POV: Echo Atlas stands up and sits me on the bed so that I’m facing him, maneuvering me as though I wasn’t growling, kicking, and pawing at him with everything I had to make him let go of me. Avoiding my attempt to nip his hand, he grips my chin and tilts my face up to force me to look at him. “Now, are you done throwing your little fit? You are sitting with me, and that is final. I need you close to keep us calm. If you do not stop, I will be forced to make you stop.” Atlas and Zev explained, and I could sense that they were merged the same as Tala and I were at that moment. “Let. Me. Go! I am not sitting with you! And you can not force me to stop!” I snarled low, narrowing my eyes, and swiping at him with my fingers curled to scratch at him. “Fine.” He growled, catching one hand and then the other before they ever touched him. Leaning forward, he easily pushed me back into the bed, pinning my arms above my head as I thrashed below him. His alpha aura rose, trying to force my wolf
POV: Echo The incident with Brady changed my outlook on life entirely. Having come into my own as a Guardian of the Light, and breaking down the rest of the block had allowed me to step free of the mental chains that were holding me back before. That’s not to say that my panic attacks and nightmares are completely gone, but I can speak without stuttering now, and have miraculously stopped flinching whenever someone moves. I felt a confidence in myself that had never existed before, and rightfully so. I’d experienced my worst nightmare. He’d done his worst, and I literally defeated him. Turned him human and banished him from the werewolf world. I was also able to identify the woman’s voice that helped me through the incident. It took some digging through the old texts in the back of the pack library and a chat with Granny Maeve to make sure I wasn’t insane before I’d believed it, of course. It turns out Guardians, being specially chosen by the Moon Goddess herself, had a direct link
POV: Echo The day had finally come, and to say that I was nervous would be an understatement. Thankfully, Noira, Gwen, Cordelia, Granny Maeve, and Vesta had shown up at mid-afternoon to get me ready for the ceremony. It would begin as the full moon shone down on us with the Moon Goddess’s blessing. In a spare room on the first floor, they had run me a bath, filled with many things I didn’t recognize, while they prepared the room for creating ‘their masterpiece’. I was grateful to the five she-wolves who came to my aid, as I had absolutely no idea how to do anything with hair or makeup other than a few quick and practical hair styles I’d learned to keep it back while I worked. Each of them had been working their magic, and, mercifully, they had planned little ‘spa’ and snack breaks regularly to help keep me from becoming overwhelmed. I was a thousand times better than I’d ever been with my mental health, but I was so nervous about this evening, and they had not allowed Atlas and I to
POV: Echo It was already 3pm when I dumped the last of the dirty linen down the laundry chute, swiping away the sweat that was dripping from my brow. Wasting no time, I began to make my way to the kitchen, knowing I needed to be there right away. Rushing down the hallway, I made it to the stairs, seeing no one else around. Unfortunately, one of the last people I want to see is walking up the stairs. Embry is the Alpha’s mate, making her the pack’s Luna, and she is the sister of the pack’s current Beta. She was a gorgeous she-wolf, but too many years of being doted on as a high-ranking wolf had turned her into a nightmare that was impossible to please. Irritatingly, she noticed me at the same time I noticed her, making it impossible for me to slip back down the hall and out of sight. Embry narrowed her eyes at me, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder and narrowing her eyes as she stormed over to me. “What do we have here?” She sneers, propping a hand on her hip. With a de
POV: Echo Slow, steady footsteps on the basement stairs jar me from my sleep. My bed, if you can even call it that, is nothing more than a thin foam mattress on the damp basement floor. Blinking the sleep from my eyes, I flip onto my back, focusing on slowing my racing heart. Reminding myself that there is no way it can be him, it’s absolutely not possible. He is away for meetings in another pack and isn’t due back for another couple of days. My eyes dart to the long, narrow window above the laundry machines. The half-moon shining high in the sky tells me it is nowhere near morning yet. I turned my head and looked toward the door; the steps still coming down. I quickly glance around the basement, and even though it’s too dark to actually see anything, I have the layout of the room committed to memory from long hours spent down here. Industrial-sized washers and dryers, the massive laundry folding table, multiple shelves filled with folded clothes and linen, varying sorted dirty pil
Pain. Extreme, scorching pain drags me back to consciousness. An intense burning sensation that radiates from my back all over my body. Swallowing the whimper building in my throat, I remain still as I listen for any signs he hasn’t left yet. Lying face down on the cold cement floor of the basement with the back of my shirt shredded, my body was wracked with involuntary shivers. Hearing nothing, I slowly opened my eyes, staring in shock at the fresh red stains on the surrounding floor. I drew in a sharp breath, nearly gagging at the thick scent of my blood as it combined with cedar and vanilla. “You’ve finally joined me,” he sneers wickedly. “I hope you don’t mind, but I kept myself busy while I waited for you to wake up." His finger traced across my back, near but not quite touching the source of the burning. I can’t help but flinch away from it, sending another wave of pain shooting from my back. Feeling his intense gaze on my face, I close my eyes in defeat, not wanting to know
POV: Echo I bolt upright with a screech of shock and pain as the frigid water splashes over me. Wiping my sopping wet baby curls off of my forehead, I shiver violently in my now wet clothes. Glancing around, I see the last two people I ever want to wake up to see standing next to my bed. Magnifying tenfold, the increasingly throbbing pain in my back steals my breath away, leaving me gasping for air. Flailing, I try to, and fail to keep the strangled whimpers and cries from passing my lips. Alpha Brady and Luna Embry smile maliciously as they watch me inch my way back toward the wall behind me. The small amount of movement is enough to make the room spin, and my body futilely attempts to empty the non-existent contents of my stomach. It results in excruciating dry heaves for several moments, causing tears to pour down my face. The violent movements had stretched the wounds on my back in a way that drove the excruciating pain deeper into my body than I thought possible. Collapsing on
POV: Echo “Eat!” Brady demands, as he places the fork firmly in my hand. Trembling, I looked at the plate in apprehension, wondering what kind of torture he'd come up with now. Grasping the fork so tightly my knuckles turn white, I scoop some eggs onto my fork and bring them to my mouth. I hesitate for a moment before placing them in my mouth and chewing. Waiting again after I swallow, expecting it to be laced with silver or wolfsbane. When no pain comes, I dig into the meal. Only a quarter of the way through, I had to stop. Slowly sipping on the glass of orange juice, I savour its sweet flavour. Having had nothing but water for so long, I’d forgotten how deliciously sweet that juice was. My stomach feels full and slightly painful, as I have eaten as much food this morning as I typically see over a period of days, maybe even upwards of a week. I feel absolutely stuffed. The Alpha has been watching me this whole time, and I have avoided looking at him, trying to pretend he wasn’t the