ZackMy heart hammers against my chest as a mix of fear and hatred consumes me. My eyes lock on Bry and her father, and my gaze snaps to her arm where blood is trickling down. A small pool of red liquid forms on the floor in between them. No! He is hurting her!A growl rumbles within me, but before I can bolt forward, Blake grabs my arm and whispers, “Not yet. This is a battle she has been building to for most of her life. She needs to do this on her own first. If she stumbles or her father gets the upper hand, you can then step in, but let her fight this by herself first.”I don’t want to, but I know he is right. She might resent me if I interrupt them now. My wolf jumps forward and claws at the front of my mind, trying to take over and not wanting to obey my brother. He doesn’t care if Blake is right or not. He just wants to protect our mate. I take a deep breath and push my wolf to the back of my mind while I keep my eyes on Bry and her father. Every move her father ma
BryannaI move around in my hard chair, trying to find a comfortable position while I rub my growing pregnant belly. My focus is on the various council members behind the raised wooden ‘judge’s’ bench. The court room is full of people anxiously waiting for their decision. I don’t know if I should be happy or sad my father survived. It was touch and go, but in the end, he pulled through. It delayed his trail until he was healthy enough, though. Zack wraps his arm around my shoulders and whispers, “Are you alright? Do you need something?”I shake my head. “No. I just need to find out their decision. I can’t see how it could be anything other than guilty.” My gut twists, and I know it may not be that easy. He still has some very powerful connections, but if he finds a way out of this, I will do all I can to make sure he pays for it the rest of his life. Zack kisses the side of my head. “It will be over soon.” I take a deep breath and let his amazing, woodsy scent fill my l
Bryanna“UGHHHH!!! I HATE YOU!!!” My face contorts in pain while I put all my might in smashing Zack’s hand. He is the reason for this and why I’m in this much pain. He needs to feel a small portion of what I feel.The doctor reaches up above her head and tilts a light. She looks at my face while she stands in between my legs. “You are doing good. It won’t be much longer now. The pup is crowning.”Crowning? I want him out! NOW!!!Another contraction slices through me like it is ripping me apart. I throw my head back on the bed and dig my feet harder into the stirrups. “UGHHHH!!!! I’M DYING!!!!!”I tighten my grip on Zack’s hand, my only chance of relief. He winces and rubs the back of my hand. “You are doing so good, honey. Our pup will be here soon. You can do it.”His calm voice irritates me, and I whip my head around to the side and glare at him. “NEXT TIME, YOU ARE GIVING BIRTH! WHEN YOU PUSH A WATERMELON OUT YOUR DICK, THEN YOU CAN TELL ME I’M DOING GOOD!!!!”A
Zack Jacob walks into my office. “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be outside with all the pups? Why are you still in your office?” I look up and give him a look like he knows exactly why I’m still here as I motion my hands above my desk and all the papers. Hunter marches through the door, shaking his head. “We have stacks of paperwork sitting on our desk too, but we are here for your pup’s birthday party. I still can’t believe he is 10 already. It seems just like yesterday we were fighting with Bry’s father and throwing Alpha Trevor and his son in the dungeons.” I shake my head. “Why would you even bring up that time in my life? I was worried what that idiot alpha and his son were going to do to get my mate, while also trying to stop Bry’s father from executing his horrible plan. That is a part of my life I don’t want to remember.” Jacob plops down in a chair in front of my desk. “But that is also the time you made your pup, Zane. Why would you want to forget about finding
Bryanna The darkness surrounds us as my father’s ragged fingernails dig into my soft arm. “Come on, Bryanna. We don’t have much time.” I look up at him, but like usual, all I see is his scowl. His black hair is a mess, just like how it always has been since my mother has passed away. The stench of alcohol drifts in the air along with his body odor. My tiny fingers claw at his big hand. However, being only seven, I can’t break my arm free. As I look down the long, dark hallway, my heart races as fear washes over me. Only a few candles scattered here and there along the way are lit, but there is an eerie coldness surrounding us. A thin layer of dust coats everything, while some of it floats in the air and tickles my nose. My father ignores my pleas as he continues to march forward while he mumbles stuff under his breath. Unfortunately, I can’t make out any of what he is saying. As I drag my feet, hoping to slow him down, a sinister laugh echoes through the hall and send
BRAYDEN “Come on, son. It is time.” My father barges into my room with his head held high. However, my stomach sinks at his words while dread washes over me. I can’t do this. I look up from my phone and shake my head. “I don’t want to.” His calm expression instantly disappears as he grinds his teeth and glares at me. “Son, we have talked about this. You are going to sign the alliance agreement today and the three of you have all agreed to the terms of it.” I shake my head and tuck my phone back into my pocket. “No, dad. You didn’t even ask me. You went ahead and decided for me. I have never agreed to anything.” When I was younger, I always did what my father wanted. However, now that I’m about to turn 18, I know better. I’ve seen what he really wants. A low growl fills my room as he marches towards me. His feet pounds against the floor and echo against the walls, almost as loud as my pounding heart. I’m not afraid anymore. But I still find myself sliding backw
Brayden ** Seven years later ** “Bry, baby, we have a situation to attend to.” I look up from the computer monitor as Jacob struts into my office with a folder in his hand. His devilish grin is the first thing to greet me, but the sparkle in his light brown eyes warns me it isn’t all business that he is after. I raise an eyebrow. “Why do you always start a sentence with Bry, baby, when you want me to do something for you?” I motion my hand for him to continue. “Tell me what you want me to do.” My eyebrow raises even higher at the mischievous look in his eyes as he sits down in front of my desk. “I got a phone call from a pack way out along the edge of the werewolf territories. They need our help.” Ah. There it is. I sigh. “So, you want me to go out to the territory for you, since you can’t go. Why can’t you go?” He slides to the edge of his chair. His eyes shimmer even brighter as he replies in a deep and sexy voice. “Baby, you know I have the outing with my fathe
Brayden I sigh and grumble under my breath as I fight to keep my eyes open. How could those two idiots not let me sleep? Well, we got a few hours this morning, but clearly it wasn’t enough. I can’t argue too much though. I was screaming for more last night, which they did as I requested. However, the next time I talk to them, I’m going to give them an earful. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time this morning. But when I finally corner them, they will wish they didn’t pull a stunt like that. I ease up to the front of Yellow Moon’s pack house, which is about average for its size. However, the white paint is chipping, and the flower beds need to be weeded. I can’t tell what flowers are even in there with all the weeds hiding them. If this is any sign of how they run everything else, I’ve got my hands full. As I step out of the vehicle, a tall, dark-haired man walks out of the building and calls out, “Alpha Brayden. I’m so glad you could come on such short notice. I