Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Of course, the damn bird was flying back toward the boat, probably to alert the people on board that everyone was dead. There was no way we could beat him to it.
But dammit, we had to try. I howled and took off in the direction of the river once more, Griffin, Killian, and the guard right behind me.
I kept my eyes forward, refusing to glance at the bodies as I passed. So much death and destruction, and it was all because of me. If I’d gone willingly, would this have turned out differently?
I had to push those thoughts aside. Focus on the here and now.
Within seconds, I passed through the trees, and the river came into view. I stepped into puddles of what could only be blood, the metallic scent confirming my suspicions.
But I powered through.
The three wolves behind me panted, trying to keep up, but I couldn't slow. If I wanted to have a chance at catching the people on the boat, we had to get there fast.
A loud caw sounded again, closer than I expected. It was a call of fear and desperation. I glanced skyward only to see the crow fly over our heads back in the direction we'd come from.
What the hell would have caused that?
Large wings whooshed behind me, answering my question. I glanced over my shoulder, surprised to find Rosemary landing a few feet away.
Blood covered her arms, and the shoulder of her shirt was ripped. "The shifters on the boat are dead." She nodded in the direction of the water. "I figured I could take them out while the rest of you focused on saving your men and yourselves."
I couldn't speak to her in this form to tell her I was grateful. All I could do was nod.
Even though I hated that the bird got away, at least the boat hadn't managed to leave.
"Why don't you four go back and shift to human so you can get more help to clean up the bodies?" Rosemary said with authority. "I'll meet you at the house in a few minutes."
Normally, being told what to do would irritate me, but after the way she'd helped us and all of the fighting, shifting back and regrouping sounded nice. We needed to take care of our dead and figure out our next moves, but for the moment, we didn't have to worry about another attack.
I turned around and found Griffin waiting for me and Killian and the guard trotting off together, leaving the two of us to head back alone.
My heart warmed and welcomed the sensation of the tug . For a minute there, I thought I'd never have the chance to walk beside him again. I hurried to him, not wanting to stay out here another second.
Stepping out of the shower was one of the hardest things I’d had to do. Between needing to wash the blood from my body, the deaths I had caused, and just being sore from not training as I should have, all I wanted to do was stay in the warm spray of water.
But that wasn't an option because of a certain dark angel pacing the living room.
"What the hell is taking her so long?" Rosemary complained. "When she said she was taking a shower, I didn't think I'd be stuck out here with you two idiots for this long."
"First off, this is my house," Killian growled. "And second, she's been in there five minutes. Give her a break."
Ugh, maybe I should turn the water back on. She seemed to be in a mood.
Granted, she was always kind of like this, so I shouldn't have been surprised. I quickly dried and got dressed.
"Do you know what I risked by helping you fight those wolves?" Rosemary's tone grew angry. "If that jackass Azbogah learns what I did, he'll give my parents hell. I risked a lot—"
Griffin's anger was palpable as he said, "The water has turned off, so you can slow down. No one asked you to help, so don't come in here, demanding certain things. If my mate—"
"Your mate ?" Rosemary snorted. "Are you kidding me? This gets better and better."
"What's so funny about that?" Griffin rasped.
"You don't even want to be alpha, and now you're mated to a wolf like her ." She sighed. "Can you get any luckier?"
Inhaling sharply, I quickly dressed in the jeans and shirt I’d worn the day when Killian found me. I’d been avoiding wearing these clothes, but after destroying the new ones, I didn’t have much choice. I opened the door and strolled into the living room.
I straightened my shoulders and stared the angel down. "Thank you for fighting alongside us and helping, but you don't get to come in here and treat us like we’re worthless." She and I had a very odd relationship, to say the least. I didn't dislike her, but she was abrasive and rash.
"See, that's why I like you." Rosemary turned her back on Killian and Griffin. "You get straight to the point without trying to prove you have a dick."
A smile broke through my face. "It's kind of hard to prove I have one when the appendage is missing."
"It makes things easier that way." Rosemary laughed.
"Uh... what's happening?" Killian asked Griffin.
"No clue, man." Griffin shook his head as he walked over to me and took my hand. "But her being nice is kind of freaking me out."
"And they wonder why I don't want to bother talking to them." She shook her head. "But I'm assuming they're kind of a package deal?"
"Yeah, they are." I stepped closer to Griffin, needing to feel him. "So how did you know we were in trouble?"
"I didn’t." Rosemary strolled to the windows overlooking the pool and backyard. "I was actually on my way to find you about our little talk the other day."
My eyes flicked toward the tree line where several shifters were heading out back to take care of the dead. After we’d gotten back to the houses and shifted, more Shadow Ridge and Shadow City shifters had arrived. Luckily, I’d already gone inside, so none of them saw me in my silver wolf form. However, I needed to hurry and get out there to help them. After all, this carnage was all my fault. "Well, you found more than you bargained for."
"You do realize you need to tell Zac that he can't tell anyone about what she is." Rosemary scowled at Griffin. "The more people who realize she's a silver wolf, the more at risk she'll be."
"We've already handled that." Griffin stood tall beside me. "I commanded him with the alpha will. He can't tell anyone, not even his family."
Killian leaned against the wall on the other side of the window. "Not that he would've anyway."
"Don't be so certain." Rosemary rolled her shoulders. She looked at me. "But that's not why I'm here. Fortunately, if you can keep these two and the guard quiet, it appears no one else knows that a silver wolf has rejoined our society. At least, not on the angel side of things."
"That's good news, right?” The fewer people who knew about me, the safer we all would be.
"For now." Rosemary gestured to Griffin as she continued, "But if you two are fated mates, how long do you think your little secret can last?"
My heart sank. I hadn't even thought about that.
"I'll leave with her." Griffin made it sound so simple.
I jerked my head toward him. "You can't do that." Especially if what Rosemary had said about a civil war brewing was true. "You are their leader. Fate has determined that. You can’t leave when there’s so much at stake and wolves are being attacked."
"You're more important." He brushed his fingers along my cheek. "I'd rather do that than lose you."
"Dove is right," Rosemary said, making me cringe.
I was so damn tired of that name. "It's Sterlyn." She at least deserved to know that after everything that went down.
"Thank God. Because Dove is a horrendous name." Rosemary groaned.
"It is not." Killian frowned. "I thought it was fitting because of her hair."
"Of course he gave you that name." Rosemary took her phone out of her pocket and then glared at Griffin. "With the wolf attacks, if you were to step down, it would cause anarchy, and you know it. The best thing we can do is figure out who's after Sterlyn and go from there."
"That crow is heading back to whoever wants her." Killian's hands clenched into fists. "And we’re at a disadvantage, but I'm hoping we’ll find something on the boat that can point us in the right direction."
"I've got to go, but are you working tomorrow?" Rosemary faced me.
There was no reason not to right now. If I didn't go in, things would look even more suspicious. "Yes, I am. We need to pretend everything is as normal as possible after the shit show today."
"I agree." She nodded. "I'll run by and talk to you then. I've got to get back to Shadow City—Mom is looking for me." She hurried out the door and took to the sky.
Griffin pursed his lips. "Was it me, or was it like we weren't even in the room?"
"Get used to it." Killian pointed at me. "Ever since she came into my life, I'm the chauffeur."
That was kind of true. "As fun as this is, I'm going to head outside and help the others."
"Nope, you're not." Griffin pulled me into his arms. "They have enough people, and they know what they’re doing. After almost dying, I’d like to take you on that date."
"I don't feel like going out." I'd been so excited earlier about spending time with him, but between what we'd gone through and my subpar outfit, all I wanted to do was crawl into bed.
"Then you two go over to Griffin's and chill while I go help the others." Killian gestured to the door. "Between you getting injured and Griffin almost dying, I say you've done enough today. Besides, I'm thinking it's time that both Griffin and I start stepping up to our responsibilities."
In other words, it was time to be the alphas they were destined to be.
"He's right." Griffin started to pull me toward the back door.
Unable to say no, I nodded but stopped in front of the man I viewed as my brother now. "Are you sure you don't need me there? I don't mind helping."
"I know." He booped my nose. "But I want you to get to know him—the side of him that I know. I'm giving you my seal of approval."
"With the womanizer?" I asked and pointed at Griffin.
"Hey," Griffin growled.
"He took a bullet for you," Killian said as he opened the back door, waving us out. "I figure if that doesn’t prove he meant what he said, nothing will."
The truth of his words made my heart pound, and I turned to face the sexy man who now held my heart. My wolf howled, and my body warmed, leading to the scent of arousal wafting off me. I locked eyes with my mate. "No more waiting." I'd had enough. I got that he wanted to do things right, but I needed him. And now.
"Oh, dear God." Killian shut the door and headed to the trees. "That's my cue to go."
A smirk fixed on Griffin's face as he led me toward his home. Within seconds, we were entering his kitchen. I had no idea what the room looked like, and I didn’t care. He slammed the door shut, and I slammed my lips on his.
He growled as he grabbed my ass and I wrapped my legs around his waist. The feel of his hands and mouth on me made both my body and wolf go wild.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, fisting his hair. He stumbled down the hall. In my half-lucid state, I realized his house was exactly the same floor plan as Killian's.
We entered the master bedroom, and he kicked the door shut behind us then tossed me on the bed. The cool blue of the walls was the shade of the ocean. I ran my hands over light muted gray sheets that reminded me of the sky on an overcast day.
But when Griffin stood over me, my eyes saw only him. He stared back at me, his hazel eyes glowing, and removed his shirt. His abs looked even more muscular than I'd imagined as they bunched and coiled. He leaned over me, trapping me between his arms.
"You're so beautiful," he said, sounding raw.
My breath caught as he kissed me, and his fingers pressed into my sides, turning me on even more. "You're not too bad yourself."
"Not too bad, huh?" He chuckled as his lips pressed against my throat and his hand lifted my shirt. "You've seen more handsome?"
"Define handsome," I teased as he unfastened my bra and removed both it and my shirt from my body.
Then I tensed, realizing we had one more thing to discuss.
“Stop.” He froze, and I smiled to reassure him. I hated to interrupt our moment, but before we did this, we had to make sure we were on the same page. Normally, when fated mates completed their connection, they linked to the strongest wolf’s pack. If the pair were two alphas, the packs remained separate unless the two alphas agreed to merge with only the fated mate bond linking the mates. But since I didn’t have a pack, that meant I’d be linked with his…unless I purposely put up a barrier. “I want to complete our bond, but I can’t submit to you and become one of your pack.” I hoped that didn’t anger him, but it was better to have this conversation beforehand. My wolf wouldn’t submit to him, and even if she could, the rest of his pack would realize that I was different. My secret wasn’t ready to be revealed.
At least, not yet.
“I want you any way I can have you. My goal isn’t to be your alpha.” He kissed my lips sweetly. “I’m all-in. Nothing will change that.”
My stomach fluttered at his words, and somehow, my desire for him grew even stronger.
When his mouth captured my nipple, pleasure like I'd never experienced before waved through my body. I gasped as my fingers dug into his strong, muscular back.
My head swam from his unique scent and the hand he trailed slowly down my body. I'd never been touched this way, and I never wanted him to stop.
Slipping my hand between our bodies, I unbuttoned his jeans, needing to feel all of him.
"I'm trying to take care of you." He sighed, his breath hot against my skin.
But the problem was I needed him. "Slow can come later." The tug inside me was desperate—he had to make me whole and now. "Please."
"Fine." He stood up and removed my yoga pants and panties. "But we are going slow next time." He groaned as he scanned my body and removed the rest of his clothes.
He was even more delectable than I’d ever imagined. His body was hard in all the right places, and I did mean all.
He slipped his hands between my legs and rubbed.
My breathing caught as waves of pleasure gripped me. My body convulsed as he slipped his fingers inside.
With each movement, he had flames licking my body. ‘'Oh, God," I cried out, about to lose my mind.
His tongue circled one breast and flicked over my nipple, causing sensations to shoot through me and bring me dangerously to the edge. I pushed him back and flipped us around, needing to take control. He was dominating me, and I loved it, but it was my turn. I straddled him and started to slip him slowly inside me.
“Whoa… wait.” His irises glowed even more as he stilled. “You’re—are you…?”
I writhed and started to press down, but his hands on my waist stopped me. “Am I what ?” But then I realized what he meant, and my cheeks flushed hot.
“You’re a virgin. We need—”
“No, I need you .” My wolf howled. We’d waited long enough. I slipped him inside, filling me, causing the connection between us to grow.
"Wait," he rasped as he scooted us both to the headboard and propped himself up. His hands caressed my breasts as I began to ride him. Each time, he filled me more, going deeper and deeper.
Moving faster, he soon bucked underneath me, and my wolf surged forward, needing to cement the bond between us. My mouth went to his neck, and my teeth raked his skin, but I didn't want to completely break it until he gave me permission to claim him.
"Do it," he groaned. "Please."
That was all I needed to hear. My teeth broke his skin, and his blood seeped onto my tongue while a part of my soul reached out and slammed into him.
"My turn," he growled, and I tilted my head willingly, offering my neck.
"Yes," I sighed, giving him my consent.
When his teeth entered me, his feelings and emotions collided with mine.
If I’d had any doubts about how he felt about me before, they were gone. All he saw was me, and he'd lay down his life to protect me again without a moment's hesitation.
My heart grew warm once more now that I wasn't alone, and my wolf put up a barrier to prevent the further pack connection.
Pleasure built within our bodies, and soon, orgasms ripped through both of us, our pleasure molding us into one.
Something snapped inside our chests, and our connection strengthened as our emotions poured into one another. Love merged us into one being, warming my chest and filling the space that had been cold for all too long.
I don’t deserve you, Griffin linked.
His voice in my head caused happiness to surge through me. No, you don’t, I teased. And yet, you still have me. I kissed his lips, so happy to be in his arms.
Completely exhausted and satiated, I rolled onto my side, and he pulled me into his strong, comforting arms. His fingers brushed my arm, up and down, and soon, I was out cold.
If I'd thought walking into Shadow Ridge University with Killian had been strange, this was a whole different matter.
Everyone we passed turned and stared as Griffin, the alpha of Shadow City, held my hand and walked me into the coffee shop.
Of course, it didn't help that as of yesterday, I'd been dating his best friend.
As we walked past the long coffee line, Carter's mouth dropped open, and he pointed from Griffin to me. "What the hell, Dove? I can't figure out if I'm impressed or disgusted. Weren't you with Killian yesterday?"
A growl emanated from Griffin's chest.
Behave. I understood comments like these weren't fun for Griffin, but we’d both known this would happen. "Killian and I were more friends than anything."
"With friends like that--"
Griffin snarled. I never have liked him anyway. I may kill him.
I laughed, not able to conceal my happiness.
"Stop," I warned Carter. "He's my fated mate. He's not enjoying your commentary."
" What? " he said loudly, causing the entire coffee shop to go silent. "Griffin completed the mate bond with you?"
"Yes." Griffin stepped in front of me and glanced at each person in line. "She is my mate, officially, in all ways. No hitting on her, and no hitting on me."
Well, that was pretty much equivalent to him peeing on me, but at least he’d included himself in that equation.
A few girls pouted, riling my wolf, but I pushed her down. There was no reason to let her get too worked up. If anyone tried something stupid, we'd kill them. Easy-peasy.
I hate to do this, but I've got to go to Political History and then International Relations. He kissed me a little longer than necessary. I'll be back when classes are over.
I'll be counting the seconds. I pulled away and gave him a smile.
He licked his lips and winked before walking out of the cafe while I enjoyed the view.
"Uh... Earth to Dove." Carter pulled me back into the present. "That cash register won't work itself."
I turned around and got to work.
A couple of hours later when the line finally calmed down, Carter tapped my shoulder. "Hey, do you mind going into the back and getting more Italian roast beans? We're running low."
"Oh, yeah, sure." Usually, another co-worker got the beans because I was always so busy at the register, but Susan was on break. I remembered seeing the Italian roast when Carter showed me around the first day I started working here.
I walked past the kitchen to the small hallway closet next to the exterior door that led to the alley where they kept that smelly dumpster. I opened the storage door and started glancing through the inventory.
“That’s weird,” I whispered to myself. “It was on this shelf the last time I saw it.” The third shelf held some of the dark roasts but not the Italian.
I had just squatted to check the bottom shelf when I heard footsteps coming my way. Carter must have needed something else or wondered what was taking me so long.
"Hey, Carter. Did you move the Italian roast? It’s not on the top shelf," I asked, searching the labels near the floor.
I felt the hairs raise on the back of my neck as he stepped behind me, and then something sharp stuck into my neck, right above my collarbone. A familiar voice I couldn’t quite place whispered, "I'm so sorry."
I tried to turn around, but the world began to spin.
My vision turned hazy, and all I managed to do was link to Griffin. Help.