After almost an hour, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. Unlike when Brandon touched me, there was no gut feeling telling me this touch was wrong. I turned around and grinned at Asher, placing my hands on his shoulders as I bobbed up and down. The tips of my toes grazed the silt at the bottom of the lake, just barely.“I should have put floaties on your arms.” His lips twitched into a smirk, and his eyes narrowed playfully.I gave him a look full of offense and frowned, “I’m short, that doesn’t mean I’m going to drown. I still know how to swim. Besides, if I had floaties on, then I wouldn’t need to do this.”I wrapped my arms around his neck, letting my fingers tangle in the unruly strands of his hair. He was beginning to need a trim, which gave me plenty to grab onto. I felt his reaction the moment I slid my legs around his waist. All too quickly, my hands left his hair and traveled down the hard expanse

While I’d initially been searching for Asher, it hadn’t been my intention to go scurrying to him, squealing about his younger brother’s lack of boundaries and basic respect for women.I squashed the part of me that wondered why Brandon was such an ass, especially towards his older brother, reminding myself it wasn’t my job to figure him out.There were far more worrisome things that had my attention, like murderous witches and plotting vampires.‘You should have let me come out.’ Maya huffed for the third time, her bloodlust not at all satiated. It felt nice leaving him groaning in the sand, his beer overturned and forgotten. Maya’s version of justice held the ruthlessness of a Luna. ‘A nasty scar—or a hand, that would teach him. He’d never touch us again.’‘I won’t be known as the Luna who bites off hands.’ I told her pointedly but snorted when she snapped her teeth.

I made it halfway down the beach when a series of cheers and whooping filled the air, followed by laughter and thundering feet. There were at least a hundred men and women running down the beach, towards the forest’s emerald leaves, muted from the dark but still beautiful beneath the moonlight.A few shifted prematurely, shredding bathing suits and swimming trunks as fur sprouted from their arms, neck, and torso. For many the shift was instant, an animal breaking free from its two-legged prison. Large paws dug into the sand, spraying those who hadn’t yet shifted. Some shouted and groaned, while others laughed and tried not to get it in their eyes.“Manhunt! Manhunt!” A few guys chanted, dispersed throughout the crowd. Their voices were nearly drowned in the laughter and cheering. Still, the word brought nothing but confusion.‘Isn’t manhunt like adult hide and seek?’ I asked Maya, even though there was no way she’d

Just when I thought Asher would put me out of my misery, he stiffened above me. Even his breath halted, grazing just below my collar bone. He cocked his head to the side, his voice deadly calm.“Why is my brother’s scent on you?”I froze beneath him, my mind taking a few seconds to process his question. I sniffed the sweatshirt I wore, catching remnants of wet sand, fresh water, and sunblock. Asher’s scent had mixed with my own when we completed our bond, but hidden beneath it all, I could distinctly smell Brandon’s mint and cheap beer scent. I hadn’t even realized, and neither had he until now.“Don’t, Asher.” I warned him, sitting up when he leaned back on his knees. Shirtless and bathed in moonlight, he looked like a vengeful God, eyes swirling with flecks of gold. “He’s using me to get a reaction out of you. Believe me, I didn’t let him get away with it.”“Show me.&rdq

Asher arrived minutes after I had accepted Cordelia’s help, slipping through the front door with much more stealth than he should’ve had for someone his size. I spotted his towering form from across the room, the crease between his eyebrows and tension in his shoulders were among the first things I noticed.“Was everything alright with patrol?” I asked, drawn to his side. He slid an arm around my waist, letting his hand rest inches above my backside. I could feel the ire he was holding back and gave him a stubborn look.I let my thoughts mix with his, so that he would be the only audience to what I said next. ‘You’re not running this pack all alone anymore, Asher. You can tell me things.’“Patrols are running smoothly. It’s just quiet out there.” Asher cleared his throat, directing my attention from his plush lips and eyes of molten honey. His thumb skated along my pulse, those lips twitching as they re

I was only partially awake when I heard the bedroom door open. The cold draft in the hallway whooshed into the bedroom, blowing Asher’s scent until it swirled around the room.My nose twitched, and even in my sleep I knew when he was near. Fingers brushed my cheek. Just two, trailing slowly to my jawline. The sparks, which could be overwhelming at times, turned subtle and soothing.As his hand drifted lower, grazing my neck and shoulder, he gradually came to a stop. I could no longer feel his fingers gliding over my skin, but instead knew where they hovered.For months I pretended the crimson mark on my skin was non-existent, a nightmare that I had long ago woken up from. Tristan was trying, working to make up for his mistakes and to preserve his people, but I’d always have the physical reminder of what side he had once been on.Even without his mark, as his Queen, I’d always have that faint connection to him.“Is Zeke alive

“Alright, so maybe he can use me to get a rise out of Asher.” I sighed under my breath, wincing when Brandon’s fist slammed into Asher’s jaw. My mate absorbed the hit with a straight face, his golden eyes bright with anger as he grabbed his brother by the throat and shoved him back.Brandon, as cocky as ever despite the massive hangover he was sporting, quickly regained his balance. His dark hair was messy on his head and lacked the charm of naturally tousled hair. He narrowed his bloodshot eyes and snarled at his older brother, charging forward with enough force to knock a grown man off his feet.It was clear Brandon was a glutton for punishment. He knew Asher would find him after what he pulled last night—especially after laying a hand on me.He stumbled out of some sorority house I had no name for, directly across the street from the afterparty most of the University attended. Half-dressed and grinning ear to ear, he spr

“It’s happening again?” Sean frowned, emerging from Claire’s kitchen with a plate of sandwiches in his hand and a bag of chips in the other. Sean looked better than he had these last few weeks. He was eating again, and the dark circles around his eyes had faded almost completely. Moving on from a fallen mate was impossible, but finding a way to live despite the pain, only the strongest could do such a thing. He took a seat beside dad on the couch, setting the plate on the table for the two of them. Dad and Sean needed to keep their hands busy when they were stressed. It was exactly why grandma was out back right now, pruning Claire’s rose bush. I knew she was listening in on us, because every so often she’d throw a comment of her own through the sliding glass door. The breeze that wafted through was pleasant, at least. Even though the room was heavy with emotion. “Exactly li

I had never been good at sugar coating things, but I tried to tone down the details as I told her what I knew. There was a nervous flutter in my chest because she hadn’t turned and bolted up the stairs. She was still here, listening even though her eyes were somewhere far away. “Her name is—was Carson, she went to the University in town and ran one of the sororities. She had friends and a family.” I explained, “I know it’s a long shot, but I had to ask. I know you weren’t aware of our father’s plans, but this was how it started before. She’s the first, but there’s too high a chance she won’t be the last.” Holly was silent for so long that I wondered if coming here was useless. She was unnaturally still. Tristan was the only one who wasn’t on edge, leaning against the wall as if this was common occurrence. “I don’t always see things, sometimes its sounds or feelings.” Her voice was soft and a few octaves higher than mine. I met her gaze unflinchingly,

“You’re sure?” I asked Mason, my irritation increasing with each missing piece thrust in front of my face. Mason met Asher and I on our way to Carson’s parent’s house. My stomach was rumbling from the lack of food, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep anything down if I tried. Just the thought of facing the shattered remains of her family, it left my nerves frayed and exposed. He nodded, just as perplexed. “Positive. Not only was Carson the only one with access to the sorority’s social media account, but the picture was also posted from her phone.” “Thanks, Mason.” I sighed, feeling that familiar pang of guilt as I looked into his mossy hazel eyes. Asher’s phone began to ring. He frowned at the screen and turned away, placing the phone against his ear. The voice on the other end was muffled, but it was Mason I had my attention on. “Don’t feel bad, Lola. We’ve both been busy these last two weeks.” His easygoing smile gave me some reassurance,