Filed To Story: Secret with Betas Daughter: Skylar Story Series
Lil laughs and we all join in. “You’re disgusting!” I keep laughing.
“But I think she’s right, we have some kind of barrier, maybe that’s the reason your boys are getting the tattoos when you do the protection spell and we aren’t. We already have our brands, it’s basically the same thing.”
Jena absently rubs her arm. “Even the partial brands that we that we have are clearly doing their jobs.”
“Okay, so while we are on surveillance tonight I will look for a place that can hold a pentagram big enough to control your pack.”
Nathaniel moves to get up.
“I’ll help, if it’s inside we need to look for heat signatures and you can do both on your own.”
Wyatt jumps up too.
“Thank you for that vote of confidence, ass.”
“Oh shut up, you know what I meant. We are on a time crunch and the more eyes the better. If we find anything we can send Midge and the girls out to handle it.
“So now, how do we get your twins off the magic wagon?” Lil asks.
We all sit there for a long while. We should be sleeping, but I can’t sleep. My pack is in danger, Mike or the Rogue King or both is at our doorstep and could attack any day now and Cam and Kota are still victims of whatever Kaley and her dad have going on.
I shouldn’t care so much about what happens to them. They have been hot and cold with me my whole life. Mostly cold and dismissive. But when we were friends they got under my skin and made me care and I don’t know how to turn that off. I can’t knowingly let anything bad happen to them.
The three of us throw a couple of half-assed ideas around, but don’t really get anywhere, so we decide to sleep on it and think fresh in the morning. Maybe talking to Oliver and Sam will help too. They might even have an idea of where this stupid anchor thing could be.
As expected I barely slept, but what I didn’t expect was Jena sleeping like a rock. Even with the thought of Mike coming for her, she didn’t move a muscle once she was out. I had to shake her awake for patrols.
Something is different today. The air is different, not thick and heavy like something bad is going to happen, but also not light and fluffy like something wonderful is happening. Just a change, a shift in the atmosphere.
We both get ready for patrol. I strap on all of my gear, my boots with blades, thigh holsters with all my emergency healing supplies, my back holster with two knives, wrist guards with small throwing knives and my jacket with four extra blades. No werewolf should be carrying as many weapons as I do, but something about them makes me feel safe and confident. Elena said trust my instincts so I’m going with it. “You’re going to wear that to training and stick out like a sore thumb.”
Lil laughs at me.
“Nah, I’ll look like a warrior who is incharge of the stupid trials. No one else wants to, because we all know it’s stupid and a massive distraction we don’t need.”
We eat quickly and head out to do our shift. When we get to the patrol HQ to check in, that’s when I notice it. The honey smell that has always brought me comfort is strong and demanding. Like someone turned on a burner and cranked up the dial on the fragrance.
I turn and see my friend. How could I have forgotten? It’s his birthday, he’s eighteen today.
“Oliver! Oh wow! Look at you!”
He’s just standing there in all his man glory. His already rugged features are sharper somehow. His eyes brighter. Tattoos sharper and on full display in his cut off t-shirt. I think he might be bigger than even just yesterday. He has this glow around him. It’s like an orange tint I have never noticed before.
“Hey, Bitty.”
He breathes out and then smiles that devastating smile.
“Happy Birthday, big guy.”
I walk over and give him a big hug. He wraps me up and I melt into him. He buries his nose in my hair and we just stand there.
“Okay, okay, okay. Stop groping my sister. F*ck, Shorty. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to handle you finding your mate.”
I laugh and let go of Oliver, he doesn’t release me right away though. He reaches up and touches my cheek with the back of his knuckles. The gesture is very intimate and I am all of a sudden very uncomfortable being this close to him. So I take a full step back and breathe deep again.
“I had to try.”
He says roughly, still smiling, not looking ashamed at all about touching me like that.
“Wait, what?”
“Don’t be dense, we all see how you two are together. It’s natural to think you might be mates.”
Jena shoves me in the shoulder.
“But, I’m not eighteen, I won’t know anything until then.”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.