her soaked form to mine like a child, her eyes are still closed, but I know she isn't asleep; I felt the moment she came too back when I got out of the tuck. Besides, I'm her mate; she can't fool me. The moment I get to the door of my room, I freeze in my tracks, having both Caius and Mason stop a few feet sho
WOLF I'm sitting on the floor with my back against the wall, staring at her. I haven't been able to take my eyes off her while she lies sleeping in my bed; I'm afraid she'll be gone if I close my eyes and wake up. The reality of just how much this girl means in my life is only now starting to hit me, and it's the most terrifying thing I've ever had to come to grips with. To be falling this deeply isn't something I've ever experienced before. It has my chest tightening and contracting in response, wondering how someone like me is meant to give someone like her the world; that's what she deserves, nothing less. My mind keeps racing; how do I get her out of here and away from Caius? The moment I felt her pain, it changed everything; the tangible connection I felt between us still has me wholly spellbound even now. She reached inside my head and connected with a part of what I had lost so long ago, holding my pain in her hand and exposing it for what it has always been... abandon
SASHA I watch him walk away, and a sudden ache begins to form with every step he takes; the second he rounds a corner and I lose all track of him, I blow out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I swallow hard at a lump forming in my throat, and being alone like this suddenly forces me to think about what happened. Wolf's presence has been the only thing that's been distracting me from the horrific events which have me hating myself. I'm the reason they're gone; it's because of me, what's inside of me, the damaged part even my father felt repulsed and disgusted by. Closing my eyes momentarily, I try to block it out as I push my back against the closed door, but I can't. I should make a run for it; I have a good enough idea of where exactly I am, not that I'm all too familiar with this old mine shaft. Still, home isn't too far away from here; if I shift and make a run for it now, I'll be gone before anyone even notices; I mean, no one is even around to watch over me, and Wolf s
WOLF Heading back towards my room, I fucking want to break something; my beast is rattling so hard inside of me that if I don't get a handle on him right now, he'll shift and then Sasha and I will both be fucked. Stay calm, Wolf, stay the fuck calm, I growl while scolding myself. I can't go barging into my room this wound up because I look like a madman right now, and it will scare the shit out of Sasha. I need to stay calm, but how the fuck can I... Caius's words are ringing in my head like a death sentence, and there's no fucking way I can get us out of this now; we're trapped; either way, we're both fucked. ~ Leisurely walking into the hole where Caius's pack of mutts are all gathered over on the furthest corner, debating some bullshit about who's the strongest, most innovative, and most cunning. I want to roll my eyes at how pathetic they all are. Still, I resist because they stare daggers at my head when they notice me walk in. Same shit, different day. I'm probably th