NORA POV
Freezing ice water washes over my skin, dragging me from the unconscious void with a ferocity. Bolting upright, my head fuzzy, the light in the room making it painful to open my eyes.
Finally opening my eyes, I find Marcus standing above me, with Hakeem beside him. A bucket in his hand. “What the fuck, Hakeem?” I growl before reality sets in, and I realize I am back in Northern Lakes territory. “Wait…when did we get home?”
Panic takes root as I look between the two men before me, trying to recall memories of the night before. “Thank you, Beta Hakeem,” Marcus growls, his voice deadly as he glares at me. “You can go now.”
I will take the bucket of ice water over the chill in his voice any day as I scoot my frozen body away from him. My back smacking the headboard, trying desperately to get away. Sensations from the night before invade my waking thoughts, while I desperately grab for them, hoping to understand the situation.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Marcus seethes, my once calm brother slowly slipping into a fearsome Alpha I had never witnessed before. “I told you not to embarrass me, Nora. For fuck’s sake, I know you think the entire world revolves around you, but newsflash it doesn’t!”
“Marcus…I…” I try to explain, but the memories from the night before are still fuzzy, the pieces scattered and not making sense. Faces of people I don’t recognize dance behind my eyes. I am trying to put the puzzle pieces together, but it seems impossible to wade through the fog.
“You can’t even remember last night, can you?” he questions with a sneer, disappointment written all over his face, and I never felt as much shame as I do at this moment.
“I…” I attempt again, and still nothing becomes clearer. I reach out to Viola, but she is quieter than a church mouse. While we haven’t been besties for the last few months, I have always been able to feel her essence, but now it’s like she never existed.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. Your drunken mistakes are no longer my issues,” Marcus mutters, refusing to look me in the eye.
“What?” I ask, tears prickling my eyes, the stale, slightly acidic taste in my mouth becoming more prominent. I try to focus on that instead of the intense fear burrowing into the pit of my heart. “Please Marcus, you can’t do this…please don’t send me to the council. You can’t send me to that hellhole, please. I will be better, I promise.”
“Damn right, I can! You fucked around, this is you finding out. I gave you so many chances, Nora, and I can longer afford to give you anymore while you are living here! I have more important things to think about than your drunken mistakes,” he replies, his eyes dead while looking at me. It’s like I no longer exist to him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I reel back. His words are like a slap in the face. His words holding a double meaning. There is more to this conversation than kicking me out of the pack. My darling brother has more up his sleeve. I just wonder what it has to do with me?
“Kailah’s pregnant,” Marcus says, meeting my eyes for the first time, the heartbreak written all over his face as the following words leave his mouth. “And neither of us can trust you around the pup until you are sober. We can’t risk your reckless decisions putting our child in danger. So we are sending you somewhere that might help.”
“Are you sending me to the council?” I ask, praying to the Goddess he wouldn’t be that cruel. No one deserves that life. The only way to leave is death, or retirement. Which are essentially the same outcome. Those that go awol don’t have very good chances of making it out alive. They’ll hunt you like dogs until there is no trace left.
“No,” he walks to my bedroom door, “you are going back to Silver Run. Apparently, Luna Elle saw something in you. Goddess knows what, you’ve been nothing but a disappointment to me. Pack your shit. You leave in three days.”
Before he exits the room, he turns to look at me with a sadness in his eyes. “This doesn’t have to be forever, Nora, but you can’t come home until you’re sober. I will call and check in, find out how the Alpha and Luna there are treating you, and anything else that might be useful.”
“Sounds like you’re asking me to spy,” the words tumble out with a chuckle, but it doesn’t deny it, his eyes meeting mine in silent confirmation before exiting the room. “Why? Why me? I am sure there are others more qualified for this job.”
“Honestly,” Marcus sighs, his patience for this conversation rapidly declining, “this was a last-minute decision of convenience. Luna Elle asked to help you personally, and you will stay with the Beta while you’re there. It would take any spy months to infiltrate the upper echelon of that pack. They want you there, and I want to know why.”
He leaves the room while I stare after his disappearing image, endless questions sprouting. The least of which is, when the fuck did I meet Luna Elle of Silver Run?
*********************
THREE DAYS LATER
It’s the wee hours of the morning on the day I am being chased out of the pack by my Alpha brother.He hasn’t given me any specifics on what I am supposed to be looking for in Silver Run, but there has to be a reason he wants me there so desperately.
My brother hasn’t been the Alpha of Northern Lakes since sixteen without learning a thing or two. One of those things is how to back people into a corner so they do your bidding.
Hell, I would just become a rogue if I didn’t have a pile of questions, all without answers, nagging at me incessantly. Viola has finally returned, but she has been pretty moody, and refuses to talk to me, making me feel more alone than ever.
With some final huffs, I continue the trek to a secret spot hidden in Geneva State park. The perfect hiding spot where you can escape from the rest of the world, and still enjoy the gentle splash of the waves from the lake hitting the shoreline.
Sitting on the log found there, I take a large inhale of the chilly morning air, reaching underneath to grab my secret stash. A substance that I cannot bring into the territory, one strictly forbidden within pack borders.
Unzipping the protective plastic bag, I pull out a small tube packed with a joint. Every instinct telling me it’s not worth it, but Goddess, is any of what’s happening really worth it?
I don’t know what other bullshit the Goddess is going to pull, but I don’t know how much more my poor heart can handle. Speaking too soon, a twig snaps behind me, but I don’t need to turn to see who it is. His scent wrapping around me, but it no longer brings the comfort it once did.
“Is it true? Are you leaving?” Dillon asks. His presence brings Viola forward with a growl. Neither of us trusting his sudden appearance.
“Why does it matter? You have a mate at home,” I snap, refusing to look at his traitorous face. Despite the stench of misery rolling around him.
“Come on, Nora,” Dillon pleads, “please? I made a mistake, but I don’t love Hazel. I love you, and I miss you. We can run away together.”
His words have my willpower cracking, my body shifting to look at the boy I used to know and love. His once manicured brown hair is greasy, underneath his eyes sits large purple bags or maybe recovering bruises. They’re so dark.
I contemplate what he is saying for half a second before realizing how ridiculous it all sounds. With a shake of my head, I crush the fantasy world he has been using to survive. “Dillon, you have a mate now. Whatever we had is over.”
“No,” he denies, a fury forming in his eyes, “we are meant for each other. What I have with Hazel is…it’s not what I want. She is not who I want. You are.” He advances closer to me, his energy becoming crazed and slightly scary.
“You slept with her while we were dating,” I remind him gently, trying to scoot away from him before he gets too close. “That happened for a reason, Dillon.”
“That was the mate bond!” he roars, pulling on his hair in frustration, his body shaking as he comes closer. “I only want you, Nora. We can run away together!” He exclaims, refusing to listen as he continues with his daydreams.
“That’s not happening,” I say sternly, putting my foot down. “I will move on from the betrayal you and Hazel put me through. You will remain mated and stay there for your pups.”
“Aren’t you listening?!” Dillon screams, stepping closer, glancing behind me. I realize I have no more room before the drop off into the lake; deadly rocks sitting below. “I DON’T LOVE HER!” His hand wraps around my wrist in a vise grip, tugging me into his chest as his arm snakes around my waist.
For the first time in the years I have known Dillon, I am afraid of what he is capable of and who he has become. His aura obviously unhinged as I struggle against his hold, only causing him to hold on to me tighter.
“Please don’t do this to me,” I beg through the tears, as I thrash against his hold on my body, terror clutching my insides at the look dancing in his eyes. “Please, if you love me like you claim, you won’t do this.”
“It’s because I love you that I have to do this.”
NORA POV Placing my palms against his chest, I resist, my heart racing wildly while I try to get him off of me, but constantly aware of where the ledge is. I can feel the bruises already forming on my skin as his grip tightens, his claws piercing into my soft flesh.My throat closed, unable to work as I keep pushing against the bulky male I used to date, against a man I used to love. “I know you still love me. I’ll prove it to you,” he whispers. Without warning, his lips crash against mine forcefully.His tongue invading my mouth as he takes control, his free hand winding into my hair as he holds my head into place. Tears prickle my eyes as I gently guide us away from the ledge, where rocks sit below. Viola going wild, begging for control, but our location has our hands tied. She remainsWe are in human territory in the early morning. Wolfing out here would be dumb, and a sure way to get the council involved. My mind racing from the violation while I attempt to remain calm, moving us
NORA POV “I swear to the Goddess-” Marcus begins, but I stop him mid-sentence, not in the mood to deal with another scolding.“Chill, brother,” I say. “I am on my way to Silver Run already, but I forgot to get the address. So can you tell me where I am going, please?” As much as I want to avoid this mystery pack, Viola is desperate to return, despite what happened there, and I need to know why.Why do I want to return? What’s so special about this pack that I feel drawn to people I barely know? There are unending questions I desperately need answers for, and the only way to get them is to go back.“You left already?” He asks, slightly shocked with a twinge of sadness. “Didn’t you want to say goodbye?”“I figured it’d be better this way,” I lie, my heart leaving another crack as I attempt to contain the tears on the verge of breaking loose. “Send me the address, and I will let you know when I arrive. We can talk again when I am settled in. Okay?”I want this conversation to end, alrea
THEO POVI have done my best to remain calm, but a flaming hot coil of indignation sits in my stomach at the sight of Nora’s face. Walking back to the room, my cellphone blares with a ringtone reserved for one person. He is also the last person I want to talk to right now. Unfortunately, avoiding him seems impossible with our packs so intertwined now.Excusing myself from the others, I press the phone to my ear, his name escaping my lips with a growl. “What, Drew?” Turning away from the door, preventing Nora from hearing our impending argument. “This better be pack related. I am busy.”“The Alphas wanted me to check on you,” he comments easily, and every cell in my body aches while Cerberus whines in my head. “Has Nora arrived yet?” He asks casually, but I see through his antics.“Yes,” I snap, our unresolved issues getting the better of me as the next phrase tumbles out of my mouth. “Tell Elle I will call her with an update later. Now, if that’s all you needed, Andrew, I have respons
NORA POV The entire car ride, we sit in this comfortable silence. I might talk more if I wasn’t preoccupied with other things. My gaze remains out the window. Observing the different men wandering around wearing the combat uniforms. The same uniform the man was wearing in my room…he has to be a warrior, right? Glancing at Theo, I notice his knuckles are as whiter than Casper as he grips the wheel. Despite barely knowing the man next to me, I cannot deny the comfortableness I feel around him. Viola feels it too, but she still has said nothing since this morning during the altercation with Dillon. ‘You cannot block me out forever,’ I say into the void, but I can sense her perking up to listen to what is being said. ‘Maybe back home, when things were certain, but not here. There are too many unknown variables here for us to be at odds.’ ‘Stay sober enough,’ Viola comments dryly and completely unbothered, ‘and then we will have something to talk about.’ Her statements ending abruptly
NORA POV Even with the blinds closed, I cannot stop the prickle and paranoia being watched. Needing extra reassurance, I check all the spots typically used for listening devices, turning the entire room upside down. While a gut instinct wants me to trust this house, this pack, and these people, the logical side of my brain wants me to survive. The only way to do that is to be smart in my decisions. I may not be the most well-trained Northern Lakes pack member, my combat skills may have been sorely lacking, but I have watched enough tv know where these things are usually hidden. Once every light, picture frame, clock, vent, and outlet has been checked, finding nothing. The tension in my stomach finally dissipating my muscles relaxing. At least I know I am safe within this space…maybe it’s just out there that I have to worry about. Now that everything is returned to its original place, along with my things, I grab a fresh pair of clothes from the drawer. Taking the towel off the hoo
NORA POV “No,” I say, studying over the brunette male in front of me, “Thank you.” Based on his size and aura, he has to be the Beta of New Moon…it makes sense why he is here so freely. Packs typically allow outside members in their territory so freely. A burning familiarity rings in my brain the longer I look at him. The only question is, did I meet him at the mating ceremony or was he in my hospital room earlier today? “Of course not,” Andrew sneers. “We don’t want you crashing another car, right?” His question taking me aback, a hot poker to the gut. Stepping away from the large man, putting distance between us. A retort sitting on my tongue when the slam of the door and the stomp of boots comes storming from the back room. Simon following behind him, a victorious smile on his face. “I guess you’re staying,” Theo growls, the Andrew I was talking to two seconds ago gone, and in its place a charming Beta. “Perfect,” Andrew preens, throwing me a smug look when Theo is too busy g
ANDREW POV That dinner was an utter disaster and everything I hoped to accomplish backfired in my face. How can Simon think they’d be mates? Has he gone fucking insane? ‘You should have been nicer,’ Demitri, my wolf, comments from the corner of my mind. Scolding me for the millionth time tonight for my behavior. ‘Meh, meh, meh, meh, meh’ I mutter back with the roll of my eyes, not really wanting to listen to his supreme wolf judgement. ‘You’ve become a real dick lately, you know that?’ Demitri shoots back with a growl. Walking across the lawn, I climb the front porch steps, walking into the Alpha’s residence, finding my way to the kitchen. “Back so soon?” Matt drawls from the bar stool, where he currently sits eating a bowl of cereal. “Your master plan didn’t work? Shocker!” He taunts, as he crunches on another spoonful. “And how’s your plan for Charity working out?” I snarl back, each syllable like the lash of a whip. “I wonder if Fletcher’s plan is any better? We can call him a
NORA POV NORA POV Theo, Simon, and I have found our natural rhythm rather quickly. I thought it would be harder being virtual strangers and all, but it’s been unbelievably easy. We work as if we are separate pieces of one machine. A heavenly scent of bacon wafts upstairs from the kitchen, springing from the bed. I grab the robe from the hook, actually excited for the day. The longer I stay, the more comfortable I become around these men. Racing down the stairs, I find Theo at the stove like I had every other morning since I have woken up here. Simon is already sitting at the table with his coffee and morning paper. “I have your teapot ready for you,” Theo hums, as he flips over a pancake. “Thank you,” I say with a smile, walking around the island to prepare my earl grey. ”Have anything fun planned for today?” Theo asks as he stacks the pancake on the others sitting on the plate. “Uhhh, not really,” I say, grabbing my cup to sit with Simon at the table. “Probably hang around the