Chapter 0321

Nicholas

A late night knock rattled my door, rousing me from my sleep. I groaned, threw my arm over

my eyes, and turned over, ready to ignore it.

But then it came again, louder.

Sighing, I lowered my arm and checked my clock. Midnight.

Who could be trying to reach me now?

My heart immediately jumped into my throat. Piper.

Who else would visit me this late? Unannounced?

Perhaps she had changed her mind about pushing the distance between us. Maybe she wanted me to hold her again. Go d, I couldn’t wait to feel her in my arms once more.

In a rush, I threw back my blankets and hopped from my bed. At the door, I wasted no time in drawing it open.

When I saw Piper there, a sense of relief surged through me so fully, I nearly toppled over. My knees went weak. My heart thundered out of control.

“Piper,” I said.

At once, she pounced toward me, jumping straight into my willing arms. She wrapped her own arms around my neck, and h ooked her legs around my waist. Her mouth found mine, latching on for a passionate kiss.

She was being more aggressive than usual, demanding where usually she allowed me the lead. But who was I to deny her? Or to deny myself, when she was all that I ever wanted?

I could be malleable, if this was how she wanted me every now and then. Whatever kept her mouth on mine and her body pressed against me.

Go d, I had missed her so much, I had felt her seeped down into my very bones. Her name was carved along my ribs, I was certain. Her voice, her mouth, her body, everything about her was seared into my heart.

I couldn’t exist without my want of her, my love.

Which was why I felt so confused when my soul, which usually burned brightly in her

presence, felt more unsure than happy.

In the back of my mind, my wolf began to growl – not with its usual possessive intent, but with something darker… something warning…

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Piper’s hands slipped into the space between us. She was undressing herself.

“Whoa,” I said, breaking the kiss. “Slow down, Piper. It’s okay. I’m here, we’ve got all night.” Piper shook her head. “Want you,” she said, voice rough.

No, this felt like too big a difference from the last time I had seen her. Was that why my wolf was unhappy? We needed to make sure this was what she truly wanted, and she wasn’t just acting because she thought I wanted this.

“No. We need to talk first.” I tried to lower her down, but her legs wouldn’t release from around me. “Piper?”

I looked up at her, desperate to know her expression. What I saw there sent a violent shiver through me.

You stu pid as shole, I thought at myself, hating myself in that moment.

Piper – no, Jane – wrapped a collar around

my neck.

Knowing this wasn’t Piper, I dropped her and stumbled backwards. Jane landed on her feet like I had barely inconvenienced her. A sharp smirk quirked one corner of her mouth.

I tugged at the collar but it wouldn’t budge. “What is this?”

“Be a good little dog, and sit,” Jane said. Shame went through me. How could I ever think this vile woman with her sharp, vindictive voice could ever be my beautiful and kind Piper?

Jane’s command sent a zip of pain shooting through my body. I grit my teeth, not wanting to show weakness.

“Is this how you mean to play?” she asked. “You think you can fight one of the strongest anti -werewolf measures in the underground?”

A magical collar? Designed to debilitate a werewolf?

skin. The collar had chained him back, but we

quite eager to do my bidding up until a

a shower to remove her scent. I’d use all

of those things now, so I

I tensed all my muscles

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“Not when I look so much like

nothing like her!”

wear the same face, you oaf. That had been

you

the side of her mouth as her smile grew. “Do you think Piper will be upset

an ever-burning flame. I would never let her get away with

for her again. My hands, half claws now, sliced into the meat of her arm. She yelped

dog.” Cursing, she rushed to an innocuous part of the wall. There

the sailboat, and an entire door opened right there in that spot on the wall. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it. There

been perfectly hidden, even here, in my private rooms. How

in black came pouring out. Members of the underground

gave the orders. “Rough him up if you have to, to make him complacent, but don’t kill him.

rd? I was

with sharp tooth and claw

one of the

said, shoving one of the men

but a

some of my senses. I could fight off three or four at once, fifth added a challenge.

of me, containing my arms and legs. A snapped against their hold, biting at anything I

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was caught painfully in a half-way state of shifting. My jaw was extended, my teeth sharp. But I couldn’t press all the way. It felt as if an invisible wall was holding

positively gleeful as she gazed down at

you doing this?” I demanded, my voice raw, torn between man and wolf. Jane huffed a harsh laugh. “Why else? My sister loves

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Chapter 0322

and I ran all the way to Nichola s’s room. I knocked

answer.

asleep,” I

if it’s

tried the handle. The door opened at once, pushing inward. Together, Julian and I stumbled

over. The carpet was torn to shreds, like wolf claws had sliced straight through. There were claw

the room. He paused,

“Feel what?”

head and looked around.

I could feel it too, like a tingle in the back of my mind. Or my nose preparing

room. The claw marks seemed to lead

What have they done

fled through stone and

could feel it pull inside of me much like

this one didn’t belong to

it,” Julian said. “He’s here. Somewhere. There has

to the wall, where a painting of a sailboat

there, Piper. Keep

a passageway, especially if it had

the way, it seemed to whisper. This will lead you to

“Piper, stop wasting time!”

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it to the wall. It felt

here, I was certain of

way. It compelled me to lift a hand. My fingers brushed

I pressed down.

There was a click.

just like that, a door swung open, revealing

side. Disbelief widened

know,”

enter the passageway first. I followed him down, down a winding stairwell. It

was there in wolf form, a collar tight around his neck. One of the cages had been burst through, iron bars

somehow, in a

barked at me.

are you

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