LOGINIf you have made it this far into this story, THANK YOU!!! This one has been a fun one to write, in part because the story wants to be told. :) We are getting much closer to where the book started in the prologue, and that means some big reveals are on their way. It's going to be an interesting ride; I can't wait to see what you all think. Please do consider leaving a review on the front of this novel. They really do make a difference and help attract other readers.
(Jenna POV)I will give credit where credit is due.Roman was a good dancer, and considering he was an alpha, he was surprisingly warm and easygoing.He talked my ear off the entire first song, leading me to quickly agree to a second and then a third.By the time we were done --I had to draw the line at three— I knew the name of his pack; how many siblings he had; his wolf’s name; and even that his mate died a week after they met. I also knew that he had an embarrassing habit of drinking milk straight from the carton.I didn’t talk very much, but that was okay. In fact, it was more than okay. It was nice letting someone else lead the conversation.Roman walked me back to the table where Ashley and Andrew were waiting for me. Just before I sat back down, he pulled me into a friendly hug. Nothing sexual; nothing inappropriate.“Jenna Maxwell, I would love it if you would give me your phone number.”I frowned.“Roman, I ….” I paused, trying to figure out how best to navigate this.
(Jenna POV)“Tell me again! Tell me again!” Ashley said excitedly.I rolled my eyes.“No.”“Oh, come on! Andrew hasn’t heard it yet.”“I don’t care,” I groaned. “You are having way too much fun at my expense.”“I’m having fun WITH you, not AT you. Now tell Andrew. Start from the part where you took your nightgown off in front of Nick!”Andrew’s eyes widened.That’s what he got for being late; he missed the story the first time through.“You did what?!?”“I’m ending my friendship with both of you right now,” I announced as I put my forehead on the table.We were currently at The Howl & Growl, which was a restaurant in neutral territory that catered to werewolves and humans alike. It wasn’t the bar we originally talked about, but it served plenty of cocktails. Not that we were drinking any. For whatever reason, none of us seemed to be in the drinking mood. We literally ordered drinks and then let them sit while we drank water instead.“What happened?” Andrew demanded. “You can’
(Jenna POV)I won’t lie.I was nervous about answering the door and seeing Nick. As in, very, very, very nervous.Ashley wasn’t wrong. I had definitely wondered more than once recently whether Nick could be my second chance mate.It was sort of funny, actually.Two years earlier, I didn’t even think I was worthy of having a beta as a mate. Now I was seriously debating whether I could be mated to the Alpha King.Things really had changed.But… what if he wasn’t?“And what if he is?” Willow asked, sounding both tired and anxious.“I don’t know if I want to know. Not now. Not tonight,” I linked Willow back.“Well, I do,” she complained. “Answer the door, Jenna.”I closed my eyes and let out a breath.Fine.I could do this.No matter what the answer was, I was going to be okay.I heard more knocking.Finally, with my heart pounding fast in my chest, I forced myself to walk over and answer the door.And there he was.Nick.Looking handsome as always, with a worried look on his face.
(Jenna POV)No one prepares you for what a rejection will feel like.It hurts… a lot.Worse, it feels like a part of your soul is being forced out of your body.And your body –not understanding why it is happening—tries desperately to cling to whatever lingering strands of the bond that it can reach.A part of you wonders …even briefly… if you have made a mistake. If you should have tried harder. Fought harder. Done something different.Those feelings pass, thankfully.But when they do, you are filled with a weird combination of sadness and emptiness. Not the “Hey, my stomach is empty” kind of emptiness, but rather the “Oops; I just fell down a well and there is no bottom,” kind.In other words, rejection sucks. I would not recommend it.When it was over, Danny hugged me one last time. I let him.He also kissed me goodbye. I also let him do that.And when he walked towards the door …pausing just before he left to look at me… I forced myself not to stop him.Once he was gone, I
(Danny POV)My mother stood up.“I’m not doing this right now. Go back to the packhouse. We will talk tomorrow.”“No, Mother. We talk now.”My father stood up too.“Your mother is right. This whole conversation is pointless. What’s done is done. We can talk later.”I stayed sitting.“I’m not done,” I said coldly.“You are acting like we did something wrong,” my mother complained. “We did nothing but try to teach you right from wrong.”“No, Mother. You taught me to ignore my own heart, my own feelings, my own instincts. You taught me that I had to have blind trust in a mate bond no matter how messed up it seemed or felt.”“Goddess!!!” my mother answered, throwing her hands up in the air as she turned to my father. “John, I figured it out. This is about that girl – Jenna. I knew the second she came back to the pack that she was going to be nothing but trouble.”“This is about Jenna,” I confirmed. No reason to hide it.“She left the pack right after the funeral,” she told my
(Danny POV)I rang the doorbell.When my parents didn’t answer, I rang it again.And again. And again.I didn’t care how late it was. Some things couldn’t wait.Jenna had taught me that lesson.Eventually, on the 5th ring, my parents answered the door. They were together, both wearing bath robes and rumpled hair, both looking disoriented from the unexpected interruption.“Danny?” my mother gasped as soon as she saw me, her voice a mixture of concern and confusion.“Mother,” I acknowledged her, with an unmistakable sharpness in my tone.My father leaned into the doorway.“What the hell, Son? Do you have any idea what time it is?” he growled.I ignored him, choosing to simply push my way inside.“We need to talk,” I informed them.“It is two o’clock in the morning,” my father protested. He was getting angrier by the second.“If you are tired, brew a pot of coffee,” I said coldly.“Danny, what’s going on?” my mother asked, concern written all over her face.She approached me with b
(A little more than two years earlier)(Jenna POV)“Jenna Maxwell, I want you to meet Alexander McMahon,” my boss said as he walked into the conference room.I stood up and politely offered my hand. Instead of accepting the handshake, the 50-something Mr. McMahon turned my hand and kissed it gentl
(Jenna POV)I am standing in the middle of the woods… alone… staring into the dark night sky.Heavy rain pounds down all around me, while thunder roars and lightning flashes across the sky. I am wearing a rain jacket, but it is only barely doing its job. My hair is wet, and I am drenched from hea
(Danny POV)It was late in the day on a Friday afternoon, and I was going through a never-ending pile of paperwork on my desk. I was exhausted, but I had at least another 3-4 hours of work before I could call it a day.Frustrated with the constant stream of interruptions today and my inability to
(Jenna POV)The day that Mr. McMahon returned, I began our meeting by going over the retainer agreement with him.“What the f&&k is this?” he asked as he looked over the contract terms.I leaned back in my chair and smiled.“Which part bothers you? I believe it is all pretty standard.”“$650 per h







