“I don’t even like shopping!”

  He raises a brow. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  We pile into the Jeep and are on our way to the store. The guys took measurements of all the windows for me. I played it off like I wanted new curtains and shades for all the windows because I didn’t like the ones they have in the house. If I told them I only wanted to change something for the kitchen window, that would have been too obvious. They’d surely have questioned me over it and I don’t want to go into detail about why I no longer want to look out that window.

  Thorne drives us to a home store. It doesn’t take long to get there. I’ve never been here but the place is huge and I’m excited to go inside and check it out. Castor grabs a cart as Hunter takes my hand and we head inside.

  “Remember, we’re not taking long,” Hunter reminds me. I roll my eyes.

  “Where to first?” Cas asks as we enter. It looks even bigger from here. I look around at all the signs and point when I find one that has curtains listed on it. I move forward, dragging Hunter with me, keeping him by my side. Thorne and Cas stay behind, but not too far.

  “Oh, how about these?” I ask, gliding my fingers along a pair of white curtains with pineapples all over them.

  “Cute, but they don’t match,” Thorne says.

  “Good point.”

  We keep going up and down the aisles, looking at the tall displays that hold curtains for any room in the house. Thankfully, I find a few pairs that I think would look great. A new set for the bedroom, once we’re all able to sleep in it, a set for each of the bathrooms and then one for the kitchen—thank fuck!

  After spending three hours in the store and finding a few more decorations, Hunter is getting cranky.

  “Fine, we can go!” I whine. We head to the front of the store, cash out, and head back home.

  As soon as we get there, Hunter kisses me goodbye and heads to his car, not even bothering to go inside. Once we get in, I look to the other guys with a big grin.

  “So, can we hang the curtains now?”

  Fifty-three

  Hunter

  The more I spend time with Leona, the worse I feel about lying to her. It hasn’t been easy lying to the guys either. It’s not something I’ve ever done. I’ve made plenty of mistakes during my life but I’ve always owned up to them.

  I don’t lie.

  Knocking on the door isn’t an option. I grab the handle and let myself in. Walking directly to the room I know I’ll find Julian.

  When I open the door, I find him sitting on the couch, fully naked with his dick shoved down someone’s throat. He doesn’t budge when I walk in. His eyes meet mine and he grins.

  He knew I was coming. He’s been texting me all fucking day with warnings. I couldn’t deal with letting Leona down though. She wanted me to go with her. I couldn’t say no after she gave me that cute face.

  I am so fucked.

  “Did you call me here to join in? Because if so, I’m not fucking interested.” I cross my arms over my chest, trying to look as laid back as possible. The more I show that he’s getting to me, the worse this will be.

  “Not exactly but the invitation is open if you change your mind.” His hand moves to the back of her head, pushing it down further and holding it there for a moment. When she pulls up, she gasps loudly and sucks in as much air as she can.

  “I’d rather gouge my eyes out and eat them for breakfast but I appreciate the offer.”

  He grins at me again before his eyes fall to the woman sucking him off. Both hands grasp her head now and he begins to control her movements, bringing her head up and down quickly. I watch for a moment, appalled by what is happening in front of me.

  “You know—” I start to say but I’m cut off by a deep groan leaving Julian. I scoff. “You’re fucking disgusting,” I spit out.

  He just laughs.

  The woman gets to her feet and moves towards the door. She’s wiping the side of her mouth as she passes me, her makeup running down her face, and drool and cum dripping down her chin. She grins at me and I hold back the gag.

  Fucking disgusting.

  “Have a seat, Hunt,” Julian says cheerily.

  “No fucking thanks.”

  He looks at me for a long moment.

  “You know, I thought I was clear on our arrangement. I told you exactly what I expected of you, even gave you the option of choosing. I was kind, Hunter. Kinder than I normally am.”

  “I made my decision. My mother is gone. What is this about?”

  “Is she, though?” His eyes find mine and there is too much humor floating around in there. Way too much. My stomach turns.

  He knows.

  “See, Bash and Verik are two of my best men. Though they take contracts through others, they are loyal to me. You understand that, don’t you?” I open my mouth to speak, but he doesn’t allow me. “Of course, you do. You’re a smart man.” He gets to his feet, walking slowly up the two steps to meet me. He stands an inch shorter than me. I could kill him. Right here, right now. I could do it. My fists clench at my sides as the smell of sweat and sex waft from him. “Come with me, Hunt. I have something you’ll want to see.”

  He doesn’t let me answer. He leaves the room and I follow, knowing I don’t have much of a choice. He walks down the hallway quickly and I follow, unsure of where we are going. He pulls a robe off a nearby rack and puts it on. Thank god. I’ve been in this house a few times but never down this hallway. We reach a dead end and there is one door on the left. He swings it open, gesturing for me to go. I look down and it looks like a basement. I raise a brow.

  I’m not that fucking stupid.

  “Oh, don’t be silly. I’m not going to keep you down here.” He laughs again. And when I don’t move, he says, “Fine, I’ll go first.” He pats me on the shoulder and it takes everything in me not to rip it the fuck off. He walks down the stairs and I envision kicking him right in the head, knocking him down the stairs. His body lies on the ground at the bottom of the stairs, limbs twisted in the wrong direction. He’d heal from it. It may be worth it, but it may not. He stops halfway, turning around to look back at me. With that annoying grin on his face, he says, “You’re trying my patience.”

  I keep my anger in check, take in a deep breath and let it out. I start down the stairs and he keeps going. As we reach the bottom, there is another long hallway to the left. That’s the way he goes and I follow. Large circular lights line the narrow hallway and it looks as if there are doors on either side. As we get closer, I see what looks like windows as well. We stop right at the beginning of the doors, so I am unable to see what is inside of any of the windows from this angle.

  “You’re going to thank me for this. I promise.” He moves out of the way and gestures towards the window. I look from it to him and he shrugs. I take a tentative step forward, keeping my eyes on him. Finally breaking contact, I move my eyes towards the window. There is a light on inside so I can see perfectly what is inside.

  Or rather, who is inside.

  My hands reach up to the glass, pounding on it. I turn around and swing at Julian, but he was expecting it and has already moved out of the way. A deep growl leaves my chest as I dash for the door. I expect it to be locked but I’m thrilled when I realize it’s open. I don’t care what I have to do. I’ll get her out of here.

  I run to my mother’s side, lifting her head up between both of my hands. She groans, telling me she’s alive. But she is not in good shape. She’s thinner than she was when I last saw her. It’s been almost two months since she’s been gone. How long has she been here? I told those assholes I would come back to kill them if they two timed me. Guess I have some hunting to do. They’ll die for this.

  I thought I was doing my mother a favor. Having Bash and Verik take her and bring her somewhere safe instead of killing her like Julian ordered. I paid them good and they swore loyalty to me after I told them my plan. Those two are dead for this.

  The lock on the door clicks, echoing through the room. My eyes look up towards the window that looks like a mirror on this side. Julian’s voice sounds through a speaker by the door.

  “Here’s how it’s going to go, Hunt.”

  Fifty-four

  Leona

  “Where could he be?” I ask for the hundredth time, pacing the hallway. My nails are chewed to the beds, my lips are torn from worrying them. Something is wrong.

  “I don’t know, Leona. I really don’t. I wish I could tell you. Maybe he changed his mind.”

  I whip my head in Castor’s direction, glaring at him. “He wouldn’t do that,” I growl out.

  Castor shakes his head and gets to his feet, leaving the room.

  I look to Thorne, the sour look still on my face.

  “He never went home, baby. He lied. I don’t… I don’t think he’s coming back.”

  I don’t want to hear that. I can’t hear that. He wouldn’t do this.

  That ache, the one I was so used to being gone, it’s back.

  Something is wrong.

  I shake my head, tears building in my eyes.

  “Why don’t you guys believe me?” I say, clenching my fists. “I’m telling you he wouldn’t do this. Not now. Something is wrong.”

  “Okay, Leona. What do you want me to do then? We already went by his house. He isn’t there. His father said he hasn’t seen him. I’ve called him at least fifty times and he isn’t answering. I—”

  “Call him again,” I order.

  “What?”

  “I said, call him again!”

  I can tell Thorne is sad. Castor is more angry, but Thorne is sad for me. I can feel it. He and Castor have been dressed and ready for a while. I’ve been putting it off, making this more difficult for everyone involved.

  “Okay, I’ll call him again. But when I get back, you need to get ready. The ceremony is in twenty minutes.”

  I’m left alone in the room, fighting the urge to break down.

  Where the hell is he? I don’t want to believe he would do this to me.

  He wouldn’t. He would not leave me here like this. It doesn’t make any sense. If he didn’t want to be mated to me, he wouldn’t have done it. The bond is already done. We have everything prepared. The masking cream and de-scenting lotion was brought over yesterday by Callan and Maddox. The entire pack has been invited to this event.

  Hunter would not do this.

  And the longer he’s gone, the longer he goes without answering his phone, the more worried I feel. He’s been gone since yesterday afternoon. What if something has happened to him?

  “Leona?” I look up to find Thorne coming back into the room. “I’m sorry, he didn’t answer.”

  “What are we going to do, Thorne? We can’t pretend to do this without him!” My bottom lip trembles as a stray tear slips from my eye. Thorne is at my side in the next second, pulling me close to him. I break down, letting the tears fall. My fists grip his shirt as I let it all out. All the frustration I’m feeling.

  “It’s okay,” Thorne soothes. “We will go out there and tell them Hunter is running late. When he doesn’t show, we can play it off like something is wrong. They’ll help to look for him and the ceremony will be postponed.” His words sound tired. I pull back.

  “But that’s not what you want to do, I can tell.”

  He shakes his head. “You’re right. I want him to feel the embarrassment of all of this, not you. I want everyone to know this is his fault, not yours or ours. He deserves whatever he gets after this. I can’t believe he would do this to you. He—”

  “He didn’t do anything! Something is wrong!” I stomp my foot like a child and rush up the stairs. I enter my room, the one that I can’t fucking stand, and slam the door. I look at the dress hanging on the closet doors and wonder if I really want to do this.

  I need to. I have to be strong and get through this. We have to go out there and act like we don’t know anything. Thorne can feel however he wants, he’ll go along with the plan. It’ll be fine.

  I have about ten minutes left to get ready and I don’t want to be late on top of everything else. It’s a good thing this ceremony is happening right in our backyard. They’ve already erected the tents and set up the seating for guests. There are tables set out where food will be laid out for everyone to eat. Yeah, it’s the end of February and it’s freezing, but apparently, this is what they do. Rain or shine, snow or sleet.

  “Whatever,” I mumble to myself. I pull the dress from the hanger and drop it onto the bed. I quickly pull off my clothes and get into the dress. It fits just right. Apparently, it’s tradition for the pack elders to pick and prepare the dress for all those going through the ritual. They did a good job. I look at myself in the mirror. The dress is white, knee-length, and covered in lace with a silky slip on the inside. The shoes are simple ballet flats—also white. I rush into the bathroom and flick on my hair straightener while I put on a bit of makeup, making sure to add the masking cream to cover my mate mark and apply the lotion to my skin. By the time I’m done, I run the straightener through my hair in record time. Just as I put it down, shouting erupts downstairs. I shake my head, not even wanting to know what is happening this time. I grab my phone on the way out, noting that we are already a minute late.

  When I get halfway down the stairs, I hear him.

  Hunter.

  He and Castor are shouting at one another. Again.

  I make my way down there and march right over and step between them. Hunter is filthy and he fucking smells like sweat.

  “I don’t want to know where the hell you’ve been. I suggest you go upstairs and get ready. We’re already late and I don’t have time to deal with this.” He opens his mouth to speak. “Now, Hunter!” He closes his mouth and hangs his head before turning around and marching up the stairs. I pinch the bridge of my nose, taking a moment to breathe. A hand rests on my shoulder but I pull away.

  “Go outside and let them know I need a few more minutes. We will be outside shortly.”

  Castor’s eyes are still filled with anger. He looks as if he is going to challenge me or argue. Thorne places his hand on his shoulder and they both turn and head out the back door. I take a deep breath and let it out before heading upstairs to make sure Hunter is ready.

  Fifty-five

  Leona

  Hunter is coming out of his room as I reach the top of the stairs.

  “Leona, there is—”

  I hold my hand up, silencing him.

  “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t have time to hear it. I said we can deal with this later. If you’re all set, we need to get downstairs. We are already late.” He looks as if he wants to say something but decides against it. I place my hands on my hips, waiting for him to get moving.

  “You look beautiful,” he says quietly, before moving past me and heading down the stairs.

  My eyes burn with tears again, but I push them back.

  This will all be over soon.

  I head down after Hunter and move towards the back door. I open it and head outside. The cool air hits my skin and it calms me instantly. But also reminds me of my wolf and how much of a brat she is being. I wish she would just get over herself and come out already.

  “There she is!” Vivian, the pack elder who picked out my dress greets me with a hug and a kiss. “You look ravishing, dear. I bet those boys are very excited about tonight, hm?”

  I smile at her. “I hope so,” I say. She laughs and hooks her arm in mine, walking with me to the special tent. Our special tent. The tent we are supposed to complete the mate bond in. The entire walk from the house to the tent, all I can think about is how ridiculous this is. Part of me is glad this has already been done, because I can’t imagine being intimate with the guys while these people sit outside.

  I mean, it’s not many. A few pack elders, the pack leader, and his beta.

  But still. That’s weird, right?

  “Elder Hornby, I present to you Leona Graves.” Vivian bows to him and I do the same. I see the guys standing side by side near the tent, but I don’t look at them directly. I focus on the man in front of me who is holding out his hand. I reach for it and he covers mine with his other, shaking softly.

  “We are so happy to welcome you into our pack, Leona Graves.” He looks behind him, letting go of my hand and motioning towards the boys. “These boys came to us when they were young. They came with their families after a horrible tragedy struck, taking many of their own pack, including their leaders and a few of their own parents.”

  What? My guys had other parents? I did find it odd they only had one mom and dad, knowing many shifters have more than one mate but… they never mentioned death.

  “My dear boys,” he continues. “Your parents are proud of you, all of them. Even Blake and Benson, who are looking down at us from the Heavens above. What a treasure it is to find your mate. Completing this ceremony is about bonding, becoming one with another. It’s—”

  “So sorry I am late, my friends!” My head turns to see two young guys walking into the yard from around the front. They don’t look much older than me and the guys. The one who spoke resembles a rat. His features rather plain, but there is something about him… the other one is a bit better looking, but he also gives me a bad vibe. I bet this is Julian and his beta. I’ve never even met the men but I’ve heard what the guys say about them. And I feel it just from looking at them.

  They walk straight towards me.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Hornby. May I say a few words?”

  The Elder shrugs and takes a step back. The guys all shift nervously, as if they may lunge forward and stop Julian from getting any closer to me. I see the smirk slide across the rat’s face as he leans in, kissing both of my cheeks.

  I’m hit with a wave of anger that doesn’t belong to me.

  That’s… odd.

  “My, my, you are a lovely girl. How lucky these boys are to have finally found their mate. I want to welcome you to this pack, Leona. Know that you are wanted and if there is anything you shall ever need, all you need to do is ask.”