Meghan's POV

I walked in to talk to the admissions people in the emergency room, leaving my contact information and a request to be updated by the attending when Mia's scans were done. I told her I was starved and missed lunch, so she told me of a local place I hadn't tried yet. As soon as I mentioned the name, Snake was down with it.

We parked a block away from OMC Smokehouse, and as soon as I smelled the wood smoke I was hungry. With all the werewolves around, barbecue pork was a staple at the Clubhouse, and we ate a lot of it. Twenty minutes later, the two of us were digging in to a sampler with brisket, pulled pork and ribs.

Tasty.

The sides were good as well, they had fries made with duck fat (amazeballs) and a potato salad made with bacon and blue cheese. Snake was in heaven, trying all the new flavors and getting ideas for his own dishes. The food and beer relaxed us both, and when my phone went off an hour later it surprised me a little.

I answered the phone and talked briefly with the ER attending. It was good news, the MRI showed no breaks or brain injuries, and her shoulder was severely bruised, but nothing broken. He said they were keeping her overnight for observation because she had signs of a concussion. All in all, for a woman who slid at speed into a guardrail, she had come out relatively unscathed.

Snake's body visibly relaxed as I gave him the news. He had it bad; for a woman he'd barely met, he felt a real pull to her. "Can we swing by the hospital and see her before we get hotel rooms," he asked.

"I don't see why not. Abaddon followed the wrecker to the Harley dealer, he said he'd bring her stuff to her tonight."

His eyes lit up, and he waved the waitress over and placed a to-go order, a spread at least as big as the one we just finished. "I'm sure she's hungry, and Abaddon won't have eaten," he said. "Getting the sample means I'm more likely to find something she likes."

"You just met this woman at the accident scene," I told him. "What if she isn't interested?"

He took my hand. "She knows you, if you put in a good word for me it won't seem so creepy when I ask her out," I said. I just rolled my eyes. "Come on, you're the one who was pushing me to date again. Sure, the circumstances of our meeting aren't ideal, but the LAST time I met someone at an accident site we ended up married, so how bad an idea could it be?"

"FINE," I said, "I'll talk to her and introduce you, but then you're on your own. If you get all creepy and stalker-ish, she's going to bail and I'll have to kick your ass," I said.

"I'll behave," he promised. We finished our drinks and waited for the big bag of to-go to arrive, and Snake paid the rather large bill. I felt like I was waddling back to the rig, we'd eaten so much, and I let out a very un-lady-like belch when I sat back in the seat. He just laughed at me and put it in gear.

We went to the main hospital, and I checked in at the desk and got her room number. Snake took the food up the waiting room, noses following him as he went, while I went to the nurse's station. Showing them my identification, I reviewed her chart then walked down the hall to her room. She was sitting up in bed, Sportscenter on the television, and she was picking at a plate of dinner that she'd barely touched. I knocked on the door and her face lit up as she recognized me. "Doctor Meghan!"

I walked over and she pulled me into a quick hug with her left arm, her right was in a sling to keep the strain off the shoulder. "I'm glad to see the tests turned out well, you gave us a real scare back there."

"I was lucky, and even luckier you guys were right behind me," she said. "My Doctor says that I'll be released in the morning if there aren't any significant concussion symptoms."

"It's a great outcome, and you can thank your gear for that. Your helmet saved your life."

Her eyes misted over a little, she knew how close she had come. "I know." She looked past me to the doorway. "Where's your partner? He's so hot, please tell me you're not together."

I just laughed. "No, I've known him since I was a baby. He's been in the motorcycle club I grew up in, he runs the Clubhouse kitchen. He could be a chef on his own, but he likes working there," I told her. I could see her interest flash as she found out what he did. "He is single, he was widowed eighteen years ago when their daughter was just a baby. It's taken him a long time to get over it, but now that his daughter is getting serious with a man, he's thinking about dating again. He's a really good man, he deserves to be happy."

She was thinking about it. "Why do you call him Snake?"

Panic. Sheer panic. "Umm... he likes snakes, he has a huge tattoo of one on his back." Quick, change subject. "I know he's interested in you, he was grilling me about you over dinner."

"Barbecue?"

"Yes, how'd you know?"

"You smell like it and you still have a little sauce on your face." She looked down at her 'meal.' "I'd rather starve than eat this cardboard."

"Well, I'll see what I can do. I need to get going, but would you mind if Snake came and visited you for a bit?"

"PLEASE. Just don't tell him what I said about him," she said as she blushed. "I'm just glad he's been out of the dating pool, I've been out just as long. Fifteen years of marriage down the tubes because he can't stop banging waitresses behind my back."

"I'll send him in. Good luck, Mia. If you have any questions, here's my card. Maybe we can go riding sometime, I can show you some of the routes I like around here." She took the card with a smile, and I walked out and down the hall. "You're up, Snake. And bringing barbecue... let's just say it's the best idea you've had since Island Nights at the Clubhouse."

He gave me a quick hug. "Do you need a ride to the hotel?"

"I'll wait for Abaddon, he can give me a ride. I want to see if my friend is working tonight. Have him text me when he's ready to go, I'll be in the doctor's lounge." With that, I left him, giggling a little at how nervous he was. He looked like a high school kid getting ready to ask a girl to Prom.

Snake's POV

I grabbed the bag of food and walked down the hall to her room; the door was part open, so I knocked on it. "Mia?"

She smiled when she saw me, and she was practically bouncing when she saw and smelled what I was carrying. "Snake! You brought me food?"

"I figured you'd like something other than hospital fare, and Abaddon is coming here from the Harley dealer. Whatever you don't want, I'm sure he will eat."

"Thank you, Snake. You guys are lifesavers, really."

I just blushed a little. "It's my pleasure. Doc owns a medical transport company, I just drive to help her out once in a while. My wife was a doctor, so I've been around hospitals for a long time. I just can't call what they serve 'food,' it offends my sensibilities." I cleared off her bed table and used the desk in the room to lay out the spread. Since she had to stay in bed and could only use her non-dominant hand, I told her what the options were and made her a plate. I was happy to find out that not only was she not one of these salad-eating chicks, she liked her food. There wasn't a whole lot of conversation as she tucked into her meal, just quick comments about the flavors and what she liked and didn't like.

She was just finishing up when there was a knock on the door. "Abaddon?"

"I am," he said as he came in. He was holding a backpack with a few things in it. "So, the news isn't very good. This is what I was able to save out of your saddlebags," he said.

"Thank God, they cut all my clothes and riding gear off of me when I got here," she said. "I told them I'd take them off but the wouldn't let me move. At least now I have underwear, jeans and a shirt," she said.

"As for the bike, I'd say it's totaled, but you'll have to wait for the insurance claim. The dealer will get an estimate for repairs tomorrow."

I felt for her, having your pride and joy totaled just sucked. "It was only two months old," she said as tears started to form.

"I'm sorry. Have you seen Meghan? We need to go."

"Wait, have you eaten?" Mia gestured towards the food boxes. "We're done, and there's lots left over."

"Thank you," he said. I helped him put everything back in the bag.

"Meghan's in the doctor's lounge, she said to text her when you're ready," I told him.

"I'll get out of your way," he whispered to me. "Mia, it was a pleasure meeting you, I'm glad you came through this so well. Maybe we'll see each other again?"

"I'd like that," she said. "Meghan already invited me to ride with her sometime, at least when I can ride again." She gave the big guy a quick hug, and then turned back to me when he left. "I'm so glad you guys were there for me, you've done so much," she said.

"Hey, we're not even charging you," I said. "Meghan said it's too much paperwork."

She smiled at that. "So, what happens now?"

I pulled my chair a little closer to her, reaching for her hand which she allowed me to take. "As crazy as it sounds, I'd like to get to know you better." I gave her a little squeeze. "When I first saw you, I thought you were amazing. The smile on your face, your hair flying in the wind, there was something about you. When I first looked into your eyes, I saw something I wanted to be close to. Nothing that I have seen or felt since then has changed that."

"I don't even know you," she said.

"I'd like to change that," I said. "I have a few days free, and I'll have my motorcycle here tonight. Let me show you around for a while. Give me, give us a chance." I looked at her hand. "I'm sorry, I haven't done this for a while. A long while."

"Meghan told me your wife died when your daughter was a baby." I nodded. "Tell me about her?"

I did. I told her about Vivian and Eve, about the club, my love of riding, and my cooking. She talked of her divorce, her restaurant, and her plans for the future. With every passing moment, I could feel I had a chance at love again.

Abaddon's POV

I went down to the cafeteria, finding a table where I could sit and eat the food before we left. Snake hooked me up, the BBQ was good, it just needed a quick reheat. While I ate, I thought about what I was going to do. Seeing Snake smitten again after so many years made me envious. For two decades, I'd held to my vow to Luna to find and protect the Promised One. I'd given up my name, my life, I'd given up any chance of finding a choice mate of my own. In a few days, the curse would be broken and the vow would be fulfilled, and I had no idea what I was going to do next.

The Knights were my life now, but there had to be more. I was tired of being alone, tired of having no one in my life. I was a forty-year-old virgin, and I was running out of time to tell her what I thought about her. I'd hidden, hell I'd buried my feelings for her as I watched her grow into an amazing woman.

One conversation could make or break things forever.

I washed the sauce off my hands and face, the whole time thinking about whether this was the right time to tell her how I felt. I couldn't recall the last time I was alone with her, she made my heart race and my palms sweat. What if she thought I was like a family member to her? What if she had no interest in me? Luna, what if she didn't want anything to do with a werewolf, knowing that we'd never be able to have children?

Not to mention what would happen when Gabriel and her parents found out.

I texted her that I was ready, and she told me she'd meet me at the main entrance. My heart leapt as the elevator opened and she stepped out, when she smiled I me I thought I'd burst. She walked right up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling herself tight to me in a hug. My hands went down onto her back, gently squeezing her, as my body reacted to her presence.

If she noticed the bulge, she didn't say anything. "Thank you for giving me a ride," she said softly.

"It's my pleasure," I told her. "Do you know where you want to stay?" I held out my arm and she put her hand in it as we walked towards the motorcycle lot.

"I want a view of the water, something outside town and quiet," I said. "Maybe a cabin so I don't have to hear people next door." I grabbed my helmet and handed her the one I'd taken from the ambulance, along with her leather jacket and gloves. It was a cool evening.

"It's busy, I don't know where we'll find a vacancy," I said as I straddled my Harley. She got on behind me, her hands reaching around and under my jacket, spreading her fingers on my stomach.

"I don't mind riding, I'm not ready for bed just yet," she said softly.

I reached for the key and started it up, pulling out of the lot and heading north out of town along the lakeshore. We drove for an hour, not finding any vacancies, before I stopped on a scenic overlook. "Take a walk with me?"

"I'd love to." We got off and I took her hand, leading her along the trail that went along the cliff. I found a bench with a view of the moonlit waters, and pulled her down to sit by me. "Abaddon?"

"Steve. My name is Steve," I said as I turned towards her. "When you join the Knights, you leave your old life behind and are reborn. Soon, my vow will be complete, and I will no longer be held by the restrictions it placed on me."

She put her hand on my cheek. "What does that mean?"

I put my hands on her face, cupping it as I looked into her eyes. "It means that after all these years of watching you, of loving you without letting on, I can finally confess how I feel about you. I love you, Meghan. Please, give me a chance to be your man, to make you happy."

She started to cry, not exactly the reaction I was hoping for. I pulled her to my chest, her face buried in my shirt as she let her emotions go. I looked out over the water, trying to memorize this moment in case it was as close as I would ever get to her.

I felt her crying slow, then she lifted off my chest. "You love me?"

"Since you stood in front of the club with your hands on your hips and told Viper he was an idiot to sell the ambulance and the medical gear," I said. "You'd make a wonderful werewolf if it was possible. You are strong, you will do anything for your family, and you have a spirit unlike any woman I've seen before."

She looked into my eyes, her hands traveling up my chest until they were behind my neck. Her head tilted slightly, her mouth opened, her tongue flicking over her lips in a way that set me aflame with desire. Her scent strengthened, her arousal evident as I leaned down towards her. Our lips stopped an inch apart, I looked into her eyes, then I pulled her close to me as we kissed.

Werewolves talk of mates, of the tingles, of the scent that is like no other, and I remembered that feeling back when I met my own. This was different, but it was amazing in its own way. I'd never kissed someone before, I didn't know what I was doing, but she didn't seem to mind. Hands moved, lips touched, tongues explored, and when we finally broke apart we were both breathless. "I've always had a crush on you, Steven," she whispered as she buried her face in my chest again. "I just figured I would never have a chance, you never showed any interest in me."

I picked her up, placing her in my lap, her thigh pressing down on my rather obvious erection. "I couldn't," I said, "but in a few days..."

"Finish your vow," she told me. "When you are done, we will go to your Alpha and my parents. We've waited this long, we can wait a few more days."

"You want me?"

She giggled. "I bet you can smell how much I want you, Abaddon. I sure as hell can feel how much you want me. I have my own vow, it was to remain pure until my wedding night. As much as I want you right now, I can't do that." She looked up at me. "When you are no longer Abaddon, come to me as Steven and ask me properly for a date."

"Count on it."

"You were an amazing first kiss," she whispered.

"You were too." We stayed until my arms couldn't keep her warm, then we found a resort with cabins and got a room late. There was only one room, and only one bed. I let her shower first, then take the bed while I took a very cold shower. I wouldn't take advantage of her, she deserved everything to be done right. After I dried off, I shifted into my big wolf and laid at the end of the big bed, my head laying on her stomach.

She would be mine, and I would protect her and love her until our time was done.

Ch. 71

Eve's POV

The next morning, all of us were still bloated and tired from all the meat we had consumed the night before. The bull moose had been picked apart, other scavengers would take the rest. I wobbled on my legs a little when I stood up, my stomach lurching a bit before I moved slowly down to the water. The cool water tasted good and helped steady my stomach.

"How are you feeling," Gabriel sent.

"I'm still stuffed," I said. I rubbed my face against his legs as he turned with me to head back up. The others were getting up, the sun was already over the trees and it was going to be a hot one today. The summer humidity was heavy in the air, as were the bugs. We each moved off, finding a place to take care of our business, then we moved out in a line around the lake towards the north. Today was about moving as a Pack and setting the perimeter. Now that I had found my mate, the Knights needed to ensure that he was safe as well, for both of us were required to break the curse.

Our speed picked up with our digestion, and by noon we were moving at a good pace. My wolf was in her element, she was happy and let me know it. I was happy as well, I was free and alive and with my Pack. I spent most of the afternoon thinking about what I would say to my mate when he finally let me talk to him. My wolf felt the connection with him, she clung to it, encouraging it as their wolves bonded over the distance. They couldn't talk to each other, but she knew he was there.

Gabriel used the afternoon to work on drills and scenarios with his men, things they were well practiced in. Defensive formations, patrol patterns, even escape drills were practiced until they were second nature. The escape drills were the ones my wolf enjoyed the most, mainly because the defensive drills always ended up with me surrounded by big wolves I couldn't see over. The escape drills used his fastest wolves to join with me, the fastest of all of them, in a run to safety. The others deployed behind us, multiple layers to delay the threat and give us time to escape. Running full tilt through the woods with my Pack was the closest thing to a high-speed motorcycle run, they were exhilarating.

As it moved towards the evening, after more playing around in the cool waters of a creek, we were moving through the darkening woods in a line. Gabriel gave some orders, and men broke off in different directions. "What's going on," I asked when it was down to just five of us.

"Can't you feel it?"

I focused on my wolf, letting her have reign. She turned slightly, heading a little to the right of where we had been going. "Mate," she told me.

"As the bond becomes stronger, it becomes harder for your wolf to be away from him," Gabriel explained. "So, in addition to protecting him, staying nearby will help you sleep better and strengthen your bond. The more your wolves bind to each other, the easier it will be to get your human part to resolve your issues."

"So we're going to his cabin?"

"We'll get as close as he will allow," Gabriel said. The sun was going down and the shadows were long as the home came into view. As the scent of him became stronger, my wolf became more excited. "You cannot shift, and you cannot enter the home without permission; they are not in our Pack and there is a human there."
I sniffed the air, I could make out the scent of a human and another, more confusing scent; it was similar to a wolf, but it wasn't. "Something is wrong with that scent," I said.

"Adam's older brother, Alan, he gave up his wolf when he married his wife."

"Why would you do that?"

"It makes you as close to human as we can get. They can't procreate, and he loses the senses and help of his wolf." I thought about it, thought about my mother Vivian who had married Dad and from all respects seemed happy. "Why didn't Doctor Vivian give up her wolf?"

"She thought about it, but without her senses she wouldn't be able to identify male wolves. Those wolves wouldn't be able to mate her, but they could still force her into procreation. There was no advantage to giving up her wolf except losing her heat, and Snake didn't mind dealing with that." I was glad I was in wolf form so I couldn't blush; being adopted meant being able to think your parents never had sex.

He nudged my shoulder, and I moved quietly across the clearing and the driveway towards the house. Not knowing what else to do, I sat in front of the porch and whined softly. The door opened and a man came out. "You must be Eve," he said. "Adam is still bedridden, but his bedroom is around that way," he said before he went back inside. I squatted at the edge of the driveway, leaving my scent there, before rounding the house until I was underneath an open window. His scent was everywhere, calming my wolf. I turned in place three times before curling up under the window, quickly falling asleep.

Snake's POV

I woke up about seven in the hotel across from the hospital, where I had crashed for the night. I had stayed with Mia until they kicked me out, and when she tugged my hand and pulled me down for a kiss, I knew I was done for. I promised to return in the morning, she expected to be released about ten, so I had a little time.

I took the bag of clothes and equipment with me when I left, everything that had been destroyed when it was cut off. She was still upset about that, her riding gear was broken in and now useless. She asked me to throw it away, even the helmet couldn't be used again after being in a crash. I had all the sizes stored in my phone, so I checked out and went down to my motorcycle. The prospect had brought it up last night, just after I left the hospital, and was taking the ambulance back this morning.

I sent a quick text to Meghan telling her I was heading to the Harley dealer and breakfast, but she didn't reply. Figuring she was sleeping in, I stopped at an IHOP for breakfast and got to the dealer as soon as they opened. I'd been in here a few times, but I'd never shopped in the areas I was going to now. Luckily, they had a female saleslady who was more than helpful in what I needed, especially when I explained why.

Forty minutes later, a backpack filled with new gear was ready for me. I got back on my Harley Street Glide, which was now two years old and had an Eve special custom paint job, and headed for the hospital. I got into her room, she was sitting up and waiting for the doctor to finish her discharge papers. "Hi Snake," she said when she saw me. I walked over, bent down to kiss her forehead and left the backpack in her lap. "What's this?"

"It's for you," I said.

She unzipped it and the first thing she pulled out was a new Harley motorcycle jacket. Her eyes started to tear up as she looked at it, checking the size it was right. I also had a new pair of chaps, some gloves, and a helmet of the same model and size she had before. "The ambulance is gone, but if you're up to it, we can continue your adventure on my motorcycle," I said softly. "Or I can..."

"I'D LOVE TO GO," she stopped me before her good hand pulled me down into a kiss. This wasn't the perfunctory kiss, this was the kiss of a lover. Her hand moved behind my neck as I bent down to gently hug her. She flinched, and I immediately backed off. "Sorry, I'm still a little sore," she said.

"We don't have to go anywhere today," I told her.

"Oh, but there are places I wanted to visit in Duluth," she said. "We won't have to ride far, and we can take it easy."

I couldn't tell her no if I wanted to. "I'd love to show you around," I said. "But if it gets to be too much, if you need to rest, please let me know. I won't mind. Did you see the other stuff?" She looked in the bottom of the backpack, I'd included a new pair of jeans in her size, a few Harley T-shirts, a Harley sweatshirt, and her gloves. The only riding gear they hadn't destroyed was her boots, only because the zippers allowed them to be taken off easily. "Can you get dressed?"

She looked me and nodded. "I may need a little help, my shoulder doesn't lift up without pain. The doctor said it might be a few weeks before it gets back to normal, and I need to ice it a few times a day."

"Do you want me to get a nurse?"

"No, you're good," she said. I took her hand as she stood and stayed near her as she grabbed fresh clothes. "I'm going to take a shower before we go," she said. I followed her into the bathroom, turning on the water as she took off the sling. I helped her remove the gown, she was only wearing her panties underneath, and I averted my eyes as much as I could. I resisted the urge to touch her body, she had large bruises on her back and legs, and her entire shoulder looked like one big purple mess.

"Wow," I said, "That crash really did a number on you."

She stepped into the shower and closed the curtain. "No permanent damage, I'm the luckiest girl in the world," she said.

"I hurt just looking at you," I said. "How are you even moving?"

"I'm going to be fine, Snake. Moving around will help me recover, and nothing makes me feel better than being on a Harley. Well, almost nothing." The next few minutes, as I collected her dirty clothes into a bag while trying to force the impure thoughts back, were a losing battle. When the water turned off, I held the towel out for her to walk into and wrapped it behind her. I turned to grab another, drying her long black hair and using the hairdryer on the counter to finish it up. She had a hair tie, so I put it in a ponytail for her, the whole time admiring the shape of her back and ass. She was a fine looking woman, her ex was an idiot.

I had to help her with dressing, which was another form of torture for me. She wasn't trying to be sexual, she just couldn't help it. Everything she did, everything I saw and touched combined to drive my arousal higher and higher. I was hoping my jeans would hide the evidence.

"So that's why they call you Snake," she said with a giggle. "My God, is that thing real?"

I nodded. "It is," I said. "I'm sorry, you're hurt and I'm over here like a teenager with a perpetual hardon."

She came closer, looking in my eyes as her fingers traced lightly down the bulge. "Definitely the luckiest girl in the world," she said. We were interrupted by the Doctor, he gave her the discharge papers, some prescriptions and some direction on how to deal with the shoulder and the bruising. With that, the nurse came with a wheelchair. I helped her put on her chaps, boots and jacket, then went to get the bike while she was wheeled to the front door.

I could tell by how slowly she moved that she was not up for a long ride. She wrapped her arms around me, her bad arm just kind of there. Our helmets had Bluetooth devices and noise-cancelling headsets, so we could talk easily to each other. "Where do you want to go?"

"I want to visit the Great Lakes Aquarium," she said. I didn't think it was possible for my dick to get any harder without busting loose like the Hulk from the confinement of my jeans. I let out a low moan. "What? You don't want to go?"

"No, that's fine, it's just that I have a reaction to seeing big fish through aquarium glass," I said. "It makes me horny as hell." I told her as we drove the story of how Vivian and I stayed in the underwater reef bedroom for our honeymoon, and now my mind associated aquariums with sex.

Her hand moved down to check. "This thing is huge," she said as her fingers squeezed it. "My ex had small dick syndrome, he'd have to fuck me three times to give me this much dick," she said.

I was THIS close to finding a hotel and not letting her out for days. "You need to let go or I'm going to have to pull over and seek shelter," I said.

"FINE. But this snake comes out to play later." She squeezed it again, then moved her hands back to my stomach as I tried to refocus on driving. I dropped her at the front door of the aquarium, then parked the bike. We rented a locker to store our gear, and I pulled the sling out of her backpack. She would be more comfortable with it, and while I was at it, I rented a wheelchair so she wouldn't have to stand on her bruised hip.

We spent a few hours there, talking and enjoying the day as I wheeled her around. She wasn't impressed with the snakes or the sea lampreys they had on exhibit there, she said something about them "not being as impressive as some other exhibits."

Overall, it wasn't a big place, but the company was the best. After a lunch of fish and chips, I could tell she was tired. "Why don't we find a hotel, we can rest up there for a bit and then go out for dinner?"

"Wonderful idea," she said. I used my phone to find a hotel downtown with vacancies, and when I requested a room with double queens she immediately elbowed me. "King bed and a jacuzzi tub," she said. Hell, I wasn't going to argue.

We got upstairs and I suggested she take a soak to ease her sore muscles before a nap. I ran the water, not making it too hot because that would aggravate the bruising. When she came out of the bathroom, she was naked, and she was magnificent. She smiled at me as she walked over, her hand coming out as I automatically helped her down into the tub. She moaned in pleasure as the jets started to work on her sore back and neck. I turned to go take a shower, and she grabbed my hand instead. "Where do you think you're going," she asked me.

"Wherever you want me to go," I answered honestly.

"Strip and get in here, I need a neck rub," she said. I stood and pulled my shirt off, turning around I tossed it on the chair. "Nice tattoo," she said as I was taking off my boots. "Meghan tried to tell me that was how you got the nickname, but we both know better, don't we?"

"We do," I said as I unbuckled my belt and let my jeans and underwear fall. I turned around and her breath caught in her throat.

"You know how to use that thing?"

"It's been a long time, but I think I remember," I said as I stepped down into the tub.

"Good, because it's been too long since I've been fucked properly, and if you can be gentle with my shoulder, that's what we're doing this afternoon." I sat down, pulling her and turning her so she was sitting between my legs and I could wrap my arms around her.

"All in time," I said. I was going to make this a day she'd never forget. I started by giving her a neck and back massage, enjoying her moans of pleasure as I worked the stress out of her body. This led to a front massage, which led to her first orgasm of the day as my fingers strummed her while my other hand explored her fantastic body.

I turned her after that, letting her arms and head lean back on the towels placed at the rim of the tub. She was so relaxed, almost ready to sleep, but I wasn't done with her yet. Lifting her legs over my shoulder, I leaned in and softly licked at her center. Her eyes flew open and a moan escaped her lips. "You're..."

"Relax, I want to taste you." I moved my tongue in, taking a long lick from the bottom to the top of her slit, using the flat of my tongue before flicking her clit with the narrow end.

She came almost immediately, but I didn't stop. I lapped up her juices like they were the finest wine, enjoying the reactions I got from her. It was clear no one had done this in a while, she was grabbing my ears and singing my praises to the whole town. When she came a second time, hard enough the water started splashing out of the tub, I figured she was ready for me.

I grabbed her around the lower back, pulling her up to me as I scooted towards the middle of the tub. She was still coming down from her high as I kissed her, moving her hips in position until I was pressing at her entrance. Her eyes shot open as I lowered her onto me, and when I kept going and going her mouth dropped and her eyes rolled back in her head. I bottomed out with at least four inches to go. "There's more?"

"When you're ready for it," I said. She wrapped her arms around my neck as I gripped her butt in my hands, lifting her back up before slowly letting her slide down again.

"I'm so full," she said as she bottomed out again, this time only two inches remained. "It's so good..."

"You're amazing," I said as I started to pump into her gently. The water was sloshing as we started to move faster, and her moans of pleasure started to get louder. There was nothing I could do to make this last, she'd been pushing my buttons since yesterday, and no math problems or sports scores could help. I raised up on my knees, lifting her high enough from the water that I could start to move faster. We built quickly to my peak, and she screamed into my shoulder as she came hard again, biting down in her pleasure. Her contractions sent me over the edge, and I drove in to the hilt as I emptied my balls deep inside her. I collapsed back onto my butt, keeping her in my arms while sending a wave of water over the edge.

It took us a minute to recover. "Ready for a nap," I asked after I finally slid out, feeling the rush of juices going into the tub.

"Take me to bed," she whispered. I dried her off and tucked her under the sheets while I closed the blackout curtains and set an alarm on my clock. By the time I slid in behind her, she was deep asleep.

Ch. 72

Meghan's POV

I woke up in the morning, my face buried in a big, warm, furry pillow. I ran my hand down Abaddon's side, his wolf rumbling his pleasure as my hand went down his side to his stomach. I felt fantastic, rested, and most of all, safe and protected.

I didn't want to get up as I continued to pet my wolf. MY wolf, I thought with a smile. He was a beautiful animal and a handsome man, the kind of body I used to dream of having in my bed. He rolled over a little on his back, trying to get my hand to rub his belly, which I did. I moved my hand down until it slid under something warm and sticky.

I raised my head, looking down to see he was reacting to me sexually. I stopped moving, just watching it, fascinated and thinking about what it would be like if he took me in this form. It was huge, and the thought made my arousal rise. I couldn't do this, he couldn't either. We weren't ready to come out as a couple yet. He could explain away my scent from giving me a ride on his motorcycle, but not my arousal or his. "We should get up," I said.

I rolled to the other side of the bed, getting up and walking to the bathroom. I went to the bathroom and took a quick shower, skipping my hair. I pulled out new clothes from my bag and walked out.

I should have warned him.

He was standing at the end of the bed, naked, on the phone with someone. He turned to look at me, allowing me to see his amazing body. As a werewolf, he wasn't shy about his body, so he smiled and just kept talking.

If I looked, I'd smell like a wanton slut in about thirty more seconds, so I focused on packing my backpack instead. I heard him hang up and walk behind me. "You're not embarrassed, are you?"

"Only at my body's reaction to you," I said. "Now get dressed, you're making it very difficult for me to keep to my own vows." He walked into the bathroom, coming out a few minutes later dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. "What do you have to do today?"

"I need to find a base of operations up here. Now that Eve has found her mate, she won't want to live with her parents anymore. She may even decide to rebuild at the old Pack site. If she decides to stay up here, we'll need a place for the Knights to work out of." He told me the basic parameters of what he was looking for as I booted up my iPad Pro and went to a real estate site.

"Tell you what, you take care of breakfast and I'll look at what's available in the area," I said. He went to call the front desk and I entered my search criteria. The biggest criteria was proximity to Alan's house and the Pack lands. If they could find the right property, they'd buy; if not, they'd rent for a year while they had something built. The good news was that the guys were easy to satisfy when it came to housing; a big kitchen, large garage, lots of bedrooms and a full basement for a gym was pretty much all they needed.

By the time the breakfast of biscuits and gravy with orange juice had arrived, I had found a half-dozen possible locations. I went over them with Abaddon as we ate, then we called the realtors for the top three and set up viewings later that morning. "You can stay here if you want," he told me as he cleaned up the dishes to put in the basket outside the door. "I've got the room for another night, you can relax if you want."

"I'd rather go with you," I told him. "There's only so much time we get alone before the teasing begins. And you KNOW we're going to catch a load of flack at the Clubhouse."

He just smiled. "I don't care, I'll be with you and to hell with anyone who doesn't like it," he said. We headed out shortly after, his firm body in my grip as we took off down the road.

Donut's POV

Viper wasn't happy, and since I was the one who vouched for Mitch as a potential member, I was taking the brunt of it. Honestly, I was as shocked to find out how obsessed he was as Viper was. He'd never shown that, he'd been a good Marine and friend.

I took my lumps, then accepted my responsibility. I had a few hours before my shift started, so I got on my Harley and drove over to Mitch's apartment. His Harley was parked outside, and he answered the door shortly after I knocked. "Donuts," he said as he turned his back and walked inside, I followed and closed the door. "You here to hold my hand until I leave like I'm told?"

"You fucked up, Mitch. I tried to warn you, we all did. She was underage and overprotected, and you were spying on her and us. There was no way to save you after that, no matter how you fought that night."

He was stuffing things into boxes, photos and medals from another life. "She was eighteen, man. Eighteen and she liked me, wanted me. She made the first move, and I didn't even fuck her. Those guys just can't handle their little girl has grown up."

"Well, she has, and she's found her mate now. You mean nothing to her, she's destined to be with him. She'll be Mrs. Adam Johnson by the weekend."

He snorted. "Adam and Eve. Corny as hell, it's like some bad werewolf fiction on the internet. He doesn't deserve her."

I grabbed a Coke out of his fridge and sat on the chair in his kitchenette. "Do you know where you're going to go?"

"Not yet. I have to withdraw from school because your Club and those Knights made this area a no-go zone. I'm thinking Arizona, maybe New Mexico or Texas. Someplace without all this snow where I can ride year-round."

I just snorted. "Yeah, Arizona, that's a good idea. The place is a fucking convection oven during the day."

He taped up the box. "Anything else? I have to be out of here tomorrow. I'm renting a U-Haul."

"No. I'm sorry, man, I never thought things would get this fucked up around here. I thought you might find a home."

"I have plans, Donut. I'll be just fine." I gave him a bro-hug and headed out, I had a little time to relax before I had to leave for work.
Mia's POV

I hurt. All over, I hurt.

I opened my eyes, it was just after four. My arm was throbbing, my neck ached, the bruises on my sides and hips were competing for attention, and my poor kitty hadn't seen that kind of action since college. I smiled as I looked over at a sleeping Snake on his back, his tattooed shoulder facing me. "Snake?"

His eyes opened, and he looked over at me. "Sleep well?"

"I need my pills," I said. I winced as I tried to roll over, and he was immediately up and picked me up, carrying me into the bathroom and setting me on the counter. He filled a glass with water, then handed me two of my pain pills. I popped them in my mouth, then drank down the water. "Thank you," I whispered.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so... active with you earlier."

I pulled him in and gave him a deep kiss. "Of all my pain, Snake, my insides are a pain I don't mind. It's been a long time since someone fucked me so well." He had moved between my thighs, and since we were both naked, his snake was pressing up against me. I looked down, my hand wrapping around him. "I feel like a virgin, you were reaching uncharted territory. I'm still a little sore down there," I told him as I squeezed him.

"Then I'll kiss it and make it better," he said. He helped me to the toilet, then after we were both cleaned up he carried me back to the big bed. "Do you feel up to going somewhere for dinner, or do you want to order room service?"

He piled pillows behind me so I could sit up a little and still be comfortable. "I don't know if I want to go anywhere," I said. "I kind of like the view here."

"Well, if you're not hungry, I'm going to eat out." I started to object but stopped as he slid up between my legs, his tongue flicking against my rapidly moistening sex. Oh my God this guy could please a woman. He was gentle, taking his time and making sure I didn't aggravate any of my injuries. He was a tease, though. He would bring me close to the peak, then never quite push me over. I couldn't pull him close enough to get there myself, he would ride me along the cliff for minute upon minute just to bring me down a little. After the fourth or fifth time I was begging him for release.

He was using two fingers, stroking the top of my walls and causing all kinds of sensations, while his tongue played me like a fine instrument. I was building, building, and then he plunged a finger into my ass as he sucked hard on my clit and I went off like a firework. I didn't feel pain, I felt nothing but the waves of pleasure as he continued his assault, extending my orgasm until I finally collapsed back onto the bed. "Holy shit," I finally said as I looked down.

"I think this is my new favorite meal," he said with a smile as he licked his fingers. "Delicious."

I pulled him up so he was sitting next to me, trying to find a way to lean into him without something acting up. "Where have you been all my life," I said as I relaxed a bit. "Everything before this was a waste of my time and my body."

"You're amazing," he said. "I'm so glad I ran across you." I started to laugh, the way we met, that was the stuff of legends.

"I'm yours, Snake. You're not getting rid of me, I won't give you up without a fight."

"You don't have to fight for me, my little mouse," he said as he kissed my head. "I'm already yours. I want you to come with me, stay in St. Paul for a while. You can stay at the Clubhouse, meet my friends, eat my food and we can have this every day."

"I'd like that," I said. "Mouse?"

"Yes, love. You need a nickname, and I think this one is perfect for you." I looked at him quizzically, I didn't understand why. "You know, they're often eaten by a snake." We both started to laugh, at least until my ribs started to hurt. The endorphins from the sex were wearing off.

"Well, you better order dinner," I said, "because that snake is going to be busy until it arrives." He made the call, and I think they could hear the noises as he fought to maintain his voice as I tried to get him to moan. We both won.

Eve's POV

I heard a door open, and my head popped up off my paws to figure out what was going on. My mate was moaning, he was in pain, and I could feel it through the bond. I got up and trotted to the front of the house, where Alan and his wife Alice were standing on the porch, holding the door open. "He's still stubborn, but he needs his mate to heal," Alan said. "Come on."

I followed them down the hallway to his door. "He's fighting off an infection, the drugs Doc gave us are helping but he has a fever. He may react badly to your human, but he won't kick your wolf out of bed." I went over and licked his hand, thanking him for his kindness. He opened the door, and I looked at him in bed, the nightlight in the corner giving just enough for me to see. I crossed the room as they closed the door behind me, hopping up on the king size bed. He had pushed his covers off, his legs were no longer splinted but the scars on them were red and oozing. I moved over, licking them clean, grooming my mate as our wolves enjoyed the contact.

He calmed down almost immediately, and when I was done I laid by his side, my head tucked under his shoulder. Exhausted, I fell asleep almost immediately.

Ch. 73

Adam's POV

I woke before the sun, feeling rested and content instead of pained and feverish. The room was dark, I was warm and tingly despite not having covers on me. I moved my hand, the fur combining with the pleasurable tingles that told me something was different. I took a breath, her scent surrounded me, comforted me. I looked at my hand, it was buried in white fur. The fur was connected to a head, a head laying over my chest, a furry leg covering my groin.

Eve.

I couldn't help but smile as my wolf luxuriated in the feel of his mate. I'd had a lot of time to think, and I'd run the conversation with her father, Snake, through my mind a hundred times. I'd started to reject her without even having the courtesy of talking to her. I was ready to throw away Luna's blessing based on what I imagined was going on, not what really had happened.

My fingers moved through her fur, causing a pleased rumble to echo in her chest. After a few strokes, her leg twitched, and her eyes opened. She looked up at me, whining softly. "Eve," I whispered as I brought my left hand up to her snout, "You came to me."

Her tail started to whap the bed as I moved to scratch her ears. The bond between us was growing stronger, it pulsed into me through the contact we had. "Come on," I said. I sat up, looking at my legs they looked healed, and were no longer swollen and hot. I swung my legs down to the floor as Eve jumped off the bed. I stood up, my legs felt good, and my wolf, he wanted out. He wanted his mate, and I couldn't stand in his way any longer. I focused on the shift, dropping to all fours as my body reformed into my large wolf.

As soon as my shift was complete, I moved to meet her. She dropped to the ground, rolling onto her belly, her wolf in her way apologizing to mine for the damage that had been done. I licked at her face, rubbing my head on hers, noting with satisfaction that she didn't smell of that human. There were other wolf smells strong on her, but I knew they were her Pack, her protectors. I moved down to smell her sex, licking at it as she squirmed, taking a deep sniff. She was untouched, she was excited and she was MINE.

I moved back and dropped my chest to the ground, legs forward and tail up, wanting her to get up and play. She rolled onto her feet and stood, immediately our heads met as we sniffed and rubbed against each other's necks. I walked around her, rubbing against her and laying my scent down, overpowering all other smells on her. She was wagging her tail, almost quivering with excitement. We needed to get out of here, I wanted to be alone with her, run with her by my side.

I nudged her towards the door before I used a paw to open it. My brother's home had been modified, all the doors had levers instead of knobs so I could get around in wolf form. We moved through the hallway, our nails clicking on the wood floors as we moved to the living room. The front door was open, letting the cool night air in. I pushed it open, holding it while her white wolf moved past me. I ran out into the yard with her, forgetting the screen would slam and might wake someone up. I was thinking of nothing but her.

She came to my side. Her wolf was about half my size, she was sleek and looked fast. Her head came up almost to my shoulder, I could almost stand over the top of her. I had never seen a shewolf before, so I had no idea if she was big or small or what, I just loved the way she looked. I yipped, taking off for the woods, and the chase was on.

It didn't take long before she was alongside me, she was deceptively quick. She kept up with me easily, she wasn't breathing hard while I was going full out. I slowed to an easier pace, heading towards my favorite hidden place in the woods. It took us about twenty minutes to get there; I could hear and smell her Pack members occasionally, but they were staying well clear of us. They were giving us some privacy even as they protected her, and I respected that.

I slowed as we approached the thickets guarding the entrance to the narrow cut. I led her closer to the small river, the noise of the waterfall growing louder as we moved through the narrow trail to the other side. The sun was rising, causing shadows to appear on the limestone cliffs as we moved forward along the rocky banks.

I stopped when we turned the last corner, she came next to me and froze. It was a hidden gem, a small waterfall about ten feet in height, the water rushing over the ledge and crashing into the pool below. I ran forward a few steps, leaping and shifting into my human form as I did, smoothly entering the water that was about five feet deep. I surfaced and shook the water out of my hair, looking back at her as she stood where I left her.

I saw her take a few steps then leap high, shifting back as she did. I caught a quick glimpse of blonde hair and skin, then she entered the water with barely a splash. I held my arms out, and she surfaced in front of me. I put my hands under her shoulders and pulled her up, setting her on her toes close to me. "Hello, Eve, I'm Adam," I said.

"Pleased to meet you Adam. We're mates?"

"Yes." I leaned down and kissed her. "Yes, we are." The feeling of kissing her set bombs off in my head, I'd never felt anything like it. I had to have it again, and I pulled her to me before crashing my lips to hers. We made out like this, oblivious to the world around us. Her legs came up and wrapped around my hips, her core pressing against my arousal as we tried to get closer to each other. She was starting to shiver in the cold water when I walked us out of the pool, sitting on a smooth boulder with her legs still wrapped around me. "The bond, it's more than I imagined," I told her as I looked into her darkened eyes.

"I'm sorry about"

I kissed her, stopping her. "Whatever happened before we met is history, history I don't want to learn. Our lives begin now, here in this spot, together."

I could see her relax, the relief in her eyes that I wasn't angry with her. "You want me?"

"Of course I do. Here, and now. I can't hold my wolf back any more."

"I don't want you to," she said as she pulled me in for a kiss. Her arms wrapped around my neck, as I moved my hands around her back and side. Our arousal grew quickly, I was ready, and our instinct to mate would not be stopped. I moved my hands down, cupping her firm ass, and moving her up until she was poised at my tip. I looked at her one more time, she nodded and pulled me in for another kiss as I let go and she dropped down a few inches onto my length. "Ohhhhhh...," she moaned with her head falling back.

I had felt her barrier give way, and smelled the blood as I entered her. "I'm sorry," I said.

She just gritted her teeth until the pain passed, then she resumed her descent. If touching her gave pleasurable tingles, this was better. I hugged her close as she sank down, finally bottoming out as I filled her completely. "Wow," she said as she squeezed me.

"Wow," I said. She waited until she was comfortable, then pushed up with her legs to raise herself until I was almost out again. This time, she dropped down a little faster, the pleasure, the tightness, it was almost too much. "Oh Luna..."

We kissed again as she picked up the pace, and before long the sound of the waterfall was joined by the squish of her sex and the smack of our skin together. I caught her moans in my mouth, our tongues exploring as our bodies joined faster and faster. She started to tense up, her sex clenching at me, and when she screamed her release it sent me over. I pulled her down onto me, holding her still as I emptied my essence deep inside her.

My wolf was pushing hard, he wanted to finish the mating, and we couldn't do that in human form. When she caught her breath, I lifted her off. "My wolf is going to take you. Shift and run, I'll give you a ten second head start."

"I'm too fast for you, you'll never catch me," she said cheekily.

"Don't doubt your mate," I said. She shifted into her white wolf, taking off for the exit, as I counted to ten. I shifted and took off after her.

Tracking was easy, my scent was in her and her arousal was like a beacon to me. My wolf loved the chase, catching and dominating his mate was part of what his instinct drove him towards. I was hot on her trail, my wolf in control. I was laughing to myself as I saw which way she was going. The trail she was on would go onto a long point pushing into the middle of a lake. It was a dead end.

I slowed down as I made sure I covered the exits, ensuring she couldn't sneak around and get past me. I heard her howl of frustration as she broke from the trees and realized what she had done.

I broke through the treeline as she stood by the lake, pacing back and forth with no escape possible. I stood tall and dominant, tail up, moving towards her and demanding her submission. She tried to run, but I was on her in a heartbeat, my teeth in her scruff holding her head to the ground. She presented herself, her wolf satisfied that her mate was strong enough to protect her and their cubs.

I moved into position, my hips over hers as her tail moved to the side. I plunged into her in one strong stroke, my hips withdrawing and plunging in again as she whined. I let go over her neck but she kept her head down, my front legs holding her in place as the knot formed. She let out a whine as I pushed it into her, tying us together as the thrusts became faster and shorter.

She was moving her head side to side as I pounded her willing flesh, the knot preventing me from pulling out more than a few inches. She started to howl as the sensations built, and when we both exploded in bliss, I leaned forward and bit hard into her neck, marking her forever as mine.

The bond snapped into place between us, and we collapsed onto our sides as our bodies ceased to be our own anymore. I could feel her, hear her in my mind, she filled up my soul and I was suddenly complete. I howled my joy to the sky, then licked the blood from her neck as I tried to catch my breath.

Gabriel's POV

It was happening. Two plus decades after Luna had given me my vision and purpose, it was finally over.

I heard and smelled the two of them, their arousal was high and it was only a matter of time. I paced back and forth, trying to stay far enough back they wouldn't be threatened by my presence. When I heard and saw her break from the thicket, I knew the time was almost up. "She's giving him chase, heading north. Stay out of their way," I said as I moved into a trail position.

We trailed them for few minutes, then Michael cut in. "Boss, she's headed for the Point. I can't go any farther or I'll be trapped there."

"Fine, verify the Point is clear then get out of the way. Stay alert, guys, it's almost over."

We set a wide perimeter as Adam caught up to her. We heard them, then there was a howl and it felt like something was ripped out of me. "Michael, what's going on?"

He didn't answer. I felt empty, alone, my wolf was confused and so was I. "Azazel? Anyone?" No one answered me.

I howled, hearing the answering howls of my men. I saw Dumah race towards me, I tried to link him but there was nothing. We both shifted. "Boss, what's going on?"

"I don't know, I can't link anyone," I said.

He put his hand to his chest. "My pack link... it's gone. I can't feel you, Alpha."

Ch. 74

Donut's POV

I got off my shift at eight in the morning, it was another long night. Two drunk driving arrests and one domestic violence call, which didn't end until a few minutes before my shift did. I pulled off my uniform in the locker room and packed it in my bag, it was soaked. Taking a quick shower, I put on jeans and a Harley shirt and went outside to my ride.

I had a bit of time before I usually went to bed while I was on my night run, so I drove through the morning haze towards Mitch's apartment. I figured he might need a hand loading up the U-Haul, and I wanted to see him off if I could. As soon as I arrived, I knew something wasn't right. There was no truck parked out front, no motorcycle. I looked in the window and the boxes were all gone, the apartment was empty. I flipped out my phone and called Mitch, our tech guy at the Club. "Mitch? Hey, it's Donuts. I'm looking for Mitchell, do you have a location on his tracer?"

We'd put the tracer on his bike while he was up north, to make sure he didn't violate the limits he'd been given to stay away from Eve and the Club. "Just a second, let me pull it up," he said. "You coming over for breakfast?"

"Probably not, with Snake gone and Mitchell not helping, I can make my own cereal," I said.

He chuckled and I could hear keys tapping. "Got it. He's at his apartment, the bike's parked on the side of the house."

Fuck. "He's not here, Mitch. Him and his stuff, it's gone."

"Well, the tracker is there."

I looked around, a minute later I found it in the flowerbed. "He found the tracker and tossed it. Mitch, wake up Viper, tell everyone at the Clubhouse to strap up and keep their eyes open. I'm calling Snake."

"I'm on it, Donuts. What do we do if we see him?"

I couldn't tell him that, I was an officer of the Law. "You do what Viper tells you," I said before I hung up. I called Snake's number. It rang a few times before he answered. "Snake, it's Donuts."

"It's eight thirty in the fucking morning and I'm on vacation, Donuts," he grumbled.

"Too bad. Mitchell Miller is missing. All his stuff is gone from the apartment, and he found and tossed the tracker on his bike. He could be anywhere."

Snake didn't say anything. "So he could be leaving town like he was told."

"Maybe, but he didn't give me that vibe when we talked yesterday." My blood turned cold. "Fuck. I can't believe I did that. Snake, you're gonna kill me if this goes bad."

"What did you do?"

"I told him Eve was over him, that she'd be Mrs. Adam Johnson in a few days." I was kicking myself. "I'm sorry, I was trying to get him to understand she didn't want him and was moving on."

He didn't say anything for a moment. "Go to the Clubhouse and tell Viper everything you know. Eve's on a run in wolf form with the Knights, but Abaddon is up here. I'll call him and get him to warn the others." He hung up, and I put my phone back in my pocket. Starting up my bike, I headed for the clubhouse. If Snake wasn't happy, Viper would be furious. If anything happened to his granddaughter, my ass was grass.
Abaddon's POV

I was in the shower when I felt it. Something was torn from my soul, the pain knocked me to my knees. My wolf was howling, something was wrong.

"Gabriel, what's happening?" I got no response, and even worse I felt no tie to him. I tried linking the others, trying to call the entire Pack, but I got a whole lot of nothing back. It wasn't possible, the entire Pack couldn't be killed at once, right?

Well, unless it was an explosion or something. I quickly rinsed and dried, pulling on my clean jeans and opening the door to a surprised Meghan. I was pulling my shirt on as I walked over to her. "Something's wrong, really wrong, Meghan." She had showered first so she was already dressed. "I felt the link break, I can't feel or contact anyone in the Pack. No Gabriel, no Michael, no one."

"How is that even possible?" She'd been among wolves long enough to know how this all worked.

"I don't know, but I need to find out what's going on."

"I'll go with you," she said. We grabbed our jackets and quickly packed, we didn't know if we would return here for another night. We loaded up my saddlebags and her backpack, and put our helmets on before climbing on my Harley. "Where are we headed," she asked over the intercom link my bike had.

"The Knights are supposed to be protecting Eve while they are on their Pack Run, but Gabriel would have left a few people at Adam's house to protect him until they mate," I said. "We'll go there first, if I don't find them..."

"Then you shift and run, and I'll stay with Adam and his family," she said. "That's fine, I should check how Adam is healing."

I pushed through the gears, riding the near-empty roads as fast as I could safely go. All kinds of scenarios were going through my head, none of them good. My wolf was uncomfortable, he hadn't been without a Pack bond for two decades. It wasn't natural, wolves were social creatures who craved that structure. Meghan's arms around my waist helped a lot; it wasn't like that of a mate, not like the tingles I felt when I first met mine all those years ago, but it was close enough. I dropped my left hand down, placing it over her hands and squeezing gently. "Whatever we find, Meghan, we'll get through together."

"I'm sure there's an explanation," she said. "A whole Pack doesn't just disappear, especially when they aren't all in the same place."

"We'll find out soon," I said. A phone call interrupted my thoughts as I drove at over a hundred miles an hour down the two-lane highway. "Abaddon," I said.

"Abaddon, it's Snake. I got a call from Donuts. He went to Mitchell's apartment this morning, everything is gone including him."

"Good for him, we don't have to kill him now."

"Maybe not," Snake replied. "He found and tossed the tracking device we placed, and Donuts let slip that Adam Johnson was her mate. If he is still obsessed with her, he might head back that way to try and get her back."

"Fuck me sideways, this day is going to shit really fast." I slowed down, we were getting close to their driveway. "I'm almost to the Johnson's house, can you get up here?"

"I can, but it will be a bit, I'm still in Duluth."

"Get going then, I have a feeling you'll be needed." I cut the call and filled Meghan in on what was going on as I moved slowly along the rutted tracks that led to Alan and Alice's home. "You have your pistol," I asked Meghan.

"Always," she said.

"Follow my lead," I said. We reached the clearing where their house was, and my heart sank as I saw Mitchell's Harley parked in front.

"STOP RIGHT THERE," a voice yelled. I stopped my Harley, putting down the kickstand as I watched Mitchell come out of the house. In front of him, their hands cuffed behind them, were a frightened Alan and Alice.

We got off the bike, hands up. "Mitchell, it doesn't have to go this way. No one needs to get hurt."

"SHUT UP!! Toss your pistols into the woods." I pulled my Glock our, tossing it into the brush, and Meghan did the same. "Don't try anything." He pushed the two down the porch stairs. Without hands to balance them Alan fell heavily onto the sidewalk, Alice on top of him. "WHERE IS MY EVE?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "I can't contact the others, I came here looking for them."

"Well, you better find them quick," he said. "It's simple. I take Eve with me and these two live. Doc, come over here and join them."

I didn't want her to, but we had no choice. She shook loose of my hand. "I love you, Steven. Go find your Pack and bring them." She walked towards him, and he quickly produced another pair of handcuffs and made her sit with the others.

"Shift and go. If Eve isn't here in an hour, I'm going to shoot one of them."

"I'll get her, Mitchell. It may take a while, I don't know where they are!" I started pulling off my clothes to shift.

"Then you better hope I don't pick Doc here as my first victim." I swore to myself, shifting into my big wolf I ran into the woods. I had to find them and NOW.

Gabriel's POV

I didn't want to interrupt the newly mated couple, but we had no choice. Without a Pack link, I couldn't coordinate their protection unless they were in view. I howled a note that summoned everyone to me, and a few minutes later they were all gathered around and shifted so we could talk. Every one of us had lost the Pack link. "What's going on, Boss?"

"I don't know," I said. "Can anyone link anybody?"

Adriel and Kushiel stepped forward. "Alpha, our sibling link still works, but we're not feeling the Pack link. Even now with you in front of us, that Alpha presence is missing. It's like my wolf doesn't recognize you, not just as my Alpha, but as anything different than any other wolf. No offense."

"It's true," Michael said. "It's like we aren't a Pack anymore. I don't understand how, I didn't shift allegiances and you are still alive."

"All right, priorities first. Kushiel, since you and Adriel can still talk, you take two men with you and run back to Adam's house. Use the phone, try to get ahold of Abaddon and tell him to meet us there. Stay there until we get back." He nodded, picked two and ran off.

"What are we going to do," Michael asked.

"Follow me. We're going to tell Adam and Eve that something is wrong and we need to get them back to his house." We moved slowly through the woods towards the point, the smell of sex and blood heavy in the light breeze. I told the others to wait as I walked into the opening towards them. Adam was growling, his need to protect his mate from others was strong, but he was in no position to do so while he was still tied to her in wolf form. She whined in pain as he tried to move, the knot pulling her insides. "Stop moving, you're hurting her," I said. "I just need to tell you a few things."

I knelt down so I wouldn't be as threatening, and he calmed down and stopped trying to pull her around with his dick. I told them about what had happened with the Pack Link; when I asked Eve If she could talk to anyone, she shook her head before looking at Adam and licking him. "You can only speak through the link to him?" She nodded.

"All right, we're going to stay back until you disengage. As soon as you shift back, yell for us and we'll talk." I walked back to my men, it could take an hour or two for his knot to subside, more if he started to make love to her again. New mates were just like that.

Ch. 75

Gabriel's POV

Kushiel and the other two had only been gone ten minutes, it would take them thirty to get back to the house from where we were. I was sitting with my men, far enough into the woods to give the two some privacy but close enough to protect them. "How long do you think they'll be, boss?"

I just laughed. "It all depends on how good Adam is at doing math problems or sports scores in his head," I said. "The knot works just like the erection, if you can keep your mind off it for a while it might go down. The problem is, they're newly mated, and I can tell you that the sensation of being inside your mate is damn hard to resist. That's why most new mates take days in the bedroom or the woods when they first come together, your instinct is to keep making love to her. All it takes is one move and it starts over."

The mood of the guys was mixed; I could tell they were happy that the two had mated, but there were three questions we all were thinking but didn't have the answers for. Why did our Pack link and bond dissolve? What do we do now? And will any of us ever have a chance to experience what Adam and Eve are having right now?

There was nothing to do but wait.

Meghan's POV

I watched Abaddon disappear into the woods as I dropped to my knees, my hands handcuffed behind me. I was worried, I'd be a fool not to be; Mitchell had gone over the edge of madness. His obsession with Eve had gone from creepy to unhealth, then passing quickly through self-destructive to rest solely in insanity. What the hell did he think would happen? Eve didn't want him, she'd told him that. She was a werewolf, she was mated now, no human could compete with that.

I know I couldn't. If there was another werewolf out there waiting for Abaddon, he'd Abandon me in a heartbeat. It's the way they are wired, the way their instincts make them. I knew that, but I also knew I had no worries there. Eve was the only shewolf left, and she had found her mate. Abaddon knew it wasn't him because he'd already found his true mate decades ago and lost her.

Mitchell was walking back and forth behind us, muttering and talking to himself. I moved a little closer to Alice, who was shivering and crying. "It's going to be all right," I whispered to her. "They won't let him hurt us, I promise."

She started to cry harder, and I sandwiched her between my side and Alan's as he tried to calm her down. I focused on Mitchell, trying to figure out what he was saying to himself. It was weird, it reminded me of someone who was schizophrenic. I hadn't spent much time in my psych rotation, just the minimum, but he seemed unbalanced and on the verge of a breakdown. "Mitchell," I asked softly, "are you feeling all right?"

"BE QUIET BITCH!" He pointed the gun at me, his hands were shaking. He was sweating profusely, and his eyes were dilated.

"Mitchell, I'm a doctor. I can help you."

"YOU CAN'T TAKE AWAY THE PAIN," he shouted as his hands went to the side of his head. He closed his eyes, I could see the strain on his face. "Only Eve can take away the pain. She's the only one who can save me."

I looked at his face, blood was starting to leak from his nose. "You're bleeding, Mitchell. Did you take anything? Are you on any drugs?"

He dropped to his knees, his hands still on the sides of his head. "I take it, but it doesn't WORK. It hasn't worked for weeks."

"What did you take?"

"Five Percoset." His hand holding the gun fell to his side. "I didn't feel any different, it still hurts."

"Take these off, Mitchell, let me examine you. I can help you, you shouldn't have to feel like this."

He looked at me, seeming to think about it, then his face changed suddenly to blind rage. "NO! YOU LIE!" He charged towards me, swinging his hand. The pistol caught me in the right cheek, I saw stars as the pain exploded. My hands bound, I couldn't stay on my knees and I fell heavily to the ground. My shoulder hit hard, then my head. "I SHOULD KILL YOU!"

I looked up, I saw two of him as he stood over me, waving his pistol.

"Mitchell, that won't help anything. She's trying to help you. We'd all help you if you'd just ask." Alan was talking softly, like he would to a scared animal, while I tried to get my brain under control again. "You have friends? Fellow Marines? What would they think of you right now."

"THEY ABANDONED ME!" He moved away from me, kicking Alan in the stomach before standing over him. "I NEEDED THEM, AND THEY KICKED ME OUT!"

"Who? Who kicked you out?" Alice was brave enough to talk while her husband tried to catch his breath.

"Donuts. He was supposed to get me into the club, find a place I belonged. They don't understand about me and Eve. She is the one who takes the pain away, I NEED her, and they hid her from me!" He sat down, tears streaming down his face. "They never understood that she is special, she is mine. That's why we had to run, that's why I need to take her now."

My head had cleared up, and I could see the blood was flowing faster out of his nose. I saw him looking at the woods. "Where is she? She needs to be here..." I saw his eyes roll back, and he fell to the side.

"SHIT!" I rolled over onto my stomach, squirming around until I could get my knees under me. I shuffled over to where he way lying down. He was breathing, barely, and his pulse was fading. I was still handcuffed, I couldn't do anything. I listened to his heart as it stopped, helpless to intervene.

When I knew he wasn't coming back, I sat up, tears in my eyes. "He's gone," I said.

Alan had moved over next to me, he had pushed the gun away with his leg. "We need the handcuff key," he said.

"I'll try." I turned and got up next to his body, leaning back I tried to work a hand into his pocket. It wasn't easy, it took a couple minutes, but my fingers wrapped around the keychain and I pulled it out. I couldn't see anything. "Can you see? Is it on there?"

"Yes, go clockwise." I rotated the ring slowly, finally feeling the key in my fingers. I moved it around, finally finding the opening in my handcuffs. I heard a click, and I was able to pull my hand free. I quickly uncuffed my other hand, then freed Alan and Alice. They held each other tightly, she was in his lap, his arms holding her tight.

I reached into my Northwoods Riders cut, my phone was still in the inside pocket. I dialed the three numbers. "911 Dispatch, what is your emergency?"

"This is Doctor Meghan Jenkins, I am reporting a fatality," and I gave them Alan's address. "Based on the symptoms, it appears to be a brain aneurism. Subject was unable to be revived at the scene." The dispatcher promised a deputy would be dispatched along with the County Coroner. "They should be here in ten minutes," I told them. "We don't need to attract any attention. Mitchell was a friend to the Club, he came here to visit with us and he had a sudden attack. There was nothing we could do. Understand?"

"Your friend came, he had an attack, there was nothing we could do," Alan repeated.

"Perfect. Hide the gun. Go inside and get cleaned up."

"You too, Doc, your face is bleeding."

"I will, I need to bring the motorcycle up and bring Abaddon's clothes inside. I don't want to explain why his clothes are strewn by the forest." I walked over and picked them up, putting them in the saddlebags along with our two pistols we had tossed. The key was still in his Harley, so I started it up and drove it to the front of the house, backing it in before shutting it down. I went inside, going to the bathroom and washing the blood off my cheek. It would bruise, so I went to the kitchen looking for an ice pack.

"How are you going to explain that on your face?" Alice was sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in hand.

"When people seize, their hands often move without control. As I was going to help him, I got smacked in the face," I said. "The EMT's will check it but I'll be fine."

"Abaddon is going to freak, though." She looked at me with a smile. "You can't fool me, he looks at you like Alan looks at me."

I blushed a little. "I've known him my whole life, we just confessed our feelings for each other a short time ago. It's weird, but a good weird. I love him, I think I always have."

"If you have love, you can make it through anything." She took my hand, I could hear the siren approaching.

The three of us got up and went out to the porch as the Deputy arrived, parking between the house and Mitchell's body. We greeted the young Deputy, I introduced myself and showed him my identification, and briefly explained what had happened. As long as a whole bunch of wolves didn't come storming into the yard and shifting to big naked men, we'd get out of this without suspicion.

It took another hour for the Coroner to pack him up and leave with him. I left him my contact information, asking for the autopsy results. I had a good idea what to expect, the head pain and the ineffective painkillers were key indicators. He must have been suffering a lot, at least his end was quick. Donuts told us he had been a good Marine, a good man once. He deserved to be buried that way.

Snake's POV

I tried to tell Mouse that she needed to rest, that she should stay in the hotel room, but she's as stubborn as I am. When she found out my daughter was in danger, she was up and grabbing her riding gear. "Are you sure? It's a ninety-minute drive."

"I'll be fine, I'm sore, not broken," she said. "I just got you, no way I'm letting you go by yourself. You know how hard it is to find a man like you?" I shook my head. "Trust me, I'm a lucky little Mouse. Now don't forget your pistol, and let's get out of here." We didn't have much to pack up, so I called the front desk and told them to check us out, then between the saddlebags and her backpack we had it all. Fifteen minutes after I had taken the call, we were on the road.

The drive was frustrating, I wanted to go fast but Highway 61 was busy with tourists. We worked our way to open road when we could, opening up the throttle when we got past traffic. I talked to Mouse the whole way, catching her up on my life and Eve. I couldn't trust her to know of the werewolf side yet, just that she had turned eighteen and was up here with her boyfriend. Mitchell was an older biker who had seen her and became obsessed with her, even after she told him she wasn't interested in him anymore.

We reached the turnoff, but there was a Sheriff's cruiser in the road, getting ready to turn right. I waited as he pulled out, I waved at him, and the next vehicle made my blood run cold.

A coroner's van.

As soon as it was out of the way, I turned into the driveway and drove faster than I should have towards the house. I could hear Mouse's groans of pain, but she didn't tell me to slow down. I was scared to death, and I needed answers.

Ch. 76

Abaddon's POV

My head was spinning with everything that was going on. A few hours ago, I would have just sent a warning over the link and the whole Pack would have converged on us. Now? I didn't even know where they were. Gabriel said they were going on a Pack run, we were near the Superior National Forest, there were hundreds of square miles around they could be in.

I picked up the stale scents and headed northwest. I got to the top of a rise, pausing to lift my head and send out a distress howl. It was old fashioned, really something you learned because you might need to communicate between Packs. I listened for a bit and heard nothing in response. I kept running.

I stopped again after another five miles of hard running and howled. This time, I got a response and headed that way. A few minutes later, I could see them, and I just about collapsed in relief. I shifted as Kushiel, Phanuel and Puriel ran up and shifted. "I need help, guys. Mitch is back at Adam's house, he's got Alan, Alice and Meghan hostage. He said he's going to kill them if we don't give him Eve."

"Fuck," Kushiel said. His eyes unfocused, he was linking.

"I lost the Pack link," I said.

"We all did," Phanuel said. "Alpha influence is gone, there aren't Alpha commands on our wolves anymore. It's like the Pack just disappeared and made us all lone wolves." I looked at Kushiel. "He still has the sibling link with his brother, we left him back with Gabriel and the rest."

"How did it happen?"
"We don't know, but it happened when Adam and Eve mated." I smiled, that meant the curse was broken and my vow to protect her was complete; I could make a life with Meghan, if I could just keep her alive.

"Gabriel says the two are still tied together, they may not detach for an hour or two. Then they have a hard hour of running to get back to the house."

"What did he say to do?"

"Save them," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"OK, we won't have a link to coordinate. He's holding them in front of the house, so you guys sneak around behind."

"Attack from the sides?" Phanuel looked confused, it was a long house.

"Get on the roof, he won't expect that. I'll work him back to where you can jump." We shifted and ran hard back towards the house. It was going to be close. I pushed forward faster, my body at its limit, knowing I only had one chance to save my love or Adam's loved ones.

Snake's POV

I roared into the driveway, skidding to a stop as I killed the engine and put the kickstand down. I turned and helped Mia off; she winced as her leg went over the seat, I'd hurt her but I had no time. I jumped off, running towards the door. "EVE!!"

Meghan came to the door. "She's not here, Snake. Go get your woman, there's no crisis here and she's limping."

I turned back to Mia, scooping her into my arms and carrying her up onto the porch. I set her on the chair by the door on the wide deck, taking a moment to make sure she was comfortable. "I'm sorry, my Mouse," I said as I held her hand. "I know that was a hard ride for you."

"I'll live, now sit with me," she said. I picked her up and sat down, placing her gently on my lap. Alan came out with a few glasses of lemonade, Alice right behind him. He handed us the drinks, then the three of them sat in the chairs. I could see Alice was still shaking, and Meghan had an ice pack on her cheek. "I'm Mia Taylor, I'm Snake's little Mouse," she said. "I know Doc Meghan already, so you must be Alan and Alice, Adam's brother and his wife."

"We are," Alan said as he pulled his wife into his side. "I'm sorry, we've had a rough morning." He described how Mitchell had shown up this morning after Adam and Eve left together, taking them hostage and threatening them and Meghan. Meghan picked up the rest of the story, ending with the coroner leaving.

"I saw that as I came in, I've only been that scared a couple times in my life," I said. "So Eve is all right?"

"I have no idea," Alan said. "Last night Adam was having a rough night, he was feverish and the leg was infected. The pull was obviously stronger, Eve couldn't stay away, she was sleeping outside his window. I brought her inside, and she stayed with him in wolf form. They left together this morning. Whatever problem they had, they must be working through."

"And the Knights?"

"Went with them. I saw a few of them last night, they were surrounding the house but trying to give them privacy to be together."

I leaned back in the chair, relieved that she was all right and with her mate. "Gabriel will keep her safe," I told Mia.

"I'm glad, but what does wolf form mean?" She looked at me like we were teasing her.

Oh shit. In all the excitement, I'd completely forgotten that I hadn't told her about werewolves yet. I guess this was going to test her commitment to me. "She doesn't know?" I looked at Alan and shook my head.

"It's my fault," I said. "Mia, I love you and I didn't mean to keep things from you, it's just that there are secrets we don't reveal to those not in the Club," I said.

"And wolf form is a Club thing? What are we talking here, Twilight shit? You have vampires and the Knights are werewolves?"

Alan laughed. "It's nothing like that, really."

"He's right," I said. "I've never seen a vampire, not even a sparkly one. Werewolves are real, though."

"YOU'RE A WEREWOLF?"

She started to move off my lap, but I held her tight. "No, I'm human, just like you. So is Alice. Alan, he used to be a werewolf, but he killed his wolf when he decided to marry Alice and settle down. Eve... my daughter, my adopted daughter, she is a werewolf, as is Adam." We had time; it took two more glasses of lemonade each before I finished the story of how we got to where we are now.

"So to summarize, Eve has been the only female werewolf for a decade or so, the males are in decline, and Eve mating Adam breaks the curse that was killing all the women when they were pregnant?" I nodded and kissed her. "Holy shit, that's some curse."

"You can't imagine how it was," Meghan said. "Vivian tried so hard, she lost so many mothers and their children. Eve was the second baby she saved, and the only one to grow up. Jessica was her best friend, her assistant. She gave everything she had to try and stop this."

I looked up when I saw movement in the woods, recognizing Abaddon I called out to him. "It's over, Abaddon," I said.

Meghan didn't wait, she ran off the porch and grabbed his clothes out of his saddlebags. She ran into his arms, kissing him as he struggled to get dressed. "Abaddon," she said in between kisses. "I love you."

He set her down, his hand moving up to her cheek. I could see his left hand fisting up with his anger, but she pulled him into a hug. His nose buried in her hair, he took a couple deep breaths before he calmed down. "He hurt you?"

"I'll be fine," she said. "Come on, I'll fill you in on what happened."

He looked at the roof above us before shouting. "PHANIEL! PURIEL! Get dressed and get down here!" I heard footsteps above us, and a few minutes later we were all sitting together. They told us about how the Pack link had disappeared when the two mated, and I couldn't understand why.

I looked at Meghan, who was sitting in Abaddon's lap, his arms around her waist. "When did this happen?"

"I've crushed on him forever, but he never told me how he felt until we were together this week," she said. "Now that his vow to Eve is fulfilled, we're going to see where our relationship can go."

"I'm happy for you, I really am," I said as I tipped my glass in their direction. "Hammer? I think you need a plan for telling him."

Mia looked at me quizzically. "Hammer is her father, she's grown up in the Club and Abaddon had been around her since she was a girl. I don't know how he's going to take a man of his advanced age dating his little girl."

Meghan just laughed. "I'll tell Mom, once she's on our side he doesn't have a chance." We talked for another half hour.

I heard the thunder of paws, and looked up with everyone else to see a pack of huge wolves coming running at full speed into the yard. I set Mia down on the chair, standing in front of her as they lined up. "Mia, if you don't want to see a whole lot of naked, you might want to close your eyes," I told her.

She looked at Meghan. "I don't care, I've grown up around them, they're like family to me," Meghan said. She went to the wooden box on the porch and opened the lid, pulling out a stack of shorts and shirts. The men shifted as she walked down the stairs. "Thanks for showing up, boys, but we handled it already. Mitchell is dead." She started tossing the shorts to the guys so Mia wouldn't be so nervous; the rest of us had gotten used to it.

"Who is she?" Gabriel pointed at Mia.

"She's mine," I said. "Where is Eve?"

I saw a flash of white fur as Eve broke from the woods, a handsome wolf running with her. She shifted mid-leap, and I barely had time to set myself as she crashed into me. "DADDY!"

I spun her around in my arms before setting her down. "Hi baby," I said as I kissed her forehead. I touched the still-healing bite mark on her neck. "Are you happy?"

"Very much," she said.

Adam had pulled on a pair of shorts and walked up to her, pulling one of his Vikings jerseys over her shoulders. "I'll take good care of her, Dad. We worked things out."

I pulled him into a hug. "Congratulations, and welcome to the family," I said. "We should go back to the Cities soon, so you can meet her Grandparents and the rest of our Club."

"Can we?" Eve was pretty excited. "I didn't even ask, do you ride?"

"Of course, love. Up here we get more snowmobile than motorcycle riding time, but I've ridden since I was sixteen."

"Good, because I need a ride back." She kissed him, pulling him in tight as they molded to each other.

"Hey, enough of that for now," Gabriel said. "Don't make us throw you in the lake again."

She pulled away and blushed. "Lake?" My eyebrow was raised as I stared her down.

"Don't worry about it Dad, it's wolf stuff."

I looked over at Gabriel. "We needed to cool those two down a little so we could get back here quickly."

"Why?"

"We didn't have a garden hose?"

Eve buried her face in Adam's chest, and I glared at Adam when I put it together in my mind. "Wouldn't be a problem if I had him neutered," I whispered.

"No grandchildren then," she whispered back.

She looked up and noticed the beautiful woman who had walked up to me, putting her arm around my waist. I smiled and pulled Mia to my side. "Eve, Adam, this is Mia. We met a few days ago on the road and we've become rather close in a short period of time."

Eve's eyes bugged out. "You're dating?"

"Nope. I found her and I'm not letting her go."

Mia moved forward and embraced her. "I understand congratulations are in order for your, um, mating?"

"He just told you, didn't he," she said as she looked at me. "Yes, it's like a marriage except it really is until death."

"I have a lot to learn, but I kind of like that idea," she said. "Your Dad is a wonderful man, I hope we become close as we get to know each other."

Alice came up towards us. "Snake, I don't know what the plan is, but I don't have the food in the house to feed this many werewolves." She looked at the two dozen big men. "I can't imagine how much food these guys eat, Adam eats as much as we do combined!"

"That wouldn't be fair to you for us to impose," Gabriel said. "Abaddon, there's got to be a place near here we can take this group to eat."

"Betty's Pies has enough room, it's not that far away," I said. "We always stop there."

"I could go for pie," Alan said with a smile.

"All right, I guess we ride," I said. "How far away are your bikes?"

"Back at the old Pack House," he said. "We'll run there and meet you at the end of the driveway." I thought about just meeting them at Betty's, but he was right- they still should be protected. Since there was no Pack bond, they had to be close, so we may as well ride like a Club.

The clothes were collected, and Mia watched in fascination as the men shifted back to their wolves. "You've taken this well," I told her as I hugged her gently.

"It's cool as hell," I said. "Did you ever wish you could be one?"

"All the time," I said. "Our DNA isn't compatible, there is no changing from human to werewolf, only killing your wolf part so you can seem to be more human." We talked for a while longer as the others changed into riding clothes.

An hour and a half later, we were having a great time eating burgers at Betty's. Mia tried their Pie Shake, where an entire slice of pie gets blended into a milkshake. It was interesting, but I'd rather have it separate. Since they had about three dozen flavors, most of us had two or three, and there was a lot of passing and tasting going on at our end.

"What happens now, Gabriel?" I looked down the table at his men. "I mean, Eve's mated, the curse is broken, and you aren't Alpha and you don't have a Pack anymore. Where do you go from here?"

"I don't know, Snake." He looked older than I'd ever seen him. "I've devoted my entire adult life to serving Luna, to carrying out what she charged me with, and now I have nothing and no idea what to do next."

I put my hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure it out. You're our friends, all of you. Let's get back to the Clubhouse and talk to Viper. He'll know what to do."

"He will. Now Mia, how'd you get the nickname Mouse?"