The conversation starts to slow down. We have a solid plan in place. I think this time we are finally going to get somewhere with what we have. I can’t believe this solution has been sitting under our noses this entire time.

  When we first started talking, there was a lot of venting from Lenny. Angry with Ms. Boone for leaving Leona with their mom when she knew what the living conditions were like. Angry for her not coming forth sooner. And he’s not out of line by being upset. But she has a valid reason for doing what she did. It’s true that Leona did not have a good upbringing, but where else would she have gone where she would have been safe? Telling anyone else about her would only put her in more danger. It couldn’t be risked. As for not telling us sooner, well, I’m not sure I can agree with that. There is no reason she didn’t tell her sooner. Yeah, she was worried about it putting Leona in danger, but not telling her does the same thing. I guess from where she saw it, she was doing the right thing. I know that Lenny only wishes he could have protected her sooner and made everything better for Leona. I wish the same.

  “What the fuck is that!” Castor shouts angrily. His eyes are pinned on Hunter.

  “What are you talking about?” Hunter retorts in his normal arrogant tone.

  “Don’t play stupid with me, Hunter. Show me.”

  “What’s going on?” I ask, looking from Castor to Hunter and then seeing how everyone else is staring too. I’ve never seen Castor look so angry before. I look up towards Callan. He gets the hint.

  “Perhaps it’s time we go. Let us know If you need anything.”

  They all get up and head out the door, shutting it behind them. The door to this room is never shut. Ever.

  “Show. It. To me.”

  I keep my eyes on Castor for a moment longer. His hands are trembling and his jaw is twitching. He is furious.

  “What are you talking about, Cas?” I keep my tone calm, not wanting to set him off. They already made a scene fighting in front of my parents, I’d rather them not do it again here.

  “His wrist. Look at it.” My eyes dart back to Hunter. His arms are folded across his chest.

  “I don’t see anything on his wrist, Cas.”

  “The inside,” he says to me. “Show him your fucking wrist, Hunter. Now,” he growls.

  The inside of his wrist? No. No way.

  “I don’t have to do shit, Cas. You’re not my fucking mother.”

  “You’re right,” Cas laughs. “If I had been, I’d have beaten the living hell out of you!” He gets to his feet and I do the same, sure to stay between the two of them. I cannot have them fighting in here, of all places.

  I turn towards Hunter. “Just show me, man. Come on.”

  Hunter looks at me. His eyes holding an unfamiliar amount of emotion. Those bright blue eyes that belong to Hunter have never looked like this before.

  “You guys fucking suck.” He gets up from his chair and turns to walk away. Castor tackles him before I even know what’s going on. He manages to get him into a choke hold.

  “Show him, or so help me, Hunter, I will kill you.”

  “Cas… maybe you should calm down, yeah?” He shakes his head.

  “Nope. I’m done with this asshole. I’m done with him ruining everything. I forgave him for everything that happened when we were younger. Every little fucking thing. I will not forgive him for this.” Hunter is groaning, trying to get out of the hold, but Cas only squeezes tighter.

  “Cas, he’s turning red.”

  “Good.”

  I look to Hunter, who is clawing at Castor’s arms, doing anything he can to get out.

  “Is it worth your life, asshole?”

  Hunter looks at me then, and his eyes go blank. I worry for a second that he’s dead. That Castor killed him. But then it hits me. He isn’t dead. He’s just given up.

  Twenty-one

  Leona

  The shower, as always, helps me clear my head. Once I’m done, I quickly get dressed and head into my room. The guys still aren’t here. I’m not sure how long they’re going to be over in the main house, but I’m suddenly tired and decide that I want to go to sleep.

  I check the paper once more before climbing into bed and falling asleep.

  I’m walking in the dark. It’s cold and the air smells damp like the earth. My feet walk along cold, cracked stones. I stop for a moment, wanting to look around. I realize that I’m in a tunnel made of old, gray stones. I keep moving forward, something in my chest pulling me in that direction. I’m not sure what it is, but something tells me that whatever it is I’m looking for is this way. I keep going. My eyes have somewhat adjusted to the dark and I can see the wall before I walk into it.

  A dead end.

  Turn around and go back the way you came.

  A voice that I don’t recognize speaks to me. It’s deep and calming. It gives me the same kind of feeling that listening to Thorne does, only this isn’t Thorne.

  Do not be afraid.

  I turn around and go back the way I came. The hair stands up on the back of my neck. I feel as if I’m being watched. I keep going, knowing that I need to find a way out of this place. I take slow but sure steps, blinking often to keep my eyes adjusted to the dark. The tunnel starts to curve to the left and the room begins to brighten. Not so much that it would be daylight, but there is some kind of light source not too far away. The further I walk, the brighter it gets, the easier it is to see.

  I walk into what looks like a small forest encapsulated inside of a room. The room itself isn’t much bigger than my house. The trees are taller, taller than me but not as tall as they would be if they were outside. Everything is basked in a dull, blue hue but I can’t see where it is coming from. There is a small waterfall to my right and a stream running down and to the left. Really, this looks like a miniature version of a forest. I take a step closer and pause at the feel of something soft under my feet. No longer cold and hard, but now warm and squishy.

  The feeling of being watched is still causing me to be on edge. I turn slowly, looking back down the hallway I came from but see nothing. As I face forward once again, I see something dash behind a tree. Well, at least I think I do. I lean to the side, trying to get a better view.

  “Hello?” I call out, wondering if someone is there. Perhaps they can tell me where I am and how I am supposed to get out of here.

  The closer I get, the darker it becomes as the trees hang overhead.

  A deep, low growl has me coming to a complete stop.

  I even hold my breath.

  A large, white wolf—like the one who tried taking me, only this one is a little different—steps out from behind the tree. Head bowed low to the ground, blood covered teeth bared. On close inspection, I see that the front paws and chest are also covered in blood.

  She killed something recently, I think.

  I take a step back, still feeling shockingly calm, even though this beast stands in front of me. With one swipe of the claw, I could bleed out. Why don’t I feel scared?

  As I move back, it follows. For each step I take, it takes one as well.

  Just as I’m about to turn and run, it leaps at me, knocking me to the ground. My back hits the ground with a dull squish, all the air leaving my lungs. The wolf looms over me, paws digging into my chest, snout inches from my face. It’s so close I can smell the death on its breath.

  Still, I don’t feel fear.

  I rack my brain, trying to figure out what to do. How do I get out of this situation?

  Think, my girl. Think of what you should do. Think of who you are.

  Who I am? Think? I’m seconds away from being eaten by a monstrous, white wolf. Now isn’t the time for thinking!

  Now isn’t the time for panicking.

  How does he know what I’m thinking?

  Duh, Leona. This is a dream, it’s really just you.

  You are smart, but you have much to learn. You are right in saying this is your dream, but I am not you. A part of you, yes. Or rather, you are a part of me.

  A man appears to my left, walking over with his hands clasped behind his back and a kind smile upon his face. The wolf hanging over me is still growling, ready to eat me alive.

  He waves his hand and the wolf freezes. Not just freezes like I did before when I was scared, it’s actually like he hit the pause button. The wolf is frozen in time.

  “Are you a warlock?”

  He chuckles softly. “No. Sometimes I wish I were, but I am much happier with who I am.”

  “Who are you?”

  “All in good time, my girl.” He takes a step back, his eyes meeting mine for a second before he swiftly turns around. “Shall we take a stroll?”

  He begins to walk away. My eyes go back to the wolf that is still above me.

  “Hey, wait!” I shout. “How am I supposed to get this off of me?”

  He turns around, that smile still on his face, only he looks a little more amused this time. “Would you like me to do everything for you? I think you’d much rather handle this situation yourself. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  My eyes move from his to the wolf a few times, before I make the decision to get out. He’s right. I can handle this myself, I don’t need his help.

  My hands lift up, pressing against the soft fur of the animal and pushing. It’s heavy and warm, like what I would imagine a real wolf feeling like.

  It falls over, and as soon as it hits the ground, it disappears into a cloud of smoke.

  “Wonderful. I knew you could do it.” He winks and turns around.

  I hurry to catch up with him, curious about this man.

  “So, this isn’t my dream?” I ask, looking around. The small forest, at some point, turned into a real forest. I no longer see the hallway, The trees are as tall as they would be in real life and it just feels different.

  “Oh, it is your dream. I’m just visiting.”

  “You can do that?”

  He continues walking, taking slow steps, looking around at everything we pass.

  “There are many things one can do, should only they try.”

  The guy isn’t giving off any bad vibes, but he’s weird as hell. Talking like he’s a philosopher or Yoda or something.

  “What do you want from me?” I’m starting to find this whole situation a bit strange. I’ve never had anyone come into my dreams before.

  “To help.”

  “Help what?”

  “You, of course.”

  Well, fucking duh, Captain Obvious. I huff out a breath, moving quickly to catch up with him. “Help me do what, exactly?”

  He stops walking and looks down at me, the smile slowly sliding off his face into a confusing sort of look. His eyes search my face as if he’s looking for something, but who the hell knows what.

  “Perhaps that’s enough for tonight.”

  “Wait, but wha—”

  “Baby…” I open my eyes. Thorne is sitting on the end of the bed, a frown on his face. “Are you okay? What were you dreaming of?”

  I rub my eyes before sitting up. I try to recall the dream I was having but I can’t remember much of it. So that’s what I tell him.

  “You looked scared. It wasn’t a bad dream?”

  “No, I don’t think so. I mean, I feel okay.” He nods. I stretch my arms above my head and yawn. “What time is it?”

  “Late. But not late enough.” He gets to his feet, offering me his hand.

  “Late enough for what?”

  “To celebrate. It’s not every day you turn eighteen.”

  I roll my eyes but take his hand. The smile that was just resting on his face disappears.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He lets out a breath.

  “We need to talk.”

  Twenty-two

  Leona

  My stomach rolls.

  We need to talk is not something you want to hear from your boyfriend.

  “About what?” I ask, trying to keep my emotions in check. I mean, he’s not wrong. We do need to talk. About why they lied to me. Again. And about what the plan is with them leaving. Why they’re leaving. And once again… why the hell didn’t they tell me?

  “What do you know about rejection marks?”

  I look at him for a long moment. “Rejection marks?” He nods. “Uh, nothing?”

  He scrubs his hands over his face and then pulls his hair back, raking his fingers through it.

  God, I am so jealous of his hair.

  He takes a seat beside me on the couch. We came down to the sitting area to talk. I needed to get out of bed or else I would have fallen back asleep. I don’t care that it’s going to be my birthday in a little over an hour. I’m tired and I want to sleep.

  “Every Paranormal, no matter what species, has a mate. Most have more than one, but some do only have one. Not everyone is lucky enough to find their mate or mates. It’s rare, but it does happen. If that happens, it sucks. You go your whole life in search of what feels like the rest of your soul. You can have relationships, you can love, but it’s just never enough. On the other side of it, are the rejected mates. Mates who have found one another, but for some reason, one rejects the other.”

  “Why would someone do that?”

  “Different reasons. Sometimes their will is more powerful than their soul. They choose to deal with the pain instead of giving in to it and allowing someone to heal it.” His eyes meet mine. “Sometimes one of them is just a royal asshole for no reason that can be explained and the others don’t want to deal with it.”

  A stabbing pain hits me right in the chest.

  Hunter. He’s talking about Hunter.

  “Anyway, there isn’t always something official that needs to be done for a rejection to happen, it’s more about a mindset. If one refuses the bond, completely separating themselves, then it’s done.”

  I shake my head, my eyes are starting to burn. I don’t even know why this is bothering me so much. Hunter is an asshole. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “All rejected mates get a mark. A small, black mark on their wrist. It starts out small, but grows to be big enough to be seen without being missed by anyone who looks.”

  “And?” I ask, becoming more frustrated. Thorne keeps his eyes on me. I pull my knees up and hug them close to my chest, resting my chin on top and looking back at him.

  “Hunter has the mark.”

  Hunter has a rejection mark.

  So many thoughts go through my head at the same time. Why? Can it be fixed? When did it happen?

  “Is this my fault?” I ask softly.

  Maybe I should have been nicer to him. Maybe I should have tried harder. He’s a pain in my ass, and he’s been nothing but a jerk to me but a rejection mark? I can only assume this means he will no longer be a part of the group with Thorne and Castor. That... that really upsets me. Hunter has been a problem for me, which in turn has made him a problem for them. But before me? They were fine. I saw them together, saw how they interacted. I still do. They love each other. I can’t be the reason they split up.

  “No.” Thorne’s voice is harsh. He pulls me onto his lap, squeezing me to his chest. His big, strong arms wrap around me making me feel as small as a mouse. He’s so warm and smells so good. I always feel so safe in his arms. “No, baby. This has nothing to do with you and everything to do with him.”

  “How do I fix it?”

  “You can’t. You aren’t the one rejecting him. It’s his problem; he needs to deal with it.”

  “Why is he doing this? Maybe I should talk to him.”

  I feel Thorne’s head shaking back and forth. He sighs. “He left.”

  I pop up, pulling away from Thorne, but he holds onto me so I can’t get too far.

  “What do you mean he left? Where did he go?”

  “He went back to the pack. He went home.”

  “Is this… was this his plan all along? Did you know about this?”

  “What?” Thorne looks as if I’ve slapped him and a small part of me feels guilty for saying what I just said. “Why would—” He stops speaking abruptly and takes a deep breath. “No, Leona, I didn’t know about this and this was not his plan.” I push away from him and he lets me go. I find my seat on the other end of the couch, needing a moment to breathe. “Look, we didn’t tell you because we didn’t want to upset you. I know you don’t like how we keep things from you, but we aren’t doing it to be sneaky. We don’t want you to carry this burden.”

  “I’m not a baby, Thorne. I’ve dealt with a lot of bullshit in my life, I can handle this.”

  He gets to his feet.

  “Don’t you see? That’s exactly the point, Leona. We don’t want you to have to deal with more. As your mates, it’s our job to protect you. We want to make you happy, we don’t want you worrying about things you don’t have to worry about.”

  “Sounds a lot like babysitting to me.”

  He lets out a frustrated sound. Thorne is patient. I can tell. I can also tell that he’s starting to lose that patience with me. I test him and I push him because I’m frustrated and I don’t know how to talk about my feelings.

  “You can be mad at us all you want. I wouldn’t change what I did. Your family thought it was best too.”

  “You don’t have to rub it in my face, Thorne!”

  “I’m not—”

  “You don’t have to remind me that not one single person on this planet is on my side. You don’t have to remind me that the only person who ever had my back fully, is dead!” I get up from my seat and run up the stairs, locking myself in the bathroom. I pace back and forth, tears stinging my eyes. I wait, thinking Thorne is going to come up here after me like he always does. Part of me wants him to. I want to know that he cares enough to keep trying. The other part of me wishes he would stay away.