Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

Chapter 15

10 months later

Weeks turn into months, and the hotel is nearly

unrecognizable. It was just four rogue women and three babies doing what I thought was impossible when we started. At times we saw no end in sight, and all of us wanted to give up. Fix one thing, find another issue, yet we managed it. We had four days before the health and safety inspector came out to check our progress, the first time he came out. He gave us a list of issues and snorted his laugh at us when we told him it was only us fixing it up. He shook his head and said it was impossible and that the place should be bulldozed.

Nearly a year had passed, in that time, we had fixed all the hotel rooms into immaculate rooms that simply matched or surpassed the other hotels in the city. Macey and I went hotel shopping, as we called it, and sussed out the other nearby accommodations. We hired a room for a night to see the services and check out the rooms and decoration to develop our own ideas. The function room was one thing most of the hotels didn’t have, whereas ours was big enough to hold weddings and formal functions.

Walking into the function room, I always marvel at it. It looks like something out of a fairytale wedding. Twinkling fairy lights hang from the ceiling joining in the center to a crystal chandelier which was one the most expensive things Valarie paid for but the centerpiece of the room. We had done it up as a winter wonderland inside, elegant yet also sophisticated

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if needed, depending on the function.

All the hotel rooms were transformed, the pool area was restored, and the property’s gardens were trimmed and well maintained. In the rear gardens, we found four water

fountains that still worked. After a good tidy up, it had a tropical oasis feel.

The restaurant in the main building is fully functional, and all appliances have been removed and replaced with better stainless steel and energy–efficient ones. It had a children’s play area that was fully enclosed and would eventually offer child minding services for employees and those staying in the hotel. We still had so much to do, but our most challenging task was passing the health and safety inspection and finding people to help run the place.

We had made do with just fixing it up with little help from Zoe‘ s child’s father and Macey’s brother. We still needed more workers to run this place. Four women couldn’t be everywhere at once. Solar panels had been placed on every building to save money on the power for running the place when it eventually opened.

All that was left was the front gardens and painting the exterior, which was nearly done, but we had just run out of paint. Macey’s brother was currently trimming the front hedges, and Macey was mowing the lawn with the ride–on mower she borrowed from her neighbor. Then on top of all the renovations. Three nights a week, I went to the

community college on the street behind us, and Valarie paid for my business courses. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, I

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attended campus.

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up to Valarie’s expectations. Since meeting Valarie and her taking us in, for the first time I was hopeful for the

will have enough daylight to finish that last side,” Zoe calls out to me one day

up. Valarie waves from the top balcony with Valarian and Casey in her arms, smiling and babbling happily

worry about Valarie,” Zoe says, and I hum in agreement. She had

tried to convince her to go see the doctor last week, but she refused as always,” I tell her. Zoe shakes her head and sighs. Last week I walked in on Valarie during one of her coughing fits, only this time it was much different as she wiped her mouth with her tissue covered in blood. When I confronted her about it and urged

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worried, and it was all made worse each time her mate stopped in to see her. I had been there nearly a year, and he was like a ghost. I saw his car come and go, but I was yet to see the man’s face even after a year. Zoe and

is the reason she is so sick; I had already noticed it with myself. So going decades without

time I shifted, my wolf form was weaker and a little smaller. The longer I remained rogue and without my mate, the worse my wolf side deteriorated. My health deteriorated; I was always sick with the flu or stomach issues, and no matter how much I ate, I could never put on weight. My hair fell out in clumps sometimes, especially when he had been busy fooling around with women. Other times I felt drunk, making me question if he was an

toward him and resisting took its toll on me. He had no idea; I tried to reach out to him, fear of

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damned if I let him take him from

did to

I hop out of the car, paint code in hand and the cash for the paint. “We need a new paint tray too; I cracked the other one by accident,” Zoe says as we

I tell her, and we split off down different aisles. Walking down the paint section, I look for the correct paint tray. It needs to be big enough for the roller brushes, finding it. I grab a spare just in case. Heading back to the front of the store, I

liters should be enough?” she asks.

and should have some spare, not much left to do now,” I tell her,

skips a beat when his scent wafts to me. My heart thumps erratically, and I swallow as I stare at the man’s frame in front of me. He is tall and intimidating as ever. I

to the man behind the counter, and he pays for his things before turning around and noticing me. He stops dead,