Chapter 151
JAMES
“SONOFABITCH!!!”
Aaron is convulsing.
His arms and legs are flailing and for a 6’4″ beast of man, he can do a lot of damage. Our men can
handle it.
His wife…
Gods.
2
Leah’s eyes are open and unseeing. Aaron has her hand clasped in his and I wonder if they walk the
same space or if that peace beyond life is as simple as one breath to the next.
Nothing to mourn or hope for.
Just silence and darkness.
One thing’s for sure… if he follows her, it’ll cause chaos.
“Get your ass back here, bro,” I growl, and because I’m so pi ssed that he could be so f**king reckless,
I slap his face to try and anger him back to his senses.
It do
Our men are anxious and gaping at me. They’ve never lost an Alpha. Not in battle and not even in
succession. Aaron’s grandfather transferred the role to him at an early age. Pack Rathborn has been
beneath Aaron’s control for two decades.
There are police sirens outside and that’s going to be a mess to deal with.
“Get them up and out the back.”
There are boats outside and while that might cause a whole shitstorm of trouble-the whole evading
police and fleeing a crime scene variety of charges-we can’t stick around and wait for my Alpha to do…
whatever it is he’s trying to do.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtI think back long and hard on every text of our Archives I’ve
ever read.
Wolves have been transitioned. Wolves have been ‘saved’ by a mating bond.
But no wolf in existence has been mated to a dead human
and survived it.
The very act that Aaron has committed is an abomination.
I worry at the consequences.
“The canisters are ready.” One of the men pulls a tab off one
and it lights instantly.
“Haul them out,” I order. Then I light the remaining fuses.
I stand at the back of the warehouse and wait for the flames
to catch, then flee out the back as they engulf the place.
Burning Liam, this building and all evidence.
A
A
********
6 Months later
The air is cool. It carries the scent of winter.
But that doesn’t make sense.
–
Summer had barely begun.
There’s music in the background. Classical music, Für Elise by
Beethoven.
I sit up slowly.
My body feels awkward. My muscles ache with an odd discomfort that doesn’t hurt, per say, but it’s a
clumsiness that
$
4
4
3
makes me feel like a colt new to walking. My head is heavy and my balance is off.
I stumble and when I stand I almost fall back down again.
But I get moving, one foot in front of the other.
There’s a balcony and door is partly open, letting in the cold-and snow. The flakes scatter on the carpet
before melting.
My feet are bare and the contrast of cold and warm is invigorating.
I open the French doors and step out. The sun is shining even
as the wind and snow b low. His back is to me.
But I’d know those strong shoulders anywhere.
He turns slowly, sensing my presence. “It’s about time you woke up.”
Aaron stalks toward me.
My hair is unbound. It’s long. Like really long. I’m draped in some full length nightgown that an 80 year
old might wear.
His hand touches my face and I gasp.
His touch is as brief as one of those snowflakes. Kissing my
skin then melting into the air.
He walks past me back inside.
“A-aron?”
My voice is raspy and I try to clear my throat. “Aaron. Don’t go.”
He pauses near the door of his bedroom. I’m in his house. I try
to hurry to catch up to him, but I’m dizzy and have to cling to
the wall so not to fall.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm9
He moves toward me like he might catch me and then pauses.
I hold my head. I have visions. Memories.
Splintered images of blood. And pain.
Betrayal and loss.
Someone calling my name in the dark. Dragging me back from the abyss.
I have so many questions…
“I have to go, Leah. Ask one of our staff to fill you in.”
That hurts. I don’t know what I expect, but it isn’t for him to be
so…distant.
“Aaron, Please.”
He hesitates again. His huge body visibly shudders. Is it the
man, his wolf?
He told me he loved me. He held me. My last memories are of only him.
“Why are you pushing me away?” Darkness creeps into my
mind, teasing at the edges
of n
my consciousness. If it engulfs me, I’ll drown. I need him. He’s my tether to this world. I love him and I
need to touch him, to know that this is real and not some figment of my
mind, because I’ve been adrift for so long.
“Please,” I call to him. “Don’t leave me alone…”
His dark eyes are anguished. His muscles flex and his wolf surfaces in a flash of gold. Then his irises
darken again. “I’m sorry,” he mutters before charging out the door. It
closes with a resounding click and I sink to the floor. Tears
gather in my eyes.
Then a voice echoes from within: Whoever said you were
alone?