ã€ŠFractured (by N.O Darling)ã€‹


 Chapter 0001

    "Good Morningdies!" The dorm senior, Jenna, shouts as she makes her way down the corridor of the dorms, banging on each door as she goes. I roll over with a groan and stretch to pick up my phone. I read the time and then rub my eyes before checking the time again because there''s no way I read it right. ncing around the room I feel confident that my eyes are now working correctly and check the time again.

    "Mother fluffer!" I curse under my breath. I was right the first time. It''s 5:30 AM! That confirms my suspicions that perfect Jenna with the too-friendly smile is evil. It''s the first day of university and sses start at 9 AM. Why on earth is she waking the whole dorm up at 5:30? I can hear grumbling and cursing from the other girls through the paper-thin walls as Jenna loudly announces that it''s shower time. I grab the pillow and press it over my head to try and block out the noise. I had my rm set for 8 AM, which would have given me plenty of time to shower and have breakfast before our first ss. I manage to block out enough of the noise that I start drifting back to sleep. BANG, BANG, BANG!

    "Josie Banks, room number 5, I don''t hear any movement in there!" Jenna''s sickly sweet voice calls through the door as she hammers on it, then she begins to rattle the door handle. With a huff I chuck my pillow on the floor, throw back my covers and get up, stomping to the door I yank it open.

    "It is 5:30 AM!" I hiss at Jenna. She smiles with fake sympathy as she looks me up and down.

    "I am aware of the time Miss Banks, but this year''s stock is going to need extra time to get ready if we are going to make any of you look presentable," she grins.

    "We are not cattle," I huff and begin to shut the door in her face. She stops it with a foot in the doorway and looks down at her clipboard.

    "Josie Banks, eighteen years old, here to study criminology. Father is deceased, mother suffers from psychosis and currently resides in a secure hospital. Josie needs support to process her emotions and would benefit greatly from structure and routine. Josie has no other living rel..." I cut her off by snatching the clipboard from her hand and reading the information sheet she had on me. With every word I read of my personal information, my anger grows, like each letter adds fuel to the already growing fire within me. Who gave her this information? She''s just a senior student with a voluntary role as dorm leader, she has no right or need for this information. This is a breach of privacy.

    "How did you get this?" I seeth. Students gather in the corridor, their attention now focused on the drama unfolding in front of them.

    "As the dorm leader, I am privy to any information that may help me to support you,¡± Jenna states, holding her head high like she feels superior. "It was in the enrolment statement, that you signed and agreed to when you epted your ce within this university," she adds. I tear the page from the clip holding it down and m the board into her chest.

    "You had no right to that information, and you certainly had no right to broadcast it to the whole dorm," I shout as I shove her away from my door. There''s a brief look of shock on her face as her head cracks against the wall before her expression goes nk and she slumps down to the floor with a thud. There''s a distinct crack in the ster on the wall where she hit it. Gasps sound out down the hall as I m the door. I lean against it in disbelief, looking down at my hands in disgust.

    "Someone call an ambnce!" I hear one of the girls in the hall shout.

    How did that just happen? I didn''t shove her that hard did I?... no, it''s not possible, I''m not that strong and I barely touched her. She must have tripped on something and hit her head. That crack in the wall must have already been there and I''d just not noticed it until now.

    "Is she breathing?" I hear a panicked voice ask. I don''t hear the answer as my ears begin to ring and my heart begins to pound loudly. I feel as if the oxygen has been sucked out of the room as I draw in gasping lungfuls of useless air. My chest tightens with every breath like more and more weight is being added on top of me. My vision goes blurry before turningpletely ck, then I be light, and the weight lifts from me as I rx into peaceful darkness.

    "Miss Banks wake up!" a stern voice prates the blissful bubble of silence I had fallen into. I blink open my eyes, letting my blurry vision adjust to take in the figure hovering above me. It''s a plumpdy with a grim-faced expression that I don''t recognise.

    "Who are you?" I murmur, pushing myself up into a sitting position and looking around to take in my surroundings.

    "I''m Officer Shelby, I''m with the Mount University Police. We need to take you down to the station,¡± she gives me a sympathetic smile as she pulls me up to my feet. In the broken doorway of my room stands another police officer. This one is looking curiously between me, the doorway and the crack in the wall where Jenna had been slumped. I suck in a breath as I remember what had happened. Jenna is no longer there, which is good. I must have passed out for a short time and she had reported me to the police for causing her to fall.

    "I''m sorry officer, this was all a bit of a misunderstanding. I didn''t mean for her to fall, I just pushed her out of my doorway so I could close my door and..." I begin to exin until the officer holds up a hand to stop me.

    "Save it for the interview honey," she says softly, whilst guiding me out of the building and into the back of a waiting police car. My fellow students watch on, giving looks of pity, smirks and utter disgust as I pass... perfect, I''ve made a great first impression.

 Chapter 0002

    For the next few hours, I watch the clock in the small room they have me locked in. I''d drank my small paper cup of water hours ago and I''ve counted every tiny crack I can find in the stered walls at least ten times. Just when I''m at the point of driving myselfpletely insane by mentally reying what happened with Jenna over and over again, the door opens. The male officer that I''d seen in my dorm room earlier walks in and takes the seat opposite me at the table.

    "Sorry to keep you waiting Miss Banks," he says,ying a paper folder out on the table. He opens it and begins to read through it in silence. The seconds tick by and I start to get fidgety in my seat at the ufortable silence. Just as I open my mouth to break the silence the door opens again and a tall man wearing an expensive-looking suit walks in holding a briefcase. The man looks down at me in an assessing way. He is extremely good-looking and exudes dominance in a way that makes him hard to look at.

    "Is this her?" he says in an almost snort, jerking his chin in my direction.

    "Yes, Sir," the police officer nods, motioning for the neer to sit next to him. He takes his seat and reads through the paperwork the officer hands to him. I study his face as he reads. He''s one of those ageless guys. His serious, no- bullshit demeanour makes him seem like he''s much older, but his face is young. My guess is he could be anywhere between twenty and forty. He must feel me looking at him as his eyes flick up to mine over the paper and he holds my gaze. Everything in me screams at me to look away, to break the eye contact, but I don''t. I won''t be bullied by some stuck-up detective. His eyes grow intense and then I swear I see the sh of a smirk before he ms his hand down on the table, making me jump back in fright.

    "Are you trying to challenge me Miss Banks?" he asks in a deeper voice than he''d used with the other officer.

    "Challenge you?" I snort and raise an eyebrow, trying to use my attitude to mask how much he had scared me.

    "I suggest you learn to submit, and quickly, because at the ce you are going, the people won''t be as tolerant as I am," he says, closing the folder and putting it into his briefcase before turning to the officer and nodding. My heart pounds in my chest and panic grips me as I watch the two men shake hands. "I''ll take her from here," the stuck-up detective tells the officer.

    "No," I manage to rasp out. "Please, I didn''t mean to hurt her. I can''t go to prison. I can''t!... Don''t I get a solicitor?... A phone call?" I plead with the officer as he leaves the room. I turn my attention back to the suited man. "Please sir, it was an ident," I sob.

    "Not so tough now are we?" he smirks at me. "Let''s go, Miss Banks, I have a very busy schedule and don''t have time for your tears," he sighs and heads towards the door. I remain seated, frozen in fear and shock. "You have two seconds to follow me, otherwise I will leave you here and let the police throw you in prison," he snaps.

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± I gasp and turn to look at him. He gestures to the open doorway he is standing in and without too much thought I scramble to my feet and rush to his side.

    "That''s what I thought," I hear him remark under his breath. He walks down the corridor withrge strides that I struggle to keep up with.

    "Where are we going?" I whisper to him as we pass police officers who don''t seem to pay any attention to us. He ignores me like the rude asshole that he is and doesn''t even look at me until we reach the elevator. He presses the button and turns to face me whilst we wait for the doors to open.

    "Tell me, Miss Banks, are you prone to panic attacks?" He asks.

    "Huh?" I respond, a little taken aback at this whole situation.

    "Your file says you passed out from a suspected panic attack at the scene, and you seem to be on the brink of another panic attack now. So what I am asking, little girl, is if I''m going to have to hold your hand through our journey?" He snarks. Anger res in me at his words.

    "Well I''m sorry Mr Perfect, I''ve had a hell of a day so do excuse me if I''m a little upset!" I hiss at him, crossing my arms to let him know how much of a badass I am. He gives me another of his barely there smirks and a nod in what seems like approval. The elevator dings at that moment, signalling the doors opening and he steps forward without another word. I follow the smarmy asshole in and stand beside him. I watch as the doors close, with a strange sense that they''re closing on my old life.

    "Collins," he says, snapping me out of my strange thoughts I turn to give him a questioning look. "It''s Mr Collins," he says in a barely there whisper as he steps dangerously close and looks down at me. So close that when I take a breath my chest touches his. The air suddenly feels charged as I stare up into Mr Collins'' eyes. The arm holding the briefcase snakes around my back and he pulls me flush against his chest, causing me to gasp. Holy shit balls this man is hot. He brings up his other hand and gently strokes my cheek with a secret smile, then in a sh he grips my chin hard. "Sleep," he demands, his eyes shing blue as he speaks. Myst thought before my body shuts down is that I''m going to knee this jerk in the balls as soon as I get the opportunity.

 Chapter 0003

    "Wake up, Miss Banks," a smooth voice says, the tone washes over me like a loving caress, and for the first time in a very long time I feel safe and it''s not something I want to wake up from just yet. I nuzzle my face into the warmth against my cheek. A sweet, buttery and woodsy kind of scent hits my nose and I give an approving hum at the pleasing smell. A grunt of disapproval ruins my contentment right before I am dropped unceremoniously onto my back. Thending is soft but still unpleasant.

    "What the hell!" I curse, rushing to sit and take in my surroundings. I''m on a couch in a dimly lit room, bright light suddenly floods the room making me squint against it. I shift my attention to the source of the light, fighting the urge to hiss at it like a feral vampire. Arge figure is framed by the beaming sunlight that is flooding the room through a window that spans the entire wall. The figure is fussing with the curtains that he''s just opened and I quickly recognise him as the stuck-up detective, Mr Collins. The events of the daye rushing back to me like a tidal wave of anger, fear andplete confusion.

    "What did you do to me? How did we get here?" I demand, gesturing to the room and jumping to my feet.

    "I don''t have time to baby you through this, so here is the quick version," he starts as he unbuttons his suit jacket and hangs it over the back of arge leather office chair. "My name is Deacon Collins, I am the headmaster of Grey''s Academy and you are the newest student here. Tell me, what do you know about your heritage?" he asks. My eyes are transfixed on his hands as he unbuttons the cuffs of his shirt and rolls up each sleeve to expose some impressive forearms. A throat clearing snaps me out of my trance.

    "Oh... um," I start, embarrassed at being caught staring. "Sorry, I''m a little lost here. I''m not feeling myself," I say with a sigh and flop down onto the couch. I try to process what the hell is going on.

    "Due to your circumstances, I am going to assume you know nothing. Here at Greys Academy, our students are gifted..." he begins.

    "Wait, gifted?" I interrupt, "I think there''s been a mistake. I''m not gifted, I got a pass in all my exams but nothing that makes me stand out,"

    "If you''d let me finish Miss Banks..."

    "Josie," I correct, not liking the way he uses ''Miss Banks'' in an inferior way.

    "Miss Banks," he reiterates, "If you would just keep quiet for two minutes and let me exin then you can be on your way. Our Academy is for what we call Greys. Greys are a race of superhumans. Whilst we are much more powerful than regr humans, we are also small in number. For this reason, we have created our own realm within the human one. This is safer for everyone to live in peace. Somehow, you have slipped through the and grown up within the human realm. I will beunching a full investigation into how that came to pass, but for now, you are here and you are safe. Now I appreciate this is a lot for you to take in and you have a lot of catching up to do so I won''t overwhelm you today. I will have my assistant assign you a dorm room and pair you with one of our more intellectual students to do extra studies with you outside of your regr lessons. I will also schedule some extra studies with our tutors here. Any questions?" he says without a flicker of a smile.

    "Oh, you are good," Iugh. "I love this show! I used to watch it all the time," I say between bouts ofughter. I get up and start exploring the room to find the hidden cameras. I can''t believe I''m on the prank show. I wonder who nominated me, it must have been Freya, my best friend from college. "Was it Freya that put you up to this?" I giggle.

    "Miss Banks!" the actor ying Mr Collins shouts, mming his hand down on the desk, which just makes meugh harder. I approach him and examine the buttons on his shirt, one must be a hidden camera. Then I start rubbing my hands over his shirt, feeling for the hidden wires. In a sh his hands wrap around my wrists, making me gasp in shock as he grips them hard, stopping my exploration. I look up at him and his eyes are intense as they stare back at me. "What the hell are you doing?¡± he asks in an almost growl.

    ¡°Looking for your mic?¡± I gulp.

    "I don''t have a mic, this is not a prank. You are new here and you''ve had a lot to take in so this once I will give you a pass, but if youy your hands on me ever again there will be punishment. Do you understand?" he says in a low, scary tone. His heavy breathing makes me bite my tongue because I really want to taunt him about what this punishment might be. As if he knows what I''m thinking his eyes seem to sh blue. That''s when I remember them doing that earlier, right before he demanded that I sleep, a demand I was powerless to resist. Panic bubbles inside me at the realisation. He''s telling the truth, isn''t he?

    "You made me go to sleep," I say with a shaky breath. He gives me a single nod

    in response. "What else can you make me do?" I ask. Fear at how vulnerable I am right now pushes me to ask the question.

    "Anything," he says in a husky whisper, and I swear his face moves closer to mine. His answer doesn''t scare me like it should, if anything it excites me. Then a door opens, breaking the trance he has me in, he drops my wrists and takes a step back as if I''m suddenly repulsive to him. I turn to see who the intruder is.

 Chapter 0004

    "I thought I heard voices in here. Is everything okay Dee?" a very attractive woman who looks to be in her thirties says as she walks into the room with a beaming smile. Her hair is jet ck and shines as the sunlight hits it. It''s the sort of hair that should be in shampoo ads and just enhances her stunning blue eyes and wless skin. She wears a skin-tight ck dress that shows off her hourss figure and ck stilettos, with her finger and toenails painted bright red. She is the kind of woman that makes you feel insecure as soon as you see her.

    "Yes. rrisa, this is Josie Banks, a new student I''ve just picked up from the human realm. Could you please assign her one of the single dorm rooms in Ruby," Mr Collins says, whilst he takes out the file from his briefcase that the police officer had given him earlier and holds it out to rrisa.

    "Are you sure? There''s plenty of space for her in Amber or Saphire," rrisa says, giving me an assessing look up and down before scrunching her nose a little.

    "Put her in Ruby please and make sure she has everything she needs,¡± he says dismissively. Then he sits at his desk and opens up aptop. I stand there unsure of what I''m supposed to do now. Mr Collins nces up at rrisa and then me. "That will be all," he grunts.

    "Of course Deacon, Josie follow me please," rrisa smiles tightly.

    "But..." I start.

    "That will be all Miss Banks, rrisa will get you everything you need and someone will be along to your dorm shortly to answer all your questions and get you settled. Wee to Greys Academy. I hope there will be no need for any more visits to my office," Mr Collins says tly and then turns his attention back to hisptop. With a sigh, I follow perfect rrisa.

    We exit the office into a ss-lined corridor, rrisas heels click loudly on the cream marble floor. Everything feels too bright and shiny. I''d hate to be the cleaner here, there must be a whole army of cleaners to keep all the ss and marble clean. rrisa leads me to an elevator and I let an audible breath as I remember myst elevator ride before I was kidnapped by a sexy, rude, jerk of a... wizard? Then I snortugh as I think about what is happening. I''m in freaking Hogwarts, and that makes Mr Collins Professor Dumbledore. rrisa gives me a disapproving side-eye.

    "Sorry, it''s been a wild day," I exin.

    "I can imagine. Don''t worry about Deacon, he was taking his morning shower when the call came in about you, he had to rush off without his morning coffee, he''s grumpy without his coffee," sheughs, a little too much for it to be real. My mind is suddenly filled with thoughts of Mr Collins in the shower, then I realise what she said. If she was there when he got the call, that means she was there when he was showering. She''s his girlfriend... or wife. Of course, she is, she is beautiful and he is hot as hell, they are a perfect match. That exins why he jumped away from me like I was on fire, he didn''t want his girlfriend to get the wrong idea. My heart sinks a little. I thought I''d felt some chemistry in our short encounter, but I guess it was a stupid thought anyway. I''m his student now, and I don''t know how things work here but I''m sure it''s the same as it is in the human world. Students and teachers dating is a huge no. Why am I wasting time thinking about this when my life has just beenpletely obliterated?

    ¡°Wait!¡± I blurt. ¡°I need to go back... my mum," I manage to say through panicked breaths. How could I forget about my mum? Guilt floods me.

    "Don''t worry about any of that for now, time works differently here so no one will be missing you yet. Deacon will take care of everything, your mum will be just fine. I''m sure he will keep you updated on personal matters like that," she smiles. "Okay," I nod. "What about my stuff? Can I go back for it?" I ask.

    "Deacon will arrange for your belongings to get to you, try not to worry and just focus on making your new life here. I know this is a difficult time but I''m sure you will be happy here, we will work everything out to make this transition as easy as possible for you," she says as we walk through a maze of ss and marble corridors. We exit the building into a courtyard with a huge fountain in the middle. The wateres out through four spouts. Above each spout is arge crystal. rrisa stops walking for a moment to let me look at it. "Each crystal represents a house at our Academy. You have been assigned to Ruby for the time being," she motions to the red stone. "You can easily identify your fellow house students by the colour of their tie. Red for Ruby, green for Emerald, blue for Sapphire and yellow for Amber,¡± she exins as we walk on. I mentally roll my eyes at the thought of wearing a uniform again. I''m almost 19 years old and I feel like I''m going back to secondary school.

    "Where are the other students?" I ask, taking note of how quiet it is.

    "They are all in sses, they''ll be finishing soon. We have just over 300 students here, it can get quite busy between sses," she grimaces. Movement in the distance catches my eye and I can just make out a group of about thirty people. They''re moving fast around each other as if dancing. As we get closer I realise they''re fighting.

    "Combat training," rrisaments, "they''re our next squad of soldiers," she adds proudly. I want to get a closer look but rrisa ushers me on and towards an old-looking stone building that''s embellished with Rubies. "This is your building," she says as we enter through the door. I look around in awe. It''s stunning. It''s like an old castle inside but with everything you''d expect in a modern house. Therge space has stone walls with thick red curtains around the huge windows. Then there are couches scattered around arge rug with a stone firece and real fire. There is a big tscreen TV mounted to one of the walls with game consoles on the shelves underneath it. On each side of the room is a grand staircase that meets at the top. I follow rrisa up the stairs and down a hall, we pass two doors before she stops and hands me a key. "This one is yours, I''ll give you some time to settle in and someone will be along shortly to show you around," she smiles and walks away before I can even mutter a thank-you or get the door open.

 Chapter 0005

    I stand in the doorway of my new room open-mouthed. This must be a mistake. This is nothing you''d expect of a dorm. This is more like a hotel suite. The bed is huge, king-size at least, and the pillows are like plush clouds that I just want to jump into. There is a dressing table with a mirror and a walk-in wardrobe that''s almost as big as my entire dorm room at Mount University. Therge window is framed by bookshelves, stacked with books of every genre you could wish for, and there''s a cosy window seat with cushions and a nket. I almost squeal in excitement. There''s a small countertop with tea and coffee-making facilities and a mini fridge. In the bathroom, there''s not only a shower but a full-size bathtub. The whole ce is a luxury that I''ve only ever seen on TV and I have no idea how I am going to pay for it because I don''t think a part-time job around my studies is going to cut it. I catch a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror and cringe. My hair is a mess, and I''m wearing a sleep shirt with shorts and my tatty Converse shoes that Officer Shelby had allowed me to put on before taking me to the station. I lookpletely out of ce here. On the back of the bathroom door, I notice a bathrobe and there''s a stack of towels and toiletries in the bathroom cupboard. It''s not ideal but I could shower and change into the robe for the time being. I hope my belongings are brought to me soon because I''m going to be theughingstock of the school if I have nothing but a bathrobe and sleepwear in my wardrobe. After a hot shower, I feel a million times better. I wrap myself in the luxury robe and head over to the bookshelves to check out the selection. Jumping into someone else''s crazy world sounds like a great distraction whilst I wait for someone to bring my things and introduce me to my new life. A book titled ''Greys'' catches my eye and whilst it''s not the fiction I was hoping for it looks like a good ce to start learning about my new life. I climb into the window nook and start reading. I learned that Greys are a superhuman race that possess powers that include but are not limited to; super strength, manifestation, teleportation, shapeshifting, superior speed,pulsion, telepathy and telekinesis. I blow out a breath and close the book, already feeling overwhelmed and not sure if I can believe all this. Voices outside my window catch my attention and I lean closer to look down at the ground outside. There''s a group of men heading towards my building, they push and shove each other yfully and as they get closer I notice how dirty and dishevelled they look. Maybe they were a part of the group that wasbat training earlier. The men file into the door beneath my room and out of sight, except for one. From this angle, I can''t see much of his features but he looks tall with a mess of blonde hair that''s long on the top but shaved on the sides. He seems puzzled as he turns around and scans his surroundings, maybe he''s looking for someone. I nce in the direction he''s looking to see if I can see anyone he might be waiting for but there''s no one else in sight. I look back at the man and gasp, jumping back from the window when I see him staring straight at me. I swear his eyes shed blue like Mr Collins had right before he''d used his powers on me. Once I''veposed myself I slowly edge back to the window, peeking over the sill to see if he''s still there. I blow out a breath when I find the courtyard empty once again. A knock at my door makes me jump once again. Why am I so jumpy all of a sudden? Actually, that''s a dumb question. I''ve literally been dragged from my life and dumped into a whole new realm, where the people have powers and canmand me to do whatever they like. I need to keep my guard up and my wits about me if I''m going to survive in this ce. I open the door expecting to see Mr Collins, rrisa or someone delivering my belongings, but the face that greets me is none of those. It''s the blonde man I''d seen through my window.

    "Well hello there new girl," he grins at me with the most perfect white teeth.

    "Hi," I respond awkwardly, gripping the front of my robe to make sure I''m not shing anything I don''t want him to see. I hear footstepsing down the corridor and the blonde man rushes into my room and closes the door behind him, almost knocking me over in the process.

    "What the hell?" I demand, trying not to show any fear.

    "Shh," he says quietly, putting a finger to his lips. I''m about to start shouting at him to get out when I hear voices on the other side of the door. When the voices seem to pass by the blonde chuckles. "Sorry, I wanted to talk to you before the rest of the guys find out you''re here, I''m Theo Henry, your new neighbour," he exins and holds out a hand to shake. I bite nervously on my bottom lip debating if I should trust this guy. "I don''t bite," he assures, obviously noticing my hesitation. I look into his eyes and see kindness there. Something deep inside me tells me I can trust him, that he''s going to be an important part of my new life here.

    "I''m Josie," I finally say, taking his outstretched hand and shaking it. His eyes sh blue and his eyes go wide as a jolt of fear flows through me right before everything goes ck.

 Chapter 0006

    My vision returns as fast as it left. Theo is on the floor at my feet groaning.

    "What was that?" I demand, stepping back from Theo and clutching my hand.

    "The spark," Theo groans out, and then he startsughing.

    "What does..." I start, but I''m cut off by my door shattering into pieces. Making me shriek and jump back further. A very angry-looking man stands in my doorway, breathing heavily. He takes in the scene in front of him. Dark hair hangs over his eyes but it doesn''t hide the fury peeking out behind the dark locks. His hand shoots out towards me and his fingers strain as if he is gripping something, then my oxygen is cut off. I scratch at my neck, trying to remove whatever is wrapped around it that''s stopping me from breathing but there''s nothing there.

    "Mason stop, I''m fine," Theo croaks out and pushes himself to his feet before knocking the dark-haired man''s arm down. Precious air fills my lungs and I copse to my knees in relief.

    "Josie, are you okay?" Theo asks, kneeling in front of me.

    "Get... out!" I rasp between deep breaths.

    "Let me get you checked over by a nurse," Theo says softly, reaching out and touching my neck. His touch feels soothing but also hurts my tender skin. I smack his hand away.

    "You heard thedy, get out Theo, and take that psycho with you!" a female voice calls. I look up to see a short, pixie-looking girl standing near my door, her hands are on her hips and she looks pissed.

    "He didn''t mean it, he thought she was hurting me," Theo exins.

    "She was hurting you!" Mason shouts.

    "No, it was amazing. It was The Spark," Theo exims excitedly. Pixie girlughs in disbelief and Mason looks like someone just killed his kitten. His eyesnd on me again and I swear I see murder there.

    "Sure thing lover boy, everyone knows that''s a myth. Go take your boyfriend and daydream elsewhere," she dismisses. "And fix this damn door!" she addsing to stand by my side.

    "What''s The Spark?" I croak out.

    "Forget about that for now, we are starting you with the basics, not myths," she smiles, holding out her hand for me. I take it and let her pull me to my feet. "I''m Dorothy, but everyone calls me Dot. Mr Collins asked me to be your guide, tutor and bestie," she announces with a salute. "Okay, you caught me, I lied about the besties part but we are going to be besties, I just feel it," she almost squeals. I''m a little taken aback by her chirpy attitude and how fast she speaks, especially after just being attacked by the Damon Salvatore wannabe. I look over to my door and Theo and his murderous friend are nowhere to be seen, my door is also restored to its former glory, you''d never guess it had been shattered into a million pieces just moments before.

    "My door," I gasp.

    "Mason fixed it, he''s a grumpy, possessive jerk but he''s also fiercely protective and he''s great to have around when things get broken, granted it''s usually him breaking them, but nobody is perfect," she says with a shrug.

    "If I ask you something, will you be honest with me because I''m about ready to lose it," I ask as I begin pacing my room.

    "Shoot," she chirps, flopping back onto my bed and examining her bright pink nails.

    "Is this a mental hospital? Because my mum has psychosis so maybe it''s hereditary. After everything that''s happened today I''m starting to think I''ve actually gone insane and all this is a hallucination and I''m a patient here, not a student," I blurt out.

    "Nah, it''s a school for Greys. Unless I''m hallucinating too... What if everyone here is having the same hallucination and we all think we are at school but really it''s a hospital? And Mr Collins is our hot doctor trying to make us all sane again. That would be hrious," she saysughing hysterically. I stare at her wide-eyed until sheposes herself.

    "Is that possible?" I ask. Almost afraid of what her answer will be.

    "Nah. But I do like the idea of Mr Collins being a doctor, I''m going to call him that from now on. Now get dressed, or we will miss dinner, and you don''t want to see what happens when I miss dinner," she smiles sweetly.

    "I don''t have any clothes," I say with a grimace. Dot gives me a knowing smile and snaps her fingers.

    "Tah-dah," she grins, and motions to my wardrobe. With a frown, I open the doors and look in awe at the now fully stocked rails.

    "How did you do this?" I ask in astonishment.

    "Fine, you caught me in a lie again. It wasn''t me. Mr Collins told me he had stocked your wardrobe. Girl, you must have made a good impression on him. I''ve never seen him be so kind," she saysing to stand beside me and bumping her hip against mine.

    ¡°Kind?¡± I snort. ¡°He was anything but kind," he must have brought this in whilst I was showering. Thank god I didn''t walk out without the robe whilst he was here.

    "Mmmhmm," she mocks and pushes past me. She grabs a pair of very short ck shorts, a ck vest top and a red oversized hoody with Greys Academy embellished on the front. Then she opens a drawer and picks out some underwear before throwing it all at me. "Get dressed, let''s go? she makes a shooing motion at me.

    I take the clothes into the bathroom and dress quickly. Everything fits perfectly and I wonder how Mr Collins knew my size, especially my underwear. I push the thought of him choosing underwear for me from my mind, not wanting that embarrassment to add to the shitstorm of a day. When I leave the bathroom Dot is holding out a brand-new pair of crisp white Converse, I shove my feet into them and follow Dot out the door, ready to explore my new world.

 Chapter 0007

    We head out of our building and across the courtyard to a more modern brick building where students seem to be filtering from all directions. People stare at me and I see them turning to whisper to each other.

    "Hey beautiful," a deep voice says from behind us and I turn just in time to see Dot swept off of her feet by a tall man with a mess of shoulder-length blonde hair. Before she has a chance to respond, another male approaches. This one is shorter and has a military-style shaved head. He wraps his arms around her, pulling her from the blond man and nting a kiss on her lips. I stare open- mouthed at the scene in front of me, waiting for a fight to start or for Dot to protest, but it doesn''t happen.

    "Put me down," Dot giggles and squirms in the man''s arms until he releases her. She straightens her clothes and looks back at me. "Josie, this is Marcus," she points to the blonde, "and this is Cole," she pats the arm of the second man.

    "Nice to meet you," I smile awkwardly at Marcus before turning my attention to do the same to Cole.

    "Where''s Joe and Max?" Dot asks the men who are now walking beside us.

    "They came early to get us a table at the front," Cole answers.

    "Oh goody," Dot ps her hands together in delight. "Tables at the front are first in line for seconds," she leans closer and whispers to me as we enter arge dining hall. I feel the eyes of all the students all lock onto me and my steps falter at the gravity of the situation I''m in. I feel like a fish that''s been dumped into the shark tank as I recount the words in the book I''d read. These are all Greys, superhumans with powers that could do whatever they like to me and I''d be helpless to stop them. How am I going to survive here?

    "Don''t worry, they''re just curious. It''s not often we get new students, especially at our age. Most people here have grown up together," Dot reassures, linking her arm in mine and guiding me to arge table. The room is not as impressive as I''d imagined. I was expecting Hogwarts and instead, this is a standard college dining hall.

    "So this is your new pet?" a handsome ck man with shocking blue eyes asks as he stands from the table and pulls Dot into his arms before kissing the top of her head.

    "Yes, this is Josie. Josie, this is Joe," Dot introduces. Joe shes me a 1000- megawatt smile and holds out his hand to shake. I hesitate, remembering what had happened with Theo.

    "Hi," I do a small awkward wave instead and quickly avert my gaze.

    "Babe, I got you a milkshake," a cheeky-looking dark-haired man interrupts, handing Dot a bottle of strawberry milkshake.

    "You know how to treat a girl," Dot gushes, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, before turning back to me, "this is Maximus," she grins at me.

    "Max," he corrects with an eye roll followed by a wink.

    "I''m Josie," I smile.

    "And what did you get me, Max?" Cole asks, elbowing Max in the ribs yfully. All four men begin teasing each other and making jokes.

    "Sorry, they can be a bit much, but I love them," Dot says wistfully as she watches the men scuffle. "Let''s get some food," she adds, leading me towards arge food counter. She hands me a tray and a te and takes one for herself before she starts loading food onto it. The food isid out under hot counters in a self-serve- style buffet. I take a slice of cheese pizza and some fries as we move along the counter.

    "So which one are you dating?" I ask, ncing over to the four men who are now seated at the table.

    "All of them," she grins at me.

    "What?" I gasp. "How did you pull that off?" I add with a giggle. I take an apple and a bottle of juice and follow Dot back to the table.

    "It is how we do things here, take a good look around you," sheughs. I take a seat beside her and the men get up to get their food. Looking around at the other students I notice distinct groups of one female with up to five men at each table.

    "Our poption is small and females are rare, so mate bonds are formed. It is usually four men to every woman, but sometimes it''s three or five men," she exins.

    "And the men don''t get jealous or fight?" I ask, finding all this hard to believe.

    "Sometimes at first, but they work it out. Our bonds are not ours to choose. There are a couple of our kind that have the gift of sight, they can detect soulmates and match them together. When a female turns 18 the soul-seer guides her to her bonds,"

    "And does anyone get a choice in all this?" I struggle to keep the distaste from my voice. This feels dirty and like exploitation.

    "Of course they do, some resist the bonds, but they almost always give in eventually. It''s not easy to ignore your soulmate," she shrugs. I scan the room again. Everyone looks happy in their groups. Then my eyesnd on a table at the back. There are only males at that table, and every single one of them is staring right at me.

    "Who are they?" I whisper to Dot.

    "Those are the unbonded, dered to have no living soulmate within the realm and resigned to a solitary life. You''ve just given them all a second chance," she says excitedly. My heart skips a beat when my eyes lock with Mason''s, dread fills me when I see the devil in his eyes as he stares back at me with that murderous look once again.

 Chapter 0008

    "Looks like you''ve made quite the impression," Dot teases, snapping me out of death''s trance as I break eye contact with Mason. I follow Dot''s gaze to a friendly smile. theo waves excitedly when my eyes meet his. I smile back at him before my eyes flick back to Mason''s nervously He scowls at me before turning to say something to Thien.

    "Earlier, you referred to Mason as Theo''s boyfriend. Is that true?" I ask, trying not to sound too interested.

    "I''ve heard rumours about it," she shrugs. "Theo is a huge flirt and definitely isn''t opposed to men. Mason doesn''t tolerate many people, but he has a soft spot for Theo. In fact, I don''t think anyone has ever made Mason crack a smile apart from Theo,¡±

    "Well one thing is for sure, and that''s that Mason hates me already," I huff. I''ve been here a few hours and I''ve already made an enemy... great!

    "Mason hates everyone, don''t take it personally," she reassures.

    "He tried to kill me," I snort, rubbing my throat at the memory.

    "He was just protecting Theo. It doesn''t help that Theo was spouting off about The Spark though. That boy is so desperate to be loved that he probably imagined the whole thing, and if it is true that Mason and Theo have something going on... well you just became a big threat to that," she shrugs like it''s no big deal. Dot''s harem return with their food and I change the subject, notfortable discussing this in front of them.

    "So what kind of sses are taught here? I''m assuming it''s a lot different from the human studies," I ask the

    table.

    "We have standard sses that we all take, such as fitness, history and all the boring stuff. Then we different sses toplement our gifts, I''m currently studying medicine as I have a healing ability," Dot says around a mouthful of pasta.

    "Me and Marcus are doingbat training, we will be guardians of the realm. I have superior strength, hearing and speed," Cole grins proudly and I gape at him.

    "I have enhanced speed and telekinesis so far," Marcus winks.

    "I''m studying politics and human rtions, I just have an affinity for telepathy at the moment," Joe says, sounding less than pleased about it.

    "I''ve only just turned 18 and my gifts haven''t been revealed yet so I''m studying manifestation. I''m sure you''ll be joining my ss," Max adds shyly.

    "Well I''m relieved there will be at least one friendly face in there," I smile at him and take a sip of my juice. I''m d I''m not the only one here that doesn''t have some amazing ability.

    "We havepany," Dot says quietly. I look up to see Theo approaching our table, his eyes are locked on me, and I see hope there: He slowly ces his tray down opposite mine and casts nces at the rest of the table as if waiting to see if anyone is going to try and stop him. When no one protests he takes his seat.

    "Hi," he says quietly with a smile.

    "Hi," I respond nervously, flicking my gaze behind him to see where Mason is. When I see the empty ce where he had been earlier I shift anxiously in my seat. "Is your boyfriend going to attack me again if I talk to you?" I ask, feigning sarcasm. I hope Theo isn''t telepathic, I don''t want him to know how scared I actually am right now.

    "He''s not my boyfriend, and no. That was aplete misunderstanding. He sensed my fear and pain and then found me at the feet of a stranger in our home. He thought you were attacking me. When I exined it to him he was full of remorse and feels just awful about the whole thing," Theo answers and I raise my eyebrow at him in disbelief.

    "Very heroic of him," Dot deadpans.

    "If he''s sorry then why hasn''t he apologised? And why is he still shooting me death res?" I quiz.

    "He''s just like that," he shrugs in defeat. "Can we forget about him and talk about what happened between us?" Theo asks hopefully.

    "Jeez Theo, she''s only been here five minutes and something happened between the two of you already?" Marcusughs and shoves Theo yfully.

    "It was The Spark," Theo tells him proudly, causing the whole table to erupt intoughter..

    "Can someone please exin this spark thing to me? I keep hearing it but have no idea what it is, or what''s so funny about it," I huff.

    "It''s a myth. Just forget about it, "Dot rolls her eyes.

    "No, it''s not. I felt it," Theo protests. "You felt it too didn''t you Josie?" he almost pleads, reaching out over the fable to take my hand. I pull my hand from his reach, not wanting another shock from him. I don''t miss the look of hurt in his eyes and I scramble to think of the right words to erase that look.

    ¡°I felt something, like a static shock maybe?" I suggest.

    ¡°A static shock that stopped my heart beating for a second and knocked me on my ass?" he scoffs.

    "Maybe she has an electrical gift?" Cole shrugs.

    "No. If none of you believe me then that''s fine, but I know what I felt, and when the seer reveals me as one of her bonds then maybe you''ll start listening," Theo scowls at the group and then his expression softens as he looks back at me.

    so what you are trying to say is Josie is the harbinger of the apocalypse, there''s danger afoot and we should all prepare for doom?" Joe asks.

    "Someone better exin this damn spark thing to me right now," I snap, finally losing my temper. They''re talking about me, and it sounds important, but they may as well be talking in a foreignnguage for all I understand. The whole room falls silent and I panic I''ve done something until a voice behind me speaks up. ¡°Miss Banks, Mr Henry, my office. Now!" Mr Collins demands and my blood pressure rises at his presence.

 Chapter 0009

    Theo sits beside me on the couch in Mr Collins'' office. There''s a tense silence as Mr Collins removes his suit jacket and rolls up his shirt sleeves. This must be a routine of his, and it''s certainly one I like. In fact, I might get myself sent to his office regrly just to witness this arm p**n. How can a man have such attractive arms? I seriously hope neither of the men in the room has the gift of telepathy because I think they''d kick me out of the realm if they could hear even half of the filthy scenarios my brain is ying out right now.

    "Are you okay?" Theo asks, snapping me back to reality.

    "Yes," I respond a little too quickly.

    "You looked like you zoned out a bit there," he says softly, reaching up and brushing some hair from my face and tucking it behind my ear. My guess is he''s not telepathic, oherwise he''d probably not be acting so sweet to me right now.

    "Just a little overwhelmed," I smile before shifting my attention back to Mr Collins, who has his back turned towards us so he''s facing a nk wall. I give Theo a questioning look and he shrugs with a frown.

    "Is everything okay, Sir?" Theo asks in an almost teasing tone. Mr Collins appears to take a breath before letting. out a sigh and turning to us with a hard stare.

    "I was supposed to be at my father''s will reading today, but instead I had to travel to the human realm to collect Miss Banks and tie up all the loose ends there, then I had tounch an investigation into how a Grey was raised as a human. Right now I''m supposed to be having dinner with my grieving mother, but instead, I''m here, dealing with more of Miss Banks'' issues. So do excuse me if I seem a little pissed off," Mr Collins rants with a manic smile. A pit of guilt forms in my stomach and I stand up. My instincts pushing me to attempt tofort him and apologise. I take a step towards him beforeing to my senses and stopping awkwardly in the middle of the

    room.

    "I''m sorry to hear about your dad, I know how it feels to lose one," I say quietly, looking down at my feet. There''s a beat of silence before Mr Collins speaks again.

    "Yes, well we aren''t here to swap dead dad stories and share our grief so let''s get to the real issue. Sit down," he says, instantly turning my pity into anger. I take my seat with a scowl and Theo gives my knee a supportive squeeze. His touch calms me immediately, which is weird. I don''t usually like to be touched, especially by men I''ve only just met.

    "So what are we here for?" Theo asks too cheerfully, in an obvious attempt to ease some of the tension and act as

    buffer between me and our headmaster. Something I''m grateful for at this moment because Mr Collins has my emotions all messed up.

    "A student stopped me as I was leaving to inform me you believe you felt The Spark. Is this true?" he asks Theo as he takes his seat behind his desk.

    "Yes,

    "Theo confirms proudly, "When we touched I felt a jolt of power that knocked me off of my feet. Then I felt like my heart stopped for a moment before I cked out. When I woke up I felt the connection," he exins, giving my knee another squeeze.

    "And you felt this too?" Mr Collins shifts his attention to me with a raised eyebrow. I chew on my bottom lip nervously, unsure what to say.

    "I''m not sure. I did feel something. Like a strong static shock maybe, then my vision went ck. The next thing I know, my door is destroyed and there''s a man in my room strangling me with his mind," I rub my neck again, the memory still very fresh.

    "Who?" Mr Collins barks in anger.

    "Mason Marshall," Theo sighs.

    "Of course it was," Mr Collins mutters and opens hisptop. He loosens his tie

    and opens the top button of his shirt before he begins typing furiously.

    I look to Theo nervously but he doesn''t meet my gaze. He moves his hand from

    my knee and runs it through his hair before standing.

    "Can we go now?" Theo asks, his wordsced with irritation.

    "Leave," Mr Collins snaps without looking up from his screen. I get to my feet, desperate to get out of whatever this situation is. "Not you, Miss Banks," he adds before I can take a single step. I expect Theo to protest on my behalf but when I look to him for help I only see his back as he retreats from the room without another word or a backward nce. Great! What crawled up his ass? With a huff of defeat, I sit back on the couch and wait to find out my fate.

    "Start reading, I''ll be back in a few minutes," Mr Collins instructs after he''s finished his angry typing.

    "Reading what?" I ask

    "That," he points to a book that''s on the couch where Theo had been sitting moments before.

    "What the..." I start to ask, then shake my head, "Right away, Professor Dumbledor," I snark, picking up the book as he leaves the office.

    The book looks like a modern school textbook, but the title, The Spark'' has me turning to the first page eagerly to finally get some freaking answers!

 Chapter 0010

    The Spark

    The Origins Of The Greys

    During thete Peolithic period, a group of twenty hunters embarked on a hunting trip that would alter their lives and the world as they knew it. The hunting partyprised four women and sixteen men, a ratio of 1:4. While tracking a herd of deer, a fierce storm suddenly struck,pelling the group to seek shelter in a cave. Unbeknownst to them, this was no ordinary storm, and the shelter was no ordinary cave. It was believed to house the powerful force of the four seasons and was guarded by a pack of wolf spirits. As they fled through thework of caves, the party became separated into four smaller groups, each escaping into a different tunnel. At the end of each tunnely a cavern of precious stones. Trapped at the dead ends by the spirits of the wolves, the groups believed their lives to be over. However, just moments before their demise at the jaws of the wolves, lightning struck, bringing down the cave around them. The first group, consisting of one female and five males, was crushed in a tomb of Rubies. The second group, one female and three males, were crushed by Emeralds. The third and fourth groups, eachprising one female and four males, were crushed by Saphire and Amber. This might seem like the end of this group''s story, but it was just the beginning. The stones that crushed their bodies infused them with power and bound their souls together, not only with each other but with the spirit wolves. They were reborn part human, part wolf, with abilities beyond their imagination. They were the Greys.

    "You need to eat something," Mr Collins'' voice interrupts my reading. I look up and take note of the takeout bag in his hand. It has the logo of my favourite Chinese takeaway from my hometown on it.

    "I already ate," I tell him, swallowing the extra saliva that''s flooding my mouth at the smell of the food.

    "You''ve had one bite of an apple in thest twenty-four hours. Don''t be stubborn, you are about to go through some changes that require you to have a healthy diet," he hands me a box of stir-fried chicken noodles and chopsticks and my stomach growls in response.

    "How do you know what I like?" I ask.

    ¡°Because I''ve spent all day researching you,¡± he says, sounding bored. Which is

    not surprising, my life has been nothing exciting.

    "Lucky you," I snort.

    "How far did you read?" he nods towards the book beside me.

    "The origin story of the Greys. Is it true?" I ask before popping a piece of

    sulent chicken into my mouth. I almost moan at the vours that burst on my tongue.

    "As far as we know it is, it seems a little vague and far-fetched but it''s the only exnation we have for how we came to be," he shrugs.

    "So what''s The Spark?"

    "It''s said that when Greys die, they reincarnate and search out their soulmates in every lifetime. But, the original four groups only ever find each other when a threat is on the horizon. Only then will one or all of the bonded groups be reunited to deal with the threat. Together they are much more powerful than the other Greys. They possess extra abilities. Thest time one of these groups was rumoured to have united was when they created this realm as a ce for us to be ourselves, as the humans started to discover us and exploit us. The Spark is a way for the reincarnated originals to identify each other. Legend states that as the female of the groupes into contact with her male counterparts, a jolt of power will flow through the pair, stopping the heart of the male and syncing its beat to the female and forming a mind connection. Once the connection is established with the whole group

    they will be the Alpha group, a group that will lead the army of Greys to eliminate the threat," he exins between mouthfuls of food.

    "And you think I''m one of these originals reincarnated?"ugh in disbellef. "Yesterday I was just a regr human girl, I''m hardly ready to lead an army,"

    "It would fit the legend," he shrugs, "but I agree, it''s unlikely. We have no proof that any of this is true. For all we know, the books we follow as factual history could have been written by a Grey with a good imagination. I suggest we wait until the seer arrives and finds your bonds. In the meantime, don''t touch any more unbonded males. When your bonds are identified we will initiate contact in a controlled environment that we can monitor. Then we will know the truth,"

    "And what if I don''t want to bond? Because I''m really not a fan of this sharing stuff. I''ve never even had a long-term rtionship. I''m certainly not ready to settle down with multiple men," I huff.

    "I understand that this is a very different way of life for you, and may take some time to ept. You will not be forced to bond with anyone you do not wish to," he reassures.

    "That''s good to know," I sigh with relief. "When is the seering?"

    "I have her scheduled to arrive a week from now, but given the new developments, I will see if she can attend

    distance from sooner. For the time being attend your sses and the extra tuition I have arranged and keep your the unbonded. A package should have been delivered to your room containing everything you will need and your academy phone, on it you will find your timetable and all the relevant information you will need. It''s how you will receive any officialmunications so keep it on you at all times. Now I suggest you go back to your room and sleep in preparation for tomorrow''s sses,"

    "Fine," I sigh and stand to leave before hesitating, "You don''t happen to have a map back to my room do you?" I ask, suddenly feeling vulnerable at the thought of navigating this ce alone.

    "Work it out for yourself," he snaps.

    "What the hell is your problem? Do you have multiple personalities or something because your mood swings are giving me whish," I quip back. When he ignores me I storm out into the darkness with a feeling of impending doom. I make it out of the building and into the night, chills run up my arms and I look back at the door to Mr Collins'' building. Should I just go back and plead with him to walk me to my room? I take a steadying breath and shake my head. He''d probably just be a jerk and send me back out alone anyway. Time to pull up my big girl panties and be brave. I make it to the fountain in the courtyard when a low growling sound makes my blood run cold and I freeze in fear.

 Chapter 0011

    The telltale growl of a predator grows louder as it approaches from the darkness. I urge my feet to run, but they refuse. I try to force out a scream, but it won''te. The only thing I can do is breathe heavily as panic grips me My legs begin to tremble under the weight of my fear.

    "Don''t move," A voice whispers from behind me. I want to respond that I couldn''t move even if I wanted to, but words fail me. I hear a whoosh behind me and then a huge dog appears at my side, growling aggressively back at the predator lurking in the shadows. The dog moves to stand in front of me protectively, its thick ck coat shining in the moonlight. It edges forward, snarling and snapping its jaws. Then I see it, bright blue eyes emerge from the shadows. Coming out to challenge my protector. It''s at this moment that I realise these are not just big dogs, they''re freaking wolves! Why are there wolves here? My mind goes back to the books I''d fead. The originals were soulbound to the wolf spirits. One of the gifts of a Grey was shapeshifting. These are not just wolves, they''re Greys. They''re people, and one of them wants to kill me. I have a sneaking suspicion I know who the murderous wolf is. "Mason," the name slips from my mouth as I think it. At my voice the snarling stops. The wolf I suspect is Mason stares at me with curious eyes before letting out a whimper and disappearing back into the shadows. I scan the darkness for any trace of him but he seems to have gone

    "How can one girl cause me so much drama in such a short amount of time," the voice of Mr Collins snap

    I look back to where my protective wolf was, wondering if he might bite Mr Collins in the ass for me, but the wolf is gone. In its ce stands Mr Collins. He was my protector. Great. I don''t even have the strength toe up with a smart-ass reply right now. I stumble towards the fountain and sit on its edge, working to catch my breath and process what just happened.

    "Mason really wants me dead doesn''t he?" I whimper.

    "Mason has some issues but I don''t think he''d actually kill you, I think it''s more likely that he''s trying to scare you away. I''ll deal with him tomorrow. You need to get back to your room and keep your door locked," Mr Collins instructs.

    "What good is that going to do?" I snort, "he practically turned it into wood shavings earlier. Just take me home, back to the human realm. I don''t belong here,"

    "I can''t do that, you are exactly where you should be," he responds, his tone softer than usual. I nce up at him and see concern in his eyes. There he goes with his Jekyll and Hyde act again. He pulls out his phone and appears to send a message to someone before hees to sit beside me on the stone ledge with a drawn-out sigh. ¡°Josie, I can''t promise things are going to be easy for you, but I can promise I''m going to do everything I can to keep you safe," he says. His use of my name makes my breath catch in my throat. We sit in silence for a few moments, staring at the moon.

    "Did you really just turn into a wolf?" I shake my head in disbelief that those words just came out of my mouth. It is not something I thought I''d ever ask someone.

    "Yes, and you will be able to soon. Our powers start to manifest in our eighteenth year and we usually gain the ability to shift into our wolves by the age of twenty," he tells me. I burst intoughter at his words. What the hell is happening here? This morning I woke up as a normal human, just like I have done every single day for thest eighteen years, and now I''m in a different realm, in a magic school, with magic powers, and at some point in the next fourteen months I''m going to start turning into a wolf! Oh, and let''s not forget my multiple soulmates and that I might be the reincarnation of one of the originals and here to save the world! Happy freaking Monday! "What''s wrong with her?" I hear Theo ask. I guess he just magicked himself here from somewhere. Iugh harder. "I think the shock has got to her, she''s having some kind of trauma response. It''s not unheard of in these situations. Pick her up, I''ll put her to sleep until it passes. Stay with her until I''ve dealt with Mason," Mr Collins

    tells Theo and I know I should protest, be outraged at him, but I no longer care. This whole thing is hrious. Theo scoops me up in his arms and I continue tough.

    "Josie, you will sleep until this passes," Mr Collins'' words float Into my mind and spread throughout my body, soothing it like a balm until all I feel is peace.

    When I wake again it''s still dark, there''s steady breathing behind me and a warm body pressed up against mine. A heavy arm is draped over my waist, holding me protectively. My instincts somehow know it''s Theo. I hate to admit that he brings me so muchfort. I''m not used to this. I don''t let people get close to me like this, and I''ve only known him for a few hours, but on my humongous list of shit to overthink, this scores low. I rx into his hold, I need more sleep before sses tomorrow. As I''m drifting off back to sleep I notice that it''s not just Theo''s and my breathing I can hear, there''s someone else in the room with us. I peek my eyes open slightly and in the corner of the room, I see the silhouette of a person watching me with glowing blue eyes.

 Chapter 0012

    I try to keep my breathing steady. Not wanting to alert Mason to the fact I''m awake

    or that I''ve seen him. I scrunch my eyes closed, too scared to keep looking at those eyes. Slowly I move my hand to find Theo''s, and when my fingers wrap around his I give him three hard squeezes. He groans on the first squeeze, by the third he''s fully alert.

    "Jose, what''s wrong?" he asks, sitting up.

    "There''s someone in here," I whisper. I feel Theo shift on the bed before the light clicks on.

    "Where?" he asks. I open my eyes and look into the corner where I''d seen Mason, but he''s no longer there.

    "He was right there," I point with a shaky finger. Theo looks puzzled and slightly dazed. As he ''scans the room. He checks the window and confirms it''s locked, then he checks any wardrobe and bathroom but finds nothing.

    "Stay here, I''ll be right back," he gives me a reassuring smile and picks up my room key before leaving. A few tense moments pass before Theo lets himself back into my room.

    "I think it was a nightmare," he smiles sympathetically.

    "It wasn''t, I saw him. It was Mason," I shake

    my head.

    "Mason is sleeping, I just checked. Plus he wouldn''t have been able to get in or out without making a noise," Theoes to sit beside me on the bed, he puts an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into his side to offer mefort.

    1

    "Then who was it?" I ask meekly. Hating how weak this ce is making me feel. "What did you see exactly?"

    "Not much, I heard them breathing and saw a silhouette, their eyes shed a blue glow when I looked at them," exin.

    "Well that narrows it down to anyone in the realm with a teleporting ability," he halfughs.

    "Does everyone do the blue glowy eye thing?"

    "Yes, we all do the blue glowy eye thing," he teases. "We all have blue eyes, and they can sometimes glow when we are using power,"

    "Can Mason teleport?" I ask.

    "No, it wasn''t Mason," he says with a sigh and I can hear the slight irritation in his voice.

    "What''s the deal between you and him?¡±

    "Me and Mason... I wish I knew. Imagine this super hot and mysterious guy, he''s aplete asshole to everyone, except you. He has a permanent scowl, but when he looks at you, he smiles and it takes your breath away. If anyone ever says a bad word to you they face his wrath. He talks to you about things he hides from everyone else. You''re the only one he lets see just how broken he is. Whenever you''re alone with him the air feels charged with sexual tension, but he never makes a move. So one day you pluck up the courage to kiss him. And it''s the hottest kiss ever and he''s really into it, but then suddenly he pulls away and spends the next week avoiding you. Then he acts as though it never happened and it''s back to the sexual tension." heughs, but it''s a painedugh. I lean into him a little more, hoping I can give him some of thefort he gives me.

    "That''s really tough, have you tried to talk to him about it?

    "Every time I mention it he walks away. I think he sees me more as a little brother and I am imagining the whole thing. I crossed a line when I kissed him," he shrugs.

    "I don''t think so, I mean if you could see the way he looks a me... and he tried to

    kill me against night. I think he sees me as a threat because he is absolutely, head over heels in love with you,"

    "I don''t think he was trying to kill you, just scare you. He''s that matters now because you''re here and you''re iny bond,

    psycho, but he''s not a murderer. Anyway, none of he squeezes me closer to him.

    "Theo, I like you, I do, but I''m not sure I''m ready for all this bond stuff, and I don''t want toe between you and Mason," I say, chewing nervously on my bottom lip.

    "Of course you''re not ready, your life has just been flipped upside down. That doesn''t change that we are bonds though, but it doesn''t mean I expect anything from you. I have to earn that. For now, we are friends, and I''m going to keep you safe and happy. Then one day, if you decide you want to bond with me, you''ll let me know. There''s no pressure," he reassures and I sag against him in relief.

    "Thank you, and thank you for the rescue earlier, and for not undressing me whilst I was in a magically induceda," Iugh.

    "You can trust me, Jose. I''d never take advantage of you like that," he smiles down at me.

    "You said we are bonds, but we are not bonded. How does the bonding happen? Is it like a ceremony?" I ask.

    "Sex," he snorts and I gasp in mock horror.

    "It is that simple?"

    "Yep, have sex with your bond and you be bonded, that''s it," he shrugs.

    "So no casual sex, good to know," Iugh and we fall into afortable silence for a while.

    "I''m sorry I left you in Mr Collins'' office," Theo breaks the silence.

    "Why did you? Did I do something?" I ask.

    "No, it wasn''t you. I was worried about Mason. I wanted to warn him that Mr Collins knew what he''d done. I just made things worse though. He shifted into his wolf in a rage and left. I''d have followed him but I''ve only shifted once and I''ve not mastered it yet. I didn''t expect him to find you and make things ten times worse for himself. I won''t be surprised if he gets suspended today," he sighs.

    "Why didn''t he back down from Mr Collins? I thought they were going to have a full-on fight,"

    "Those two have a history. They were friends at some point but when Mr Collins'' dad died and he took over as headmaster they had a big falling out. I''m not sure about the details. I guess it''s difficult to have one of your ssmates be your headmaster..."

    "Wait," I cut him off, "Mr Collins was a student at the same time as Mason? How old are they?"

    "Yes, Mason is 22 and Mr Collins is 26. They trained together for two years before Collins graduated as a soldier when he was 24, but then came to take over as headmaster when his father died six months ago. He''s the youngest head to ever run the school,"

    "Wow, that''s tough. Did they..." I begin, wanting all the gossip but I''m interrupted by a banging on my door. Who the hell is that at this time?" I ask. I follow Theo to my door and peek around it as he opens the door to a furious-looking Mason,

 Chapter 0013

    "Did you bond?" Mason asks in disgust, his eyes flicking between me and Theo.

    "No. Why are you here?" Theo asks with a sigh and I don''t miss the look of relief on Mason''s face.

    "Because you woke me up when you were sneaking out of my room. I came to your room and you weren''t there. Then I heard you in here. What did you want and why are you here?" he asks.

    Theo hesitates. "Because I was checking if it was you that was watching us sleep, and I''m here to keep her safe,"

    "You think I was in here watching you?" Mason snorts.

    "Well you''re the only one that has the problem with her, sayes, you were my first guess," Theo shrugs.

    "I have better things to do than watch you in bed with her, Mason snarls before storming off. Theo closes the door with a sigh and I can see how much he wants to go after Mason, how torn he is between staying here with me or going after Mason.

    "Go, he needs you," I tell him softly.

    "No, I need to stay here and keep you safe," he insists.

    "Unless there''s some other danger that I''m not aware of then it doesn''t matter if you are with him or me, either way, you''ll be there to keep me safe," I shrug.

    "True," he agrees and pulls a phone from his pocket. "I have my gym session in 15 minutes anyway, I''ll take Mason with me to burn off some steam. I''ll see you at breakfast?"

    "Gym? In the middle of the night?" I scoff.

    "It''s almost 6 AM," heughs, "Save me a seat next to you," he adds before leaning down and cing a chaste kiss on the top of my head, and then he''s off, chasing Mason out the door.

    "Be careful," I call after him.

    After showering and changing into fresh clothes I find the package that Mr Collins mentioned. In it is aptop, some stationary and a phone. The moment I power on the phone it buzzes with multiple notifications. The first email I open is my ss timetable, my first ss is at 9 AM and is called ''Understanding the human world''... seriously? Why am I in that ss? I could probably teach it better than the tutor. I roll my eyes and check the rest of my day. I have fitness, history, manifestation andstly, I have wolf behaviours. The next email I open is about uniform, which consists of a white shirt, a ck pleated skirt or trousers, a ck V-neck jumper with the academy logo on and a tie that corresponds with my designated house colour. I head into my wardrobe to look for my uniform and sure enough there it is. With a groan, I put the uniform on. I thought my days of wearing a school uniform were long over, and now I''m facing another six years of it. The only plus side is that my tie is red, which is my favourite colour and goes well with my dark hair. I choose a pair of over-the-knee ck socks and ck leather t shoes. I find a backpack and load it up with my newptop and stationary and then explore my vanity table. The first drawer is loaded with skincare products and makeup, the second contains everything I could possibly need to style my hair. In the bottom drawer, I find deodorant, which I quickly use, body sprays and perfumes. There''s no way Mr Collins chose all this for me, it must have been rrisa. I really need to talk to someone about finances because the bill for all this stuff must be huge already. Maybe I can send some of it back to reduce my costs? I grab my phone and search through the information on there for anything about finances but there''s nothing. I do find a contacts section though and a huge list of names I don''t know appears. I type ''Collins'' into the search bar and the name Deacon Collins pops up. Bingo. I don''t have to face him in his office again, plus I''m still pissed that he used his freaky mind control on me again, even though I probably did need it after my

    mental breakdown yesterday. I hit the message button and type out a message. ''Hi. ¨ªts Josie. How do I pay for food, amodation and all this stuff in my room? Because I don''t have much money at the moment."

    I hit send before I overthink how formal I should be, and then I toss my phone into the bed and finish getting ready for the day. I apply a small amount of makeup and brush my hair, leaving it loose. I''m dying to try out the fancy-looking curling wand, but until I know how I''m going to pay for it I''m not going to touch it. My phone buzzes with a notification. It''s Mr Collins.

    "Good morning Miss Banks. I hope you are well today. All costs are covered by the academy, no payment is necessary.''

    I roll my eyes, I see he is back to calling me ''Miss Banks'' I don''t know why but I hate that he calls me that. Then I almost squeal in excitement at what he said, all this stuff is mine, and it is all free. I hit reply..."

    ''Cool, thanks D! I''m feeling fine. Thanks for the savest night, but please don''t voodoo mind control me again." I send it and chuckle to myself. I bet Mr Collins, the perfectly, professional headmaster will have an aneurysm at me calling him D.

    I''m still smiling smugly to myself as I finish thest loose curl in my hair. My new curling wand is amazing. I check out the perfumes and as I''m spritzing myself with a sweet but musky one there''s a knock on my door. My heart skips a beat.

 Chapter 0014

    I approach the door with trepidation. Has Mr Collinse to personally reprimand me for the message? Has Mason got away from Theo and hase to finish me once and for all? With my breath held I press my ear to the door in hopes I''ll pick up a clue as to who it is.

    "Girl, open this damn door. I know you''re up, Theo text me" Dot''s voice shouts with another bang against the door, making me almost jump out of my skin.

    I pull the door open, "You scared the shit out of me,

    "Sorry," Dot smiles innocently. "Are youing for breakfast with us?"

    "Sure, let me grab my stuff," I rush to retrieve my bag and grab a jacket from my wardrobe, shoving my phone into the pocket. "Let''s go," I grin, joining Dot, Joe and Max in the hall.

    in

    We sit at the same table we had for dinner and I choose a bowl of fruit and a croissant for my breakfast. I cast a nce over at the unbonded table. It''s mostly empty and there''s no sign of Mason or Theo. A guy with short brown hair and sses gives me a friendly smile and I smile back, then my eyes zero in on the Starbucks coffee front of him. I''d kill for a Starbucks right now. I scan the room, looking for the coffee source but I see none. I look back to the Starbucks coffee guy and he gives me a wink and tips his cup towards me before downing the rest the drink and leaving. I need to find out where he got that.

    "Where can I get coffee?" I ask Dot.

    "There is a filtered coffee near the juice station but I warn you, it is rank," she says with a shudder.

    "I just saw someone with a Starbucks cup," I frown.

    "A what?"

    "A coffee from Starbucks, where do I get one of those?"

    "I have no idea what you are talking about," Dotughs.

    "Never mind," I pout and pick at my fruit bowl.

    "Show me your timetable, I want to see if we have any sses together," Dot says and I reach into my pocket, pulling out my phone and handing it to her.

    of

    "Oh, Mr Collins has messaged you, let''s see what he wants, she remarks and I snatch the phone from her hand so fast, my face flushing in embarrassment.

    "I knew it," she giggles, "Girl, you better spill the tea right now,"

    "Yeah, Josie, spill it," Joe grins.

    "There''s nothing to spill," I shrug.

    "Bollocks! We can all see the special treatment you''re getting," she waggles her eyebrows.

    "What special treatment?"

    "Oh, you know, there''s the fact that you''ve been put in Ruby, and you have all that stuff in your room. I was also Told that he put you to sleep for your first teleport so you didn''t get sick, and has travelled to the human realm to visit with your mother himself. Plus he has arranged extra tutoring and assigned me as your personal escort. Not to mention the rumour that he had food brought in from the human realm and you ate together, and now you''re

    getting personal messages to your phone, but no, nothing going on there at all," she scoffs.

    "Why would he visit my mum? And what is the big deal with being in Ruby?" I ask, feeling confused and slightly annoyed.

    "Take a look around you, Girl. How many people do you see wearing a red tie?" she shrugs. I do as she says. Most students are wearing yellow or blue ties, there are maybe ten wearing green, and the only red I see are at our table. I look back at Dot, lost for words. "Ruby is usually reserved for the elites and their bonds, they''re either rich or from important families. No offence, but from what I hear you are neither of those," she adds.

    "I don''t understand, why would he put me in Ruby? I''m going to go and sort this out and ask to be moved," I stand to leave, feeling embarrassed. I don''t want special treatment and I don''t want to feel like the poor girl hanging out with the elites. I''m not a charity case. I can get a job and earn my own money to support myself.

    "Sit your ass down, we like you in Ruby with us, besides, if you are Thea''s bond you''d be movetl to Ruby as soon as the seer confirmed it anyway," Dot grabs my arm and pulls me back into my chair.

    "No, I''m not staying in a ce that I shouldn''t be," I tell her.

    ¡°Josie, please don''t leave. I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to upset you," Dot pleads. "What''s going on?" Theo asks, taking the seat beside me.

    Nothing." I huff.

    "Our girl here is trying to leave Ruby," Dot blurts and I give her a scowl.

    "You are going nowhere baby girl, you''re exactly where you belong." Theo smiles and leans over to steal a strawberry from my bowl and kisses my cheek before eating the strawberry.

    "If she wants to go then let her," a deep voice grumbles and I almost fall off my chair when I see Mason has taken the seat beside Theo.

    "What did I say about being nice?" Theo admonishes quietly.

    "I am,

    I''m just saying she should be free to make her own choice about staying in a ce she shouldn''t be in," Mason smirks, being anything but nice. I suppose I should just be grateful he''s not actively trying to kill me right now. Its progress..

    "Not cool, Mason" Dot snaps.

    "Woah, what''s going on here, Mason? Don''t tell me you felt The Spark too," Coleughs as he and Marcus join the table.

    "There''s no way I''d be that unlucky," Mason scoffs.

    "Like I''d ever touch him," I whisper to myself,pletely forgetting that I''m sitting

    at a table of superhumans, some of which have super hearing.

    "Why? Do I scare you?" Mason grins, and it''s terrifying.

    "No," I lie, I don''t want to show this jerk any weakness. His eyes bore into mine and I hold his gaze. If he wants a staring contest then bring it on. A slow smirk spreads across his face and heys his arm on the table, palm up, challenging me to touch him.

    "That''s enough, Mace," Theo grabs his wrist and pushes his hand away from me. "That''s what I thought," Mason scoffs and something in me snaps.

 Chapter 0015

    "Stop," Theo shouts, grabbing my hand when it''s just millimetres away from touching Mason.

    "Just let her, I don''t believe any of it anyway. Nothing is going to happen," Mason protests.

    "No, Mr Collins said she shouldn''t touch any unbonded majes until the seer has been," Theo tells him.

    "When have I ever given a fuck about what Deacon says," Mason snorts like the arrogant jerk he is.

    "Is this a bad time?" a polite voice interrupts and I look up to see Starbucks guy standing at our table.

    "Yes," Theo and Mason say in unison.

    "No," I smile at him, grateful for the distraction. He leans down and ces arge Starbucks cup on the table and slides it over to me.

    "You looked like you needed this," he smiles and my eyes fill with tears.

    "Thank you, you don''t know just how much I need this," 1 greedily grab the warm cup in both hands and bring it to my mouth, letting out a satisfied moan as the sweet hot liquid hits my tongue.

    "Damn babe, what''s in that cup?" Theoughs.

    "I''m sorry, I didn''t know your order so I yed it safe with a carameltte. I''m Luke Weston,"

    "Hi L

    Luke, I''m Josie. Where did you get this? Dot said there''s only filter coffee,"

    "Stay away from the stuff they serve in this realm, you won''t find a Starbucks here I''m afraid, but I do have another alternative that I make if I don''t have time to take a trip out. You shoulde over and slum it in Saphire sometime. I''d be happy to serve you human coffee. I''m in room 98," Luke says.

    "I''d love to, thank you, Luke,"

    "Be careful of this one, he only wants to bombard you with questions about humans. He''s obsessed with them," Dotughs and Luke winks at her.

    "If he makes a good coffee he can ask me all the questions he likes. How about after sses today?" I ask

    "Easy tiger, let''s not rush to be near unbonded men just yet" Theo says.

    "Coffee and questions don''t require touching you know," Luke rolls his eyes dramatically, making me giggle. I like him already.

    "Yes, well until we know more it''s best not to take chances," Theo sighs.

    "You know there''s a way to test if you really do have a Spark bond right?" Luke asks.

    "Oh yeah, and how is that, genius?" Theo says.

    "Simple, Dot here can check your pulses and see if your heartbeats are truly in sync," he motions to Dot. "I''m quite surprised Mr Collins didn''t check that already," he adds.

    "Luke, I swear you are the only person with a functioning brain around here," Dotughs and shakes her head before turning to me and Theo, "Give me your wrists,"

    I ce my wrist on the table and Theo scoots closer, putting his arm next to mine on the table and wrapping his other arm around my waist. I can sense this is a big moment for him. I guess it should be for me too but with

    everything that''s happened in thest 24 hours, this feels minor. Dot takes both of our wrists and positions her fingers over our pulse points and then closes her eyes in concentration. The whole room falls into silence. Have they all been listening to our conversations? Theo rests his forehead on my shoulder and I release my coffee to take his other hand in mine in support. Tense seconds pass before Dot grins.

    "It''s a match," she announces. The sound of excited chatter floods the room. Great. I love being the centre of the gossip mill... Not! A tter sounds from behind Theo and I see Mason''s chair tipped over, I catch a glimpse of a wolf racing out of the dining hall. I don''t get time to worry about it because Theo pulls me onto hisp and squeezes me against him.

    "Thank you, thank you, thank you," he repeats.

    "For what?" I giggle whilst trying to extract myself from the prison of his arms.

    "For being mine, just let me hold you for a moment," he says quietly. I fight off the urge to protest at his words and I rx into his hold. I know he doesn''t mean them as possessively as they sound, and I don''t want to ruin this

    moment for him.

    "Congrattions," Luke says, "It''s not 100% confirmation but it''s extremely likely. There''s something like 0.053 % chance it''s just a coincidence. Of course, we could do further tests, we could get Josie''s heart rate to increase and see if Theo''s increases too. Josie, do you fancy taking a jog around the hall?" "Not really," Iugh, I''ve already embarrassed myself enough.

    "It''s enough, we don''t need more proof. We are bonds," Theo tells him.

    People start to filter out of the room, some congratte us as they pass, some shoot us worried nces and some of Theo''s friends pat his back or squeeze his shoulder as they leave. It all gets a bit hectic.

    As if he can sense I need a distraction Theo loosens his hold on me, "What sses do you have first?"

    sif

    ¡°Understanding the human world,¡± I deadpan and Theoughs.

    "Are you teaching it? Because if you are I might actually attend it," Luke asks.

    "I thought it would be your favourite ss," 1 frown in confusion.

    "It used to be, but now I know more than the tutor so it''s pointless. I''ve been given

    a pass to do my own studies as

    I''m ahead of the ss. I have a feeling you are going to make it interesting though," he smirks.

    "I think so too, let''s go," Theo says, guiding me to my feet. It''s only at this point

    that I notice that Dot and her

    ¾Ó

    men have left. I must have missed them in the chaos. Theo takes my hand and

    starts to lead me towards the door. Then I remember my coffee, I turn back to grab it and m straight into a hard chest.

 Chapter 0016

    "Ouch, sorry," I grimace,

    "Are you okay?" Luke asks, his hands on my shoulders to steady me.

    "Did you do that on purpose?" Theo demands, pulling me behind him and squaring up to Luke.

    Lands

    ¡°No, man. Chill out," Luke holds his hands up in surrender.

    "Theo, it was my fault. I was trying to get my coffee, I didn know he was behind me," I tug on his hand to try and get his attention and diffuse the situation, but he pulls his hand from my grip.

    "Well if you wanted to know if you''re one of her bonds I guess you have your answer now," Theo huffs.

    "I guess I do," Luke says and it''s hard to read the emotion in his voice. I''m not sure if it''s disappointment or anger at Theo. The guys seem to be having some kind of state-off. I decide to leave them to it and retrieve my coffee. I move around the pair and reach for my coffee when a hand shoots out and grabs my wrist before yanking me towards him. It''s one of the men I''d seen at the unbonded table. I barely have time to process what is happening before I''m shoved into another body, then another set of arms pull me away and chaos erupts. manage to scramble out of the brawl and duck behind a table. I peek out from the table to see fists flying, one guy I don''t recognise turns into a wolf right in front of my eyes and Luke follows suit. There are now two wolves fighting in the dining hall and Theo is fighting two other men.

    "Enough!" a voice booms and the fightinges to an immediate stop. Luke''s wolf slinks to my side and Theo moves to stand in front of me.

    "What the hell is going on here?" Mr Collins demands. Theo''s whole body is moving with his every breath and his fists are clenched. Luke leans his bod

    into mine and I pet his fur without much thought about it whilst I watch the drama unfold.

    "These dicks grabbed her and tossed her about between them, all to touch her and see if she''s there," Theo sneers.

    "The three of you are suspended for the rest of the week. Pack your stuff and make arrangements to get home. I''ll call your parents," Mr Collins says to my attackers.

    "Yes, sir," they all mutter before rushing to leave. Once they''re out of the room I feel safe enough toe out from behind the table.

    "Are you all okay? Does anyone need medical attention?" Mr Collins asks, looking us all over. I shake my head and Theo do the others do the same. I turn to look at Luke and he''s back in human form with no obvious injuries.

    "We need to do something about this. She''s not safe," Theo says as hees to inspect me for injuries. I notice a bruise forming over his eye and his lip is swollen and bleeding. The sight makes my heart hurt a little. This was my fault.

    "You''re hurt. I''m sorry Theo. Maybe I shouldn''t be here until then seer has been,¡± I suggest.

    "No. You are already at a disadvantage because you are so far behind the others," Mr Collins shakes his head, " Theo, consider this your first military assignment. Pick four of the best from yourbat ss, bonded only. your team will apany Miss Banks to every ss until the seer arrives. She goes nowhere alone,"

    "Yes, Sir," Theo agrees.

    and

    "I''m not walking around with a security team, I''m already seen as different and getting special treatment," I protest, and of course everyone ignores me.

    You

    "I know I''m not in military training but I can fight. I''d like to be on the team," Luke says.

    "You are unbonded, you shouldn''t be anywhere near her right now," Mr Collins snaps, his voice filled with irritation. I swear I''m going to give him a heart attack by the end of this week.

 Chapter 0017

    "We already touched, nothing happened," Luke shrugs.

    "What?" Mr Collins booms. Yep, a heart attack is imminent for the handsome headmaster.

    "Calm down D, It was my fault. I walked into him," I exin quickly before he suspends Luke too. Theo shorts augh and I realise my mistake. Mr Collins'' jaw is tense and I''m unsure if he''s fighting off a smirk or about to lose his shitpletely. "Sorry, Mr Collins," I correct and give him my sweetest smile.

    "Fine, Luke escort Miss Banks to her first ss and do not leave her side. Theo, go and choose another three for your team. I''ll send out a message to all tutors to let them know. Now get to ss, you''rete," Mr Collins orders, his tone is tense and he seems to be avoiding looking at any of us before he walks away. We all watch him go in silence.

    "Can Greys have heart attacks?" I whisper to the guys.

    "Yep, and I think you''re about to give dear old Mr Collins one," Theo snorts and Luke humns in agreement.

    go and Theo insists on walking with me and Luke to my first ss Once we are safely at the door he leaves to recruit my new security team.

    "Ready?" Luke asks, his hand raised to knock on the door. I take a breath and give him a nod. He gives the door a short rap and then pushes it open, all eyes turn to face us.

    "Ah, Mr Weston. How nice of you to join us," a female tutor with bright red hair smiles sarcastically, "and this must be the infamous Miss Banks,te for her first ss. Take a seat,

    "Sorry Miss, you should have a message from Mr Collins exining our absence," Luke exins.

    "I''m not interested in excuses, now hurry up and take a seat, you''ve already interrupted my lesson long enough," she admonishes and a few of the students snicker as I follow Luke to a pair of empty seats. Great, I''ve already made a fantastic first impression on her.

    "I can''t wait to see her reaction when Theo gets here," Luke whispers as we sit.

    "As I was saying before we were rudely interrupted. Some of the poorer humans in Ennd are unable to afford a motor vehicle and therefore are still using horses as a mode of transport," she tells the ss and I can''t contain the snort ofughter that escapes me.

    "Is something funny, Miss Banks?" the tutor snaps.

    "It''s just that you''re wrong," I say quietly, my face flushing with embarrassment as all eyes turn to me yet again.

    "How so?" she asks, and she seems less angry now and more curious.

    "Motor vehicles, moremonly known as cars these days are actually cheaper to use than a horse. Horses are ridden as a hobby and a sport. If people can''t afford a car they usually use public transport, like a bus or train. Or they have a bike or scooter," I exin. The tutor''s eyes shine with an idea.

    "Okay ss, as Miss Banks is so knowledgeable on this subject, take out your notebooks and write down three questions you''d like to ask her about the human world," she says with a p of her hands, sparking a flurry of movement as students retrieve notepads and discuss excitedly between themselves. This is hell. "This is a rare opportunity to speak to someone who has grown up as a human so choose your questions wisely," she adds.

    Oh, no. I don''t think..." I start to protest but Luke nudges me.

    "You''ve got this," he whispers.

    11

    a moment?¡± the tutor asks quietly, whilst looking at door.

    "Miss Banks, Mr Weston, could you step outside with me her phone with a frown. Luke nods and we follow her out th

    Miss Banks, Mr Weston, could you step outside with me for a moment?" the tutor asks quietly, whilst looking at her phone with a frown. Luke nods and we follow her out the door.

 Chapter 0018

    The tutor ushers into an empty ssroom and closes the door behind her. The moment the door closes her whole demeanour changes and she flings her arms around Luke. I stare wide-eyed wondering what on earth is going on

    here.

    "Oh my goodness, Luke, you found your bond?" she asks excitedly.

    "It''splicated, the seer hasn''t been yet but it''s unlikely, she and Theo felt The Spark, we didn''t," he shrugs.

    "That doesn''t mean anything, if it''s true, The Spark only triggers in order of the original bonding," she reaches up and scruffs his hair.

    "Um, sorry to interrupt but what is going on?" I ask.

    "Sorry, how rude of me. I''m Alice, Luke''s sister," she grins holding a hand out to shake. I take the offered hand, I''m Josie,

    "Why didn''t you mention our tutor was your sister?" I ask Luke usingly.

    "Because it is a secret, only the staff know,

    "Why is it a secret?" I frown.

    "We don''t want other students to know or they''d use me of giving him preferential treatment. It''s just easier to keep it this way, plus I get to give him a hard time and he can''t do anything about it or I give him detention, she waggles her eyebrows and Luke snorts, folding his arms over his chest. Something about the action makes him seem hotter as the fabric of his shirt stretches taut over his forearms.

    "Then why are you telling me?" I ask, pulling my eyes from Luke''s arms. Since when did I develop an arm fetish?

    "Because you''re going to be family, I think you''d notice me at our Sunday family dinner. You''reing this weekend, right?" she asks excitedly.

    "Calm down, Sis, let''s take a step back," Lukeughs.

    "It''s true, I can see it," she grins.

    "Alice thinks she has a minor seer ability," Luke exins as Alice studies me, squinting slightly.

    "I do, I''m sensing four... no five bonds," she nods and I gape at her.

    "Five? What the hell does one woman do with five men," I scoff.

    "She gets creative," Alice shakes her hips, "I better warn Mum we need more chairs," she adds, taking out her phone.

    "Alice stop," Luke puts a hand on her phone, stopping her. "Let''s wait for the seer before you get too excited. We better get back, you have a ss to teach remember?"

    "Oh shit, you''re right. Okay, make yourselves look miserable like I''ve just given you the biggest bollocking," she says, her expression turning serious. Damn, she''s a good actor. I ster a frown on my face and follow them back

    to ss.

    "Okay ss, this is what is going to happen. Choose one of your questions to ask Miss Banks, if yours gets asked before it gets to your turn then choose another from your list. Miss Banks will answer your question and then ask you one in return. Does everyone understand?" Alice asks the ss. Sounds of agreement spread throughout the

    room and then Alice points to the first student to ask a question. I hate this already.

    A shy-looking girl with blonde tightly curled hair stands u ¡°Is it true that humans only get one bond?" she asks.

    "Humans don''t get any bonds, it''s their choice who they enter a rtionship with, but most choose to only have one partner at a time," I answer, "Do you have ess to human TV channels here?" I ask the first question that pops into my head.

    "We have our own TV channels but sometimes we have screenings of human movies, it is usually for a special asion or education," she exins and I resist the urge to curse. I have TV shows I want to finish watching.

    A tall guy who looks like a typical human jock stands next, Hi, I''m Matt..." he starts but is interrupted when there''s a knock at the door. Theo walks in followed by Cole, Marcus and a man I don''t recognise. Theo gives me a questioning look when he sees me standing at the front of the ss.

    "Come in quickly and take a seat," Alice instructs the neers and they quickly sit near Luke. "Continue Matt,"

    "My question is, What is the legal age for sex?" he asks with a smirk and the ssughs. I look to Alice and she gives me a nod to answer the question. Great, the sex education ss has begun.

 Chapter 0019

    "In my country, the consensual age to have sex is 16 years old," sounds of giggles and shock hit my ears, age is it here?"

    "What

    "18, when we find our bonds. Does that mean you''ve already had sex with someone who wasn''t your bond?" he grins and then shoots Theo a fake sad pout. I feel the colour rise in my checks as multiple sets of judging eyes stare at me, the room falls awkwardly silent, as they wait for my answer.

    "That''s two questions, Matt, let''s move on," Alice says when it''s clear I don''t want to answer.

    "Are there wolves in the human world?" a tall male with long dark hair asks.

    "There are, but they''re just regr wolves and they are rare in my country, I''ve only ever seen them in a zoo. What happens to your clothes when you shift to a wolf?"

    "We don''t really know, they stay on our human forms and are still there when we shift back," he shrugs and takes his seat.

    A Barbie wannabe stands next and I can already tell from the look on her face that I''m not going to like her question. ¡°Is it normal for students to hook up with their headmasters in the human realm?" she asks, raising her eyebrows, then she looks to Matt and winks at him. I''m willing to put money on it that those two are bonded.

    ''Okay, that''s enough," Alice snaps, "Josie take your seat, please. I do apologise that some of my student''s mental age hasn''t caught up to their physical age. Anna and Matt, see me after ss. The rest of you please hand in your questions to me, I will need to approve them before our next ss. I hesitate before walking back to my seat, keeping my head low I make sure I don''t meet eyes with Theo or Luke. I don''t want to see any judgement from them. I''m not ashamed that I''m not a virgin, I grew up differently, I did nothing wrong. But I already feel so out of ce here, I can''t take any more judgment right now, especially not from them.

    "You did good, Babe," Theo whispers cing a hand on my knee and squeezing it. I look up at him, my eyes ready to spill with tears. He''s not judging me, he''s epting me for who I am. I feel so overwhelmed with everything that I just want to go back to my room and cry.

    "I can''t stand that group," Luke sneers. "They are just jealous that the attention is not all on them for once," "We will finish the lesson listening to some popr human music. If anyone wants to revise their questions for Josie then do it now," Alice announces giving the ss a pointed look before she hits a button on herptop, to my surprise Ed Sheeran begins to y. The song is one of my favourites and reminds me of my parents. I close my eyes, and for a moment I imagine I''m back home as I hum along to the words. When the song finishes and rolls into the next one I open my eyes and find Theo and Luke staring at me in concern.

    Sorry, I needed a moment," I smile sadly, my parents and my old life still at the forefront of my mind.

    Theo clears his throat and shifts in his seat before talking, Jose, this is my friend, Damien," he motions to the guy he''d recruited to his security team.

    "Hi Damien, I''m sorry you''ve been roped into my drama,"

    "No problem at all I''m happy to help out," he gives me a genuine smile. A bell rings, signalling the end of ss and everyone begins gathering their belongings.

    "What ss are we in next?" Luke asks..

    "Fitness," I groan.

    "Let''s go," Theo orders and the five men move into position to form a circle around me. I can''t wait to find out what fresh hell awaits me in my next ss.

 Chapter 0020

    By the time we arrive at my next ss, I''m starting to feel austrophoble. I really hope Alice is wrong about me having five bonds, I don''t think I can deal with five men surrounding me full-time.

    "Don''t worry, she will be fine," I hear Dot say in annoyance

    "Any issues just shout and we will be straight in there," Marcus tells her, stepping to the side to let me out of my cage of muscle. I see Dot at the door of the changing room, she''s with a small Asian girl who smiles at Damien sweetly before introducing herself to me.

    "Hi, I''m Sunny, Damien is my bond and has recruited me the girl team," she giggles, looping her arm through mine and leading me inside. I look back and give the guys a small wave before Dot ms the door in their faces. I let out a relieved sight.

    "Intense huh?" she asks.

    "Just a lot," I snort.

    "Things will settle down soon," Sunny reassures me. I follow the girls to a bench and they ce their bags down, pulling out shorts, t-shirts and socks that match their tie colours.

    "Erm... I don''t have anything to change into," I admit, feeling like an idiot. I did 8 years of human education, which required a change of clothes for sses like this. Why did I think it would be any different here?

    "Oh no, Josie this is bad, real bad," Dot looks at me horrified.

    "Why? Will I get detention?" I ask.

    "No worse," Sunny exims, "you''ll have to wear the kit of shame,

    "The what?" Iugh.

    "It''s not aughing matter, it''s an old sweaty kit that stinks, and not only that but every piece is a different colour. A red top, green shorts, one blue sock and one yellow," she cringes.

    "I''m never going to live this one down am I?" I cover my face with my hands, already embarrassed.

    ¡°No. Quick fall on the floor and pretend you cked out," Dot whispers.

    "Yes, good idea," Sunny nods enthusiastically. I nce around to make sure no one is watching and as I''m about to drop to the floor a chorus of beeps sound out.

    "Uh oh," Dot frowns.

    "That''s the urgent school alert, it overrides the silencer on everyone''s phones. It means we have to stop what we are doing and read the alert," Sunny exins taking her phone from her pocket with a frown. I search for mine and read the message that''s shing up on my screen.

    ''Whole school assembly in the grand hall. Attendance is mandatory for all staff and students. Please make your way there immediately.''

    "Well, that was a stroke of luck," Dotughs, shoving hert back into her bag. I blow out a sigh of relief. I''m saved from the public humiliation.

    I check the message that Mr Collins had sent earlier whilst the girls pack their stuff back up.

    ''Miss Banks, please address me as Mr Collins. Anything else will be deemed as inappropriate and will result in

    ?Chapter 0020!

    punishment.

    I keep my features neutral, not wanting Dot to question me when I hit reply.

    ''Oops, sorry Sir. What kind of punishment do you have in mind for me?"

    I respond and then instantly regret it. What the hell am I doing? I have five

    potential bonds and I''m trying to flirt with my headmaster. Get a grip, Josie! His

    mind control must have scrambled my brain or something.

    "What''s going on?" Sunny asks when we walk out to meet the guys.

    "No idea," Damien shrugs.

    "I''m sure we can all take a guess what this is going to be about," Coleughs and everyone goes silent.

    "What?" I ask because no one else is.

    "You, of course," he rolls his eyes.

    "What makes you think that?" I frown.

    "Because I''ve been here for two years and we''ve never been called to an urgent assembly until you arrived," he shrugs.

    "Fantastic," I mutter.

    Theo puts an arm around my shoulders, "Dont worry about it, it''s probably nothing,"

    The grand hall is exactly like it sounds, grand. It''s a mix between an old castle and a fancy hotel function room. Withrge stone walls and huge chandeliers, I could imagine a fancy ball happening here. Chairs are set out in rows, all facing a podium. Theo leads us to a row of seats at the front and positions me between himself and Luke. Marcus, Cole and Damien take the seats directly behind us. Loud chatter echoes around the room as it fills up. Movement to the left of the podium catches my attention, and blue eyes stare at me. It''s Mr Collins. He''s partially hidden in shadow behind a curtain so I don''t think the other students have noticed him yet. I see his lips move, he''s talking to someone but I can''t hear anything from this distance. His eyes never leave mine though, not until another figure moves to his side. Then he looks from me to the woman at his side, leaning down and taking her lips in a passionate kiss. It''s rrisa The sight hits me like a punch to the gut. Anger ignites within me, boiling the blood in my veins and I jump to my feet on instinct. There''s a barely audible shriek of fear as the curtain is ripped from its rail and wraps tightly around rrisa.

    "Josie, what''s wrong?" Theo''s voice breaks through my angry haze and he takes my hand, pulling me back down to my chair just as quickly as I''d left it.

    "That fucking asshole," Luke mutters and nods towards Mr Collins as he unwraps the curtain from rrisa. "Stay calm, babe. I don''t think anyone else noticed you did anything," Theo whispers.

    "I need to get out of here," I say through gritted teeth.

    "Breathe," Theo whispers, squeezing my hand in his. Luke takes my other hand and I take a shaky breath.

    "What''s happening to me?" I ask them..

    "It''s just your powersing in. It''spletely normal for them to re up as an emotional response. Especially if one of your bonds purposely kisses another woman in front of you," Luke exins, his tone bing bitter when he mentions Mr Collins.

    "But..." I begin to protest that Mr Collins isn''t my bond but Theo cuts me off.

    "Let''s just get through this and talk about thister," he nods towards the podium steps where Mr Collins is

    about to start the assembly. Maybe I''ll set fire to his pants ith my mind whilst he''s addressing the whole acadenly.

 Chapter 0021

    Mr Collins takes his ce on the podium and the room fall silent. Anger radiates from him and I''m unsure if it''s at my outburst or for some other reason.

    "Thank you all for arriving here promptly and 1 apologise for the disturbance but this is not a matter that can wait. This morning I have had to suspend three of our students, and I will not hesitate to suspend more should I need to. I know the rumours that are spreading around the school may be concerning for some, and for others this

    may

    be exciting. I can confirm that we highly suspect The Spark bond has been triggered between our new student, Josie Banks and one of our previously unbonded, Theo Henry, although we are yet to have definite proof of this. What I will not stand for is unbonded students purposely trying to trigger The Spark. We do not go around making grabs at other students, especially when they are unwanted. The seer has kindly rearranged her schedule and will arrive tomorrow to identify any further bonds of Miss Banks, I''m sure you can all appreciate that this is a rare opportunity to record proof of The Spark, so contact between the bonds will be initiated in a controlled environment. Until this time no unbonded should make contact with Miss Banks, with the exception of Luke Weston. You may have noticed that Miss Banks has been assigned a team to ensure her safety, please allow them space and treat them with respect as they carry out their assignment. I will not be discussing this matter further until we have more information."

    The room begins to be loud with excited chatter and I have to fight to keep my breathing under control. How dare he discuss me like this without at least a warning first

    "Just when I thought he couldn''t be any more of a dick," Luke curses and Mr Collins''s eyes snap to us. He holds up a hand, silencing the room.

    "I am not done," he booms. His eyes lock on mine as he makes his next statement and I already know this is going to be personal. "Whilst I have everyone here I would also like to address another rumour. I have no favouritism towards Miss Banks. I have had to take special measures to ensure her safety as she is a unique case, but that is where the differences end. She is no more important to me than anyone else in this room. I decided to assign her to Ruby temporarily as she is new to this realm and as you can imagine, feeling quite overwhelmed. As Ruby is our least popted house on campus it was decided she would spend her first month there before being moved to Amber, where she belongs. Although if the bond with Theo s true, she, along with any other bonds will be ced in one of Ruby''s bonded suites as is our custom. So to reiterate, there is no rtionship between myself and Miss Banks except a student/headteacher one. If I hear anyone else spreading such rumours, they will be dealt with. You are all dismissed," he ends his cruel statement and walks out of sight. My heart pounds in my chest, he''s just publically told me I''m nothing to him. It hurts, badly, and have no idea why. I barely know the man but my heart aches for the loss of something I never even had.

    "We need to get her out of here, now," I hear Theo say before things get hazy. I suck in useless breaths, void of oxygen. My heart pounds loudly, drowning out most of the noise in the room and stars blur my vision.

    "Josie! Look at me right now," a voice booms.

    ''Back the fuck off," I hear another voice growl.

    "Then get her under control before she brings this whole building down!"

    Theo calm her down, she''s having a panic attack,

    "It''s kind of hard when I feel like my heart is about to burst out of my chest," I hear the strain in Theo''s voice. He''s in pain.

    "Theo?" I manage to croak between ragged breaths.

    "I''m here babe, just calm your breathing, everything is okay," He says softly, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

    "Hey, Josie. Listen to me. Breathe with me okay?" Luke''s smooth voice soothes. I manage to nod my head and attempt to follow the rhythm of his breathing. He takes my hand and ces it on his chest. I focus on how his chest expands and contracts under my hand and slowly I manage to match my breathing to his. "That''s it, you''ve got it," he praises wrapping his arms around me and pulling me closer until my cheek is on his chest, listening to him breathe. "Keep following my breathing, everything is fine,"

    "Shit babe, we need to work on this connection thing," The says, his weight pressing against my back so I''m sandwiched between him and Luke. Surprisingly I don''t hate It, In fact, I don''t think I''ve ever felt this safe. All I want to do now is sleep, like this. I don''t even care that we are standing up in the middle of the hall. I don''t even care who is watching, because here in this safe little bubble everything is perfect. Until another voice speaks.

    "It should get easier when she has the rest of her bonds to ground her. You will all need to work together to stabilize her and each other," Mr Collins says, popping my bubble.

    "We wouldn''t have needed to stabilize her if you hadn''t just pulled that stunt," Luke snaps.

    ¡°You''re right, I made a mistake, but it was necessary for reasons I''m not willing to discuss right now. Take her to her room, she should rest, she expelled a lot of power," Mr. Collins says and I hear his footsteps retreat. I want to tell him to piss off or at least stick up my middle finger at him, but I''m too exhausted to do anything but sleep.

    "Can you walk Theo?" Luke asks.

    "Yeah, I''m good. You carry our girl," Theo says, and it feels right to be called theirs.

    Sometimeter I awake to raised voices. I open my eyes to see I''m back in my room but I''m not alone. At the foot of my bed Theo, Luke and Mr Collins are having a heated discussion.

 Chapter 0022

    I quickly close my eyes again and try to keep my breathing even, feigning sleep. I don''t want to face Mr Collins right now. I''m still hurt and I''m too embarrassed at my reaction to his stunt. He won that round and broke me. I won''t let him see me weak again but need time topose myself.

    "The seer will arrive after breakfast tomorrow, you two cant be anywhere near her when the reading is done. If you have a bond we don''t want it overshadowing any other bonds. I''m going to have the seer collect her from her room. Keep Marcus, Cole and Damien here with her and you two attend your morning sses as normal," Mr Collins tells the guys.

    "Fine," Theo agrees, his tone unfriendly.

    "Is there anything else? If not, I think you should leave before she wakes up," Luke says and I can feel the unweing vibes from here. My guys are still pissed at our dear headmaster. Good.

    "You might not agree with what I did today but I won''t have you disrespecting me. I''m your headmaster and you will speak to me as such," Mr Collins warns.

    "No problem, Sir," Luke snarks, "but tomorrow, when you are identified as a part of our bond group we be equals and I will treat you as such," he mocks and I can imagine they are staring each other down right now.

    ¡°That won''t be happening, Mr Weston, I assure you," Mr Collins says tly and I can sense they''re moving towards the door.

    "We will see, have a good day Sir," Luke is over polite now. He knows just how to get under the headmaster''s skin

    "Before I go, I have scheduled a session for the three of you with Professor June after dinner. She''s going to work on some control techniques for Josie and how you two can help her. Meet her in the gym at 7 PM,"

    "We will be there," Theo confirms and I hear the sound of the door opening.

    "Oh and one more thing, have you seen Mason? "Mr Collins asks, "He has been avoiding me and hasn''t attended his morning ss or the assembly,"

    "Not since breakfast," Theo sounds concerned.

    "Well if you do see him, tell him toe to my office immediately. He is only making things worse for himself by avoiding me,"

    "If I see him, I''ll let him know," Theo says before I hear my door click shut. Silent seconds pass before I feel a dip in my bed, someone is climbing onto it. A hand brushes my cheek lightly and somehow I know it''s Theo.

    "How are you feeling?" he asks quietly.

    "Don''t wake her, she should rest as long as she needs," Luke admonishes.

    "She''s already awake, aren''t you baby?" Theo says with humour in his voice. A smile spreads across my face. without permission and I open my eyes.

    "How did you know?" I pout at being caught out.

    "I''m not sure there''s much you can hide from me, your heart rate gives you away," he shrugs.

    "How much of that did you hear?" Luke asks nervously.

    "All of it. Why are you so sure he''s one of my bonds?" I ask

    "Because of how drawn you are to each other, before seers worked out how to Identify bonds we had to use our natural intuition to find our soulmates. I''d heard the rumours about Deacon filling your room with gifts and housing you in Ruby, plus the private dinner together. No matter how much he is fighting it, his instinct is driving him to please you and ensure your needs are met. It''s ticking all the boxes for you two being bonds. Just like how I couldn''t resist bringing you a coffee when I saw your eyes light up when you saw mine. I identified a need and it was as if I waspelled to fulfil it," he shrugs. "Then your reaction to his stunt today just confirmed it even more. If he''s not identified as one of your bonds tomorrow then I''ll be extremely surprised,"

    "But what about rrisa, isn''t he one of her bonds?" I frown, thinking back to that kiss and how much I hated it.

    "rrisa isplicated," Luke sighs.

    "I''m going to go grab us some lunch," Theo says and I can sense how worried he is about Mason.

    "Take your time," I smile, "I hope you find him,"

    Theo looks like a deer caught in headlights, "I''m sorry," he lowers his gaze. I reach for his hand.

    "Hey, you don''t need to apologise, and you don''t need to hide that you''re concerned and want to find him," I reassure, squeezing his hand like he''s done to me many times already.

    on

    "How did I get so lucky to have you?" he smiles, the light behind his eyes renewed. He leans over to kiss me the cheek before rushing off to look for Mason, and hopefully bring us some lunch. When I look back to Luke he is writing on a small notepad.

    "What''s that?" I ask, leaning over to take a look..

    He snaps the book closed and grins at me, "Ask me again tomorrow and I''ll show you,"

    "Okay, not weird at all,¡± Iugh. "So about rrisa," I steer us back to the conversation we were having. Luke exins how rrisa had three bonds, but they''re all missing and presumed dead or captured by human. authorities. rrisa has been alone for years and has taken to chasing Deacon, throwing herself at him at any given opportunity. By the time he''s finished telling me herstory, I begin to feel sorry for her. She must feel so alone and is trying to seekfort in an unbonded male she is closest to. Theo returns sometimeter with our bags we had left in the grand hall earlier and a selection of sandwiches. He is unable to find Mason and thinks he

    be running in the forest in his wolf form.

    may

    The rest of today''s sses are cancelled so we spend the afternoon in my room getting to know each other better. I fill them in about my parents and my human life and they share theirplicated family dynamics with me. Luke also admits to Theo that Alice is his sister and that if tomorrow goes as he thinks then we will all be expected at his family dinner on Sunday. By the time evening rolls around I''m feeling so much more rxed with Theo and Luke and with them by my side, I feel ready to face the rest of the academy. Marcus, Cole and Damien meet us at my door and together we head to the dining hall.

 Chapter 0023

    Chapter 0023 Chapter 0023

    We sit at Dot''s table for dinner. Damien Joins Sunny and another group at the next table. Sunny elves me a small wave, which I return. I choose a carbonara- type dish with garlic bread and chocte cake for dessert. Dot is unusually quiet, she avoids eye contact with me and I start to feel worried. Had I made that much of a fool of myself in the assembly that she doesn''t want to be seen with me

    anymore?

    "Dot, is everything okay?" I ask nervously.

    "Yes," she answers a little too quickly.

    "I''m sorry if 1..." I begin but she holds up her hand, stopping me. Then she taps her ear and nces around the room. I frown at her and she repeats the motion.

    says

    "It''s fine Josie, if anyone deserves thest piece of chocte cake today, it''s you. You are forgiven," she cheerfully. Huh? I look at my cake in confusion and then back to her. She rolls her eyes in exasperation and pulls out her phone. Secondster my phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out to read the notification.

    ''Don''t talk here, everyone is listening and someone is reporting back to Deacon. I''m the one that should be apologising. Can we talkter? Have Theo bring you to my room,'' the message from Dot reads.

    ¡°?

    I have a session with Professor June after dinner, but I coulde after that?'' I respond.

    ''See you then'' she quickly replies. I show the messages to Theo and Luke and they nod.

    Our table is mostly quiet for the rest of dinner, everyone now aware that we are being listened to. I look over to the unbonded table and notice Mason is still missing, that table is getting less crowded with every meal. First Theo left it, then Mason and Luke, followed by the three that were suspended this morning. My eyes scan across the remaining unbonded. I wonder if any of them will be sitting at our table by this time tomorrow. My eyes stop on a copper-haired man, he''s the only one who''s not staring at me. The guy next to him nudges him to get his attention and then nods in my direction. The copper-haired man''s icy blue eyes meet mine before smiles shyly, his cheeks instantly flushing red. Then he quickly returns lus focus to thest scraps of his food.

    "That''s Axel," Theo leans in close to me and whispers.

    I notice Luke take out his pocket notebook and scribble something, closing it before I get a chance to see what he wrote. "You can see it when I''m done," heughs, obviously catching me trying to take a peek.

    "Fine," I huff in fake annoyance.

    "We should get going," Theo says, getting the attention of the rest of his team. We give them a moment to say goodbye to their bonds and then we leave the hall, ready to heet Professor June after a thankfully uneventful dinner.

    To my surprise, June is an olderdy who looks like she should have been enjoying her retirement for years. already.

    "Josie, it''s wonderful to finally meet you," She greets me with a warm smile.

    "Thank you, it''s nice to meet you too, and thank you for agreeing to work with me out of the normal schedule. I desperately need to gain some control," Iugh nervously.

    "Nonsense, Dear, you have good control for someone with your circumstances. I''m just here to help improve it," she praises.

    "Where you at the assembly today?" I snort.

    $28 BONUS

    was, and I was very impressed, hot only with your displ of power but with how long you managed to keep it under control in a highly emotional situation and withouty prior training for as long as you did. I was also Impressed with you two boys, you did exceptionally well a group, considering none of you have had bond management sses," she smiles with pride looking at The and Luke too. "They did great, I was totally out of control," I admit, lowering my gaze to the floor, I don''t deserve a single ounce of lier praise.

    "Stop doubting yourself,¡± she admonishes. "Do you know that we start teaching our children to practice control techniques from the age of 5? That''s 13 years of practice before we get our powers. You''ve had none. With the power 1 felt radiating from you I''m surprised you didn''t tear down the whole academy. I don''t know what Deacon was thinking, trying to emotionally trigger a power release from you like that. I can assure you that he and I have had some stern words about it. Now enough about that, let get started. We are going to go through some self- calming techniques followed by some group ones. Once you are fully bonded to all your bonds there are other methods we can try but for now, we will start with the basics,"

 Chapter 0024

    June teaches me some breathing exercises and calming techniques that involve diverting my thoughts from triggering situations to happy memories. She goes through some group exercises that involve a lot of touching, which is kind of ufortable in front of June, but the guys don''t seem phased by it at all. By the end of the session I''m feeling much more confident and she schedules another session with us for a few days time when all of my bonds can participate. She also assigns us some homework that consists of the guys testing out some subtle ways to distract me if I''m struggling. We say our goodbyes and go to meet Dot. Cole opens the door, inviting us to follow him in and 1 gape at her ''room''. This is no room, its whole freaking apartment, with five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a huge sitting room and a fully equipt kitchen. When Dot sees me she runs to greet me, throwing her arms around me I a hug.

    "Erm... Hi," Iugh awkwardly.

    "I''m so sorry Josie, please say you''ll forgive me," she begs

    "For what?"

    "For that assembly, it was all my fault. Mr Collins didn''t just assign me to help you settle in, he also said I had to report back to him everything you said and did. I thought it was because he cared about you. If I''d have known he was going to use it against you like that I''d have refused. I''ve told him I''m not doing it anymore, but I know I''m not the only one reporting to him because he knew some stuff I never told him," she picks at her bottom lip waiting for my reaction.

    I process what Dot is telling me. She has been a spy for Deacon. I know I should probably be angry but I''m not. He''s her headmaster. I''m someone she barely knows. Why wouldn''t she have agreed to do that for him? The more important thing is that the moment she realised this was not innocent curiosity and was used to harm me she had refused to help him further and has been truthful with me. If anything this has only made me trust her more.

    "Thank you for telling me, all is forgiven," I smile at her.

    "Oh

    my god, Girl, you are amazeballs! I wouldn''t have forgiven me so quickly. I''d have kicked my own ass and ignored me for at least a week," sheughs.

    Once it''s clear that everything between me and Dot is fine Theo and Luke leave us to have some girl time. Marcus, Cole and Damien assure them that they will take turns watching over me for the rest of the night. I know Theo is going to be out looking for Mason and I suspect Luke wants to spend the night in his own room in case he has to move out of it tomorrow after the seer has been. Dot shows me around her apartment and exins I''ll be assigned something simr tomorrow. I''m relieved we will all get our own rooms at least but I''m still apprehensive about moving in with multiple men I barely know, or maybe haven''t even met yet. By midnight I''m absolutely exhausted, I almost stumble to my room and climb straight into bed. Tomorrow I''m going to find out who I''ll be spending the rest of my life with.

 Chapter 0025

    I wake in the morning, 5 minutes before my rm is due to go off. Nerves flutter in my abdomen at the thought of what today will bring. I practice some of the

    breathing techniques that June taught me before a panic attack can fully take me

    in its grip.

    "I''ve got this. Everything is going to get easier after today, I tell myself out loud. I spend longer than usual in the shower, enjoying the solitude and imagining what my life will look like after today. I wonder if Luke will join me for morning showers and If Theo will hold me every night whilst I sleep. Maybe Deacon will... Nope! I shut that train of thought down immediately. I put a little more effort into my appearance than I did yesterday. If I am going to be forced into finding out who my soulmates are today, then I least want to look good doing it. A knock at my doores too quickly. I''m not ready.

    , open up, it''s me," Dot''s voice calls through the door. Good. I open the door and she enters my room like a

    whirlwind. Followed by Marcus and Cole pushing catering trolleys filled with pastries, fruit, juice and most importantly, Starbucks coffee!

    "What is all this?" Iugh.

    "I banished Theo and Luke from visiting you this morning. We are having breakfast in your room whilst we get ready. This is our only opportunity before you move in with a bunch of stinky men. So for the next hour, you are. all mine," she grins.

    "This is great Dot, thank you," I say, so grateful to have her here with me. She kicks her men out of the room and I make a grab for the coffee.

    ¡°Luke insisted you have that," she nods to the cup in my hand.

    "That man has found my weakness already. If he''s not one of my bonds I''m going to have to bribe him with something to keep him providing me with these," I say before taking a swig of the sweet coffee.

    "Oh, he is. Him, Theo and Deacon I''m sure about," she nods.

    "You really think Mr Collins could be?" I ask.

    "For sure, if he''s not I''ll eat hay with a donkey," she shrugs

    "I''m going to hold you to that," Iugh.

    Dot ys some music I don''t recognise through her phone and she gets to work styling my hair whilst we chat and pick at the food. She tells me about the day she had her bonds confirmed. She had already known for years that Joe would be one of hers and she had suspected Max, but Marcus and Cole had been aplete shock to her. They very quickly epted the bond though and have been happy ever since. The hour passes far too quickly and before I know it Marcus pops his head in the door to announce the seer has arrived. A pit forms in my stomach and I begin the breathing exercises that June taught me whilst Dot grabs her belongings and wishes me luck before leaving me to face my fate.

    A middle-aged woman with ash blonde hair and a kind face enters my room with grace, she looks to almost float when she walks and although she is taking steps I am not 100% convinced she''s actually touching the floor.

    "Hello Josie, my name is Sage. Please rx and listen to what I''m about to tell you. I understand you are new to this realm and do not understand what is about to happen. It''s very important that you follow my instructions, okay?" the seer, says getting straight to business. I nod and thank her foring so quickly. "At no point during my reading must you talk, if you do I will lose the connection and we may have to start again. I will look deep into your soul and follow the connections I see. Think of this like following a piece of string, when

    I walk, you follow. I will lead you to each of your bonds. I will identify each bond by

    a touch on their shoulder. They have had training for this and will know exactly what to do should they be identified. You only need to worry about following me. Right now I am seeing three distinct lies," she exins. My mind instantly goes to Theo, Luke and Deacon, 1 can certainly deal with that. "That doesn''t mean you only have three, that just means we have three directions to follow, as we follow the connection it may split into multiple lines. There is a vehicle waiting for us should we need to follow a connection out of the academy. Do you understand?" she asks and I nod, unsure if I''m supposed to be silent already. "Then let''s begin, take my hands," she instructs. I put my hands in hers and she grips them, her eyes sh with a blue glow before fading to white. It''s scary as hell! Someone really should have warned me about this because it looks like something ''d see in a human horror movie. I feel myself starting to hyperventte and I have to work hard to keep control of hot only my breathing but of my powers. I think of baking with my mum. We would bake my dad''s favourite cookies for when he finished work. He''de home and have the biggest smile on his face. After dinner, we would have cookies and milk whilst he read to me. Then mum would sing to me whilst I fell asleep.

    Sage releases my hands and begins to walk, I hesitate. Do I really want to follow a creepy ghostdy who floats and has white eyes? I notice that Marcus, Cole and Damien avert their gaze as she passes therm, and then Damien motions to me silently to hurry up. I rush after Sage with my security at my side. At least I''m not alone with her. When we exit the building she stops suddenly and I almost walk into her. She seems undecided, searching with her creepy white eyes. Then she turns to the right, headed around the back of Ruby. In the distance I see arge group of students on the field, they''re fighting, Marcus jogs ahead and seeks out who I assume is the tutor. There''s a shout and all the students stop. ¡°Unbonded, step forward for the seer," hemands.

 Chapter 0026

    The men move silently. A group of about 12 standing side by side. My heart beats wildly in my chest. Here we go. I spot Theo in the line of men, he gives me a reassuring smile and motions for me to breathe. The seer walks down the line of men, she stops in front of Theo and ces a hand on his shoulder with a nod, then she continues down the line. Theo has the biggest grin and I know he''s dying to run over to me. The seer stops again and we both look to see who else she has selected. It''s the copper-haired man with the shy smile. Axel, I think his name was. He stares at me a little wide-eyed and his cheeks flush red. I think he may be in shock. The seer walks away without a word and I follow, Theo and Axel fall into step behind me as we silently go to collect the rest of my bonds. This is so weird.

    Sage leads us into the main study building, we pass door after door and then suddenly she stops and turns to face one of the doors. Damien steps forward and knocks on the door before popping his head in and quietly announcing the seer''s arrival. The sound of chairs scraping the floor quickly falls into silence and then Sage steps into the room. I follow her in and three men are standing at the front of the ss. One of them is Luke. Ismile widely as she touches his shoulder. I''m so happy that we were right about Theo and Luke and I bet Axel is nice, he has kind eyes and seems too shy to be anything but sweet. The seer walks on with purpose. I guess she''s not done then. Luke joins our line of silent soul seekers as we set off on our next mission. I almostugh at my own thoughts and have to bite my tongue to keep quiet. As we make our way through the school I start to recognise our route and my heart begins to pick up its rhythm. We are heading right towards the office of Mr Deacon Collins. I have a feeling he''s not going to take this well. As we approach his door I hear raised voicesing from inside, he''s not alone. Sage stops at his door and Cole knocks on it to announce our presence. My knees start to feel like jelly as we wait. The anticipation is going to kill me before he opens the door at this rate. A hand slips into mine from behind, Theo''s calming vibes flowing through me.

    "Come in," Mr Collins''s voice calls. Cole pushes open the door and steps back allowing us to pass. I push onto my tiptoes to peek over Sage''s shoulder. Deacon sits at his desk, a look of defeat painted on his face. His eyes soften as they meet mine. I''m still angry at him, but I''m also relieved I hadn''t imagined the pull towards him, and despite his words in assembly, there was something between us. He can''t deny it now, no matter how much he wants to. The seer takes one step forward and then turns to the right, reaching out a hand. I lean forward to see what she''s doing and I forget all of my calming techniques when my eyes meet the wide-eyed stare of Mason.

    "No," I gasp as horror grips me.

    "Fuck, no," Mason growls, knocking Sage''s hand from his shoulder. He surges forward, squeezing out of the door, ensuring he doesn''t touch me as he passes.

    "Mason, stop," Theo pleads. There''s a scuffle as Theo and Mason grapple in the corridor. Axel joins the fray before he is flung into a wall, hard. Theo gets knocked to the floor,nding with a pained sound. It takes the effort of Marcus, Cole and Damien to restrain Mason. I look to Mr Collins, who is guiding Sage to sit on the couch. She looks frail and unwell. Mr Collins shouts for a medic and orders me to get out. Lturn and stumble forward. The world is spinning too fast. My knees buckle under me and just before I hit the floor arms wrap around me.

    "I''ve got you, I''ll always catch you," Luke says, pulling me back to my feet and lending me his strength. He pulls me into an empty office, giving me a break from the chaos to gather my thoughts.

    "Why is this happening?" I ask on a whimper. "This has to be a mistake,"

    "It''s not. Look," Luke pulls the notebook from his pocket and flips it open to show me. I blink at what I''m seeing. It''s a list of names. Theo Henry, Luke Weston, Deacon Collins, Mason Marshall, Axel Bet. "This is my prediction of your bonds," he exins.

    "Do you have a seer gift too?" I ask.

    "No, I''ve been watching your behaviour and these are just based on my observations," he admits.

    "You are such a geek," I shake my head. I have so many questions but now is not the time or the ce.

    "Yes, but I''m your geek now," he smiles, pulling me in closer to him. He looks down at me his eyes moving from my eyes down to my lips. He inches closer and

    I know he''s going to kiss me, and I''m not opposed to it. Everything goes quiet in the corridor as Luke''s lips brush over mine. It''s not quite a kiss, more of a question. He''s seeking permission to kiss me.

    "I know what you are doing," I smile, the movement causing our lips to touch again.

    "What''s that then?" he grins grabbing my hips and pulling me closer.

    "You''re trying to distract me," I whisper, my breath catching at the tension building between us.

    "Is it working?" he asks, his lust-filled eyes searching mine.

    my

    "Yes," I breathe, and then he pounces. His lips crashing into mine in a blissful kiss. For a moment all my

    and problems melt away as I get lost in him. His tongue shes with my own in a battle that he is winning, mind wanders to how it might feel to have his tongue elsewhere, painting a sexual picture in my mind. Without much thought, my hands travel to the waistband of his trousers and I fumble at the fastenings. Luke groans into my mouth, the sound encouraging-

    "Miss Banks!" Deacon''s harsh tone has meing to my senses. I jump back from Luke, blushing with shame. Luke''s eyes glow with an otherworldly energy as he stares back at me.

    "Whilst you two seem to have other things on your mind, we have more pressing matters to deal with out here," Deacon says in a strained but steady tone.

    "Sorry," I say with a shake of my head. Luke fastens his pants back up with a smirk that speaks of a silent promise to continue thister.

    Quiet voices from the corridor catch my attention and follow Deacon out to assess the situation.

    "It''s okay, it''s okay," Theo repeats softly and I look down to see he''s holding Mason on the floor. Mason is curled up in the fetal position, his head in Theo''sp as he strokes his hair. The sight is a tender one, and my heart softens towards Mason a little. I move closer, instinct pushing me to go to him, tofort him. That is until I hear the words he whispers.

    "I''ll kill her, Theo,"

 Chapter 0027

    Im the door to my room and fling myself onto the bed, arying my face into my pillow and screaming all my frustration into it. Why would I get Mason as a bond? He hates me almost as much as I hate him. I can''t believe I almost felt sorry for him! I thought maybe I''d misunderstood him, that behind the tough exterior was a scared and damaged man.

    "Fuck you, Mason!" I scream into the pillow. Letting all my rage flow out in my words. I''m so done with all of this. I want to go home.

    "Josie stop!" I hear as hands pull at me, lifting me from the bed. I struggle against the hold on me.

    "Get off of me! I just want to go home!" I shout, and then n ovee with the urge to vomit. I stumble out of the arms that were holding me and double over, clutching my stomach as I wretch.

    WELL

    "Shh, it''s okay, it will pass," Luke''s voice soothes rubbing slow circles on my back.

    "What''s happening?" I ask, my vision blurry and my ears ringing.

    "Well I''m no expert but I''m guessing you just discovered another of your gifts," he chuckles softly. I blink a few times until my visiones back into focus. The cheap linoleum under my feet fills me with warmth. I raise head to take in the rest of the room and smile. It''s my old kitchen.

    "How di

    did this happen?" I ask, my voice full of awe.

    "You teleported, Josie," Luke says, his eyes are full of pride "Where are we?" he adds, taking in our surroundings

    "Home,¡± I grin, and run to my bedroom. Everything is exactly how I''d left it just a few days ago. When I''d left for university I hadn''t nned to be back for at least six weeks, but it already feels like it''s been years since I was here. I flop down on my bed, pulling my pillow to my nose and inhaling deeply. Luke leans against the doorframe watching me with a smile. Damn, he''s so hot. I swear every time I look at him he gets more attractive. His white shirt clings to his toned chest and broad shoulders.

    "You look happy here," he smiles.

    "I am, I know it''s not much. Well, notpared to what you are probably used to, but it''s home," I shrug.

    "You know what this colour means, right?" he snorts, pointing to his blue tic. "Not really, no,

    10

    "It means I''m not from a high-ss family, I''m not rich or important. I''ve never lived in luxury," he exins.

    "That''s not a bad thing, besides, you really suit blue," I say studying him with appreciation. "Come here," 1 pat the bed beside me. He obliges, taking a seat on the bed beside me, he leans in, granting me a chaste kiss.

    "You know we can''t stay here, right?" he asks, his tone cautious. "Why not?"

    "Well, firstly, Deacon is going to bust a nut when he realises you''re gone. So will the rest of your bonds. Then there''s my family," heughs, "they will all hunt us down

    "How long do you think we have before they find us?" I smirk, swinging a leg over him to straddle hisp. I feel him instantly harden beneath me.

    "A few hours maybe," he says with a groan as I rock my hips against him. I bring my mouth to his neck and begin

    kissing him there, my hands working to loosen his tie. His hands grip my hips and his breaths be shaky.

    "Is this okay?" I pause to ask.

    "Fuck yes," he breathes. "But I''ve never..." he begins, I stop him, capturing the rest of his words in a kiss. I know he''s a virgin and he knows that I''m not. Something about hen having no experience fills me with confidence and excites me. I get to be the one to show him how good this can be and I see that as an honour.

    "Then I better make your first time memorable," 1 grin devilishly.

    "Anything I do with you will be memorable," he lifts his hips to meet mine eagerly and I moan at the friction." Shit don''t make that noise or this is going to be over before it even starts," he breathes and an idea to solve that worry for himes to mind.

    "Do you trust me?" I ask in my most seductive voice.

    "Yes,"

    "Then stand up," I tell him, jumping up from hisp and holding out a hand to him. He takes my hand and stands. "Wait here," I say. I close my bedroom curtains, blocking out the midday sun and turn on the fairy lights that are wrapped around the headboard of my bed. "Alexa, y my sexy ylist," I call out. Praying that the inte hasn''t been disconnected early, it''s paid until the end of the month so should be fine. When Alexa responds and Luke looks at me in amazement I give him a pleased smirk Now the mood is set I approach him again and use his tie to pull his lips down to mine. He devours my mouth like he''s done it a million times before, taking my breath away and filling me with desire. I unfasten his trousers and push them from his hips without breaking the kiss. They hit the floor with a soft thump and then I plunge my hand into his boxer shorts, wrapping my hand around his hard waiting length. Luke grabs my wrist, holding my hand still and pulls his lips from mine.

    "I''m going to explode," he admits, gently pulling my hand from his boxers with a blush of embarrassment tinting his cheeks.

    "Just trust me," I whisper and smile reassuringly before dropping to my knees in front of him. I ce my hands on his hips and look up at him, seeking his permission before I go any further. His intense blue eyes search mine before he gives the smallest nod of his head. I pull at his waistband, his hard cock springs free and I lick my lips in anticipation. "Don''t hold anything back," I warn him before sucking his tip into my mouth.

    "Fuck, Josie, that feels so good," he hisses out and I moan at the salty taste of him. I squeeze my knees together with need as I move my mouth along the length of his shaft rxing my throat so I can take him to the hilt. When I pause to look up at him he is watching me with a look of admiration. Then I begin to move, bobbing my head on him and loving the sounds he makes as I pleasure him. When he explodes down my throat I feel a strange satisfaction. There''s something empowering about being able to make a man bust his load so quickly.

    "Josie that was amazing," he breathes, "I didn''t hurt you did I?" he asks, concern in his voice.

    "Not at all," I reassure him " I''m d you enjoyed it, because we are only just getting started," I smile seductively, getting to my feet and pushing him backwards to sit on my bed.

 Chapter 0028

    I sway my hips to the music as I slowly begin to undress. Luke''s eyes sh with a blue glow as he watches me, enraptured.

    "You seem to be wearing far too many clothes, Mr Weston, I say when I get down to nothing but my in ck underwear. Luke moves quickly. Getting to lils feet and kicking off his shoes to allow his pants and boxers to fall away. He pulls off his socks before getting to work on the buttons of his shirt, revealing a toned chest and tight abdomen. He''s perfect. Once he''s naked he watches me expectedly. I reach around and unhook my bra, throwing it across the room. Then I push down my panties, shimmying out of them and letting them fall to the floor as I step towards him. His handsnd on my hips and he looks down at me.

    "You are so beautiful," he whispers before branding his lips to mine. We move towards the bed, our lips never parting as I push him down and climb on top of him. I sit atop him and take a moment to look down and appreciate him. How did I get this lucky? His hands reach up and begin to explore my body, I let out a moan when his fingers find my nipples. Encouraged by my reaction he explores further, running his hands along my sides and reaching around to squeeze my ass. Then to my utter shock and delight he flips us so I''m on my back beneath him. He leans back on his knees to look at me.

    "You are even more perfect than I imagined," he says in awe. Then slowly he reaches out and runs a single finger through my folds. I cry out, desperate for more but he pulls his hand away. He holds the digit up to look at my glistening desire coating it. As if he''spelled by it he brings the finger to his mouth, sucking off my wetness. His eyes close at my taste and I don''t think I''ve ever seen a sight as hot as this. Then he moves so fast, his head dropping between my legs. His mouth devours my pussy like a starving man. He is messy as he sucks, licks and probes with his tongue. He explores me, learning what makes me cry out until I''m a writhing mess beneath him. He finally tips me over the edge when he pushes a finger into my core whilst his tongue works my clit. I scream out my ecstasy as I shatter around him. He leans back on his knees again and looks down at me with pride.

    ¡°It should be a crime for you to be so good at that,¡± I pant. He grins at me cockily, clearly pleased with himself. Let''s see how cocky he is when I''m done with him. I get to my knees, stretching up to kiss him. "Lay down," I whisper against his mouth. He obliges and I position myself above him, lining up his cock at my entrance. I hesitate a moment, remembering what a monumental step this is for both of us. Once we do this we are bonded, forever. Luke must sense my apprehension.

    "I''ll take care of you, Josie, always. I''m yours," he vows and I know it''s the truth. There might have been a mistake made with Mason but I know that there was no mistake with Luke. He''s my soulmate, there''s no other exnation for how I feel about him. With him, I''m safe, in every way. He''s never going to hurt me or break my heart. He will keep me grounded. I don''t believe in love at first sight, but this is as close as it gets. So with that in mind Imit to him, gasping as I lower myself onto him and ept him into me, in more ways than one.

    "Fuck, you feel so good," Luke groans as I take him to the It. His hands hold my hips and when I begin to move slowly he tightens his grip. It doesn''t take long for his self-control to snap and he begins thrusting his hips up to meet me, desperately trying to increase the pace. Then in a move simr to the one he''d used before, he flips us. Positioning himself above me he lines himself up and pushes into me. I have a feeling he likes to be in control. He takes his time to experiment, testing out shallow thrusts followed by deep ones. Then he adjusts his pace, picking up speed when he''s encouraged by my moans. I can feel he''s holding himself back, being careful not to be too rough with me.

    ¡°Harder, Luke,¡± I urge, so close to orgasm. I just need a little more pressure. "I don''t want to hurt you,

    "You won''t, please I need it harder," I plead, I''m not above begging to get what I want in the bedroom. Luke begins mming into me, exactly as I need it and Ie apart. A cry is ripped from me as I find my release. Luke

    follows me over the edge with a roar, his hips stuttering as he empties himself into me before copsing on top of me. Wey in a mess of tangled sweaty limbs, breathing hard and just enjoying the post-sex haze.

    "Now I understand what all the fuss is about," he says with a breathyugh. "That was incredible,''

    "You didn''t tell me you were such a fast learner and a control freak. I was not expecting it to happen that way, but I''m notining," I grin.

    "Let''s just stay here, Josie. Now I''ve had a taste of what it''s like to be with you I''m not sure I can share you," his voice is thick with emotion. I know he''s not thinking clearly right now, still on a high from having sex for the first time, and all those emotions thate with that. Plus we just bonded, which for him is a monumental event. Once he''s had time to process he will feel differently. Yet as wey there inplete contentment, my fingers running affectionately through his hair I can''t stop my mind wandering down that track. I Imagine a life here, in the human world with Luke. Could we keep our gifts hidden and live a normal life? Get mundane jobs and save enough money to travel the world before we settle down and maybe have a few kids. I drift off to sleep to these thoughts. Dreaming of beach holidays and fancy hotels. Then my dream takes a turn, a shadow casting over our happy lives, the shadow of Mr Collins. I wake with a gasp, and there at the foot of my bed is a very angry-looking Mr Collins.

 Chapter 0029

    Mr Collins stands motionless at the end of the bed, his jaw is tense and his fists clenched.

    "Deacon?" I ask, still a little dazed and unsure if this is a dream or reality. I lift my head and look down at the bare chest I''d been using as a pillow. Luke breathes steadily, still sleeping peacefully. Then a horrifying thought urs to me. I''m naked. ¡°Shit,¡± I curse. Trying to wrench the covers from under Luke and waking

    him in the process.

    "What''s wrong?" he asks, suddenly alert. Then he rxes when he notices Mr Collins. "I see the search party found us,

    "he grumbles. My handnds on a shirt and I quickly put it on. By the size, it must be Luke''s which is fine because it covers a little more than mine would.

    "Haven''t you heard of knocking?" I ask, my voiceced with acid. Mr Collins remains frozen and it''s starting to freak me out.

    "That is not how a headteacher should be staring at his student, Sir," Luke mocks, clearly s about his words in assembly.

    as bitter as me

    "Luke," I admonish, not feeling like we should be pushing Deacon right now. He is giving off some seriously scary vibes.

    "What? He''s staring at you like he wants to eat you all up," Luke shrugs as he pulls his pants on, "she tastes great by the way, Sir," he adds with a cocky wink. Deacon blinks slowly, shifting his gaze to Luke. The action is more wolf than man.

    "Luke don''t push him right now," I warn. I don''t know how but can sense how close he is to losing control.

    I approach him cautiously and reach out cing a hand on his arm, "Are you okay?"

    His eyes snap to where my hand touches him and he releases a breath before brushing my hand away.

    "What have I told you about touching me?" he demands, suddenly bing animated once again.

    "Sorry, I...

    "Do you know how worried your bonds have been?" he snaps cutting me off. "You''ve been here the whole time, clearly enjoying yourselves, whilst we have been tearing the realm upside down searching for you," he says bitterly, before turning his attention to Luke. "What the hell were you thinking bringing her here?" "He didn''t bring us here, I did," I smile proudly when his face drops, "and as for my bonds, I''m sure they weren''t that bothered," I huff. Mason was probably relieved, Theo was probably too focused on Mason, and me and Axel have never even spoken. I can''t imagine they were too worried.

    "Gather your belongings, we are leaving," Deacon orders.

    "No, I''m going to visit my mum," I jut my chin in defiance.

    "Your mother is no longer in this realm, I made arrangements for her to be cared for by our specialists,"

    "Why? And why didn''t you tell me?" I ask, unsure how to feel about this news.

    "Because I thought you''d be morefortable with her in the same realm as you, with the best possible care. She only arrived this morning, I nned to tell you after you were done with the seer, but you disappeared,¡± he exins and I soften towards him a little.

    "Thank you," I say quietly and begin gathering my clothes. I shove my feet into my shoes and hold the rest of my clothes in a bundle, not wanting to start dressing in front of Mr Collins. I look over to Luke to see him wearing his

    tie and zer jacket without a shirt, he looks like a sexy stropper. Iugh when I notice he has the Alexa device in his hand.

    "Ready?" Luke asks with a cheeky grin when he sees me looking at the Alexa.

    "I''ll escort you both back, as your rooms have already been relocated and I think its best we go straight there considering your attire," Deacon says, and before I can protest the world shifts around us. I drop to my knees, gagging.

    "Asshole," I hear Luke mutter before he kneels beside me and rubs my back soothingly.

    "Miss Banks, I suggest you do not attempt to teleport again without some training. You could end up stuck between realms. You are all expected in the research room in one hour, don''t bete," Deacon says and then he''s gone before my vision clears.

    "Shit, Babe," I hear Theo exim seconds before I''m being pulled into his arms. "I was so worried, we couldn''t find you and your heart was racing. I thought... oh," he trails off. My vision returns and Theo is looking between me in his arms and then to Luke. His hold loosens a little and the hurt look on his face causes guilt to squeeze my heart.

    "See I told you she was fine, the little whore was just adding another to her body count," Mason''s smarmy voice instantly squashes any guilt I''d been feeling. I push out of Theo''s arms to face Mason.

    "Fuck off, Mason," Luke hisses and Mason grins condescendingly, his eyes roaming my body that''s barely covered by Luke''s shirt. He leans against a doorframe, his arms folded in front of him.

    "That''s right, whilst you were having your little breakdown I was having the time of my life, and guess what?" I smile sweetly.

    "What?" he scowls.

    "Your boyfriend will be the next one I add to my body count." I say, I know as the words are leaving my mouth that I''ve gone too far. I shouldn''t taunt him like this but I can''t stop myself. Mason straightens, fury marring his face. I stand my ground, let him try and kill me like he said. If he''s going to do it I''d rather him get it over with.

    "Mason," Theo, says softly,ing to stand between us. He ces a hand on his chest and Mason''s furious gaze softens as he looks down at Theo. He gently guides him backwards and then shuts the door on us. I release a breath.

    "Come on, let''s find our rooms," Luke says now the confrontation is over.

    "I shouldn''t have said that," I sigh. Shame creeps in at my actions. He''s an ass, but I shouldn''t stoop down to his

    level. 1

    "He deserved it," Luke shrugs.

    "Maybe, but / dragged Theo into it and that wasn''t fair,"

    "You probably did him a favour. You just made it a challenge, no doubt he''s going

    to try and im Theo before you do," Luke snorts.

    "I agree," a quiet but deep voice says and I turn to see Axel standing in a doorway behind us.

    "Oh, hi, Axel. Sorry, I didn''t know you were here. I promise I''m not usually this mean," I halfugh, cringing internally. What a great first impression I''m making.

    "Hi," he smiles before his eyes drop to the floor, his cheeks flushed with a slight pink tone. "Your rooms are there," he points to two open doors beside Mason''s. Great.

    "Thanks, Man," Luke grins and I collect my belongings than I''d dropped on the floor earlier. A door ms and I look back to see Axel has disappeared. I give Luke a questioning look.

    "He''s probably run off of shower," heughs. "You just bent over in front of him with no panties on," he adds with an amused whisper.

    "Fuck," I cringe, mortified and embarrassed. Can I make his first impressions of me any worse?

    "Don''t worry, you''ve probably just made his day. Let''s get ressed," Lukeughs. Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0030

    I follow Luke into the first room and my jaw drops. It''s huge! And that bed is

    almost the size of my entire room at home. It must have bedding specially made for it because that''s no standard size.

    "Well this one is obviously yours," Lukeughs at my expression.

    hat? I can''t sleep in that, I''ll get lost,"

    "Then it''s lucky you have plenty of men close by toe find you," he hums leaning down to kiss me. I indulge him for a moment before, breaking away to explore further, Lake follows as I check out the next room, it''s nice. It''s much more modest with a king-size bed.

    "I''ll take this one, you can have the o

    I tell him.

    "Not sure that''s going to work," heughs.

    "Why not?"

    "Because, my little goddess," he pauses to grip my hips from behind and kiss my shoulder, "I don''t think we would all fit in this bed," he chuckles.

    "Excuse me? I will not be having everyone in my bed, at the same time," I exim, feeling quite offended at his suggestion.

    "My bet is we will all be in there within the month. At the rate your powers are developing I''d say you''ll shift soon, and when you do, you''ll go into heat. Then you''ll be begging for all of us, and we won''t be able to resist your call," he purrs.

    "Woah, back all the way up. I will never beg for Mason. Ever! Now exin this heat thing, because I''m..."

    "Shh, calm down, its okay," he stops me mid-rant, ¡°you''ll learn about all this. Try not to worry about it for now, we have ways to take some of the heat off, pun intended, to make it easier for you," he tries to soothe but I can feel the panic building within me.

    "No," I shout, refusing to ept this. I pull out of his hold and storm out of the

    room.

    "What''s wrong?" Theo asks as he rushes out of Mason''s room, panic in his eyes. He looks a little dishevelled and his lips are kiss swollen. If I wasn''t about topletely lose my shit I''d be happy for him.

    "She''s fine, just a little scared about the heat thing," Luke says,ing up behind me once again. Theoes to my front, taking both my hands in his.

    "We will look after you, baby girl, all of us. I promise." he deres. "Just breathe,"

    I take deep breaths, pushing the bubbling panic down. Axel''s eyes meet mine from across the room and I know he sees the fear there. He gives me the smallest of nods, a silent promise. My eyes shift to Mason''s room. I don''t want him to see me like this, but it''s toote. His eyes are on me, reflecting my fear. Then as if flipping a switch his expression bes guarded, it happens so fast that I''m not sure if I imagined it.

    "Come on, let''s find you some clothes," Theo says, drawing my attention back to him.

    By the time I''ve taken a quick shower and redressed I feel much calmer. If I''m going to turn into some sex maniac and beg for them all then I have work to do first. Because over my dead body will I beg for Mason or Deacon without having them begging for me first. Filled with determination and confidence I leave my room wearing the shortest shorts I could find. They''re ck and definitely show some cheek. I pair them with just a leather jacket, zipped just low enough to show the red bra underneath. I''m not a model by any means, but I know I''m not ugly

    and I''mfortable enough in my own skin to pull this off the guys are all sitting around the living area on the couches. Theo and Axel are talking quietly, Mason is looking at his phone and Luke is studying my Alexa device that he''d stolen.

    "Let''s get this over with," 1 announce, I pay careful attention to Mason. His eyes roam my body and he sits up a little straighter in his seat. When his eyes reach mine I give him a victorious smirk and he scowls. That''s my first win.

    "Damn, Baby," Theo whistles.

    "I prefer you with the clothes off," Luke winks.

    Axel''s gaze is on his feet and my steps falter. His mannerisms remind me of the teenage boys I went to school with before they found their confidence around girls, Maybe he just needs some time to adjust. I push the thoughts away, it''s something to work on with himter. Right now we need to get this Spark thing out of the

    way

    "She is a real heartstopper, isn''t she Axel?" Theo nudges in and I don''t miss his double meaning, Axel nods in agreement.

    When we arrive at the science rooms Deacon is waiting for us. His eyes catch mine as we approach and I don''t miss the sh of blue.

    "Miss Banks, could I have a word with you in private?" he asks and my heart skips a beat.

    "Of course, Sir," I say, emphasizing the Sir part. He guides me to an empty room and closes the door behind us.

    Your mother is a little unsettled and confused with the move, which is to be expected. I''ve spoken to her doctor and they have rmended you don''t visit until she has stabilised, but they assure me she is fine. They have asked for you to call them as they have some questions you might be able to help with," he exins and hands me a card with a number for a Dr ck on it. All my sass and thoughts of seduction flee. My mum is here and might actually get some help that will work.

    "Thank you," I say, feeling overwhelmed with relief and extremely grateful that he''s done this for her. Without much thought, I wrap my arms around him in a hug. His body stiffens briefly before he sighs and holds me against him.

    "You are going to be the death of me, Josie," he admits, his voice barely audible. "I''ll only stop your heart for a second," I tease, tilting my head back to look up at him. I can see a war raging behind his eyes as he looks down at me.

    "Fuck it," he curses before bringing his mouth to meet mine in the most feral of kisses. This is not the tender first kiss I''d imagined, it''s raw, messy and desperate. Certainly flot very professional of my usually soposed headmaster. His hands travel down my body and then he lifts me, I wrap my legs around his waist and groan into his mouth at the friction. Then as fast as it started, it stops. He releases me like I''m on fire, dropping me to the floor. His eyes glow blue with barely contained power and he breathes heavily. I can see his beast, so close to the surface now. He''s a stunning mess. He''s absolutely perfect

 Chapter 0031

    "Leave," Deacon growls, the sound is more animal than human and it sends a thrill through me.

    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± I smile, leaning down to pick up the card I''d dropped. I straighten my clothes and leave the room to find the others. He''s clearly having some internal struggle and I''m not going to be the one to push him over that edge,

    no matter how exciting, I find it. I already have Mason wanting me dead, I''d rather not add Mr Collins to that

    list.

    "Is everything okay?" Luke asks when I join them in the research room.

    "Yes, he was just updating me on my mum," I smile, waving the doctor''s card at him before sliding it into my jacket pocket. Theo gives me a knowing look and subtly tapi his finger over his heart. I''m never going to be able to hide anything from them after today, am I?

    The room we are in is fully equipped with heart-monitoring equipment, floor mats and some other equipment don''t understand. Axel has his shirt off and has wires strapped to his chest and head. Damn, he''s ripped. Who knew he was hiding all that muscle under his shirt? Theo has the same wires and is just as toned. Luke seems excited as he examines the equipment, and Mason is sitting in the corner of the room with his trademark frown in ce.

    "Miss Banks, my name is James and my assistant, Sarah, will be joining us momentarily. Thank you for allowing us this rare opportunity for a study like this. Nothing we do today will hurt you," James shakes my hand and then begins to exin that I''ll be fitted with a heart monitor and a device that monitors the electrical activity of the brain. When his assistant walks in she asks me to remove my jacket so she can attach the monitors. This is when I realise I fucked up. I only have a bra on under my jacket. I hear a snort from Mason and that gives me the determination to do this with pride. I lock my eyes with him as I unzip my jacket and then I throw it at him.

    "Hold that please," I smile and turn my back to him before I can see his reaction. Sarah gives me a knowing smile and begins attaching the monitors. Once they''re all in ce they turn on the monitors for me and Theo. The room is silent bar the steady sound of mine and Theo''s heartbeats that beep in sync. James and Sarah take notes and makeparisons. When they''re happy with the information they have they tell Theo he can rx until the end now, and disconnect him from the machine. Then they ask Axel to step forward. The door to the room opens and Deacon steps in. He looks back to his calm and controlled self, that is until he sees me, standing in my bra and shorts. His professional demeanour slips a little when his eyes go wide before he quickly averts his gaze. My heart rate kicks up a notch, beeping loudly for the whole room to hear. James looks at the monitor and then at me.

    "A little nervous," I shrug and James nods, epting my lie. I don''t look at the guys. I know it won''t be as easy to convince them as it was James. The steady beeping of Axel''s heart joins mine and I feel a little less exposed now that I''m not the only one having their heart rate announced to the room.

    "Okay, Josie and Axel, please stand on the mats, and when you are ready you can touch," James says. We take our positions on the mats, both of our heartbeats increasing in pace as we get close.

    "Ready?" I ask. Axel takes a deep breath and his body tenses as if ready for impact, his eyes meet mine and he gives me a nod. I smile and gently reach out my hand, I hold my breath as I ce it on his shoulder. Nothing happens. I let out a smallugh of relief and look at James.

    James writes something in his notes and then looks up, "okay, Mason, let''s get you hooked up," he smiles.

    "No, fuck this. I''m not doing it," Mason growls.

    "Mace,e on," Theo tries to calm him.

    "No, I said I''d be here but I didn''t agree to participate,"

    now and that the only reason "Mr Marshall, do I need to remind you that you are supposed to be suspended rig you are not is because you are a part of this bond?

    If you do not participate then I will send you home," Deacon

    berates.

    "You already used that threat to force me to move in with her, now you''re going to use it again for this?" Mason argues, squaring up to Deacon.

    "Yes," Deacon confirms, meeting Mason''s challenging stance. The tension in the room is so thick as the men stare each other down.

    "Fine, D, I''ll go straight after you," Mason challenges. Deacon remains silent but I don''t miss how his fists clench.

    "Mason, if you''re too scared to touch me it''s okay," I mock, goading him intoplying and breaking the tension between him and Deacon. His eyes move to me assessingly and I raise my brows at him. He smirks before pulling off his shirt andunching at me. I catch it on instinct. His scent hits my nose and I hate to admit how good he smells.

    "Good dog, hold that for me," heughs. I throw his shirt to the floor, itnds right beside my jacket. When I look back to Mason ready to curse at him I''m stopped in my tracks at the sight of him. His chest is covered in an intricate pattern of tattoos that blend into one big one. I feel as if each one tells a story. There are wolves, daggers, and trees with twisted branches. It''s a stunning piece of artwork and I want to get up close and study it. fitch to run ny fingers over each piece and ask what they all mean. I break from my trance when James sticks a monitor -over a wilted rose over Mason''s heart. Mason is looking at me with a pleased smirk, he knows he won that round. ¡°Okay, same again. On the mats and touch when you are ready," James instructs. There''s a heavy atmosphere in the room as I get close to Mason. His eyes are trained on me in determination and I hesitate. I nce towards Theo and he gives me a nod and a smile of encouragement. "Just get it over with," Mason grunts. My heart rate blurts out its increase as I reach out and ce my hand on his chest.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0032

    Power surges through my hand and a sh of blue light blinds me. I stumble back. rms are blurring and everything is dark.

    "Don''t touch her!" I hear James warn someone.

    "I''ve got her," Theo''s voice soothes as his arms wrap around me. "It''s okay Jose, you''re safe,"

    rms continue to scream incessantly and I realise what it s, I''ve heard it on TV before. It''s the sound of someone tlining. Mason''s heart has stopped. Theo had told me this had happened to him but I thought he meant for just a second, this feels like too long

    "Mason," I gasp, panic gripping me.

    "Give him a minute," Theo says softly. My vision suddenly returns and I see Mason sprawled out on the mat,pletely still.

    "Why is he not waking up? You were awake by the time my vision returned," I say, my voice trembling. Tense seconds tick by as we all watch Mason.

    "40 seconds," James calls.

    "Brain function active," Sarah adds.

    "Prepare for defib," James instructs and Sarah quickly moves closer to Mason with the defibritor. Theo''s arms tighten around me and he burys his face against my neck.

    "One minute," James announces.

    "Wait," Theo startles. "Josie touch him again, Inded on your feet, we were touching when I woke up," he pulls down to kneel next to Mason. Without hesitation, I ce my hands on Mason''s body and sag in relief when he gasps and his heart monitor begins to beep in sync with my own.

    "Fuck," Mason groans, curling into the fetal position.

    "You''re okay Mace, you''re going to be fine," Theo reassures him, rubbing his back.

    "Theo, your fucking girlfriend just killed me," Mason grunts and Theoughs. The others all start to chuckle too, probably in relief, but I''m mortified.

    "No more!" I whisper. "We are not doing this again," I say louder when no one responds.

    "Yes, we are," Luke protests. "There''s no way I''m never touching you again, so we either do it here and now whilst we have people here that can help, or I''ll do it when you are least expecting it,"

    The look of determination in his eyes tells me it''s the truth. One way or another he will trigger The Spark. I suppose he has a point, it''s better to do this now with a defibritor on hand.

    "More fool you," Mason says as he struggles to his feet, "zero out of ten, I do not rmend," he sags into the chair in the corner, looking pale and a little worse for wear.

    "His stats are good," Sarah assures when she sees me watching him in concern. "Fine," I huff in defeat.

    "Me next," Luke grins and pulls off his t-shirt.

    "This time I suggest you bothy on the mats and then hold hands, try not to break the contact and we will see if that works," James says as he studies the monitors. He doesn''t mask the excitement in his voice.

    I take my ce next to Luke on the mat, I decide I won''t be the one to touch him, if he wants to kill himself so badly he can be the one to make contact. James gives us the green light to begin. Iy motionless, focusing on my breathing. Luke grabs my hand and I feel the jolt shoot up my arm. I squeeze my eyes shut in an attempt to shield them from the bright light, but this is useless as the light seems toe from within me. The light seems. impossibly brighter this time and there''s a ringing in my cars, this is new. It''s so loud I can''t hear what is happening in the room. I don''t know if Luke''s heart has stopped. Seconds pass and the sound fades. I hear the erratic beat of Luke''s heart and my vision returns.

    "Are you okay?" I ask, sitting up to check on Luke, "No,"1

    "he

    groans, "I think I''m going to need mouth to mouth,"

    "You''re going to get fist to mouth if you don''t start taking this seriously," I huff, but I can''t stop the smile on my

    face.

    "I''m fine, Goddess, I promise," he pushes himself into a sitting position. He looks

    a little pale and tired but otherwise okay.

    That went much smoother, let''s do the same with Axel now," James says cheerfully.

    "This is getting more intense each time, the sh I see is getting brighter and this time there was a loud ringing in my ears," I tell him, concerned.

    James nods in understanding, ¡°I think I have an exnation for that, since you first triggered The Spark with Theo, have either of you noticed a rapid progression in your gifts?"

    Theo admits he''s noticed he''s now much stronger and faster and has managed to take down Axel inbat training, something he''s never managed before. Luke tells him about my swift power development. James then exins the readings of our brain activity and how it''s increasing with each Spark. He thinks it''s a power share, and that it''s only going to get stronger.

    "This is awesome," Theo exims excitedly.

    "It makes sense, the Spark bond is supposed to be the most powerful out of any other bond group¡± Lukements, the cogs in his geek brain activated.

    Axel has an excited smile but remains quiet. Mason decides to test his telekinesis strength by making Theo float a few inches off of the ground, then he gives me a wedgy, with his mind. I retaliate on instinct, and without much effort, I tip him off his chair, with my freaking mind! Mason looks at me in shock and I blow him a kiss, with my middle finger. Then I readjust my shorts.

    "Oh I think Mason has finally met his match, she''s not even had any training." Lukeughs.

    "We will see," Mason grunts.

    Deacon starts typing away furiously on his phone and I wonder what he''s up to now.

    "I''m rearranging your timetables, the five of you will need private tutoring to get any new or enhanced powers under control. I''d also prefer we didn''t discuss this with any other students, until we know you are safe to be around them," Deacon says as if he just read my mind. My guys begin to protest but I decide to test a theory. I focus on Deacon and think at him hard.

    "Can you hear me, D?'' I think at him. His eyes flick to me before he continues with his heated discussion.

    ''Oh my god, you can can''t you!'' I mentally exim. When he doesn''t react I give him a suspicious look. I''m not

    sure if he''s purposely ignoring me or if I''m wrong about his gift.

    "Are you going to be attending these special training sessions with us? Because I noticed you don''t have a room in our apartment," Theo says to Deacon, his arms folded over his chest and his tone bitter.

    "No, why would I? I''m not one of her bonds,"

 Chapter 0033

    "Bullshit!" Luke exims.

    "You''re lying," Theo uses.

    "You were all there, the seer did not identify me as one," Deacon shrugs as if it''s no big deal.

    "That was because themotion broke her trance before he was done," Luke protests..

    "I spoke with her afterwards and she said she was done, she only identified four bonds for Josie. Now let''s get finished here so we can all leave," Deacon orders, closing down any further conversation on it. The guys all look at him with suspicion, none of them fully believing this. Why would he kiss me like he did if he knew we weren''t bonds? Maybe it''s a fetish of his to kiss other men''s bonds rrisa''s bonds may be missing but she is still a bonded woman. I bring my fingers to my mouth. Remembering how it felt to kiss him. How can something that felt so right be so wrong? I know I should probably be angry or hurt, but all I feel is numbness. Anything I''d felt growing between myself and Deacon was wrong, it has to stop. He is my head teacher, nothing more. It''s time to focus on my actual bonds, even if I do hate one of them.

    "Are you ready to do this Axel?" Task, stering a smile on my face.

    "Yes," he nods, his shyness gone and reced with what seems like anger.

    "Good, because I''m ready to get out of here," I take my position beside Axel on the mat and he wastes no time grabbing my hand. The sh of lightes as expected, along with the ringing in my ears. This time is apanied by a dull ache in my head. Like Luke, Axel recovers quickly and I''m so grateful we didn''t have to through what we had with Mason with all of them. The headache I have doesn''t fade like the blindness and ringing ears did, it gets worse until I''m massaging my temples to try and relieve some pressure. James promises to update us with his final report once he''s had time to study the data and we are free to leave. We head straight to the dining hall to grab some food before it''s toote. Dot congrattes us all and is also shocked that Mr Collins wasn''t identified as one of my bonds. I don''t catch most of what she says though because my headache keeps intensifying and it bes hard to concentrate on anything. The guys all begin toin of headaches too and after Dot is unable to heal any of us we decide to head back to our apartment to sleep it off.

    When I wake up I''m in my new giant bed, fully clothed and I''m not alone. On my left Luke sleeps peacefully, his face rxed and his breathing soft. Theo is on my right a frown marring his handsome face, behind him is Mason. He is also frowning and his fist is clenched gripping the sheets, there''s a fine sheen of sweat across his brow. I almost snort, even in his sleep his grumpy. I carefully sit up, not wanting to wake them. Then I notice another body sleeping by my feet. Its Axel. He has a slight smile on his face and I can''t help but smile at him, he must be having a nice dream. I don''t remember getting back to the apartment, never mind how we all ended up in here. I see movement across the room out of the corner of my eye but when I look there''s nothing there. I shake

    my head, I must still be having some side effects from triggering The Spark yesterday. My dder screams at me in urgency and I asses how the hell I''m going to escape this bed without waking anyone. With some careful manoeuvring over Luke, I manage to sneak out of the bed and into the bathroom. I take care of business and have a quick shower, wrapped in a towel I peek out of the door and to my relief everyone is still sleeping. I creep as silently as possible into my walk- in wardrobe and route the boxes I''m still yet to unpack for some clothes. As I''m dressing I hear a whimpering from the bedroom, quickly throwing on a t-shirt I go to investigate. I see Luke rubbing at his eyes, Axel sits at the end of the bed looking confused and Theo is trying to gently wake Mason.

    "Mace, wake up, you''re having a nightmare," he says softly: Mason wakes with a start and bolts upright.

    "Why am I in here?" he asks.

    "I was just wondering the same thing," Axel says.

    "No idea," Luke adds.

    "Does anyone remember getting back to our apartment?" ask, gaining all their attention. They all go quiet in thought before either shaking their heads or saying no. ¡°Werd, I remember having a headache that was getting worse and you all startedining of one too. We were the dining room and then next thing I know I woke up here with all of you,

    "I hope we didn''t do anything weird," Theo halfughs.

    "If we did I''m sure we will hear about it at breakfast," Luke sighs, "I''m going to make coffee, who wants some?"

    "Is it the human stuff?" I ask.

    "Of course," he gasps, pretending to be offended.

    "I''ll try it," Axel says. Mason walks out without a response and Theo declines coffee and follows Mason leaving me and Axel alone.

    "How are you feeling?" I ask him. Coming to sit beside him on the end of the bed. "Okay I guess," he shrugs.

    "Sorry we''ve not really had a chance to talk, I''m guessing you''ve heard all about me but I know nothing about you. Tell me about yourself," I smile.

    "There''s not much to tell," he shrugs and I can''t tell his shyness is holding him back.

    "Well, how old are you?"

    "18, the same as you,

    "Do you have any siblings?" I ask.

    ''Doesn''t everyone?" he snorts.

    "I don''t, but I''m different. Where Ie from the women only usually have one

    partner and there''s less pressure to have children," I exin.

    "This must be a big deal for you then, having four bonds. There is a high expectation to produce multiple children because our poption is so low, but I want you to know I would never force you to do that if you didn''t want to, he says, never making eye contact with me. I take his hand in mine.

    "Thank you, Axel, that means a lot,"

    "I know I might not be as confident as the others but I am honoured to be one of your bonds and I will take care of you, Josie. I promise. If you want me around that is, because I''d understand if you don''t want this and I won''t force myself on you. I''d never do anything you..."

    "I want you here Axel, I want to get to know you," I cut him off, reassuring him. My heart squeezes for him. I can''t help but wonder what he''s been through that''s made him this way. This feels like more than just being a little shy. Despite him being hench and a capable fighter I have this urge that I should wrap him in my arms and protect him from this world. I don''t know if this is some weird magic at y but I''m not sure longer in doubt about this whole bond thing. These four men are mine, even asshole Mason has a ce with me. One way or another we are bound together as lovers, friends or enemies.

 Chapter 0034

    Luke''s coffee is almost as good as the Starbucks one. I''m impressed by his barista machine and skills. Axel also enjoys it and deres he''ll only be drinking the ''human stuff from now on. Luke tells us how he sneaks to the human realm often to get supplies and I insist he takes me with him next time. He reluctantly agrees, but only after I threaten to attempt to go there by myself. The guys all go to shower and dress and I''m left alone to explore our new apartment. The living and kitchen area is open n with five doors leading off to each bedroom with an en-suite for each one. There is arge grey corner sofa that could easily fit six people and it''s centred around a sleek ck coffee table. A t-screen TV hangs on the wall The kitchen is fully equipped to cook meals and there''s arge ck ss table that seats six. I wonder why there are kitchens in these apartments when there is a dining hall that provides every meal. I guess some bond groups like to eat privately. I imagine us all sat around the table sharing a meal and then I push the thought away when I realise I''d added Deacon to my imaginary dinner party. I have no ce in my heart or mind for hin, besides think I have enough men on my te already.

    Once the guys are ready we make our way to the dining hall. I don''t know why but walking through the academy with the four men makes me feel confident. I no longer feel like the weird new girl with my bonds by my side. That is until I hear someone mutter "Freaks" as we walk by Great. I''m still not epted, all that''s changed is that my bonds have now adopted my freak title too.

    ¡°Ignore it,¡± Luke says, "they''re just scared of things they don''t understand, let''s just be ourselves and show them we are still the same people,"

    "Oh my goodness, are you all okay?" Dot gushes as she runs to us. She checks each of us over, cing a hand on our foreheads for a second before moving on to the next person. When she reaches Mason he bats her hand away and like the little spitfire she is she ps his hand. "Hold still and stop being such a baby," she admonishes. With an eye roll, he allows her to asses him. Clearly satisfied shees back to me and throws her arms around me.

    "Girl, you scared the shit out of me,"

    "Why, what happened?" I ask her. She nces around to see if anyone is paying attention before whispering.

    "We found you all copsed in the foyer of Ruby, I called Mr Collins and he had us carry you all up to bed. I wanted to stay with you but he insisted he''d watch over you all,''

    "That exins how we woke up in the same room, and also that I thought I''d seen someone watching us but they disappeared before I got a look at them" I nod.

    "Well that''s not creepy at all," Theo snorts, "that headmaster is keeping something from us, I know it,"

    "I agree, but why did we pass out, that''s the bigger concern right now," Luke says with a frown.

    "Mr Collins had some scientist dudee in and check you all over, he said something about your brains adjusting their electrical thingys and making connections, and that you''d wake up once it wasplete," Dot shrugs.

    "Ah yes, the electrical thingys, it all makes sense now. Thanks, Dot," Luke deadpans.

    "I''m sorry I was freaking out a little too much to take in what he was saying," she punches him yfully in the

    "We shouldn''t talk about this here," Axel says nervously. I look around and see a few student''s curious eyes on us.

    "Shows over folks!" Theo announces loudly, "Let''s go eat, I''m starving,"

    We pile our tes with pastries, fruit, pancakes and porridge and sit with Dot and her group. The table is silent whilst we stuff our faces. I feel as if I''ve not eaten for

    a week and by the way my guys are eating I''d say they feel

    the same.

    "I''d kill for a full English right now," I groan at the though

    "What''s that?" Theo asks.

    "It''s the breakfast of champions. Bacon, eggs, sausages, mushrooms, baked beans and toast is my standard,"

    "Meat for breakfast?" Dot wrinkles her nose.

    "Don''t knock it until you''ve tried it," I taugh

    "I''m in," Luke says excitedly.

    "Looks like we need to go on a shopping trip soon then so I can cook us a human delicacy," I grin at him and he

    nods.

    "I''ll try anything you make, baby girl," Theo leans into me, nuzzling my neck yfully. I giggle and try to push him away when Masonunches at me, yanking me off of my chair and onto the floor so fast that my brain spins trying to process what just happened. Shouts of protest star but Mason ignores them and turns to face the room.

    "Who the fuck did that?" he booms, anger radiating from him. Theo helps me to my feet and I look around in confusion. I''m about to rip into Mason when I see him clutching a scary-looking dagger. The ground begins to shake under my feet and students start to flee in fear. I notice rrisa running with a group of students, probably running to get Mr Collins, Great,

    "Mace, calm down," Theo speaks softly, cing a hand on Mason''s tense back. I try to figure out what just happened as Axel and Luke box me in between them, Theo and Mason. All of them have their backs to me. Dot is pushed to my side as her guys join the protective huddle.

    "What''s happening?" I ask her.

    "Not sure,

    but this lot have obviously decided there''s a threat. This is their training kicking in, they''ve been practising bond protection strategies since they were kids. It''s best not to fight it and let them do their macho man thing," she rolls her eyes.

    "What the hell is going on?" Mr Collins'' voice bellows over the chaos.

 Chapter 0035

    Once the dining hall has cleared out there''s a tense silence as we all wait for Mason to exin.

    "Well?" Mr Collins demands, I can only see his feet from my position behind the wall of muscle. The dagger tters to the floor in between Mason and Mr Collins'' feet,

    "Someone threw that at us. It was heading straight at Josie''s head," Mason exins.

    "And you saw it and managed to intercept it?" Mr Collins aks, his tone sounds using.

    "Yes, I did," Mason growls.

    "Did anyone else see this happen?" Mr Collins asks.

    "I did, Mason acted before I could even open my mouth to warn anyone," Joe admits.

    "Very well. Does anyone know who threw it or see anything suspicious?" he asks and we all say no. "Get to ss, I''ll get to the bottom of this. Well done, all of you, you acted quickly and kept your bonds safe," he says before picking up the dagger and walking away. He didn''t even ask if I was okay. Asshole.

    Dot and her bonds head to ss after she warns us all to stay safe and look out for each other. A part of me wants them to stay with us but if there''s someone out to hurt me then it''s probably best she keeps her distance. The guys keep me boxed in between them as we make our way to our first private lesson in the gym. The tutor has not arrived yet so we sit and wait, all lost in thought. Why would someone throw a dagger at me? I know I''m the weird new girl but surely that''s not enough for someone to actually attempt to kill me. And why is this not being dealt with as seriously as it should? In the human world, this would be attempted murder, and the academy would have been put on lockdown. A tall man enters the gym, pulling me from my thoughts.

    "Good morning, it''s nice to meet you, Josie, my name is Noel and I''m going to work with you all on testing your abilities, let us head out into the woods for this," Noel says and we follow him out, across a field and towards the woods. The guys seem more rxed now we are away from any other students. Luke walks up front with Noel discussing how quickly my gifts are appearing and growing Axel walks quietly at my side and Theo and Mason walk behind us. When we arrive at a small clearing amongst the dense trees Noel asks Theo, Axel and Luke to practice trying to pick up leaves using telekinesis. None have them have shown a telekinesis ability before so he wants to test if they have it now. He takes me and Mason further into the trees and instructs us to start by using telekinesis to lift small branches and work up torger ones until we hit our limit. Mason lifts the first one easily and moves to a bigger one. He''s on his 4th lift whilst I''m still staring at the first twig intently. Excited shoutse from the other three guys and Noel jogs over to check their progress. I decide to start smaller with a fallen leaf and huff in frustration when nothing happens.

    "You can''t just stare at it," Mason grumbles.

    "Then how do I do it genius?" I snap back. With an irritated sigh, Masones to stand beside me.

    "It''s easier if you use your hands, even though it doesn''t actually do anything it helps to visualize what you want to do, stretch out your hand and imagine the leaf is attached to it by an invisible line, as you raise you hand the leaf should raise too,¡± he exins. I do as he says and almost screech in delight when the leaf floats a few inches off of the ground.

    "Thank you,¡± I grin at him, I''m about to go in for a hug but I''m quickly reminded who I''m dealing with when I see his frown. "And thank you for saving me earlier," I add, biting my nails nervously.

    "Don''t do that,"

    "Do what?" I ask. Maybe he hates nail-biters?

    "This," he gestures between himself and me, "we are not having a moment here. I saved you because it''s what I''ve been trained to do and because I know how much it would hurt Theo if I hadn''t, and I''m only helping you now because like it or not we have been put together for a reaso. If there''s a threat to this realm, which is the home of the very few people I care about, and the only way to stop it is by working with you then I will. But make no mistake, we will never be more than co-workers that asionally fuck when it''s required, nothing more," he spits out in a rough tone.

    "Fine by me," I snap, hiding how much his words hurt me behind a scowl. Fuck him! I turn back to our task and lift arge branch easily. Maybe anger is the key to my telekinesis gift. Every time I''ve used it it''s been in reaction to something. I look at arge fallen tree and I channel my anger, the tree begins to wobble and then it floats a foot in the air. I hold it for a second and then leave it to drop before heading over to check what the others are up to. As I approach I stop in my tracks. I stare in awe as hundreds of leaves float around. It''s a magical sight. "Wow, this is amazing!" I exim, jogging over to join them. My three guys all turn to face me, proud grins on their faces making the sight even more stunning.

    "It

    seems that not only do you all enhance each other''s powers but you also inherit them," Noel says excitedly. Luke picks me up and spins me in his arms before nting a kiss on my lips, "Thank you," he grins down at me. "For what?" Iugh, his energy is contagious and I feel excited and giddy.

    For everything, for being mine, for making us the most super superhumans, the list could go on,"

    15

    "My turn," Theo announces before pulling me from Luke''s arms. He spins me to face him and then his lips meet mine. The kiss is swift but passionate, our first one. A thrill shoots through me but is quickly dampened when I catch Mason''s jealous gaze on us.

 Chapter 0036

    Theo follows my gaze and I feel his arms tighten around me a little. Then his eyes shift behind me, and in a sh, he spins me and pushes me like I''m on fire, "Axel''s turn" he deres as I crash Into Axel. He catches me with an " pomph" and I curse at Theo.

    "Are you okay?" Axel asks, still holding me to him.

    "Yes, thanks for catching me," I smile up at him.

    "Always," he says, his voice thick. His eyes flick between mine and my lips and I''m sure he''s trying to pluck up the courage to kiss me. I decide to help him out, pushing tony tiptoes I ce a chaste kiss on his jaw, lingering a little in case he wants to take this further. I can tell he wants to but I think having an audience is a bit too much for

    him.

    "Do you want to hang out togetherter, maybe watch a movie?" I ask him. His cheeks are flushed adorably pink as he nods

    "Come on, enough celebrating. We have work to do," Noel calls and Axel releases

    me.

    Noel has us working on shifting next. I know Mason and Luke have already mastered this skill, Theo has only shifted once, and like me, Axel hasn''t had his first shift yet, Mason and Luke shift into two stunning ck wolves first and with some effort Theo manages to shift too. He lets out a yip of delight and begins to run around excitedly. Mason and Luke join him and soon they take off chasing each other through the trees. Mason seems happier in his wolf form, or maybe it''s just because he can''t speak or scowl at me. Like this, it''s hard to imagine that he''s the same wolf that was threatening me just a few nights earlier.

    "Axel and Josie, I know it''s still young for you two to shift but due to your enhanced and rapidly progressing abilities, I don''t think it''s a bad idea to try. Have either of you connected with your wolf yet?" Noel asks. We both tell him no, although I actually have no idea because I''m not even sure what he means by that. He exins that before we can attempt to shift we need to establish a connection with our wolves. He tells me that once I wake my wolf my bonds wolves will recognise me as their mate and their behaviours towards me will change but it''s nothing to be worried about. He also warns me that after my first shift, I''ll likelye into heat because my wolf''s mates are nearby. I want to ask him about that but don''t feelfortable discussing it with him. I need to find some time to talk to Dot about it in private. Noel has us remove our socks, shoes and jackets. Axel also has to remove his trousers. Which he surprisingly does without blushing. Noel then instructs us to lie down, making sure our bare legs and arms are touching the floor to ground ourselves.

    "Now close your eyes and focus on the nature around you," he says softly, "feel the earth touching your skin, listen to the wildlife you can hear around you and rx,"

    I try to do as he says but I can''t stop thinking about the heat thing and what will happen. From the small amount of information I''ve gathered, I''ll turn into some sex demon begging for my bond''s dicks. How embarrassing! Will they feel the same urge? I guess it won''t be as bad if they crave me as much as I crave them. How long does itst? Is it a one-and-done thing or does itst hours, or even days? I have too many unanswered questions to even think about connecting with my wolf yet. I y along with Noel''s instructions for the rest of the session, determined not to find my wolf until I know exactly what I''m getting into.

    "Okay let''s break for lunch," Noel finally announces, then He whistles loudly to call the others back to us. I put my socks, shoes and jacket back on quickly, shivering at the cold that feels as if it''s seeped into my bones from the damp ground. "Anything?" I ask Axel.

    "No, you?" he looks disappointed.

    "Apart from a frozen ass, no," Iugh. Axel smiles andes closer to me, he reaches up and picks some leaves out of my hair. The rest of the guyse bounding back, they are panting and all of their tongues are lolling out of their mouths, a

    "We are breaking for lunch," Noel tells the three wolves, which is an odd sight. He looks at his watch, "I have a ss to teach after lunch so let''s meet back here in two hours, bring swimming attire," he smiles and then vanishes.

    "What the..." I start, and then I realise he must have teleported. "I don''t think I''m ever going to get used to this ce," I sigh.

    "You will, it will be your new normal before you know it," Theo says, back in human form in a blink as if he''s done it a million times, not twice.

    "How did you two get on?" Luke asks.

    "We did some grounding but nothing yet," I shrug.

    It w

    wille, it can take months before you find your wolf but with our situation, I think it will be much faster for you two," he wraps an arm around my shoulder as we start walking back to the academy. Our phones all ding at the same time.

    "What now," Theo huffs, pulling out his phone. No one else bothers, we just wait for Theo to tell us. "Great. So it looks like we are in segregation for the time being, food has been delivered to our apartment. We are to return there and only leave for lessons. Does anyone even know how to cook?"

    "I do," Iugh at the expressions of fear they all have at the thought of having to actually cook for themselves.

    "I think we should teleport back to the apartment, there''s no need to be walking amongst other students if we don''t need to, at least until they find the knife- throwing culprit," Luke suggests.

    "Ugh, I hate that shit but yeah I agree," Theo groans.

    "Same," Axel agrees.

    "Whatever," Mason says tly, as cheerful as ever.

    "Great, I love dry heaving before lunch," I roll my eyes.

    "Close your eyes and hold onto me, it helps. It will get easier," Luke pulls me against him and I wrap my arms around his neck, rest my head on his chest and close my eyes. Secondster I''m back in our apartment, my head spinning and I feel nauseous but I don''t wretch this time.

    "What the hell is all this?" Theo exims. I open my eyes and fight off the nausea to see what he''s talking about. The living area is stacked with boxes and it''s far too much to just be food.

 Chapter 0037

    Theo opens a box and frowns before reaching in and holding up a textbook with ''Criminology" printed on the front. "What in the realm do they want us to study now?" he rolls his eyes.

    I run to check the box, hope washing away all the side effects of teleporting. "Oh my god," I gasp. Reaching into the box and pulling out my mobile phone, I clutch it to my est. Reunited atst. "It''s my belongings from uni, I had to leave it behind when I came here," I exin.

    "What''s uni?" Theo asks.

    "University, kind of like this ce but for humans," I exin, digging through the box for my phone charger.

    "And there you learn to criminology?" he frowns, still studying the book in his hand.

    "I was studying criminology, I wanted to be a detective or crime scene officer," I tell him taking the book from him and putting it back in the box. I''d rather go through this box without Mason''s judging gaze

    "Our girl is smart," Theo grins.

    "This is a lot of stuff," Luke gestures to the remaining boxes.

    1. me.

    "It can''t all be mine, my room was tiny so I didn''t take much. The rest of my stuff is back at my house," I say, pulling open another box. Inside are my clothes. The next box I open contains a games console I don''t recognise and some games. "This isn''t mine," I slide the box towards Luke.

    "Looks like they''re preparing us to be stuck in here a while," he sighs holding up some of the games to show the others. They all start ripping open boxes then whilst I put my phone on charge, thankful that they have the same plug sockets here as back home.

    "What the hell is this?" Theo says and before I can turn to look I hear the telltale sound of my vibrator buzzing to life. "It kind of looks like a..."

    "Put that back," I shout in horror and rush at him. Luke catches me around my waist.

    "Oh no you don''t," heughs and I fight to get out of his grip.

    "It''s a fake dick, isn''t it? Shit, boys we have some seriouspetition here, it spins and vibrates! I thought we were anatomically the same as humans. If this is what human dick does then I''m not feeling like much of a superhuman right now. Can any of you do this?" Theo asks holding up the dildo for everyone to see. I''m mortified. I don''t want them to use this to tease me with forever so I do the only thing I can do, act unbothered and tease them. I need to use this to my advantage and own it.

    "It''s called a dildo and I didn''t want you to see it and feel inadequate," I shrug like it''s no big deal. I purposely don''t look at Mason and Axel. I won''t be able to keep up this act if I see Axel blushing or Mason judging me.

    "And what''s this bit for?" Theo flicks the two-pronged part near the base.

    "It''s a clit stimtor, it hits all the right spots at the same time," I smile.

    "Damn, girl. Well no more using this, I''m sure between the four of us we can hit all those spots at the same time," he finally turns it off and starts to route through the rest of the box.

    "You really don''t have those in this realm?" I ask, feeling sorry for the women here that never experienced the magic of a vibrator. Maybe I''ll open up my own shop selling them here.

    "Why would we? I think our women have enough cock to keep them satisfied without needing a fake one too,

    Luke purrs into my ear and I feel his erection press into me from behind. Is he turned on at the thought of the using it? I notice Theo adjusting himself in his pants, trying to hide his own erection. Interesting

    I decide to change the subject before I get too excited at the hought of them hard for me, ¡°Okay, can we stop routing through my personal stuff now and focus on lunch

    "Fine,"

    "Theo huffs and closes the box. Mason and Axel remain silent and I''m grateful, although I''m curious to see if they feel the same as Luke and Theo,

    "I know what I want for lunch," Luke''s hoarse voice is in my ear again as his hand travels past my waist and to my thigh, then up my skirt to my panties. A moan slips from my mouth without permission as his fingers trace over

    my pussy.

    "Fuck," Theo groans, his hungry eyes tracking Luke''s hand Luke slips a finger into my panties and strokes over my clit.

    "Luke," I gasp and grab his wrist, stopping him.

    "Shh, let me show them how you look when you cum. Look at them, they all want to see it, if they didn''t they''d have left the room," he whispers. Theo nods at me eagerly finally shift my gaze to Axel and although he won''t meet my eyes there''s no denying the heat behind his eyes when he looks where Luke''s hand is. Then my eyes travel to Mason, he doesn''t look as eager as the others, if anything he is looking at me in challenge, he doesn''t think I''m brave enough to allow this. Challenge epted. Ielease my grip on Luke''s wrist, giving him permission to continue.

    "Good girl," he hums in approval and slowly circles his finger over my sensitive clit Axel and Theo move around to get a better view and the sight of them watching me so intently excites me more. Who knew I was such an exhibitionist? "She''s so wet for us," Luke tells them, his voice thick.

    "Show us," Theo says with an audible gulp.

    "What do you think, beautiful? Do you want them to see?" Luke asks as he pushes a finger into my core, making it hard to process what he''s asking. Right now they can only see Luke''s hand moving under my skirt. Is he asking to expose me to them or just show him how wet his fingers are? Am I ready to go that far? No, I don''t think I am.

    "Yes," the word escapes me. My brain and my libido are clearly not in agreement on this.

    "Let''s put her on the table, it''s time for lunch," Luke announces.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0038

    Luke pulls his hand from my panties and I almost cry in protest, until he spins me around and lifts me off of my feet. My legs wrap around his waist and I bring my mouth to his, kissing him as he walks towards the dining table. The move reminds me of Deacon and my heart skips a beat No. I can''t think of him, especially not right now. Luke sits me on the edge of the table before he pulls his mouth from mine.,

    "Lay back, I want my lunch," he smiles seductively. I hesite briefly ncing at the others. Theo and Axel stand slightly back, one on each side of Luke, blocking my view of Mason. Then I position myself on the table, leaning back on my elbows. "Good girl," Luke praises. He''s very confident with the others with him, he doesn''t show an ounce of the nerves he had yesterday. I''m kind of proud of him. He reaches under my skirt and grabs the waistband of my panties, slowly pulling them down. As he removes them from each foot he pulls off my shoe and ces my feet t on the table so my knees are bent. I squeeze my knees together, partly because I''m more turned on than I''ve ever been in my whole life and partly out of embarrassment. Luke puts his hands on my knees and gently prys them apart.

    "Luke you are blocking the view," Theo grumbles and Luke gives me a conspiratory grin. He''s teasing them. Theo loses his patience andes to stand next to Luke. "Damn," he groans, getting a quick glimpse before Luke leans down and licks me from back to front, flicking his tongue over my clit. I cry out, so turned on that I''m already ready to explode.

    ¡°Not, yet,¡± Luke says, his breath feathering over my over sensitive skin. He straightens up and slips one finger into me slowly.

    "Fuck, baby girl, you look so pretty like this," Theo praises. He puts a hand on my knee, squeezing gently as he watches Luke push his finger in and out of me at a maddeningly slow pace.

    "Please, I need more," I beg, about to go insane. My elbows are no longer able to support me as I tremble with need and Iy t on the table. My hands search desperately for something to hold onto and a warm hand grabs mine, holding it firmly. Its Axel. I grip his hand like it''s the only thing keeping me sane. Another hand runs over my abdomen and up to my breast teasing a nipple through my clothes and making me gasp at the extra sensation. Theo looks at me with a pleased grin as he circles my nipple again.

    "Kiss her, Axel. Let''s show her just how many spots we can please her in at once," Theo says. Axel doesn''t hesitate this time, his libido giving him the confidence he needs. His soft warm lips press against mine just as Luke adds a second finger. I gasp and Axel takes advantage of the moment, his tongue slipping past my lips to war with mine. Fingers begin rubbing circles over my clit and I''ve no idea whose they are, nor do I care as I shatter into oblivion at the hands of my men.

    "Has anyone ever seen a more stunning sight than that?" Theo asks in awe.

    "Never," Axel groans as he adjusts himself in his trousers

    "Perfect isn''t she?" Lukements.

    "Okay my turn, stop hogging her Luke," Theoins and I suck in a breath. They''re not done. These men are going to be the death of me, it will be a good death though.

    Luke steps back and I squeeze my knees together the moment I''m able, feeling too exposed like this when they''re all fully dressed. Embarrassment slowly creeping in now I''m not wild with need.

    "Hey, no fair," Theoins,ing to stand in front of me and cing his hands on my knees.

    "We have to work for it, make her want it so much she loses her inhibition," Luke purrs, leaning over to kiss along my jaw before he finds my lips and distracts me with that perfect mouth of his. How does he know so much

    #

    about this? Hands stroke along my thighs and another hand teases my nipple through my shirt. It has to be Axel, that excites me. Luke pulls his lips from mine to see what has me gasping into his mouth.

    "Axe, help me get her shirt off," Luke breathes. Their fingers work quickly to unbutton my shirt and pull it open. They pull me to a sitting position to remove the shirtpletely, and then my bra unfastenes, on its own. Someone is cheating and using telekinesis. Interesting. Luke pulls off my bra, exposing my breasts. I watch as Axel''s eyes sh blue at the sight of me, he ces a hand on my shoulder and gently pushes me back down onto the table. In this moment he''s no longer timid, there''s some dominance hiding behind all that blushing he does and I can''t wait to help him unlock it. Right now he knows what he wants and he''s determined to get it. I love it. He brushes his fingers over my nipple before leaning down and sucking it into his mouth,

    ¡°Yes,¡± I breathe. Luke follows Axel''s lead and gently bites down on my other nipple before teasing it with his tongue making me suck in a breath.

    "Oh, she likes that," Theo says, "show me how much you like it. Let me see how wet they''re making you," he adds, adding gentle pressure to my knees. I''m too lost in sensation to fight him as my knees fall apart. "Fuck," he groans, running a finger over my slit. "Can I taste you baby?" he asks. I hum my consent in a daze of pleasure. His warm tongue gets to work, licking and probing until I''m writhing on the table. Three mouths on me are so much better than one. The human women are seriously missing out here. I vaguely hear a knocking sound but no one reacts so I ignore it. Theo sucks on my clit and I scream in ecstasy as my orgasm hits me like a tidal wave.

    "What impable timing,e on in. Everyone is just having lunch. Will you be joining us, Sir?" Mason'' mocking tone smashes through my bliss high like a tsunami.

    N.O Darling Author

 Chapter 0039

    "What the fuck Mason!" Luke curses. Axel pulls me from the table, wrapping his arms around me to shield me with his body.

    "Not cool Mace, he''s not a part of our bond!" Theo adutonishes.

    Axel guides me to his room, which is the closest escape. Once the door is closed he releases me to fetch a t-shirt from his wardrobe. He helps me into it and I wrap my arms around myself, totally ashamed of everything that just happened. Raised voices areing from the living area and I can''t take this. A single tear escapes my eye. I wipe at it quickly, I had vowed no one would see me weak or crying again and here I am weak and close to bursting into

    tears.

    "You did nothing wrong," Axel reassures me.

    "I did, I let myself be vulnerable in front of Mason and he took his opportunity. I''m so stupid," I try to keep the tremble from my voice.

    "I hate to defend him, but I don''t think he did that to get at you, I think he knew exactly who was behind that door. He''s trying to get Deacon to admit what we all already know," Axel exins, and I don''t know what''s more shocking. His words or that I''ve never heard him speak so much.

    "Mason hates me, of course, he''d pull a stunt like that, and Mr Collins isn''t one of my bonds," I sigh.

    "I don''t think he hates you, I think he hates what you make him feel," he shrugs. The bedroom door swings open before I can ask him what he means by that..

    "Are you okay?" Luke asks, his voice is full of concern.

    "I''m fine," I nod, there will be no more shows of weakness from me.

    "I''m sorry it ended like that, I was hoping you''d feel morefortable around us all after that, but as usual someone has to ruin a good moment and mess up everything I''m trying achieve. I just want to make this as easy for you as possible but it didn''t go to n," Luke looks sad and my heart melts for him a little. I realise then how selfish I''m being, this isn''t all about me and how I feel. It''s about them too, this is new territory for all of us. Luke has taken the lead, making it his mission to get us allfortable with each other in the best way he can. I can already see a massive difference in Axel and I had two amazing orgasms. Even Mason made progress. He might not have actively participated, but he''d been there, and he hadn''t killed me in a fit of jealousy when Theo had. touched me. So it wasn''t a total failure.

    "It wasn''t your fault, and it wasn''t ruined. Thank you for doing that. I think it helped us all," I smile at him genuinely.

    "I want this to work, more than anything. And I want you to trust us before youe into heat. I hate the thought of you worrying about that," he says taking my hands.

    "It will work, we will make it," I reassure him, "What did Mr Collins want?"

    "He came to update us on his investigation into what happened this morning. He''s found a couple of witnesses who saw what happened and they have both named the same person, although he won''t tell us who until he finds out more as these witnesses are not the most reliable and are known for making up stories to create drama,¡± he exins.

    "Okay, well at least it''s progress. We should eat before we need to get back to our next lesson," I say.

    "We have 45 minutes before we need to be back," Axel tells us.

    "Then I better make us something simple, let''s go and see what I have to work with,"

    I open the fridge, which is fully stocked with meats, cheese yoghurt vegetables and milk. In the cupboard, I find pasta, jars of sauce, Unned food, bread, cereals and snacks, It''s basic stuff but plenty to make a few meals. I spot a box of teabags, they''re a well-known human brand. I pick them

    1. up.

    "Do you guys get your food from the human realm?" I ask

    "No.

    What is that?¡± Luke motions to the box in my hand.

    "They''re tea bags,

    "Never heard of them, is that how you make the tea they sell at Starbucks?" He asks.

    "Yes," I put the box down and go back to the fridge to examine the contents more closely. I grin when I spot a pack of bacon and sausages, it looks like I have everything need to make a full English breakfast in the morning. I look at thebels on the packs and recognise the supermarket brand. "Some of this is human food,"

    "No need to guess whose idea that was," Luke rolls his eyes andughs. I know he will be happy to explore some human food but I''m not sure about the others.

    "What''s this?" Axel asks, holding up a bar of my favourite white chocte.

    "Oh my god! That is a bar of pure heaven," I groan. My mouth watering at the thought of that chocte melting on my tongueter.

    "Okay, let''s leave the chocte forter and find something we can make and eat in the next 35 minutes," Luke says, his voice full of amusement.

    "Fine," I sigh. "Axel hide that chocte somewhere forter because if anyone eats it without me I will not be held responsible for my actions," I warn.

    I make enough ham and cheese sandwiches for a small army and I''m about to take them to the table but swiftly change my mind, not wanting to sit at that table again so soon. I ce the tter on the coffee table after Axel and Luke clear the boxes from it. Luke shouts to Theo and Mason that food is ready and I go back to the kitchen and grab the bottle of mayo and the multipack of Doritos. When I turn to head back to the living area Mason is blocking my path.

    "Excuse me," I mutter, not making eye contact with him.

    "Can we talk?" he asks, his tone not unfriendly, but not friendly either.

    "There''s nothing to talk about, I try to step around him and he moves to block me.

    "Theo wants me to apologise," he shrugs.

    "Do you want to apologise?" I raise an eyebrow.

    "Nope. I don''t think I have anything to apologise for,"

    "Then don''t bother, it won''t mean anything to me anyway, I huff.

    "Good. I''m d we agree on something," he smirks.

    "I didn''t say that," I scowl. He steps closer to me, so close that we are almost touching. I know he''s trying to intimidate me so I look up, staring into his eyes. I won''t cower away from him like he expects. His eyes sh blue and I''m not sure what emotion I see hiding behind them.

    "You should be thanking me actually," he says, his voice hoarse. No part of our bodies is touching but I feel him

    everywhere. My traitorous body responds to him as if he has a maic pull that I''m unable to resist. I hate it.

    "Fuck you, Mason,¡± I breathe, the air too thick with his scent. A devilish grin spreads over his face and then he moves like lighting, spinning me and pushing my chest down onto the kitchen counter so I''m bent over it. Hist hand on the back of my neck plus me there.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0040

    "No, fuck you, because one day soon, I will," he growls. "And make no mistake

    me for it,"

    Suborn How we begging

    I''m equally furious and turned on. Fully aware that I''m still not wearing any underwear under my skirt.

    "Mason, please" I whimper, not entirely sure what I''m asing him for. He pushes a foot between mine, forcing me to spread my legs a little. He flips my skirt up so I''m fully exposed and then runs a finger through my wet folds.

    "Such a greedy little pussy," he hums before pping me there. I cry out, almost orgasming immediately. He rubs me then as if to soothe the p but his fingers on my clit have me moaning under his hand. Then he ps it again.

    "Please," I cry out. I need more.

    "Tell them what a greedy pussy you have," he demands.

    "What?" I try to move and look around but he increases the pressure on my neck, keeping me pinned so all I can

    see is the kitchen wall.

    "Your bonds are all watching you. They''re all wondering if they should stop me. Tell them you have a greedy pussy and you want this, and then I might let you cum," he says delivering two small ps this time.

    "I have a greedy pussy," I whimper.

    "And?" he asks, with another p.

    "I want this," I cry and he rewards me by rubbing my clit in small circles. As I reach the precipice of my orgasm he suddenly stops, releasing his hold on me. I stand upright, my skirt falling back down and providing me with some dignity in such a humiliating moment.

    "One of you can finish her off, I''m hungry," he says sounding bored and I want to scream in frustration. Now I''m

    angry.

    "Mace," Theo admonishes and follows him to the couch.

    "What? Our little whore loved it, consider it my apology," he shrugs.

    "Come here," Luke soothes, pulling me to him. I''m shaking with rage and unfulfilled desire. "Let me help you, he moves his hand to my thigh, ready to finish me off, but I''m too angry and embarrassed.

    "No," I stop him with a hand on his chest. Fighting with everything I have not to burst into tears. ¡°I''m going to get dressed, you should eat,¡± I manage to say before walking to my bedroom. Every step is torture because I really

    Want to

    run, but I''m not giving Mason the satisfaction. I hold my head high as I pass him. I lock my bedroom door behind me and fully aware they can probably still hear me with their super hearing I keep a steady pace to my bathroom and lock that door too. I strip out of my clothes and flick on the shower. Only then do I allow the tears to escape. Fucking Mason! I can''t believe I just let that happen Why did I let him do that? This is my fault, I allowed him to humiliate me. It won''t happen again. I wish my brain and my body would get on the same page because whilst my mind hates him my body still craves him.

    There''s no time to wash my hair but I scrub my body until I''m sure I''ve washed any trace of Mason from me. I put on the first bikini I can find, it''s a simple red one and whilst I wish it provided a bit more cover I don''t have the time to try any others. I put on a fresh uniform, school my features to an unbothered look and walk out into the living area.

    +35 BONUS

    "Ready to go?" I ask. All eyes turn to me, except Mason''s, acts as if I''m not there. The other three give me looks of concern. I return their looks with the best smile I can muster.

    "You haven''t eaten yet," Theo says, "we saved some for you," he motions to the four sandwich halves left on the

    tray.

 Chapter 0041

    "I''m not hungry, you guys go ahead and finish them,"

    "You need to eat, Josie, I''m not sure what is going on with all these changes but our appetites have increased since yesterday. There will be a very good reason for that soit is important that you eat," Luke exins.

    "I''ll just grab a bag of Doritos, I''m fine," I smile reassuringly and Mason wastes no time picking up another sandwich.

    In the kitchen, I pick up the mayo and bag of Doritos from the floor where I''d dropped them when Mason had pinned me.

    "You okay?" Theo asks quietly,ing to stand behind me. I nod as we both look at the kitchen counter, reying what happened. "I wanted to tell you how hot you looked bent over the counter like that," he whispers In my ear as he wraps his arms around my waist. Somehow his words make me feel better. He doesn''t see what happened as me being humiliated, he only saw how hot he thought I looked. It dulls the sting of embarrassment a little. "And I was watching him, he was not bored at all, he stopped because of how much he wanted you, he knew he was going to lose control. We all saw that, but he''ll never admit it," he adds.

    "It''s okay Theo. I know how much you care about him but you don''t need to try and fix this for him,¡± I dismiss his words. I appreciate what he''s trying to do but this is not for him to try and cover up. If that is the truth then T''IL only believe it from Mason himself.

    "Everyone ready?" Luke asks loudly from the living area.

    We arrive back in the clearing in the woods and I almost vomit. It''s probably a good thing I didn''t have lunch, teleporting on an empty stomach seems a better idea. Noel is not hear yet so we hang around. Luke is talking to me and Axel about connecting with our wolves, but my attention is more focused on Mason leading Theo into the thick trees out of sight and earshot. I wish I had the super hearing thing to listen in on their conversation. I try to focus on what Luke is saying, I see his lips moving but it''s not his voice I hear, it''s Theo''s. I turn to look for him but he''s nowhere to be seen.

    "You had no right to tell her that," I hear Mason say.

    "And you had no right to treat her like that. We are trying to get herfortable with us and you just took us a step backwards because you can''t bear to admit how much you want her," Theo is angry.

    "I don''t want her,"

    "Bullshit," Theoughs. "Do you think I''m blind? I see how you look at her when you think no one is watching. I saw how close you were to fucking her on that counter. It''s okay, we all feel the same. We all want her more than our next breath. It doesn''t mean we are weak,"

    "You want me to admit that I can''t stop thinking about sinking my cock into her until she is screaming my name then fine, I admit it. But believe me when I say you do not want me to act on that urge, because when I do, I''ll break her," Mason admits and my heart starts pounding in my chest. Getting everyone''s attention.

    "Josie, what''s wrong?" Luke asks, pulling me into a protective hug before I can answer him. Axel takes position at my back, sandwiching me between them as they scan for a threat. Mason and Theoe running from the trees ready for a fight.

    "What''s happening?" Theo asks. I lock my eyes with Masons and smirk.

 Chapter 0042

    hapter 0042

    "I''m fine, I thought I''d connected with my wolf for a second but I didn''t. Sorry for the false rm," I lie. Mason''s eyes narrow at me in suspicion. Now is not the time to revell what I heard. No, I''ll save this information for when I need it. Although I''m dying to ask how he thinks he will break me. Maybe he has a giant steel cock hiding behind those trousers, my eyes travel to his crotch without permission and Mason doesn''t miss it.

    "What are you ying at little whore?" he growls.

    "Nothing, sorry I was just testing if I had developed the ability to make things disappear, your trousers seemed like a good ce to start," I shrug.

    "Well conduct your little experiments on someone else," he huffs and moves over to lean on a tree.

    "I volunteer as tribute," Theo grins holding up a hand.

    "Later," Iwink at him.

    "Hell yes," Theo whoops.

    "Sorry I''mte," Noel announces as he suddenly appears from nowhere, making my heart skip a beat.

    "You guys need some kind of teleportation bell or something." I curse with a hand over my heart in an attempt to

    calm it.

    "I think a bell ringing in the woods would be creepier," Thaoughs.

    "Let''s get started before we get into a debate about creepy bells. Everyone remove your shoes and socks," Noel says and we all do as he says. "As we walk to the river I want you to really focus on the earth beneath your feet, let yourself connect with it, absorb its energy, and let it feed your wolf," he says as we follow him. Yeah right, no way am I feeding my wolf right now. Noel works his way around us, cing a hand on our shoulders one by one as we walk. Hements on how strong Luke and Mason''s wolves are and how Theo is already on his way to catching them up. I slow my pace a little, falling behind the others in the hope that Noel will skip over me. When he gets to Axel he tells him he is doing amazing and that he''s so close to finding his wolf, he can feel it rising to the surface ready to connect with him. Noel turns to face me and I bite my lip nervously as I approach him. His handnds on my shoulder as we continue walking.

    "Are you even trying?" he asks, his tone more concerned than using. "Yes," I nod

    "If something is holding you back then you need to work on that. I know it may seem scary for you, it''s not something you have grown up knowing about but I promise you have nothing to fear. Your wolf will fuel you, and you her. You''ll be stronger together," he exins and I see the guys all casting backwards nces at me. Great. Noel just outed me in front of everyone.

    "I''m working on it," I promise. I have every intention of doing that, just as soon as I know more about this heat thing.

    "Have you bonded with all of your bonds?" he asks causing my steps to falter. It''s really not normal for a tutor to ask who I''ve had sex with recently. I also don''t know the answer to that, I know it''s done via sex but does that include oral sex? I guess I do feel slightly more connected to Luke than the others but that could just be because we had sex and nothing to do with the actual bonding

    "Erm.... I''m not sure, I don''t fully understand how it works I whisper, which is pointless as all the guys can hear me anyway.

    1

    "Just me," Luke says proudly raising a hand as he walks.

    ¡°Well done Luke, no homework for you then. The rest of you, get it done as soon as possible. I think it will help to ground Josie and bring her wolf forward," Noel says, causing Luke to curse. I stop walking and burst intoughter. Everyone stops to look at me.

    "Oh no, not again," Theo sighs and heads over to me, "someone call Mr Collins,''

    "No, it''s fine, I''m fine," I giggle. I fight to catch my breath before I exin, "It''s just so crazy. Where Ie from, if a tutor set our homework to have sex with multiple men they''d probably get arrested and lose their job at the very least,"

    "Things are very different here," Noel defends.

    "I can see that. Sorry, I wasn''t using you of doing anything wrong. It''s all just so strange to me," Iugh again.

    "I understand," Noel epts my apology and gives me an amused smile. "As we walk the rest of the way, does someone want to exin to Josie exactly how weplete a bond? As she''s obviously missed that ss," he adds and begins to lead th

    hapter 0042 Chapter 0042

    "I''m fine, I thought I''d connected with my wolf for a second but I didn''t. Sorry for the false rm,¡± I lie. Mason''s eyes narrow at me in suspicion. Now is not the time to revell what I heard. No, I''ll save this information for when I need it. Although I''m dying to ask how he thinks he will break me. Maybe he has a giant steel cock hiding behind those trousers, my eyes travel to his crotch without permission and Mason doesn''t miss it.

    "What are you ying at little whore?" he growls.

    "Nothing, sorry I was just testing if I had developed the ability to make things disappear, your trousers seemed like a good ce to start," I shrug.

    "Well conduct your little experiments on someone else," he huffs and moves over to lean on a tree.

    "I volunteer as tribute," Theo grins holding up a hand.

    "Later," Iwink at him.

    "Hell yes," Theo whoops.

    "Sorry I''mte," Noel announces as he suddenly appears from nowhere, making my heart skip a beat.

    "You guys need some kind of teleportation bell or something." I curse with a hand over my heart in an attempt to

    calm it.

    ¡°I think a bell ringing in the woods would be creepier," Thaoughs. "Let''s get started before we get into a debate about creepy bells. Everyone remove your shoes and socks," Noel says and we all do as he says. "As we walk to the river I want you to really focus on the earth beneath your feet, let yourself connect with it, absorb its energy, and let it feed your wolf," he says as we follow him. Yeah right, no way am I feeding my wolf right now. Noel works his way around us, cing a hand on our shoulders one by one as we walk. Hements on how strong Luke and Mason''s wolves are and how Theo is already on his way to catching them up. I slow my pace a little, falling behind the others in the hope that Noel will skip over me. When he gets to Axel he tells him he is doing amazing and that he''s so close to finding his wolf, he can feel it rising to the surface ready to connect with him. Noel turns to face me and I bite my lip nervously as I approach him. His handnds on my shoulder as we continue walking.

    "Are you even trying?¡± he asks, his tone more concerned than using. "Yes," I nod

    "If something is holding you back then you need to work on that. I know it may seem scary for you, it''s not something you have grown up knowing about but I promise you have nothing to fear. Your wolf will fuel you, and you her. You''ll be stronger together," he exins and I see the guys all casting backwards nces at me. Great. Noel just outed me in front of everyone.

    "I''m working on it," I promise. I have every intention of doing that, just as soon as I know more about this heat thing.

    "Have you bonded with all of your bonds?" he asks causing my steps to falter. It''s really not normal for a tutor to ask who I''ve had sex with recently. I also don''t know the answer to that, I know it''s done via sex but does that include oral sex? I guess I do feel slightly more connected to Luke than the others but that could just be because we had sex and nothing to do with the actual bonding

    "Erm.... I''m not sure, I don''t fully understand how it works I whisper, which is pointless as all the guys can hear me anyway.

    1

    "Just me," Luke says proudly raising a hand as he walks.

    "Well done Luke, no homework for you then. The rest of you, get it done as soon as possible. I think it will help to ground Josie and bring her wolf forward," Noel says, causing Luke to curse. I stop walking and burst intoughter. Everyone stops to look at me.

    "Oh no, not again," Theo sighs and heads over to me, "someone call Mr Collins,''

    "No, it''s fine, I''m fine," I giggle. I fight to catch my breath before I exin, "It''s just so crazy. Where Ie from, if a tutor set our homework to have sex with multiple men they''d probably get arrested and lose their job at the very least,"

    "Things are very different here," Noel defends.

    "I can see that. Sorry, I wasn''t ac

    hapter 0042

    "I''m fine, I thought I''d connected with my wolf for a second but I didn''t. Sorry for the false rm," I lie. Mason''s eyes narrow at me in suspicion. Now is not the time to revell what I heard. No, I''ll save this information for when I need it. Although I''m dying to ask how he thinks he will break me. Maybe he has a giant steel cock hiding behind those trousers, my eyes travel to his crotch without permission and Mason doesn''t miss it.

    "What are you ying at little whore?" he growls.

    "Nothing, sorry I was just testing if I had developed the ability to make things disappear, your trousers seemed like a good ce to start," I shrug.

    "Well conduct your little experiments on someone else," he huffs and moves over

    to lean on a tree.

    "I volunteer as tribute," Theo grins holding up a hand.

    "Later," Iwink at him.

    "Hell yes," Theo whoops.

    "Sorry I''mte," Noel announces as he suddenly appears from nowhere, making

    my heart skip a beat.

    "You guys need some kind of teleportation bell or something." I curse with a hand over my heart in an attempt to

    calm it.

    ¡°I think a bell ringing in the woods would be creepier," Thaoughs.

    "Let''s get started before we get into a debate about creepy bells. Everyone remove your shoes and socks," Noel says and we all do as he says. "As we walk to the river I want you to really focus on the earth beneath your feet, let yourself connect with it, absorb its energy, and let it feed your wolf," he says as we follow him. Yeah right, no way am I feeding my wolf right now. Noel works his way around us, cing a hand on our shoulders one by one as we walk. Hements on how strong Luke and Mason''s wolves are and how Theo is already on his way to catching them up. I slow my pace a little, falling behind the others in the hope that Noel will skip over me. When he gets to Axel he tells him he is doing amazing and that he''s so close to finding his wolf, he can feel it rising to the surface ready to connect with him. Noel turns to face me and I bite my lip

    nervously as I approach him. His handnds on my shoulder as we continue walking.

    "Are you even trying?" he asks, his tone more concerned than using.

    "Yes," I nod

    "If something is holding you back then you need to work on that. I know it may seem scary for you, it''s not something you have grown up knowing about but I promise you have nothing to fear. Your wolf will fuel you, and you her. You''ll be stronger together," he exins and I see the guys all casting backwards nces at me. Great. Noel just outed me in front of everyone.

    "I''m working on it," I promise. I have every intention of doing that, just as soon as I know more about this heat thing.

    "Have you bonded with all of your bonds?" he asks causing my steps to falter. It''s really not normal for a tutor to ask who I''ve had sex with recently. I also don''t know the answer to that, I know it''s done via sex but does that include oral sex? I guess I do feel slightly more connected to Luke than the others but that could just be because we had sex and nothing to do with the actual bonding "Erm.... I''m not sure, I don''t fully understand how it works I whisper, which is pointless as all the guys can hear me anyway.

    1

    "Just me," Luke says proudly raising a hand as he walks.

    "Well done Luke, no homework for you then. The rest of you, get it done as soon

    as possible. I think it will help to ground Josie and bring her wolf forward," Noel

    says, causing Luke to curse. I stop walking and burst intoughter. Everyone stops to look at me.

    "Oh no, not again," Theo sighs and heads over to me, "someone call Mr Collins,''

    "No, it''s fine, I''m fine," I giggle. I fight to catch my breath before I exin, "It''s just so crazy. Where Ie from, if a tutor set our homework to have sex with multiple

    men they''d probably get arrested and lose their job at the very least," "Things are very different here," Noel defends.

    "I can see that. Sorry, I wasn''t using you of doing anything wrong. It''s all just

    so strange to me," Iugh again.

    "I understand," Noel epts my apology and gives me an amused smile. "As we walk the rest of the way, does someone want to exin to Josie exactly how we

    "Wait, does that mean you didn''t know we were bonded?" Luke asks,ing to

    walk beside me and looking a little worried.

    cusing you of doing anything wrong. It''s all just so strange to me," Iugh again.

    "I understand," Noel epts my apology and gives me an amused smile. "As we walk the rest of the way, does someone want to exin to Josie exactly how we

    "Wait, does that mean you didn''t know we were bonded?" Luke asks,ing to

    walk beside me and looking a little worried.

    e way.

    "Wait, does that mean you didn''t know we were bonded?" Luke asks,ing to

    walk beside me and looking a little worried.

 Chapter 0043

    "I did, I knew it would happen," I reassure him. "Theo told me that I''d need to have sex with my bonds to be bonded, I just wasn''t sure if that inchided any type

    of sex,

    "It''s not so much the sex but the act of Intimacy and most importantly, ejaction,¡± Luke exins.

    "Understood," I nod, "but what about contraception? Does that affect it? Shit, Luke, we didn''t use any," t suddenly remember. How could I have been so stupid?

    "Contra... what?" he gives me an utterly puzzled look.

    "You know, like condoms," I say awkwardly.

    "What is that?

    "Oh good lord, of course, you don''t have contraception, shii. I''m not ready for this, not yet," I panic.

    "What''s wrong?" Mr Collins'' voice calls from behind us. Fuck my life.

    "Nothing, everything is fine," I mutter, not turning to look at him.

    "I got a message that you needed me," he says, sounding slightly out of breath. I turn in his direction but don''t look directly at him. Focussing on the floor by his feet instead.

    "Sorry, Sir, I thought she was getting hysterical again but it was a false rm," Thoe exins. I want to know which traitor it was that messaged him. I bet it was fucking Mason.

    "Well as you can see I''m fine, no mind voodoo needed. Now if you don''t mind, I was mid freak out when you rudely interrupted, I''d like to get back to that," I turn back and continue walking-

    "So where were we?" Lukeughs.

    "Oh yes, contraception. How do we deal with this? I''m not ready to be a mother yet,

    "You''re pregnant?" Deacon almost roars the question from behind me.

    "Why are you still here?" I snap, turning to face him.

    31

    "Are you pregnant?" he demands, taking a stride towards me before he stops himself. I make the mistake of looking at his face, catching his eyes sh blue as they focus on my abdomen.

    "No, well, I don''t think so. I''m trying to find out how you prevent unwanted pregnancy in this realm, but you keep interrupting me," I huff, tearing my eyes from his stupidly handsome face.

    "There''s no such thing as an unwanted pregnancy here,"

    "Fine, let me rephrase, unnned pregnancy. How do you stop women from bing pregnant before they''re ready?" I ask, irritation clear in my voice.

    "Our males don''t usually fully mature until 25. It''s very rare to happen before that age, so rare that it''s not considered a concern. It''s never happened in my lifetime," he exins.

    "Good, so everyone is shooting nks, that''s all I needed to know. Thank you," I say and turn to continue our walk, only to be met by all the eyes of my bonds on me. They look like they''ve all just had an epiphany.

    "What''s wrong?" I frown.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Theo smiles, "you just have such a way with words that it takes us a moment to work out what you''re saying."

    I don''t miss the slight nods they each give Deacon before we finish the rest of our walk to the river. Did he really earn their respect for turning up to brainwash me when they called, isn''t that his job? Or maybe it was because he exined how none of them are fertile without them having to say it themselves.

    "Right, everyone strip off and get in the water," Noel announces when we reach the river. I examine it suspiciously. It looks clear and slow-moving, I can just about see the bottom so I don''t think it''s too deep.

    "Do you have any dangerous creatures in there that I should know about?" I ask

    "No, stop stalling and get in," Noel snorts. The guys are already striping off and damn, I got really lucky in the bond body department. It''s just a shame not all of them have a personality to match. I pull my eyes from them before I start drooling and remove my uniform. By the time I''m out of my clothes, the guys are already in the water. They all watch intently as I walk in.

    "Holy shit," I squeal when the bite of the icy water touches my feet.

    "Come here, I''ll keep you warm," Luke holds out a hand to me. I take it and he pulls me down into the water.

    are touching There better be a damn good reason for this torture. Noel instructs us to huddle together until we The guys form a circle around me until my skin is touching all of theirs. I look towards the bank for Noel, waiting for his next instruction but instead, my eyes find Deacon''s He''s followed us. Heat floods my body. Warming me instantly, I gasp at the sensation. Then dread fills me as I feel the presence of something else within me. My wolf.

 Chapter 0044

    Deacon''s eyes go wide before he just vanishes. Shit, shit, shit. This can''t be happening right now. I feel as though something is trying to break through my skin. I try to fight the feeling, rubbing desperately at my arms.

    I fight

    "Get her out!" Noel shouts, his tone is urgent. Which doesn''t help my rising panic. My skin is on fire, and 11 off the hands that are trying to touch my seared skin. I scream and thrash in the water.

    "Stop fighting it!" someone roars, but how can I? I can''t just stand here whilst I boil from the inside out. Despite my protest, I''m dragged onto the river bank and without the ice-cold water surrounding me, the heat intensifies. I attempt to run back to the water but I''m tacked to the ground.

    "It burns," I scream and thrash under the weight of the body on top of me. A hand grips my chin hard, holding my head still and Mason''s furious eyes look down at

    me.

    "Shift," he demands. "Stop fighting her and fucking shift,

    "I can''t," I shout through gritted teeth.

    "Josic, please just let her out and all the pain will go away, I promise," he says softly this time and for a split second I see the worry on his face. ¡°Rx, take a breath and let go,"

    I suck in a shaky breath and try to rx, my body trembles from the pain. Instead of trying to fight what I can feel is happening, I close my eyes and embrace it. The heat cools until it''s afortable warmth. Almost likeying on the beach with the sun on my skin.

    "Good girl," Mason says quietly and his weight lifts from me and I roll onto my front. "Open your eyes,"

    I blink my eyes a few times, everything looks more intense. The details of everything more clearer, and the colours brighter.

    "Nice going, Mace," I hear Theo say.

    "She''s stunning isn''t she?" Luke says.

    "Prettiest wolf I''ve ever seen," Axelments.

    I lift my head, which feels far too heavy and look down at my hands, but they''re no longer hands, they''re big ck paws. I''m a freaking wolf! I try to push to my feet but my legs copse under my weight.

    "How do we help her?" Theo asks and I feel a hand stroke over my back.

    "She''s too weak, she needs to rest. Once her wolf has recovered enough strength she will shift back. I''ve never seen anyone shift immediately after finding their wolf. We should have prepared her better," I hear Noel telling the others.

    "I think we can all agree that nothing about her or us is normal right now, we need to stop expecting things to go as normal," Luke says.

    "Thest thing she needs today is toe into heat, I''d avoid contact as much contact as possible. Keep out of her line of sight if you can, at least until she has recovered enough energy to shift back," Noel advises and I close my eyes, following his advice. There''s no way I want toe into heat. I still haven''t spoken to Dot and I''m exhausted. I listen as the guyse up with a n. Noel will teleport me back to Ruby, the guys will go straight to our apartment and unlock the door, then leave whilst Noel puts me in my room. The n runs smoothly and the moment my door clicks shut behind Noel I drift to sleep. I''m not sure how long passes but when I wake up I''m human, and starving! I''m also still wearing a bikini. I notice that the clothes I''d taken off at the river are in a pile

    on the chair of my dressing table. I route out my phone from my jacket pocket and it''s full of messages.

    Dot: ''Congrats bitch, text me when you wake up'' the first one reads and I quickly respond that I''m awake and I need her toe over as soon as she can.

    Greys Academy: ''Dear student, Congrattions onpleting your first shift. Please refrain from shifting within the education buildings. The outdoors and surrounding forest are free to explore in your wolf form. If you need any help or advice regarding your wolf please let any of your tutors know and they will schedule you an appointment with one of our wolf behaviour experts!

    Mr Collins: ''Congrattions on your first shift. I will be away from campus for a few days. Please stay out of trouble until I retum''

    The next notifications arebelled as ''group chat.'' I open and click on the group members. Axel, Luke, Mason, Theo and me. Then I scroll to the top of the chat to read through the messages.

    Mason: I''m not being in a stupid group chat.

    Theo: Toote.

    Luke: Josie, you did amazing today. Let us know when you''re awake. We have a surprise for you.

    Mason: it''s not from me.

    Theo: Jose, you are the most beautiful wolf, I wish you could have seen yourself.

    I can''t wait to go out for a run with you.

    Axel: I hope you''re okay. Your wolf is beautiful.

    Mason: You''re all disgusting.

    Theo: Ignore him.

    I read their messages with a smile, even Mason''s cheer me up. He helped me massively today. I think I finally see through him. He acts like aplete ass to hide something, and I''m determined to find out what that is. I put a message in the group to let them know I''m awake and thank them for their messages and their help today. I also

    it? tell them I''m starving. Then I change into some pyjamas. How am I going to eat if I can''t leave my room and they can''te near me to bring anything? Maybe they could leave it outside my door and move away whilst I open A sudden knock at my door has me holding my breath. I can''t open it. I can''t see any of them. N.O Darling Author

    Which of Josie''s bonds is your favourite so far? As I write I keep changing my mind about who I like the best.

 Chapter 0045

    I edge towards the door, listening for any sign of who it is. try to use the super hearing thing but either the person behind the door is extremely silent or I''ve not mastered how to turn my super ears on.

    "Who is it?" I ask.

    "It''s me, I''m alone. Can you please open the door before my arms fall off," Dot says. I open the door quickly with grin. Dot stands in my doorway with her arms full. She has a small bunch of pink flowers in a vase, a small wolf teddy and two carrier bags. The scent of Chinese food hits my nostrils and I almost yank the bag from her hand. It has the same logo from my favourite Chinese restaurant printed on the bag and I wonder if Mr Collins told Luke where I liked to eat. I take the flowers and teddy from her and she walks in, closing the door behind her.

    "These are beautiful," I smile as I admire the flowers before cing them on the dresser.

    "Well, they''re not from me, I walked through the door and your men loaded me with this stuff and told me to bring it to you," she rolls her eyes. I squeeze the teddy to my chest, I bet this is from Theo.

    "Sorry, but thank you for helping out. I thought I might starve in here,"

    "No problemo, here there''s more," she holds out the bag that doesn''t have the Chinese print on it. I take it from her and open it. There''s the chocte id asked Axel to hide earlier, plus some other varieties of chocte, some recognise and some I don''t. "Now get this eaten, I heard you are starving," she holds out the bag of food and I take it. Before I dive into the bag I pick up my phone and send Dot a message asking if the guys would be able to hear us In here. She reads my message and nods, then she responds asking if I want her to try and get rid of them. I nod and she grins at me before leaving my bedroom.

    "Listen up boys! You all need to go to my ce for an hour our girl needs out of this room for a while," I hear her call. There''s a silent pause before I hear doors start to open, they must have been in their rooms.

    "Not going to happen, Sweetheart, we will stay in our rooms," Mason says sounding bored.

    "Oh, it is happening, it''s either that or I''m taking her to my ce,"

    "Mace,e on, let''s give her some space. I''m going to go crazy in here anyway.

    I hate being so close but not able to see her," Theo reasons.

    "Fine, but 30 minutes only and the door stays locked, you open it for no one, understood?" Mason grunts. A few minutes pass before Dot shouts that it is safe for me toe out. I grab my food and walk out of my room, feeling like I can breathe easier out here.

    We sit in the living area and I offer Dot some of my food. I''m pleased when she declines, I could probably eat all this twice over right now.

    "Okay, so what do you need to talk about that you don''t want the guys hearing?" she asks.

    "The heat thing, exin it to me because I''m terrified," I say before stuffing my mouth with delicious chicken.

    ''Sheesh, right, so, cliffnote version. It''s your wolf''s need to procreate, and that bitch will be desperate for it. Trust me. They don''t understand that our men are not capable of producing the poption paste yet. Imagine being the horniest you''ve ever felt, and then times it by 100 and once one of your wolf''s mates haspleted their duty you''ll begin to crave the next one until your wolf is satisfied that her chances of pregnancy are good. The best advice I can give you is don''t fight it or fear it. It''s happening whether you like it or not so just enjoy the ride and it will be easier for everyone. You have at least 3 years before things get serious," "Why 3 years?"

    "Because then Mason will be mature, then you''ll have to get creative. Have him satisfy you in ways that don''t involve the baby gravy," she wrinkles her nose in disgust and Iugh.

    "So the next time I see the guys I can expect to turn into a sex-obsessed demon?" I blow out a breath.

    Pretty much, but you might not. It doesn''t always happen instantly. They''re just being cautious because of how drained you are. To be honest, I can barely sense your wolf, think she''s still too exhausted to go into heat right now. Have you bonded with them all yet?" she asks.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0046

    "Just Luke,"

    "If you don''t go straight into heat I''d try and bond with the others, getfortable with them all first," she shrugs like it''s so simple.

    "Axel and Theo are ready I think, but Mason is going to be a problem," I sigh.

    "Why?" she looks concerned. I exin everything that had happened with him today and she looks a mix of disgusted, horrified and sad.

    "Makes sense," she nods and I can sense she knows something more. "There''s a time, right before the heat starts when you need contact from them. Your wolf will call to them and they won''t be able to resist. That''s your chance to try to bond with him, he will be led by his wolf to please you in any way you need,"

    "I''ll try but I''m not sure he''ll give into me as easily as you think,¡± I sigh, ¡°Dot, if you know something about him that can help me understand him, then you have to

    tell me

    She looks lost in thought for a moment, and torn about how much she should tell me. "Look, I don''t know anything for sure and I shouldn''t be telling you this, but you''re my friend and if anyone can help him it''s you. When Mason was a child he was a terror, never listened to adults and would run away often. One time he ran away and one of his dads went looking for him. They were missing for 5 years. Presumed dead. Then one day out of the blue they came home. Mason had changed drastically, he was quiet, bad-tempered and guarded. He wouldn''t ept any kind of affection. His dad said he''d been training him on how to behave for all those years and Mason would never speak of his time away. No one knows what happened, but Mason is still terrified of his dad and avoids going home at all costs," Dot exins and my heart breaks. What had happened to him in those 5 years alone with his dad to cause him to be the way he is now? I want to run to Mason and hug him, but I know that won''t go well.

    "That''s awful. How do you know all this?" I ask.

    "Because Mason is my brother," she drops the huge bombshell like it''s nothing

    "What the hell! Why are you only just telling me now?"

    ¡°Because I didn''t want you to judge me based on his actions, we are nothing alike. I was 8 when Mason disappeared. I grew up with a loving family. He was away from the age of 11 and returned when he was 16, they''re important years in a child''s development. The cheeky and energetic brother that I looked up to as a child never returned, instead we got what you see today," she wipes a tear from her eye.

    "Dot, I''m so sorry, that''s just awful," I scoot over and wrap my arms around her. ¡°I promise, I''ll do everything I can to get your brother back, even if it kills me,"

    "Please don''t tell him or anyone what I''ve told you, Mason will probably kill me if he finds out I said anything, she says with real fear in her eyes.

    "Of course I won''t," I reassure.

    "I know he''s hard to be around and he can be so mean, but if you can break down his walls, I know a scared little boy is hiding behind there that deserves to be loved," she smiles sadly.

    "Are you okay? I mean, did your dad do anything to hurt you?" I ask, trying to find the most sensitive way to ask. "I''m fine, he practically ignores me. He could be strict when we were small but he never paid me much attention, he was too focused on Mason," she reassures me.

    "Good, let''s talk about something else before the guys get back," I smile, "How was the rumour mill today? Are

    fills

    theying up with some great stories about me?"

    Dotughs are in on all the wild stories belug spread. I think my favourite is that I and my bonds have been expelled from the academy and are living as wolves in the forest. We talk andugh until Mason bangs on the

    door, announcing that our time is up and I have 60 seconds to get back in my room before hees in.

 Chapter 0047

    1 snatch up my mobile phone from the human realm that I''d left on charge in the living area then hug Dot and thank her for everything before rushing back to my room and locking the door. Although what Dot had told me about Mason weighs heavy on me I also feel lighter at everything I''ve learnt. One way or another I''ll break down his walls and find Dot''s brother. I''m still terrified about going into heat but I can''t change it. I just have to ept it and go with it. I bet it could actually be fun. Like a sex marathon, let''s just hope Mason won''t be a dick about participating. I put a message in the group chat, thanking them for the food, gifts and space. Then I begin to run a bath. Whilst I wait for the water to fill the tub I turn on my human phone, there''s no signal, which I''d expected, but I still have all my photos and music that I had downloaded. I put one of my ylists on and flick through my photos. It''s mostly selfies I''d taken with my best friend, Freya, I miss her so much. I wish I could call her and tell her everything that''s been happening. She''d scream in excitement at me having 4 boyfriends, especially when she saw how hot they all are. I wonder what she thinks has happened to me. I need to go and visit her soon and let her know I''m okay.

    now.

    After a rxing bath with my own music, I crawl into bed and fall asleep quickly. I''m not sure how long I sleep before a noise wakes me. Once again blue eyes are watching me sleep, this is getting beyond creepy

    "Who''s there?" I ask, finally ready to confront them. The figure moves closer as as he steps into the dim light of the moon shining through my window I gasp.

    "Mr Collins, why are you here?"

    "I can''t stay away any longer," he whispers. He crawls onto the bed towards me, only stopping when his body is above mine, his mouth inches from my own, "it''s driving me insane not being able to touch you, Josie," the air between us is thick with sexual tension.

    "Then touch me," I breathe. Without a seconds hesitation he presses his lips to mine, a sweet chaste kiss.

    "Will you be mine for tonight, Josie?" he asks, his tone husky.

    "Yes," I agree quickly. In the back of my mind, I know this is wrong, but I can''t resist this man. I''ve wanted him since the moment I saw him, even if I didn''t want to admit it. He quickly moves to my side on the bed and pulls the duvet from me. Then he helps me out of my nightshirt and sleep shorts until I''m naked on the bed. His eyes roam my body with a heat I can almost feel.

    "Such a temptress. I had no chance of resisting you," he hums. He leans over and kisses me, exploring my mouth with his tongue before moving his kisses along my jaw, he proceeds to cover my whole body in kisses, not missing a single finger or toe, it''s almost like a im. Marking every inch of me as his as he worships me. When he works his way to my inner thigh I almost go mad with need. He''s so close to where I need him the most.

    "Patience my beauty, I''m going to savour every second of my time with you, I''m not rushing this," he says between kisses. His mouth moves over the sensitive skin at my hip, travelling up my body. When he gets to my breast he kisses all around the soft flesh before giving the barest of licks to the tip of my nipple, my body bes hypersensitive. Every small kiss sends tingles straight to my core.

    "Turn onto your front for me," he says softly, I hesitate a moment but the gentle look on his face makes me trust him, he needs this, probably more than I do. I roll onto my stomach and he gives me a hum of approval. Then he begins covering me in kisses once again, starting at my shoulders and working his way down to my toes. My body aches for him by the time he''s done. It''s almost too much to bear.

    ''Please D, I need you," I whine.

    "Okay, sweet girl, get on your hands and knees for me,¡±

    I do as he says and moan when he runs a gentle finger from the base of my back, along my crack and to my throbbing clit.

    #

    "You''re so wet for me," he groans. "I''m going to try and be gentle for you, but I''m not sure if I can," he admits. "I don''t need gentle, I just need you," I pant. The anticipation killing me. He pushes two fingers inside me and then withdraws them, dragging them to my butthole, spreading my wetness there. He pauses as if in thought with a slight pressure on my tight hole. It''s an odd sensation that I''m not used to, but it''s not unpleasant. He repeats the action a few times, winding me up tighter and tighter. feel him shifting behind me and hear the zipper of his trousers. Finally! I expect him to m into me from behind and I brace for it, but instead, his fingers rub over my clit until I detonate. The second I find my release he slides his cock into me, stretching me around him and he pushes a digit into my ass, it all happens before my orgasm has peeked and it intensifies it tenfold. I scream like I''ve never screamed before, reaching new heights that I never knew were possible as he pumps into me dragging out my pleasure. One orgasm rolls straight into another and another until Hfeel like I''ll pass out. Just when I hit my limit his hips jut and he growls his release. I copse onto the bed, my eyes falling closed but before I can recover banging on my door startles me, shit. They''ve heard me. What are they going to say about this? I scramble to get off the bed. "Who the fuck is in there?" Mason shouts. Fucking Mason! Ruining everything yet again. I turn to look at Deacon, unsure if I should admit he''s here or not, but he''s nowhere to be seen. What the hell? He really just fucked and chucked me? Then I realise something else. I''m still wearing my sleep shirt and shorts. Oh my god, it was ¨¤ freaking dream! The hottest dream ever but still disappointing

    "What''s going on?" I hear Luke ask groggily.

    "Someone is in there fucking her, her heart was pounding and she was screaming. How did you not hear it?" Mason curses and hammers on the door again. "Theo, if that''s you I''m going to kick your ass into next week,"

    "That''s not very nice," I hear Theo say, obviouslying to investigate the ruckus.

    "Axel," Mason roars.

    ¡°Not it,¡± he mumbles, joining the crowd at my door. Now any sane person would probably let them know that I''m in here alone at this point, just admit I had a sex dream and everyone can go back to sleep, but I''m too stunned that it wasn''t real. I felt too real to be a dream. My mind scrambles for any usible exnation. Maybe I fell asleep straight after and he dressed me before he left? Before I cane up with arguments to dismiss that theory my door shatters into pieces and my bonds barge into my bedroom.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0048

    "Get out!" I shriek and cover my eyes. I can''t look at them. I don''t want to trigger

    my heat yet. I''m not ready.

    "Who was in here with you?" Mason demands.

    "No one, I had a dream, now please get out," I admit.

    "That was a dream?" Mason sounds suspicious.

    "Yes, I swear it, I woke up to you banging on the door. As you can see there is no one in here with me,"

    "It''s the heat starting." Luke says, his voice full of concern

    "Is this how it starts?" I ask, unable to stop my lip trembling.

    "Yes, it can do. It''s just your wolf telling you what she wants. It''s how shemunicates with you," Luke exins. "But the good news is, we are all here for you and we don''t have to avoid you anymore, once it starts there''s no stopping it and being around us won''t speed it up,"

    "Are you sure?"

    "Yes," his fingers gently wrap around my wrists and he prys them from my face. I blink up at him and he smiles softly at me, "Hi,"

    "Hi," I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. I wrap my arms around him and let him hold me, I didn''t realise how much is missed him until now, he kisses the top of my head.

    "My turn," Theo says, gently pulling me from Luke to hold me to him. "Baby girl that was the longest 14 hours of my life,"

    "I missed you too," Iugh softly and he releases me, letting me go to Axel.

    Axel''s hug is not as natural as Theo and Luke''s but I don''t care, I hum in delight when I breathe in his spicy scent. When he releases me I turn to look at Mason

    "Nope," he says before I even move towards him. I don''t know if it''s because of what Dot told me or the heat setting in but I ignore his words going in to hug him anyway. Luke and Theo stand behind him, blocking his escape and I wrap my arms around him. His body goes stiff under me, clearly ufortable at my touch, and he makes no effort to hug me back, but he doesn''t push me away so I''ll take that as progress.

    "Thank you for getting me through my shift," I say softly and his body rxes a little.

    "You''re wee," he grunts.

    "This is adorable," Theo coo5.

    "Okay, enough of this," Mason puts his hands on my shoulders and gently prys me off of him. "If we are done here, I''m going back to bed. I suggest you all do the same before her heat fully kicks in and she doesn''t let us sleep," he says as he walks out of my room.

    "Hey, can you fix my door before you..." I start to say as my door suddenly put itself back together, "Thank you"

    "Come on, he''s right we should get back to bed," Luke admits. "Do you want to be alone or do you want one of us to stay with you?¡±

    I think about it and strangely I don''t want to be alone, I want them all with me. I want to be able to touch them all whenever I need them.

    "Can you all stay?" I ask, chewing nervously on my bottom lip. Is it wrong to ask them that?

    "Thank god, I wasn''t sure I was going to be able to leave if you asked me to go," Theo says with a relieved sigh. Luke crawls onto the huge bed and pats the spot beside him I crawl in and take my spot, Axel slips in on my other side and Theo pouts for a second before grinning. He crawls up the bed, nu Chapter 0048

    "Get out!" I shriek and cover my eyes. I can''t look at them. I don''t want to trigger my heat yet. I''m not ready.

    "Who was in here with you?" Mason demands.

    "No one, I had a dream, now please get out," I admit.

    "That was a dream?" Mason sounds suspicious.

    "Yes, I swear it, I woke up to you banging on the door. As you can see there is no one in here with me,"

    "It''s the heat starting." Luke says, his voice full of concern

    "Is this how it starts?" I ask, unable to stop my lip trembling.

    "Yes, it can do. It''s just your wolf telling you what she wants. It''s how shemunicates with you," Luke exins. "But the good news is, we are all here for you and we don''t have to avoid you anymore, once it starts there''s no stopping it and being around us won''t speed it up,"

    "Are you sure?"

    "Yes," his fingers gently wrap around my wrists and he prys them from my face. I blink up at him and he smiles softly at me, "Hi,"

    "Hi," I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. I wrap my arms around him and let him hold me, I didn''t realise how much is missed him until now, he kisses the top of my head.

    "My turn," Theo says, gently pulling me from Luke to hold me to him. "Baby girl that was the longest 14 hours of my life,"

    "I missed you too," Iugh softly and he releases me, letting me go to Axel.

    Axel''s hug is not as natural as Theo and Luke''s but I don''t care, I hum in delight when I breathe in his spicy scent. When he releases me I turn to look at Mason "Nope," he says before I even move towards him. I don''t know if it''s because of what Dot told me or the heat setting in but I ignore his words going in to hug him anyway. Luke and Theo stand behind him, blocking his escape and I wrap my arms around him. His body goes stiff under me, clearly ufortable at my touch, and he makes no effort to hug me back, but he doesn''t push me away so I''ll take that as progress.

    "Thank you for getting me through my shift," I say softly and his body rxes a little.

    "You''re wee," he grunts.

    "This is adorable," Theo coo5.

    "Okay, enough of this," Mason puts his hands on my shoulders and gently prys me off of him. "If we are done here, I''m going back to bed. I suggest you all do the same before her heat fully kicks in and she doesn''t let us sleep," he says as he walks out of my room.

    "Hey, can you fix my door before you..." I start to say as my door suddenly put itself back together, "Thank you"

    "Come on, he''s right we should get back to bed," Luke admits. "Do you want to be alone or do you want one of us to stay with you?"

    I think about it and strangely I don''t want to be alone, I want them all with me. I want to be able to touch them all whenever I need them.

    "Can you all stay?" I ask, chewing nervously on my bottom lip. Is it wrong to ask them that?

    "Thank god, I wasn''t sure I was going to be able to leave if you asked me to go," Theo says with a relieved sigh. Luke crawls onto the huge bed and pats the spot beside him I crawl in and take my spot, Axel slips in on my other side and Theo pouts for a second before grinning. He crawls up the bed, nudging my legs apart and nestling in on his side, using my thigh as a pillow. I shake my head at him in amusement. Luke turns to face me and drapes an arm over my stomach and Axel takes one of my hands in his Like this, surrounded by their warmth and support I fall asleep quickly.

    "Well isn''t this cute?" Mason''s mocking tone wakes me. I open my eyes just in time to see a pillow flying in Mason''s direction. Which he defects with a flick of his hand. Daylight streams through my window but I don''t feel like I slept long enough for it to be morning already. My eyes roam over Mason, his hair hands in wet strands, just long enough to cover his eyes. He runs a hand through it, brushing it back from his face and the move looks so hot. Like a bad boy model about to have a photo shoot. He catches me watching him and raises an eyebrow at me. I quickly look away, embarrassed he caught me admiring him. "I''ve notified Noel of the situation and he''s cancelled all our lessons until the heat passes, dging my legs apart and nestling in on his side, using my thigh as a pillow. I shake my head at him in amusement. Luke turns to face me and drapes an arm over my stomach and Axel takes one of my hands in his Like this, surrounded by their warmth and support I fall asleep quickly.

    "Well isn''t this cute?" Mason''s mocking tone wakes me. I open my eyes just in time to see a pillow flying in Mason''s direction. Which he defects with a flick of his hand. Daylight streams through my window but I don''t feel like I slept long enough for it to be morning already. My eyes roam over Mason, his hair hands in wet strands, just long enough to cover his eyes. He runs a hand through it, brushing it back from his face and the move looks so hot. Like a bad boy model about to have a photo shoot. He catches me watching him and raises an eyebrow at me. I quickly look away, embarrassed he caught me admiring him. ¡°I''ve notified Noel of the situation and he''s cancelled all our lessons until the heat passes,

 Chapter 0049

    Then why are you waking us up?" Theo groans against my leg

    "Because A, I''m hungry, and B, Dot was blowing up my phone to see if we needed her to bring Josie''s breakfast. So if I still have to get up early then so do all of you," he shrugs and walks away, and then I hear his bedroom door

    close.

    "Ass" Luke grumbles.

    "How do you feel?" Axel asks. I think about it before I answer his question. I don''t feel wild with the need to have an orgy. I just feel like I need to be near them all, I want them touching me, to feel them on my skin, but not in a sexual way.

    "Like I need to be near you all," I eventually say.

    "You''re still in the nesting stage. Which means lots of hugs and attention for you today," Luke cuddles further into me and I hum in contentment.

    "How about we all shower, have breakfast and thene back here and watch a movie whilst we shower you with affection?" Theo suggests.

    "Sounds perfect," I smile, really happy with the idea until they all start to get up. I have an overwhelming urge that I don''t want to be alone, even whilst I shower. I keep that need to myself though. It''s ridiculous to ask one of them to shower with me, plus I need to use the bathroom and that''s definitely not something I needpany for. I walk to the bathroom on shaky legs, feeling weaker with each step. By the time I get to the toilet, I feel terrible. Maybe I have the flu? It definitely feels like the flu. After I use the bathroom I turn on the shower and clean my teeth whilst the water heats. Taking off my clothes feels like such a huge effort and when I step into the shower my whole body starts to tremble. The hot water seems to help a little and I manage to shave and wash my hair before the feeling bes unbearable, I skip the conditioner and turn off the water. Maybe one of the guys can call a doctor for me? I wrap a towel around my body, pull open the bathroom door and stumble out of it.

    "Shit," I hear someone curse and then arms are wrapping around me before I can even raise my head to see who i is. "It''s okay, I''ve got you," Mason says as he lifts me bridal style and carries me to the bed. I close my eyes:

    s and rub my cheek against his chest, absorbing as much of his touch as possible before he dumps me on the bed. I whimper when I can no longer feel him against me and I open my eyes to look for him. He pulls off his t-shirt and crawls onto the bed to sit beside me before unwrapping my towel and lifting me onto hisp so I''m straddling him. I press my chest against his and he pulls the nket up to cover us. It''s not a sexual move, more of aforting one. If I wasn''t sick I''d probably be inplete shock about this but I''m too fever dazed to care. My skin against his is the best feeling in the world. It''s the only thing that matters right now. I''ve never felt so safe and content as he gently rubs his hand up and down my back.

 Chapter 0050

    Every minute I spend lying against Mason is like heaven. I don''t ever want to move from here. I want this to be my new home.

    "What''s going on?" Theo asks.

    "Theo," I groan. I need him. I need to feel him.

    "You fucking idiots left her alone," Mason growls.

    "Shit, Jose, I''m so sorry. I didn''t know you were this far along," Theo says, his voiceing closer.

    "Here, you take her," Mason says and begins to lift me, I cling to him like a baby monkey.

    "No, please," I whimper. With a sigh he rxes, epting his fate as my new home. "Take your shirt off and get behind her," he says and momentster Theo''s chest presses against my bare back and I hum. Just when I thought I couldn''t feel any more content Theoes along and doubles it.

    "Oh crap, is it happening?" Luke''s voicees next and I fill with warmth at the sound of him. I''m not sure how he is going to fit in the Josie sandwich but I''m willing to try

    "Not quite, but she can''t be left alone now. Luckily, I got here when I did," Mason grumbles.

    "You and Axelt get some breakfast, we are good here for now. We can swap once you''ve eaten," Theo tells him.

    ''Okay, just shout if you need us," Luke says and I hear the poor close. I''m a little disappointed but as long as I have two of them with me I''m happy for now. Theo begins peppering kisses along my shoulder, sending tingles through my body and I moan at the sensation.

    "Theo," Mason warns.

    "What? She likes it," he says innocently.

    "That''s exactly why you should stop,"

    "Why? I want to make her feel good. Do you want me to make you feel good baby girl? He asks and I hum in agreement. He runs his hands up my thighs and I feel his erection growing in his jogging pants against my butt. His hands grip my hips and he grinds against me, which in turn makes me grind against Mason''s growing erection. The excitement makes mee back to my senses a little and I realise this is my moment. This is the connection time Dot was telling me about. A time when Mason is most likely to give in to what we both want, and I think Theo might havee up with the same n. Theo moves a hand around my front, pushing it between me and Mason to stroke my pussy and rub Mason''s cock at the same time. Which is so hot. It''s just a shame Mason still has his pants on.

    "Theo," Mason warns again.

    "Do you trust me, Mace? He asks.

    "Yes, but...".

    "No buts," Theo cuts him off, "let me help you, let''s do this together, okay?"

    Mason doesn''t respond but I assume they''ve shared a look as Theo ups his pace.

    I wonder if this is their first sexual contact. I''m pretty sure they''ve kissed since Ist spoke to Theo about it. If it is then feel kind of honoured to share this moment with them. All thoughts of that disappear when Theo begins paying special attention to my clit, making me moan against Mason''s chest.

    26 BONUS

    Chapter of50

    "Lean back on me baby, let him see," Theo says softly, using his free hand to help me move until my back in flush with his chest and I can see Mason''s face. His eyes are hungry as they roam my body and stops to watch where Theo is touching us both. Mason glides his hands up my thighs stopping when he reaches the apex, his hands remain at the top of my legs but he uses his thumbs to spread me open, leaving me more exposed for Theo''s exploration. Like this I''m more sensitive to his touch and an orgasm hits ine hard and fast.

    "Yes!" I cry in rapture.

    "You sound so good when you cum, baby," Theo praises as he shifts behind me. He pushes me forward a little and my handsnd on Mason''s chest causing him

    to tense bh me. Fear shes across his face and he looks as if he''s reying an unpleasant memory. I can sense we are about to lose him, any second now he''s going to say something mean and push me away. I can''t let that happen I need to shift his attention.

 Chapter 0051

    "Theo, let me show Mason how greedy my mouth is," I say and Mason snaps his eyes to me,ing back from whatever dark memory he was reying.

    "Fuck, yes," Theo almost whoops. He jumps from the bed and pushes down his joggers and boxers without a moment''s hesitation. His cock springs free and he holds it the base grinning proudly. There''s not an ounce of shame in this guy.

    "Come here," I giggle. Theo climbs up on the bed, finding his bnce and standing beside us. I reach out and take his shaft in my hand then lean forward and lick the drop of precum from the tip causing Theo to groan and I hear an audible gulp from Mason as his cock twitches beneath me. Encouraged by his reaction I take Theo into my mouth, sucking him as far as I can.

    "Fuck, baby girl," Theo moans, "Mace, she feels so good, so warm,

    Mason''s hands begin massaging my thighs as I glide my mouth up and down Theo''s cock, then he brings one of his hands to the back of my head. I can sense what he wants to do so I rx and slow my pace. Mason begins guiding my movements, slowly at first before picking up the tempo.

    "Fuck, I''m going to cum," Theo hisses and Mason gives me back control but keeps his hand on the back of my head. Theo finds his release with a grunt and hot liquid fills my mouth. Mason grabs my hair and pulls me Theo, his eyes are on my mouth and I know exactly what he wants, so I lean forward and ce my my mouth on from

    his, letting him taste Theo on me. His kiss is hesitant at first but once he gets a taste he goes wild, plunging his tongue in to twist with mine as he chases Theo''s salty vour.

    "That''s so hot," Theo groans. I grind my hips against Mason''s as we kiss and he thrusts his hips up to meet me. Lift up baby girl," Theo says and I know what he''s about to do. I rise on my knees, not breaking the kiss whilst Theo tugs Mason''s pants off. Theoes up behind me again and pulls my hips back against him before he reaches between us. Mason groans into my mouth and I pull away to watch as Theo''s hand glides up and down Mason''s length. His cock is thick, veiny and pierced at the tip, but to my relief, it is not a steel rod that will break me. I ce my hand over Theo''s and we pump him together

    "Do you want him inside you?" Theo breathes in my ear.

    "Yes," I say and Mason''s cock pulses under our hands.

    "Then take him, let me see how good you look with his cock inside you," he whispers. I lock my eyes on Mason''s and he stares back at me with need. Theo holds Mason''s shaft as 1 align myself, as soon as his tip breaches my opening Theo releases him and I sink down, taking him all the way in with a gasp. Mason''s hands grip my hips hard and I know I''ll have bruises there but I don''t care. I begin to move, loving the feeling of his piercing rubbing against me. Theo runs a finger down my crack as I ride Mason. He stops when he reaches where me and Mason are connected and gently slips a finger inside me, stretching me further as he strokes Mason whilst he''s inside me. It''s almost too much, too full, but my body adjusts to amodate him quickly. Mason bends his knees up, forcing me forward and I rest my hands on his shoulders, loving the new angle. When Theo''s finger slips from my core I realise why Mason changed the angle as Theo''s finger that''s now wet with my slick moves to my ass. He was providing easy ess for Theo. Shit. I''ve never done anal. I can''t take them both at the same time, can I?

 Chapter 0052

    +

    Theo''s finger circles my tight hole, reminding me of my dreamst night. I push all thoughts of Deacon from my mind as Theo gently slides his finger in, my pace falters and I almost copse against Mason''s chest.

    "Whatever you are doing to her is making her greedy pussy mp down like a vice," Mason grunts and Theo gently pumps his finger in and out. Mason begins guiding my movements with my hips and I bring my mouth to his to shut him up. Kissing him deeply.

    "Let me show you," Theo hums, bringing his other hand to join the party. He gathers some of my wetness from Mason''s shaft as I rise up and then Mason grunts into my mouth. I think I can guess why and strangely it sends a thrill through me. I break away from Mason''s mouth as my orgasm builds. Picking up my pace as I chase my pleasure, riding Mason''s cock and Theo''s finger at the same time. Just as I reach the edge Theo pulls his finger from me, giving me the final push into oblivion. I scream up to the gods, riding wave after wave of pure ecstasy. "Fuck," Mason roars beneath me, his hips rising to thrust up into me as he pumps out his release. Then I feel it, the connection as it snaps into ce. I copse onto his chest hearing his heart beat in tandemn with mine, an overwhelming feeling of joy spreads through me as my soul reconnects with one of its missing pieces. Mason wraps his arms around me and a hand cups the back of my head, holding me to him and showing more affection than I thought him capable of. Why didn''t it feel like this with Luke? Did we do it wrong? Because this bond feels Tike I''ve juste home. I hear a door click shut and I assume Theo has left, giving us this moment alone.

    ¡°Josie,¡± Mason says softly and I hum in acknowledgement ¡°don''t give me your heart, because I''ll break it," he admits. I can tell he''s not trying to hurt me with his words or make me angry, he is worried. I sit up to look at him and he looks vulnerable.

    "No, Mason, you won''t. I see you, I see behind your asshole act and I''m not afraid of what I see,"

    "You don''t know what you are talking about. I''m not a nice person. I won''t treat you right, how you deserve," he lowers his gaze, almost in shame.

    "I''m not expecting you to. I have Theo who constantly praises me. Then there''s Luke, who is a total gentleman, and Axel, my sweet, shy Axel. Then I have you, you constantly test my limits and drive me crazy, but

    you are there when I need you the most. So if it makes you feel better when you call me names then do it, it doesn''t offend me anymore. In fact, I quite like being your little whore," I admit. Mason''s eyes meet mine once again and there''s a glint there, his cock twitches beneath me and a smirk spreads across his face.

    "Then get on your hands and knees like the good little whore that you are," he demands and a thrill shoots. through me. It seems our little heart-to-heart is over for now, but it''s fine, we made some huge progress today. I do as he says, taking my position and I look over my shoulder to watch him. He fists his shaft whilst staring down

    at me.

    "Look at you, still dripping with my cum and already ready for more," he tuts. "Guys, I made us some toast, and yes before you ask I washed my hands first. Can you believe I actually managed to make... oh," Theo stops in his tracks, dropping the te of toast he''d just been so proud of when he takes in the scene in front of him. "Hey, no fair, Mace, you already had your turn," he pouts.

    "Come here and look at this," Mason says and Theo rushes to his side.

    "Fuck, that''s so damn hot," Theo groans as they both admire me from behind. It''s a little humiliating but also ttering to see them so enraptured at the sight of me.

    "Push it back in there for me, Theo," he demands. Theo rushes forward without hesitation pushing two fingers into me, stopping any more of Mason''s seed leaking from me. I push back against his fingers, needing more.

 Chapter 0053

    "Please Theo, I need you I groan," suddenly ovee with need for him, In fact, I need him so bad it hurts. "I think, I think it happening." I growl out around clenched teeth as the feeling intensifies with every second.

    "Oh, shit. I got you," Theo says sounding flustered. Mason moves to my front.

    "Hey, look at me," Mason demands, gripping my chin and forcing me to look up at him, "You are safe. That feeling you have right now is going to go as soon as you rx and let Theo take care of you,''

    Axel and Luke burst through the door, Lake has a sympathetic look on his face and Axel looks panic-stricken, my poor Axel.

    "Great timing huh? Axel, it looks like we are getting thrown at the deep end. This is not how I nned to lose my virginity but we roll," Theo says and I have to bite my tongge not to scream at him to hurry up. Then I process his words.

    "No, Theo stop. Not like this. Not for your first time," I whimper. I want it to be special for him, this.

    not forced like

    "She''s right. Let me and Mason help her through the first wave, we can take the edge off. You and Axel deserve to have your moments with her when she''s calmer," Luke says.

    Hurry up," I groan as another wave of painful need grips me. The bed dips behind me as Mason and Theo switch ces. Then Mason ms into me swapping my pain for pleasure in an instant.

    ¡°Such a needy little slut aren''t you,¡± he growls grabbing my hair and pulling my head back so I have a full view of my other three bonds watching us.

    "Yes," I gasp.

    If

    "Do you want your mouth filling too?" he grunts.

    "Please," I beg.

    "Axel, you''re up," Mason says. Axel staggers forward, he looks nervous but also excited as his cock strains against the confines of his shorts. He stares down at me as if unsure what to do.

    "You have to get it out for her, Axe, don''t be shy now. Wee to our new life as a bonded group," Theoughs.

    "Axel," I groan. I need to taste him, need him to im me as his. Mason eases up his thrusts, allowing me to bnce on one hand long enough to help Axel. I reach out and grab his waistband, pulling him closer to me. Then I look up at him asking permission with my eyes. He gives me a nod and I yank down his shorts at the front. His cock springs free, big and weeping for me. He''s easily the biggest of my bonds, in every way. I suck him greedily into my mouth and he takes a sharp breath. Mason picks up his pace, and I pick up a rhythm between him and Axel.

    "She is fucking perfect isn''t she," I hear Theoment and Luke hums in agreement.

    "Josie, I''m close," Axel breathes.

    "Feed it to her Axe, she loves it," Theo tells him, and I''m grateful as I''m not in a position to speak for myself. Mason reaches around and teases my clit with his finger, tipping me over the edge. I scream around Axel''s cock, triggering a chain reaction as Axel spills in my mouth and Mason grunts out his release behind me.

    "Are you good, Jose? Or do you need more?" Theo asks after Mason pulls out. Everyone goes still, waiting for my

    answer.

    The need and pain don''t return and I breathe out a sigh of relief. "I''m good."

    1

    ??

    #

    Then they all begin moving like they''ve practised this 100 times and know exactly what to do. Luke rushes towards the bathroom, Axel pulls off his shirt, leans over and gathers me in his arms, holding me to him. Theo pulls off the bed sheets and gathers the toast he''d dropped arlier before leaving the room.

    "Bath is running, shower is free," Luke says and Mason heads into the bathroom. Luke drapes a nket over me and I snuggle into Axel''s chest, feeling content.

 Chapter 0054

    Iy in a hot bath with Luke behind me, gently massaging my shoulders as I sip

    coffee and nibble on toast. I could get used to this life.

    "Are you still feeling okay?" Luke asks.

    "I feel great actually," I smile, I do feel amazing.

    "Good, as soon as you feel the slightest twinge of iting back then say something, we can try and stop it before it gets painful,"

    "I will. How long do I have before ites back?"

    "No idea, it could be minutes or hours. If you want to bond with Axel and Theo first then you should do it soon," he says.

    "Is that why you all had a mad rush to get everything done?? I ask.

    "Yes, we are taught to act quickly after the need passes. Comfort, clean, food, clean, drink, clean is what is drilled into us," he exins.

    "There''s an actual ss for this?" Iugh. "And why so many cleans?"

    "You''d be surprised just how many sses we have on how to care for our bond, as soon as we hit 16 we are taught about the heat and how to deal with every aspect of it. The cleaning is for the bed and area, the female and then male participants,"

    "Makes sense, there''s a lot of bodily fluids that could get gross real quick," I wrinkle my nose at the thought of my bedsheets after a few days of this. "What else do they teach you?"

    "How to share, the importance of lubrication, especially with anal and double pration, the list goes on," heughs.

    "Wow, that''s a lot to deal with at 16,

    "Yep. Embarrassing too," he snorts. "Especially when youe home from school and your mum asks what you learnt today after you spent the day learning how to fit two cocks in one woman without breaking her,

    "What the hell! Why do they need to teach you that?" I feel outraged and slightly sick. I get the need for sex education but that seems too far.

    "I guess there were enough sexual injuries that it became something they had to deal with, better to be embarrassed but safe than hurt and embarrassed," I feel him shrug behind me. When he puts it like that it makes sense, it still doesn''t feel right though, but then nothing in this realm does.

    "Is it expected of women here to do that stuff, the anal and double pration?" I chew nervously on my lip. I''m not sure I''m cut out to be a woman in this world.

    "Expected, no. Common to explore, yes. Don''t worry about any of that, you don''t have to do anything you''re notfortable with," he reassures.

    "Everything good in here?" Theo pops his head around the bathroom door.

    "All good," I smile, "Luke was just telling me about the bond care sses you all took when you were 16,"

    "Oh yeah, they were fun. Oh, that reminds me, we are at one finger for both. I think she is ready for two. I better go

    Chapter 00S

    tell Axel," Theo says before rushing out. I sip my coffee as process what the hell

    he just said then I spit it out almost choking as I realise.

    "Theo!" I shout and Luke chuckles.

    "It''s not funny, I thought he was just exploring, not putting his prep sses to use on me,

    I huff.

    "What''s up?" Theo pops his head back around the door.

    "You do not need to tell Axel because..."

    "Toote," he cuts me off, "he was literally in the next room, andmunication is key. Now get out of that bath before you both turn into raisins," he says before disappearing again.

    "He''s going to be the death of me," I sigh in defeat.

    Did anyone tell you about the safe words?" Luke asks.

    "No,"

    "Shit, I forget you didn''t take any of these sses and I should be working harder to catch you up. So it''s amber if you are near your limit and red is a stop. You can say green if you are good with whatever is happening and want it to continue, but it''s not really necessary. If you are unable to speak it''s one tap for green, two for amber, and three for red. If you call a red everything will stop immediately, no questions asked. Your safety and needs are paramount," he exins.

    "Understood, thank you,"

    "Once your heat is over I''m going to see if we can get a tutor in here to catch you up on all the bond sses, but if there''s anything you need to ask in the meantime you can ask me,"

    "Thank you,

    I dress in a warm bathrobe and follow Luke into the bedroom. Axel is there, sitting shirtless on the edge of my freshly made bed and I go straight to him. He stands up and opens his arms to me, knowing exactly what I need. I wrap my arms around him and press my check to his chest, nuzzling my face against him,

    "Where are the others?" Luke asks,

    "Mason tapped for a bit and Theo is attempting to cook," Axel says.

    "Shit, I better go supervise before he sets the ce on fire, Luke sighs. "Get her wrapped up in bed and keep her close until I get back. Shout if you need anything,"

    Axel nods and leads me to the bed, helping me to get under the nkets before crawling in beside me. I know Luke is trying to give us some privacy to bond.

    "What do you mean by Mason tapped?" I ask, crawling on top of him to get as much skin contact as possible.

    "He tapped out. He needs to rest," he exins.

    "Sheesh, I didn''t think he was a quitter," I joke.

    "He''s not, I don''t think it''s the sex, more like the emotions He''s emotionally drained,"

    "Makes sense, it has been a big day for him. I''m sorry about earlier if I made you ufortable,¡± I say nervously. "You have nothing to apologise for, it was just a little stage fright is all. Plus I wasn''t sure I could control myself. Trust me, I enjoyed it, a lot,¡± he chuckles, stroking my damp hair at the back of my head.

    "Everyone was so focused on getting mefortable in front of everyone but I never made an effort to make you

    Chapter 005/

    "You''ve barely had time to adapt to your new life, never mind anything else. Don''t be so hard on yourself," he reassures. Wey infortable silence for a few moments him stroking my hair whilst I trace my fingers along his upper arm. "You should take a nap before the next wavees," he says softly.

    "I want to bond with you before that happens, I don''t want your first time to be in a frenzy like that," I lean up on him so I can see his face.

    "Rest, the moment the heates we will bond, I don''t care how or when we do it, just as long as we do it," he smiles, a slight pink tone flushing his cheeks,

    "You are the sweetest, you know that?" I tell him, bringing my lips to his for a chaste kiss before settling back down on his chest. I doze off quickly, safe and warm in Axel''s arms.

    I wake suddenly, cramps gripping me. It''s almost like period pain, but worse.

    "It''s okay, I''m here," Axel''s voice soothes.

    N.O Darling Author

    Opinions please..... Would you prefer the 2 chapters per day to be a few hours

    apart, or a double upload so they go on together?

    13

 Chapter 0055

    Axel rolls us so I''m beneath him, he holds his weight off of me. The muscles in his strong arms flexing. I glide my hands over his biceps, appreciating how they feel under my fingers. Another cramp grips me and I suck in a sharp breath. I really want to take this slow with him, with lots of forey to get himfortable, but my wolf is a needy little bitch and is not interested in any of that. Axel pushes himself up to his knees and shoves down his shorts without hesitation, his need to ease my pain overriding any apprehension he has. He grabs my hips and drags me down the bed towards him, totally shocking me and impressing me at the same time as he lifts my hips and positions himself at my entrance then he slides in in one easy stroke.

    "Fuck, you feel incredible," he hisses and I gasp at how beautifully full I feel. "You''re so warm and wet, just perfect," he withdraws almostpletely, "look how well you take me," he groans, sliding back in. I am utterly gobsmacked at this man, I knew I''d glimpsed this side of him when we yed on the dining room table but to find out my sweet, shy Axel not only has a dominant side, but a filthy mouth too is enthralling. He''s like day and night, a saint and sinner all rolled into one. Is this his true self? Or is it just my heat affecting him? "Do you know how stunning you looked with your lips wrapped around my cock whilst Mason fucked you?" he begins to pick up his pace as he thrusts into me until I''m a panting

    mess.

    "Cum for me, let me feel what it''s like," he demands. His words alone could probably get me off but thatbined with his deep thrusts has me following hismand like the good girl I am. I cry out his name over and over as I ride the waves of pleasure, no doubt alerting the whole apartment to just how good Axel is making me feel.

    "Fuck, Josie, I can''t hold off any longer, I need to fill you," he grunts.

    "Then fill me," I gasp, still dealing with the aftershocks of my orgasm. With a final thrust, he groans, bonding our souls together. The rush I''d felt with Mason returns, not quite as strong but definitely noticeable as another missing piece of my soul makes its way home. I''m more certain now that my bonding with Luke was messed up somehow. The feeling I have with Mason and Axel feels almost like... Love. Instant love. That scares me. Axel looks down at me as if he''s only just seeing me now for the first time. The emotion in his eyes reflecting my own.

    "I have no idea what I did to deserve you," he breathes.

    "Come here," I open my arms to him and he crawls up my body, resting his head on my chest. I run my fingers through his copper-tinted hair whilst we absorb this new feeling.

    "How is your heat? Do you need more?" he asks as if he just remembered about that part.

    "I''m fine, thank you for getting me through that,"

    "Anytime, seriously," he chuckles.

    ¡°Knock knock,¡± Theo calls as he walks in. "Sorry to interrupt but we need to move quickly after the wave passes,¡± he says sympathetically.

    "He''s right," Axel sighs, and I hate that this stupid heat is messing with us so much. He kisses me before grabbing his shorts and dashing into the bathroom. The second the water turns on Theo can''t contain himself.

    "Shit, baby girl, you really woke the beast," heughs,ing to sit on the bed with me, he takes my hand in his, giving me the contact I crave.

    "What do you mean?" I ask, but I''m pretty sure I know what he''s referring to.

    "You know we don''t just call him Axe because it''s short for Axel, right?" he raises an eyebrow.

    "Why then?" I frown, wishing he''d just tell me without all the fanfare, but then he wouldn''t be Theo if he did.

    "Inbat ss, he is undefeated, except that one time. right after we triggered the spark. He turns from this qui over for him. That''s why we call him The Axe, one end is unforgiving. It seems it''s not just on the battlefield that 1 demanded you cum for him I almost came too," he blow: giggle.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

    "Inbat ss, he is undefeated, except that one time I tanaged to get him to the floor for 3 whole seconds right after we triggered the spark. He turns from this quiet guy to this absolute beast. It''s like someone else takes over for him. That''s why we call him The Axe, one end is in and non-threatening but the other end is sharp and unforgiving. It seems it''s not just on the battlefield that he witches beast mode on. Damn, when Daddy Axe demanded you cum for him I almost came too," he blows out a breath and fans his face with his hands making me giggle.

 Chapter 0056

    "So you''re telling me he''s like the Incredible Hulk?" I ask.

    "Yes, exactly! Whatever that is," he nods enthusiastically, even though he has no idea what I''m referring to.

    "Next time I visit the human realm I''m picking up some Marvel movies, I think you''ll love them,"

    ¡°I''ll love anything it''s from you," he smiles, "Who do you want to join you in the bath this time?"

    "Hmm, you know, you look a little dirty? 1 think we should get your cleaned up," I tease.

    "Oh hell yes, I''m filthy," he grins, "Although not as filthy Daddy Axe''s mouth," he adds with a whisper as Axel exits the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. Water drops scatter his body and I want to lick each one of them off of him. His eyes find mine and he must see the way they''re devouring him like a... well, like a bitch in heat.

    "Already?" he asks, looking a little worried.

    "No, you''re just so damn hot," I smile and he looks away shyly, his beast obviously back in its cage for now. I can''t wait for it toe out and y again, but I''m also happy to see that shy smile again. "The bath is almost ready. Is there anything I can get you?" he asks.

    "Luke is attempting to make some food, he''s banned me from the kitchen after myst experiment," Theo huffs.

    "I''d love some juice, and my boxes from the living area if you could bring them in when you have a chance," I

    smile at him.

    "Of course," he nods. He returns momentster with my juice and I drink it down in one go.

    "I think we arecking in the hydration department. We need to get some bottles of water in here," Theo says to Axel as he leads me to the bathroom.

    "I''ll have Luke add it to the list,

    "Oh a and some marvellous movies," he adds.

    "Marvel," I correct before Theo closes the bathroom door. He wastes no time pushing my robe from my shoulders and letting it drop in a pile on the floor. His eyes travel my body appreciatively. I put a hand on his arm to get his attention. I tap my ear and then do a circling motion, hoping he can interpret my action. He frowns and then smiles when he works it out.

    "They can''t hear us whilst the water is running as long as we are really quiet," he whispers.

    ¡°I just wanted to thank you for helping with Mason earlier I say in a barely-there whisper.

    "It was my pleasure, seriously, I should be thanking you. Can you believe he''s pierced? How was it?" he grins.

    "So good," I moan out loud in case anyone is trying to listen in and gets suspicious at our silence, "Is that the first time anything happened between you two?" I add quietly.

    "You are amazing," he says loudly then goes quiet again, "Yes, well he kissed the shit out of me the other day but every time I try to take things any further he gets this far-away look and goes weird,"

    "I caught that today, but he soon snapped out of it when I shifted the attention to you. We made a good team," I grin.

    "Hell yeah we did, teamwork makes the dream work, but the bath is going to overflow if we don''t turn it off," he nods towards the bath.

    ?

    "Shit," I curse and turn off the water, our private chat time is over. Theo strips off, giving me only a second to admire him before he sinks down into the bath, holding out his hand for me to join him.

    N.O Darling Author

    Thank you for the feedback, this will be thest single upload. I''ll be switching to double uploads going forward.

    10 5

 Chapter 0057

    I take Theo''s hand and step into the bath, he pulls me down to him so I''m

    straddling him andthers up a sponge with soap before he begins washing me.

    " ''Are you sore?" he asks.

    "A little, the baths are helping though. I guess I''m not used to this much action," Iugh but I don''t miss the slight look of disappointment on his face.

    "It will get easier,"

    "I''m not too sore to bond with you Theo, I want this," I tell him and his eyes light up.

    "Are you sure? We can wait, I don''t want to make things worse," he searches my eyes.

    "Just be gentle with me,"

    "I can do that," he breathes, his thumbs rubbing over my nipples. The sponge now abandoned he begins tother the soap over my body. I take the bottle from the side of the tub and squirt a dollop of the fruity-scented liquid into my hands, then I mirror his actions, rubbing the soap onto his chest. He glides his hands lower and he gently strokes between my legs.

    "Is this okay?" he asks, his voice husky with desire.

    "Yes," I breathe as his fingers tease my clit. His touch is so tender that it''s barely there but it''s exactly what I need. The warm heat of a building orgasm pools in my core, he leans forward, sucking one of my nipples into his mouth. His tongue works in tandem with his fingers coaxing a slow but intense orgasm from me.

    "I''m never going to get bored of hearing the sounds you make," he hums. He pulls me closer to him, my pussy pressing up against his hard shaft. "Now im me, Josie, make me yours,"

    He helps me adjust my position, staring into my eyes as I ept him into my body. It''s not a wild and desperate bonding, it''s slow, passionate and absolutely perfect. The tender joining of our bodies as our souls bind together has my emotions overflowing and a tear of happiness rolls down my face when I feel the third part of my soul return home. He takes my hand and ces it over his heart

    "I feel you in here," he says in awe and then he holds me against him as we bask in the new connection.

    "I''m falling for you, Josie, hard," he admits. My heart skips a beat at his admission, and I realise I''m falling for him too, for all of them. Even fucking Mason. I know it''s too soon, I barely know them but I know they are mine, they were made for me and I for them. The way they care for me, challenge me and guide me is all I could ever ask for, and this is just the beginning.

    "I''m falling for you too," I whisper.

    Less

    than an hourter I''m in bed being introduced to Greys TV whilst eating pizza that Dot delivered from the dining hall and I''m surrounded by all my men. Even Mason is here, he''s not on the bed with the rest of us but it''s fine, I''m just happy to have them all here. I can''t help but feel something is missing though. Then it hits me, my mum. I didn''t call her doctor.

    "Shit," I curse, scrambling from the bed to search for the card with the doctor''s number on.

    "What''s wrong?" Theo asks.

    "I didn''t call my mums doctor, I''m such a bad daughter,"

    "Calm down, you''ve had a lot going on. Mr. Collins has spoken with them and exined the situation. Trust me, they are not expecting your call for a few days," Luke says,ing to stop my frantic search with a hug

    "Why didn''t

    you tell me sooner?" 1 push at his chest, I dont want him to hold me right now. He stumbles back, a look of hurt shing across his face before he nces back at the others.

    Chapter

 Chapter 0058

    "Because you were... upied when he called. Your mum is fine and is making good progress. Please try to calm down," he holds out his hands as if trying to tame a wild animal.

    ¡°Great! So I didn''t receive an update on my mum because was busy getting fucked?" I hiss, anger and disgust course through me. How could I be so selfish?

    "Josic, listen to me. Your heat makes you feel all your emotions way more intensely. What you are feeling now is not as bad as you think, take a breath and try to control your power," Luke speaks softly, like I''m a toddler he''s trying to reason with..

    "No," I snap. "I want to see my mum, I miss her,"

    "And you will see her soon, but now is not a good time for you or her. Your eyes are glowing with untamed power and a wave of heat could hit you any minute. It''s not going to help your murn to see you this way," Luke reasons. He''s right. My mum already thinks I''m possessed, seeing me like this will only make her worse. I can''t be around her. Then it dawns on me.

    "She''s not crazy is she?" I gasp, "I did this to her! She sensed my powers manifesting, didn''t she? She saw my

    eyes

    sh blue like all of yours do and thought I was possessed. She tried to tell someone, to get me help, and they locked her up for it. This is all my fault," Sadness grips my heart. I''m never going to get my mum back, even if they fix her, one sh of my eyes and she will never believe I''m the little girl that she raised. A sob escapes me my knees feel weak under the weight of what I''ve done. Axel''s strong arms wrap around me, holding me up.

    "No, you didn''t do this to her, your father did," Mason growls.

    and

    "How can you say that? He has nothing to do with this, he died years ago," I defend, his dad might be despicable but mine wasn''t.

    "Because he had to have been a Grey, two humans can''t produce a Grey, Josie. He knew the consequences of breeding with a human, he knew what it would do to your mother, and he did it anyway. Then he left you both vulnerable by leaving you there with her, the least he could have done was bring you here to be raised with your} own people," Mason''s harsh tone reflects just how much disdain he has for my father, a man he never met.

    "You''re wrong, he was a good man. He loved us," I shake my head, I refuse to believe my dad would ever do anything that could hurt us. I push out of Axel''s arms and rip open one of the boxes he''d brought in for me. I dig through it until my handnds on the cold metal frame. Then I pull out the small framed photo of my dad. He holds me on his knee, my stark blue eyes are inplete contrast to his warm brown ones. "Look, this is my dad, he can''t be a Grey, he had brown eyes,"

    Theo takes the photo from me, "shit," he curses before passing it to Luke, who frowns at it before handing it to Mason.

    "I need to make a phone call," Mason says and walks out of the room, taking the picture with him. Does he really think I''m not going to listen in on that conversation? I take one step to follow Mason when Axel grips me around the waist and Luke moves to stand between me and the door making their objections on this clear. Fine, if they want a fight then game on. 1

 Chapter 0059

    My gaze locks onto Luke''s, challenging him and Axel''s arms tighten around me. I channel my anger, ready to force Axel''s arms from me, he might be strong but his strength can''t match the anger I have. The tension in the room seems to crackle with unshed power.

    "Woah, let''s all calm down. This is not a time to be flexing our new powers," Theo halfughs and I move my eyes to him. "Jose, why don''t me and you go and take a breather in the bathroom?" he adds subtly tapping his ear like I had earlier when I''d asked if the others could hear us.

    "Fine," I blow out a breath and rx my body in Axel''s arms. Theo takes my hand and Axel releases me, letting Theo lead me to the bathroom. The moment the door closes he turns to me and taps his ear again, nodding in encouragement. How does he know I have the hearing ability? I never told anyone. I''ll ask himter, right now I''m grateful that I have at least one of them on my side. I try to recall how I''d used this gift before. I focus on Mason, imagining him in his room, with his phone to his ear.

    "Then who is it?" he demands, his voice as clear as if he is in the room with us. I smile at Theo, letting him know I hear Mason with a nod. I can''t hear the other half of the conversation on the phone but I try to fill in the gaps from what I can hear from Mason.

    "Then I suggest you look faster, she deserves to know and he needs dealing with," Mason snaps before going silent again.

    "She''s fine, it''s been mild so far. Luke has the list, I''ll have him send it to you," he says, calmer now.

    "Will do," he huffs and then remains silent. The conversation must be over.

    "Hey," Theo says softly, getting my attention then he motions cleaning his teeth and points to the sink.

    "I need to clean my teeth," I sigh, understanding his meaning and moving to the sink to turn on the tap.

    "How did you know I could listen in?" I whisper with a frown.

    "I worked it out in the woods yesterday," he grins.

    "Who did Mason call?"

    "Deacon, he''s the one investigating your case," he shrugs. My heart grips at the mention of Deacon again but I push the feeling away.

    "Why are you helping me?" I ask.

    "Let''s just say I don''t agree with all the decisions being made about you, especially without consulting..." his whispered words cut off when a cramping need in my core has me doubling over the bathroom counter.

    "Theo," I groan. I hate this.

    "Luke, you''re up" Theo shouts and quickly pulls down my shorts. He plunges his fingers into me without a moment''s hesitation, taking the edge off my agonising desire.

    "Please make it stop, I hate this," I cry.

    "I know, baby, It''s all going to be over soon and then you never have to see

    another dick again until you decide you want it," he soothes.

    "Josie," Luke''s voice is cautious, "can I take care of you?" he asks.

    "Yes, please, just do it, I need you," Theo''s fingers are quickly reced by Luke''s cock and I sigh in relief as he fills me. His eyes meet mine in the bathroom mirror and I watch as he pumps into me from behind.

    "Make it good for her Luke, I''ll be right back," Theo says quietly before disappearing from view.

    "Is this okay?" Luke breathes, watching my expression. I''m still mad at him but we

    are about to bond and I don''t want to ruin the moment.

    "Yes, perfect,e home to me Luke," I gasp as my pleasure builds.

    "Home?" he grunts.

    "You''ll see," I pant, too lost in the feel of him to exin more. Theo reappears and something cold and wet runs down the crack of my ass making me suck in a shocked breath. Before I can even ask what the hell that was Luke''s thumb pushes into my back hole.

    "You''re wee," Theo grins showing me a bottle of lube in the mirror before his eyes move down to watch Luke''s thumb, I''m starting to think Theo has an ass obsession. Luckily for him, I don''t hate it. In fact, it heightens my pleasure. I also really like that he''s watching.

    "She likes this, you should feel how she is squeezing my cock right now," Luke groans.

    "She''s amazing isn''t she," Theo praises. The warm smouldering of my building orgasm suddenly bes hot and pleasure ripples throughout my body. Luke doesn''t let up, drawing out my ecstasy until he finds his own release with a satisfied grunt. Then I watch the moment he feels our bond click into ce. His mouth drops open slightly as his gaze finds mine in the mirror.

    "I''m home," he whispers before pulling out from me and spinning me to face him. His lips crash into mine in a hungry possessive kiss.

    "How?" he asks breaking our kiss.

    "I don''t know, maybe because we were in the human realm"

    "No, it can''t be that, our people were bonding in the human realm before we

    moved here. It has to be something to do with The Spark, we hadn''t activated that bond yet," he says and I can almost see his geeky brain trying to

    work this out.

    "Ermm... does anyone want to exin what we are talking about?" Theo interjects.

    "Me and Luke just bonded," I exin.

    "Damn it, and I thought you''d saved the best untilst," Theo huffs.

    "I need to call James," Luke says, pulling his pants back on I''ve noticed none of them have been wearing shirts since my heat started and they all wear jogging bottoms or shorts. I assume it''s for skin contact and easy ess when my heat res and not just for my viewing pleasure. I''m sorry for blocking you in earlier, please understand that I will only ever do things like that to protect you," he leans over and ces a chaste kiss on my lips before walking out of the bathroom.

    "I guess you just gave him a new scientific puzzle to work out," Theoughs, e on, let''s get you showered,"

    Hourster I rouse from sleep when I sense all the guys leaving the room. They begin to have a hushed conversation in the living area and I focus to listen in whilst remaining calm. If my heart rate picks up they''ll

    know I''m awake.

    "So what are we going to do now? Her heat is going to start driving her wild if we can''t give her what she wants,

    Theo says.

    "We will take care of her the best way we can," Mason grunts,

    "But we can''t, she needs..." Theo is cut off by an almighty Boom. Today''s Bonus Offer

    GE

 Chapter 0060

    The bang is apanied by shattering ss and rubble falling, something hits my head and everything goes ck. Hands yank me from the bed as I regain consciousness. My ears are ringing and my eyes sting. I can''t see anything as I''m carried from the bed. I can hear panicked shouts but I can''t make out what anyone is saying. Fear grips me as I try to frantically rub at my eyes, I need to see what is happening. My hands refuse to cooperate and they il about uselessly. The scent of acrid smoke fills my nose and then I cough as it hits my lungs.

    "Dot," I hear Mason roar but the sound is muffled as if I have headphones in. "Please fix her, you have to fix her," Mason pleads and I feel him drop to his knees with me in his arms.

    "Stay with us, baby girl," I hear Theo. I don''t know where he thinks I''m going to go because whatever is in my eyes is virtually blinding me.

    "The

    "Mace, I don''t think I can," I hear Dot sob.

    "Fucking try, you have to try," he barks.

    "Axel is raging. How is she?" I hear Luke approach us, and then he gasps.

    "Axel," I try to say but ites out more of a moan.

    "Shhh, don''t try to speak, you''re going to be okay," Theo soothes.

    "Dot," Mason growls in warning before I lose consciousness again.

    Pounding in my head wakes me and I blink my eyes open. My throat is dry and my whole body feels stiff as I try to turn onto my side.

    "Don''t try to move yet, Sweetle," a kind female voice says softly. I blink my eyes open and the brightness blinds me. "Let me close the curtains, whilst your eyes adjust,

    "Where, am I?" I croak. The words feel like sandpaper in my throat.

    "You''re safe," thedy says as shees into view, she looks to be around forty years old and has beautiful blond hair, kind eyes and a sweet smile, "I''m Maria, Theo''s mum"

    "Where is Theo?" I manage to force the words out.

    "I suspect he''s going toe running through that door any second, followed by your other bonds,¡± she chuckdes. "Try not to speak yet, let me get you some water," she pats my arm gently and then moves from my line of sight. With great effort, I move my head to take in my surroundings. The room is beautifully furnished with thick luscious gold curtains, arge marble firece, and a stunning coffered ceiling. My bed appears to be arge hospital-type bed, that''spletely out of ce in a room this grand. I notice 5 other beds seem to have been shoved in here, their basic design not fitting the room at all Maria returns with a ss of water and a straw. She presses a button to raise me into a sitting position and my spine protests at the movement. How long was I knocked out for? It feels like forever. The cold water soothes my throat instantly and I could cry when she pulls it away, warning me to take it slow. The door flies open with a bang and I''m met with the most incredible sight. Theo, Luke, Axel and Mason pile into the room. Their faces are a mix of relief and excitement.

    "Fuck, baby girl¡± Theo almost sobs, grabbing my hand and squeezing it gently.

    "Don''t ever do that to us again," Luke breathes, taking my other hand.

    "We missed you," Axel says softly his hand resting on my knee behind Luke. I look to Mason, who gives me at

    small nod.

    "What happened?" I ask.

    "Some fucker tried to kill you again, they blew up our apartment," Theo curses and Axel growls as my heart begins to pound in my chest. Why is someone trying to kill me?

    "Did we know who?" my voice trembles.

    "No, well we found the person who fired the grenade through the window but they were heavilypelled and can''t remember a thing," Luke exins.

    "I don''t think we should be stressing her with this information right now," the unmistakable voice of Deacones from the doorway and my eyes shift to him. My heart skips a beat at the sight of him and I feel my wolf stir in my chest. It

    seems it''s not just me he has an effect on because I swear my wolf whines in my head for him. I pull my eyes from him, focussing back on what''s important.

 Chapter 0061

    +26 BONUS

    been

    "You had a nasty head injury, we thought we''d lost you for while there," Luke squeezes my hand and I look at him. I can see the trauma behind his eyes, I asses the others and they all have that same look, like the through something traumatic and haven''t quite recovered yet.

    "I''m sorry," I lower my gaze, hating I worried them.

    under

    "You have nothing to apologise for. It is me that needs to apologise. You should have been safe in the academy,

    my care. For that, I sincerely apologise. I can assure you I have taken extreme measures to ensure nothing like this happens again. Our security is better than ever and I''m confident that when you are ready you can return to the academy and continue your studies in safety," Deacon says,ing closer to my bed. He looks good there, standing with my bonds around me. He looks just as haunted as they do, obviously the guilt he carries over this has weighed heavy on him. They all look a little dishevelled, their hair longer than I remember.

    "How long was I out for exactly?"

    "6 weeks and 4 days," Theo sighs. "But it feels like years,

    Sorry to interrupt but the doctor is here to assess her now she is awake," Maria says from the doorway.

    "Good, let''s get all these wires off of her so I can hold her, Theo says impatiently. The guys all hover around whilst the doctor checks me over. She shines lights in my eyes and has me move my arms and legs, which is difficult because I feel like my joints have seized up. The whole time my mind is reeling from the fact I''ve been unconscious for over 6 weeks. Once she is satisfied I have no negative effects and I seem to be back to normal health the doctor kicks everyone out of the room whilst she removes my catheter, which is an unpleasant sensation, but not as unpleasant as the feeding tube being removed from my nose. I don''t even want to think about how or who has been dealing with all my other bodily functions for the past 6 weeks. As if sensing my concern the doctor exins that I''ve had a female-only team taking care of all my personal needs around the clock and informs me I have had two periods whilst in their care. Myst one finished just a few days ago so I''m not due another for 3-4 weeks. I thank her and she leaves, promising toe and check in on me in a few hours before she leaves. I hear amotion outside the door before twodies enter the room mming the door in Theo''s face and locking it.

    "Sorry about that," a short woman with cherry red hair smiles at me.

    "It''s so good to see you finally awake Miss Banks, we are here to help you bathe," the otherdy says, she is tall and thin with dark hair that''s wrapped in a bun on top of her head.

    ¡°?

    "Oh, thanks, but I think I can manage," I say, embarrassed.

    "Nonsense dear, we have been looking after you all this time, let us finish what we started," the redhead says before opening another door which I assume leads to a bathroom when I hear water running. The two women help me to my feet and help hold my weight when my knees threaten to give out. We walk slowly to the bathroom and they help me out of my open-backed gown and into the bath.

    "No need to be shy, Dear, you have nothing we haven''t seen a million times before," one of the women says when she notices me trying to cover my breast with my arms in the water. She applies soap to a sponge and hands it to

    1. me.

    "You have some good men out there. We''ve had to fight them off every single time we havee to care for you, they''ll be d to take over after today but don''t let them baby you, you need to walk and wash yourself. If they have their own way they''ll probably never allow you to do anything for yourself ever again and you need to regain your muscle tone, which means small activities like this," the dark-haired one exins.

    "Now we will give you some privacy and will be right outside that door, so if you need us just shout," the redhead smiles and they both leave, closing the door behind them.

 Chapter 0062

    1 spend some time rxing in the warm water, letting the heat soak away some of my aches. Then I notice how hairy I am. Wow, who knew I could grow so much hair in 6 weeks? I nce around for a razor, I can''t walk around like this. I might be the reincarnation of a cavewoman but it''s 2024, there''s no need to live like my past self now. My search for a razor is unsessful and I huff in frustration. How the hell am I going to deal with this? I stare at the unwanted hair, wishing it would just disappear. Then yelp in shock when it dissolves right in front of my eyes. "No way," I gasp, running my hands over my now smooth legs in disbelief. I lift an arm to check my underarm and that hair is gone too. This is my favourite power to date. Never having to shave ever again? Awesome! Then I reach up to touch my head in a panic, a rush of relief washing over me when I feel my hair still there. My eyebrows and eyshes are thankfully still intact too. I hear a brief shout before the bathroom door flies open and 5 mene piling in, ready to fight.

    I shriek and cover myself when Mr Collins'' worried gazends on me.

    "What happened? Your heart rate picked up," Luke breathes. Still looking on edge, dispute being able to see I''m just fine.

    "I... erm... I magically shaved, and then I got scared I might have..." I pause to search for a word, " deleted the hair on my head, sorry" I chew nervously on my lip. Theo barks out augh.

    "Shit babe, that''s awesome but don''t scare us like that," he puts a hand on his heart. Mason huffs and walks out followed by Mr Collins and I rx a little.

    "You three need to leave too," my red-headed nursemands.

    "Not happening sweetheart, we''ve got it from here," Luke tells her. Her eyes meet mine, a warning of what she had said earlier and I give her a nod. I thank both the nurses and they leave.

    "You''re done in there right?" Theo asks and I nod. He leans over and lifts me from the bath holding my wet body to him, seemingly unbothered that I''m soaking his clothes, Lukees up from behind and sandwiches me in between them.

    "I''ve missed you so fucking much, Jose," Theo whispers, cing a kiss on the top of my head.

    "I never want to go that long without seeing your smile again," Luke murmurs against my shoulder.

    I can tell they are emotional at our reunion but I don''t fully understand how they feel because for me it feels like no time has passed.

    "My turn," Axel says, gently coaxing me from Theo and Luke to wrap me in his own arms. I rest my face against Axel''s strong chest and I feel a towel wrap around me from behind.

    After I convince the guys to let me clean my teeth alone I check my appearance in the mirror. My face looks thinner but otherwise, I look the same. I run my fingers over my scalp and there''s no obvious sign of where I was injured. Satisfied I''m not a hideous mess I leave the bathroom wrapped in a towel. My legs still feel a little shaky but I feel better with every passing minute. With every step, my joints quickly get used to moving again. I hear Mason talking quietly with Mr Collins and a sh of a memory hits me. Mason''s desperate pleas for Dot to fix me. My heart breaks as I remember the utter fear and desperation in his voice as he''d fallen to his knees with me in his arms. I stride over to him, interrupting his conversation to wrap my arms around him. His body stiffens at my touch and he doesn''t return my embrace. All the progress I''d made with him seems to have gone.

    "Theo," Mason grunts in a warning and Theo quickly pulls me from Mason. I

    watch in shock as he storms away. My eyes meet Mr Collins and he gives me a sympathetic look before going after Mason.

 Chapter 0063

    "What happened to him?" I whisper, sadness squeezing my heart.

    "He''s been struggling since the incident. Don''t worry, we will get him back," he reassures, rubbing soothing circles on my back.

    "I see Mason is a little ray of sunshine again today," a beautiful blonde woman rolls her eyes and nces back towards Mason''s direction as she reaches the doorway he''d just left through. She holds a duffle bag in one hand and her other rests protectively on her swollen stomach.

    "Sophie," Theo greets, his tone happy, "let me formally introduce you to my bond. This is Josie. Josie this is my big sister, Sophie," he grins proudly.

    "It''s good to see you awake," she gives me a warm smile, and to finally meet the girl that''s stolen my baby brother''s heart,"

    "Soph," Theo groans.

    "It''s nice to meet you," I smile.

    "I brought you some clothes, they should fit you. I think we were about the same size before I started growing this one," she says patting her rounded belly affectionately. She doesn''t look much older than me and I wonder how old her

    bonds are.

    "Thank you," I say as Theo takes the bag from her.

    "Get dressed, the rest of the family are waiting to meet you downstairs and I don''t think you want to meet them in a towel," sheughs.

    "Soph, I don''t think that''s a good idea, she just woke up," theo objects.

    "What and you think it''s better to leave her here alone with you lot? She needs time to recover and she will do that much faster sitting in a chair, sipping tea and eating sandwiches with the family rather than you all trying to make up for lost time with your dicks, because we all know that''s what you''ll do," Sophie rolls her giggle. I like her already.

    "Fine," Theo huffs, "we will be down in an hour,"

    "Make it 30 minutes," she grins and walks away. Theo shuts the door behind her.

    "Sorry about this," he grumbles.

    "It''s fine," I reassure and take the bag from Theo.

    "Let me help you dress," he says trying to follow me back towards the bathroom.

    "No, I can do it. I have to do these things for myself, doctors orders," eyes and I

    I dress in a in blue T-shirt that matches my eyes and pair it with a pair of ck leggings. Unfortunately, I have no underwear so I add a white zip-up hoody in an attempt to hide the fact I''m not wearing a bra.

    "Did any of my stuff survive the st?" I ask as I leave the bathroom again.

    "Some, we have saved everything we can. Your clothes all stunk of smoke so we will need to rece all those," Luke answers. I nod, trying not to dwell on how much I lost We all survived and that''s what''s important.

    "Hey, what happened with my heat? I didn''t still have it did 1?" I ask, mortified at the thought of them having to deal with that.

    +28 BONUS

    "No, it stopped. Don''t worry, we didn''t have to develop a sudden kink for

    somnophilia," Luke shudders and Iugh in relief.

    "Hey, I''d have done it if I needed to," Theo shrugs.

    "You are such a gent," I tease.

    "I''m always willing to please you, Mdy," he bows drainatically making me giggle.

    "So I assume this is your family home, Theo?" I raise an eyebrow.

    "Yes, it was the safest ce we could find on such short notice,

    "It''s beautiful," I smile.

    I notice Axel standing by the window, watching out of it. I join him, standing by his side and wrapping an arm around his waist, his armnds on my shoulders and

    he moves me in front of him, holding me whilst we watch the wolf darting towards the trees in the distance. At the sight of the majestic animal, a word rings clear in my head "Mine!"

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0064

    "Mine!" the words slip from my mouth and as if the wolf bars me it stops in its tracks. Turning its head its glowing blue eyes find mine immediately, I recognise it, it'' Mason. He looks to have some kind of Internal struggle as the light in its eyes dims before shining even brighter, and then he tears his eyes from mine and continues his path into the thick forest and out of sight.

    "Uh oh, someone''s wolf just got a glimpse of one of their mates for the first time," Theo saysing to stand beside us.

    "When you feel up to it we should all go for a run together, t will be good for our wolves to finally meet," Luke

    says,

    "Not

    without Axel," I shake my head. I''m not letting him miss our first run together.

    "I cane, I shifted," Axel says quietly behind me. I turn in his arms to look up at him.

    "Axel, that''s amazing. When did it happen?" I grin, so pleased for him. He looks down in shame before he

    answers.

    "The night you were hurt, I lost control," he admits.

    "Hey," I bring my hand to his cheek, getting him to look at me, "that''spletely understandable, you have nothing to be ashamed of,"

    "Josie, I''m so sorry. I almost stopped you from getting medical help, my wolf wouldn''t let anyone near you that I didn''t trust. They had to sedate me to save your life,"

    I can see how much guilt he is carrying about this. "Thank you for protecting me, you did the right thing, you kept any possible threats away whilst I was vulnerable," I smile and push up onto my tiptoes to kiss him. "I can''t wait to see your wolf and thank him myself," I add.

    "See, Axe, I told you she wouldn''t be upset. She loves your beast mode," Theo ps Axel on the back. "Now you can stop sulking about it and we can focus on fixing Mason,"

    "He can''t hear us from hear right?" I nce over to where I''dst seen him.

    "No, he can''t from this distance,"

    "Good. So what is his problem now? What did I miss?" I ask, leaning my head against Axel and holding my giant protector a little longer.

    "I don''t know. He never left your side for the first day and never spoke a word. Then the moment the doctor said you were healing and would survive he stormed off and has been a grumpy ass since. The only person he will even talk to is Deacon unless it''s to bark orders at us, and whenever I try to talk to him he either ignores me or does that," Theo huffs and points in the direction Mason had gone.

    "I''ll try and talk to him," I sigh.

    "Well good luck, you''d better wear your running shoes for that conversation," he snorts. "I did shift and follow him a few times but obviously I can''t talk in wolf form and he didn''t stay still long enough for me to shift back and say anything,"

    Speaking of shoes, I don''t have any," I look down at my bare feet and wriggle my toes on the plush carpet, "I also don''t have any underwear,"

    "Looks like I need to get back to making lists," Luke grins and starts tapping something on his phone.

    "You can leave underwear off of the list. She doesn''t need any," Theo smirks. My stomach decides to take that moment to growl loudly and the guys allugh.

    "I guess it''s time to meet the family and get some food in you,"

    Theo holds my hand as we head down a grand staircase with Axel and Luke at our backs. I try hard not to gape at his house. It''s like a damn pce, with marble floors and opulent decor. I wonder what his parents do for work to have such arge and stunning home. We enter arge sitting room where people are rxed, drinking from fine china cups and taking sandwiches and cakes fromrge tters. Sophie spots us and waves before getting the attention of an older man next to her. The moment he turns to face us I instantly know this is Theo''s biological father. Theo is almost a carbon copy of him. His eyes light up and he rushes over to greet us.

    "Josie, it''s so lovely to finally meet you," he stretches out a hand for me to shake and I take it, "I''m Wesley, Theo''s Dad"

    "It''s lovely to meet you, Wesley," I smile.

    "Josie, you look so much better already,e and sit down," Theo''s mum, Maria rushes over and wraps an arm around my shoulders, leading me to a highbacked armchair. She pours tea from a pot and hands me a cup. I look at the steaming liquid. It''s not the tea I was expecting, this is a greenish colour and smells slightly minty. I take a cautious sip and try not to wrinkle my nose at the earthy taste. It certainly doesn''t taste minty.

    Theo snorts and takes the cup from my hands. ¡°I''ll be right back," he whispers. Maria introduces me to the rest of her bonds, Dean, Micheal, Roy and Samson. They all refer to Theo as their son and I wonder if all families have the same dynamic. Theo returns and hands me a ss of water and a te loaded with a various selection of sandwiches. Sophie introduces me to her three bonds and then to one of Theo''s brothers, Rory. He is 16 and at that awkward stage. I find out Theo has two older brothers who are all living with their bonds and both have children already. By the time I''ve eaten and been introduced to everyone my social battery feels drained and I''m ready for a nap, which seems odd considering I just woke from a 6-week nap.

    "I think it is time for Josie to rest, Dear," Maria says to Theo, "Your old room has been suitably adapted to amodate you all, you should let her rest there for a while,"

    "Yes Theo, rest. That means keep your dick in your pants," Sophie warns and Maria gasps at her daughter''s crude warning. The men in the room allugh and Theo blushes. I don''t look at Axel because I can imagine he''s glowing like a tomato right now.

    Theo looks around nervously and Maria seems to know exactly why, "Don''t worry about Mason, when he returns I''ll make sure he eats before I send him to your room," she smiles.

    "Thanks, Mum," Theo grumbles and takes my hand. I thank Maria for her hospitality, say my goodbyes to everyone and then let Theo guide me to his old bedroom.

    N.O Darling Author

 Chapter 0065

    #

    Theo''s room is decorated more modestly than the rest of the house, with in blue walls and curtains. It''s a typical teenage boy''s bedroom apart from the lunge bed that takes up almost the whole floor space. The bed is like the one we had at the apartment and I wonder if it''s a standard bed in this realm.

    "She could have let us keep Sophie''s room," Theo grumbles when he struggles to move around the bed.

    "This is fine," I reassure him. I''m just grateful we have somewhere safe to stay together.

    "I''m going to do a perimeter rum," Axel says from behind me. I turn to him and I''m concerned with the change I can see in him. His face is no longer the sweet shy one, his expression is hard and fierce. His posture is tense and on high alert. It''s the kind of change you can only car from trauma, and I did that to him. I wrap my arms around him and feel a littlefort when he holds me back and kisses the top of my head.

    "Come back to me," I whisper to him, hoping he understands the double meaning of my words.

    "Always," he responds before releasing me and walking away. I look at Luke and Theo wanting to discuss the change in Axel when I notice their changes too. Theo is checking out of the windows before closing the curtains, whilst I Luke is searching under the bed. They seem paranoid.

    I thought we were safe here?" I frown, because their actions are not giving me safe vibes.

    "We are, well as safe as we can be," Luke reassures with an unconvincing smile.

    "The truth is we are not safe anywhere," Theo sighs.

    "Theo," Luke scolds.

    ¡°What? Hiding this from her is not protecting her. Her safety is more important than herfort," he shrugs.

    "You''re right, but I just wanted her to have at least one peaceful night before we drop this on her," Luke sighs.

    "Hello, I''m right here, can we stop talking like I''m not," I fold my arms over my chest a stare at them expectantly.

    "Sorry, Babe. It''s just whoever is trying to take us out is very powerful, like Deacon level powerful and that''s bad. We have to be sure no one has beenpelled to nt something in here that could harm us,¡± Theo grimaces.

    "You mean me, they''re targeting me, not you guys. I''m putting you all in danger," I breathe. I want to run, get away from them all so they''ll be safe.

    "No, we believe they''re trying to take us all down, but you are the easiest target. Not because you are weak but because it''s the smartest move. If your heart stops beating then so does ours," Luke exins and I feel instantly sick. They came so close to killing us all.

    "What do you mean by Deacon level powerful? Are we talking about Mr Collins or is Deacon also a power level?"

    ''Mr Collins, he''s crazy powerful. He has all of the rarest and strongest gifts, which makes him dangerous," Theo

    says.

    "Then why the hell is he a headmaster?" I snort.

    "This is what all of us have questioned, he was in the military and he gave it up to run the academy," Theo shrugs.

    "If these gifts are so rare then how sure are we that he isn''t the one trying to kill us?" I don''t want to believe that but it''s the most logical exnation.

    "Mason used him, I thought they were going to kill each other at one point. Deacon was furious, but then he

    did something that earned Mason''s trust and he''s never questioned him since. It''s weird, those two seem to be getting close," Theo huffs and his words are dripping with calousy.

    "What did Deacon do to earn his trust?"

    "No cluc, he won''t tell me. He doesn''t tell me anything anymore," Theo looks pained. I have to get Mason back for him. "Deacon has been here a lot, he''s been screening all staff and family for signs ofpulsion and he''s been trying to train us to resist it, but shit is so hard. He tells me I''m a chicken and no matter how hard I fight it I still end up clucking around, trying to peck the ground,

    I burst intoughter, I can''t help it. The mental image of Theo acting like a chicken is hrious.

    "It''s not funny," he scowls, "he doesn''t make anyone else chicken!"

    "He made me a chicken," Luke protests.

    "No, Luke, he made you a rooster, there''s a difference. I didn''t see you trying toy a fucking egg!" Theo curses and my stomach aches fromughter.

    "Hey, he didn''t specify the gender of the chicken, you chose to be a female one," Luke shrugs.

    drest."

    "It''s so good to hear youugh, even if it''s at my expense, Theo smiles, "but you really should rest. "I''m tired, but not a sleepy kind of tired, my body wants to rest but my brain is fully awake now," I sigh.

    "Then let us take care of you, we''ve be quite skilled atmassage thesest few weeks," Luke says,ing close to me and unzipping my hoody. "Massage?" I raise an eyebrow.

    "Yes, it''s the only care we were allowed to give you. We kept your joints moving and massaged you every day," Theo exins.

    "Thank you. I''m sorry I missed that," I smile sadly. I hate how much I have missed with them.

    "Then let us show you," Luke smiles, pushing my hoody off my shoulders.

    "Here," Theo says, opening a drawer on his dresser and pulling out a pair of his boxers, "you can wear these," he holds them out to me.

    A few minutester I''mid on my front wearing nothing but Theo''s boxer shorts whilst Luke massages my shoulders, arms and back, and Theo is working his magic on my legs and feet. It''s bliss.

    "That feels so good," I moan.

    "Good, but can you refrain from making those noises or my sister will cut off our balls," Theoughs.

    "Was I the only one hurt in the attack?" I ask, suddenly realising I''d never checked if they were all physically okay. "Yes, we had stepped out of the room for a second. We stupidly left you alone," Theo admits.

    "Sounds like luck more than stupidity. You couldn''t have stopped it, we''d have all been hurt if you were with me," "Maybe, I don''t know. What do you remember of it?" he asks. I try to think but I can barely remember anything. "Not much, I have a sh of hearing Mason calling for Dot, but that''s it. How is Dot?¡±

    "She is fine, she was able to heal your wound but not the internal damage it caused. She has been trying to visit you but Deacon banned all unnecessary visitors," he says and anger fills me. Why would he ban my friend? The one who most likely saved my life.

    "What an ass! Can I use someone''s phone to call her?"

    Sure, but don''t be angry at Deacon, he''s been exhausting himself with screening all necessary visitors forpulsion, plus trying to train us and make sure the academy is safe," Luke says, his hands leave my body and 1 sit up, using a pillow to cover my breasts 1 take the offered phone from Luke and hit call on Dot''s contact information

    N.O Darling Author

    My husband was very amused at me writing this whilst chuckling to myself imagining Theo clucking around like a chicken.

 Chapter 0066

    The phone rings twice before I hear Dot''s voice.

    "Luke, you better be calling with some good news because em going crazy here.

    She should be awake by now and the healers need..."

    "Hi, Dot," I cut her off. I can''t believe no one has told her Im awake yet.

    "Josie?" she gasps,

    "Yes, it''s me,"

    "Oh my goodness, Josie, it''s so good to hear your voice! I''ve been so worried. How are you? When did you wake up?" she blurts and I can hear the emotion in her voice.

    "I''m good Dot, thanks to you. The doctor said I have no negative effects," I tell her.

    "I''m so happy to hear that, I thought maybe I messed up and..." her words are cut off by a sob.

    "Dot, I''m fine. You saved me, I owe you my life," I say with tears rolling down my face. I wish I could hug her right now, she has spent all these weeks thinking she had done something wrong.

    "They wouldn''t let me see you, I''ve been going crazy here. Is Mason with you?" she asks.

    "I know, I called as soon as I found out. Mason is not here right now," I''m not sure how much I should tell her

    about him.

    "Oh, Josie I''m so worried about him too. How is he? He was so broken and now he won''t speak to me at all. Seeing him like that was worse than when..."

    "I''m not alone," I cut her off when I notice Theo paying extra attention to our conversation.

    "Who are you with?"

    "Theo and Luke," I say nervously and Dot blows out a relieved sounding breath.

    "That''s okay, maybe they can help him. Tell them what you think they should know but do not, under any circumstances, let Mason find out," she says.

    "Okay. He''s not doing great but I''ll get him back Dot, I promise, I got through to him once already, and we were making progress. I can do it again," I tell her with determination.

    "I know, I could tell. When are youing home?" she asks.

    "I''m not sure," I look at the guys. Luke shrugs and Theo looks lost in thought. "I''ll let you know as soon as I know,"

    "Okay, thank you for calling me. It is so good to hear from you. I''m d you''re okay," she cries again and I hear male voices in the background. Probably her bonds trying tofort her. "I need to go, I''m mid-heat and I don''t want to be on the phone when the next wave hits," she halfughs.

    "Shit, sorry. Erm... have fun. I''ll see you soon," Iugh.

    "Message me when you get back and I''ll visit as soon as I can,"

    "Will do, bye,"

    435 SAN

    Chapte

    "Bye," she says and the phone goes dead. I blow out a breath. She must have been so worried to lure answered the phone to Lake during her heat.

    "What do you know?" Theo asks. His voice is hard as he states at the wall. Luke takes my hand, squeezing it in

    support.

    "I think this is best kept between you two, maybe you should both take a shower and I''ll keep watch at the window," Luke says. I nod, he''s right. Theo can probably help but Luke can''t. Mason can tell Luke his story if i wants to, but if Theo and 1 are going to help Mason then he needs to have some clue of what we are dealing with Theo gets up without a word and heads into the ensuite, he holds the door open and stares at me expectantly. I hate the way he''s looking at me, I''ve hurt him again. When follow him in he turns on the shower and both taps on the sink before leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest and his jaw tense, waiting for me to talk. I clutch the pillow to my chest, wishing I had clothes on for this conversation.

    "Theo, first of all, I only just found this out right before my heat started, and I was sworn to secrecy. Mason has no idea I know and we have to keep it that way. We can''t act differently around him, but we can use it to understand him, and maybe help him,

    "Fine, tell me," he juts his chin a little. I take a breath and tell him everything that Dot had told me about Mason''s disappearance and his behaviour since he returned.

 Chapter 0067

    "What did that fucker do to him?" he rages. His fists are clenched as he begins pacing the small bathroom.

    "I don''t know Theo, no one does except Mason and his father," I step into his path, dropping my pillow to ce my hands on his chest. "Calm down, I need to try and keep my heartbeat steady or Mason and Axel are going toe rushing through that door and you''re making me nervous," I urge. He takes a breath and nods before wrapping his arms around me.

    "I''m sorry, I''m just so angry," he breathes,

    "I know, but anger won''t help Mason," I reason.

    "I knew he had a bad rtionship with one of his dads but had no idea it was this bad. It makes sense why he will do anything to avoid suspension though, he doesn''t want to be sent home,"

    "Are you two almost done in the shower? The guys are headed back and will probably need to shower after their run," Luke shouts through the door.

    "Shit," Theo curses and yanks off his t-shirt, and drops his trousers before pulling down my borrowed boxers.

    "What are you doing?" I whisper shout.

    "When was thest time you came out of a shower dry?" he whisper shouts back and guides me to the shower stall. Good point. I hold my hair up, not wanting to wet it after I just washed it a few hours ago and let the water stream over my body. Theo presses up behind me, so the water runs over us both and it feels good to have so much of his skin against my own. It reminds me of how I reacted to their touch when I was in heat.

    "Soo... how often can we expect me to have a heat?" I ask nervously and Theo stills behind me.

    ''Shit, babe, this is not good timing," he sighs and wraps his arms around me, cing a kiss on my shoulder to give me as muchfort as possible. "What do you need?"

    "Just your touch, it feels so good," I hum.

    "Okay, I''ll speak to Deacon about getting us moved tonight. We need privacy and it''s going to be difficult to have that here," he leans around me and shuts off the water. Then he grabs two towels from a rack by the shower, making sure to touch me as much as possible whilst he wraps one around me before wrapping the other around

    his waist.

    "Are you I whisper. He looks at the door and then towards the sink that still has the taps running

    "I will be," he nods and turns off the taps. He takes a breath and sters a smile on his face before opening the door. Axel and Mason are back and their eyes move to us as we exit the bathroom.

    "Shirts off boys," Theo announces. You''d never guess what he was dealing with.

    "Already?" Luke gapes, pulling off his shirt and holding out his arms to me, I go to him, pressing my face to his bare chest with a satisfied hum.

    "For fuck sake," Mason curses, making me flinch, "this is when we are most vulnerable and whoever is after us knows it. Maybe Deacon canpel her wolf to calm the fuck down or put her back to sleep," he grunts and pulls out his phone. Luke squeezes me tighter against him, trying to shield me the only way he can.

    "No, not a fucking chance," Theo growls.

    "Not happening," Axel barks. Mason looks at them all, assessing them, and then he gets that smirk. I brace for the impact I know ising

    "You''re all pussy whipped fools, are you all just going to pretend it wasn''t easier when she was a fucking vegetable?" he barks augh. His words sting like he just whipped me with them.

    "Get the fuck out now," Axel growls low and I can see how lose he is topletely losing his shit.

    "dy, I don''t want any part of this anyway. I''ll be outside, dealing with the real issue," he snorts and shifts into his wolf. His blue eyesnd on me and for a split second I see a sadness there, then he turns and darts out of the

    Toom.

    1

    "Fuck this," I curse, I push out of Luke''s arms and I call up my wolf, embracing the warmth as it shes over my skin and into a painless shift.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0068

    "Looks like we are going for that run now," I hear Theo sigh as I dart after Mason. I don''t wait for the others, 1 lower my nose to the ground letting my wolf guide us with her instincts as she takes note of Mason''s scent.

    "Hey, no shifting in the house," I hear a startled female voice from downstairs and my wolf heads towards it. Theo''s mum, Maria,es into view and I wish I could apologise to her as I run by her and out the door.

    "Sorry Mum, it''s a bit of an emergency," Theo calls from behind me. I can hear the footsteps of Axel, Theo and Luke as they run in human form behind me, trying to

    keep up.

    "Theo, put some bloody clothes on before you go outside, hear her chastise.

    fierce

    ¡°No time,¡± he shouts. Their footstepse to a halt and I assume they''ve stopped to shift. I don''t wait, instead I push forward in chase of my mate. He''s so fast but I''m determined to catch him. When I break into the forest my wolf bes more alert. This is her domain and I let her take full control. She darts between trees stopping briefly to sniff the air before taking off again. Then when she senses him close by she stops, throws her head back and howls. I don''t know how I know but I''m positive she is calling her mates to her. A figure stalks forward towards us, his head is low and he''s snarling. His eyes glow blue in the darkness and my wolf admires his gaze. She stands taller and snaps in his direction as she takes a step towards him. The footsteps of three wolves approach from behind but she is not concerned, she knows they are her mates, that they came when she called. She respects that. Mason''s eyes dull a little and I sense he''s giving his wolf the reigns as my wolf growls at him, snapping her jaws at him once again. His wolf whines and then he lowers his upper body to the ground, breaking eye

    contact and submitting to us. She swings her body around to address the three wolves at her back. "Mine!" she roars in my mind as she takes in the sight of her mates. They all submit to her instantly, lowering themselves to the ground. She lets out a hip, pleased with them before she turns back to Mason''s wolf. She stalks towards him and stands over him, he rolls onto his back and tilts his head back, baring his neck to her. She doesn''t hesitate, lunging forward and sinking her teeth into the side of his neck. The moment she tastes his blood she releases him and throws her head back to howl in delight, then she begins to lick at the small puncture wounds she left on him until they seal over. I sure hope she knows what the hell she is doing because I have no idea. Unless she has a death wish because she just bit Mason and I can''t imagine he''s going to be best pleased about that. Despite my protests, she turns and repeats the action to Axel, then Luke and finally to Theo before she relinquishes her control to me with a satisfied howl.

    "Shit," I curse as I return to my human body, sporting nothing but a towel. "What the fuck was that?" I demand as the guys begin to shift too. Mason is the first to speak as he pushes himself into a sitting position, his hand at

    his neck.

    "That," he pulls his hand from his neck and looks at it, checking for blood, "Is just one more reason to get us fucking killed," he sneers.

    "I didn''t mean to," I panic.

    "Of course you didn''t, it was your wolf," Luke groans.

    "She is fucking amazing," Theo says with a painedugh.

    "Mating mark of the Alpha," Axel whispers in awe.

    "Look we knew something like this might happen, The Spark bond is supposed to

    be the Alpha pack, and now we are, it changes nothing, Mason, chill out," Luke

    says pushing to his feet.

 Chapter 0069

    I''d say it changes a lot, she just fucking branded us," Masen hisses and walks away. This is not going how T nned at all.

    ¡°Give him a minute,¡± Luke says, taking my hand and stopping me when I try to go after him.

    "I think you hurt his pride," Theo whispers. I turn to look Theo, who is readjusting his towel and I gasp. There on his neck is an angry red scar in the shape of my wolf''s jaw.

    "Oh my god, I''m so sorry," I cover my mouth with my hand utterly mortified and what I''ve done.

    "Hey, don''t apologise, I''m honoured to wear your mark," He smiles, and I can tell he is genuine. I look at Axel who wears the same mark, although it''s not as visible with his shirt on. He gives me a nod and smiles proudly. I look at Luke next, who has his shirt off, his mark a stark contrast against his pale skin.

    "I wear it with pride," he smiles.

    "I should go try and talk to Mason," I sigh. I need to apologise. Three of my bonds might be happy about this but my fourth is clearly not.

    "Shout if you need backup," Theo says as I head off in the direction Mason had gone.

    I curse as I stand on yet another sharp stick. My poor feet are probably bleeding and bruised. I want to shift so I can save my feet and track Mason easier but I''m not sure he will want to see my wolf again after what she just did to him.

    "Mason," I call in frustration.

    ¡°Stop following me for fuck sake, can''t you see I''m trying to get away from you," he grunts,ing out from behind a huge tree.

    "Are you seriously trying to hide behind a tree?" I smirk.

    "Yes, you''ve already proven I can''t outrun you so hiding was my only other choice. Now run off back to your bonds before your heat kicks in,"

    "I''m with my bond, who is more than capable of taking care of me if my heat starts," I smirk and look down at his

    crotch.

    "Let me rephrase that for you. Run off back to the bonds that actually want you, because I don''t," he smirks back. at me but it''s the dangerous one. The mean

    one.

    "Really? Because you seemed to want me during myst heat," I shrug.

    "No, I didn''t. That was my wolf wanting to care for his mate, and look how she repaid him," he pulls the cor of his leather jacket away, revealing the mark there. "So the next time I am forced by my wolf to participate in sating your heat, just know that it''s against my will,"

    His words hit me like a truck and squeeze my heart. I see the small rise of his lips when he notices my heart rate kick up a notch and he turns to walk away. He thinks he''s convinced me that this is the truth, and he almost did, but he''s forgetting one thing

    "Dot, please fix her, you have to fix her," I repeat his words to him that he''d said the night I was injured, and he freezes with a flinch. "I remember Mason," I add. I see him sigh in defeat and he slowly turns back to face me.

    "Josie,e to me right now," he demands and I almost fight him on it but his tone is urgent and his face fearful. I run to him, not daring to look at whatever the hell is behind me. He wraps an arm around me protectively and uses his fingers to whistle loudly in three short bursts. He''s not running so I assume nothing is chasing me, I dare

    a peek at what he''s seen and gasp. Right above where I was standing hangs the naked body of a female.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0070

    The girl hangs from a tree branch with a rope around her neck, her long dark hair covers her face and she has the letter J carved into her abdomen. It''s not hard to miss the message. She looks very simr to me and the J has to be

    for Josie.

    "Mason give me your phone," I pat his pockets in search of it. He reaches around to his back pocket and hands it

    to me.

    "Call Deacon and tell him to lift the wards, we are porting out of here now," he orders.

    "Okay," I nod, not fully sure what he''s on about but there''s something I need to do first. I open the camera and start snapping pictures of the body.

    "What the fuck are you doing you psycho?" Mason snatches the phone from me.

    "I''m not done," I try to take the phone back.

    "Yes, you are," he growls, "I''m deleting that shit off my phone,"

    "Mason, how many people can we really trust right now?" ask him.

    "None without screening them," he frowns.

    "Then give me back the phone, there is evidence right in front of us and I can tell you a lot about that body by looking at it, which I''m guessing we don''t have time to do, so let me take the damn pictures so I can examine them when we are somewhere safe," I hold out my hand for the phone and he gives it to me with a sigh. ¡°I need to get around the back," I say and attempt to move but Mason grips my arm.

    "We are not moving until the others arrive, call Deacon, and then you can get your photos" he grunts.

    "Why can''t you call him?"

    "Because I''m trying to listen for any threats, make the call he huffs.

    "Fine," I click on his recently dialled and Deacon is the first name, I press it and put it to my ear.

    "What''s wrong?" he snaps down the line before it even does one full ring.

    "Oh, hi, erm, so we kind of found a body in the woods and Mason said I need to call you to lift the wardrobe or something." I say nervously.

    "The wards for fuck sake," Mason curses.

    "The wards," I repeat.

    ¡°I heard, okay it''s done,e straight to my office, I''ll get a team to your location," he says as Luke, Axel and Theo run through the bushes. I watch as their faces take in the scene, a mix of shock, horror and disgust.

    "Okay, see you in a few minutes,"

    "Now, Josie, you will see me in less than 5 seconds," he barks down the phone.

    "Make it 30," I say and quickly end the call.

    Mason man handles me to meet with the others and I quickly snap pictures of the body from behind.

    "Let''s get out of here. Where did he say to go?" Mason asks

    "His office, can someone quickly give me a boost up there 1 point to the body. I think I can just about reach her ankle if one of them lifts me.

    "Absolutely not. Luke, the wards are lifted, get us to Deacur''s office now," Mason demands and grips me tightly against him.

    "I need to check something just let me touch her for 2 seconds," I protest but it''s toote. Mason releases me and I crumple on the floor of Mr Collins'' office.

    "Wee back to Greys Academy," rrisa''s chipper voice greets us and if I wasn''t too busy trying to keep my food in my stomach I''d tell her to fuck off.

    "Get the wards back up now," Mr Collins demands.

    "Yes, Sir, it''s done," rrisa says.

    A growl rises from my throat at the sound of her, all I can see in my mind is Deacon kissing her in assembly and it sparks an anger in me that I have no right to feel.

    "Fuck, get her out of here," Luke curses and pulls me from the floor. "Breathe, Josie, you''re okay," he soothes. I nuzzle my face against his bare chest with a satisfied hum as my anger evaporates.

    "Is she is heat?" Mr Collins barks.

    "Oh, yeah. It just started," Mason sighs.

    "Exin what happened. Why you are traipsing the woods in various states of undress? Why you all have an Alpha mark, and who she was trying to touch when you arrived, make it quick," he snaps.

    "I got this one," Theo says, "Mason ran off when Josie''s heat started because he suggested that we have youpel her back to sleep and we all objected, Josie shifted and chased him wearing only a towel. We also shifted and chased her. Josie''s wolf made us all submit and bit us, Mason ran off again and Josie chased him again, they found a body, Josie wanted to touch the body but we came here," he sucks in a huge breath after saying all that without pause.

 Chapter 0071

    Why on earth did you want to touch the body?" he asks me

    "I wanted to check for rigor mortis, I suspect she hasn''t been there very long but she has been dead a while," I shrug.

    "And what makes you suspect that?" he raises a brow.

    "Because she has lividity along her back, which means she wasid on her back for some time after death before she was hung from that tree, there''s no lividity in her feet and the dried blood from her wound runs sideways, not down," I exin.

    "I have no idea what half of that is but you are so smart," Theo praises and I smile at him, at least someone appreciates my brain.

    "She took some pictures, I''m sending them to your email because I don''t want them on my phone," Mason says, retrieving his phone from the floor where I''d dropped it.

    "Miss Banks I believe you already hold a degree in forensic and criminal investigation, is that correct?" Collins asks, opening up hisptop.

    "Yes, I have a BTEC level 3, not that it means anything in this realm," I roll my eyes.

    "I have the photos you can delete them," Deacon nods to Mason.

    "Wait, I wanted to look at them more closely," I reach to grab Mason''s phone.

    "Toote," he smirks

    Mrs

    "Ass," I huff and move around Mr Collins'' desk to look at them there. I lean over and take control of hisptop, flicking through the pictures. I stop on the clearest one of her back. "Can you see this discolouration here," I point to the lividity on the girl''s body, "that would have been the lowest point of her body where the blood pooled shortly after death, she was eitherid on her back for over 12 hours after her death or she has only just been put there and the lividity hasn''t moved yet. That''s why I wanted to check for rigor mortis," I exin.

    "That''s very interesting, babe, but I think Mr Collins would rather have you exin it to him after your heat is done," Theo says cautiously and holds out a hand to

    me.

    "I''m fine,¡± I frown and look at the others, they all seem to be looking in the same ce, I follow their gazes to my left hand, which is currently resting around Mr Collins'' forearm. I yank my hand away like he''s suddenly too hot to touch.

    "Shit, sorry," I step back and see Mr Collins has his eyes closed, his nostrils re as he takes deep calming breaths. Oops. "Anyway, we should probably be leaving now." I dash to the only person I think may possibly be able to defend me against Deacon''s wrath and Axel epts me into his arms without hesitation.

    "Take, Miss Banks, to her room and do not let her out until her heat is over," Deacon says in a low, controlled

    tone.

    "Yes, Sir," Luke agrees and opens the office door.

    "Wait,

    aren''t we teleporting there?" I ask.

    "We can''t, we have wards up that prevent it so no one can sneak up on us that way," Luke exins.

    "We can''t walk around campus in towels," I protest.

    "Here," Mr Collins sighs. He pulls a bag from under his desk and throws a pair of gym shorts to Theo. Then he

    6 BONUS

    removes his belongings from his suit jacket that hangs over his chair and throws it to me. Axel helps me into it and I pull the front closed, covering as much of myself as possible. I have to fight the urge to inhale deeply at his scent on the jacket.

    "Thanks," I smile at him and he nods. It looks as if he''s forgiven me already.

    "Yeah, thanks, this is slightly less embarrassing," Theo grins and ties the shorts as tight as he can. "I''m d we are all suitably dressed for our grand entrance back to school,"

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0072

    Walking through the academy is much less embarrassing than expected, we only see a few students and they give us a wide birth. They''re probably scared they might get mistaken for one of us if they get too close and then get assassinated. "Where are we staying?" I ask as we enter Ruby house.

    "Back in our apartment," Luke smiles.

    "Is it safe?" I frown, I can''t imagine having half the wall missing is the safest of ces to stay.

    "Yes, all fixed and we have upgrades. Bulletproof ss, reinforced walls and a whole new security system," he exins.

    "I need to call my mum and let her know we won''t be returning, can I borrow someone''s phone because I left mine," Theo says as we arrive at our door. Mason hands him his phone and pushes open the door to our apartment. Beeping begins to sound out and he punches a code into a box on the wall, silencing the rm.

    "I''m going to take a shower," Luke says, leaning over to kiss my cheek before releasing my hand and heading into his room.

    "Me too," Axel mumbles and goes into his room just as Theo closes the door to his room to call his mum. "Could you be any more obvious?" Mason shouts at them when he realises he''s been left alone with me.

    "Is it really safe?" I hesitate at the door to my room and look back at Mason.

    ¡°Safest ce in the whole apartment,¡± he shrugs.

    "How do we know no one has been in here?"

    "Because only four people know the code for the rm and we are all in here, even if anyone managed to get the wards down and teleport in we''d know, we have motion detectors covering every inch of the ce and a CCTV system covering the outside with 24/7 monitoring. It really can''t get any safer," he exins, sounding a little agitated with me.

    "Oh I don''t know, we could get a few armed guards," I smirk.

    "I''m the armed guard, now go to bed," he flicks his wrist and my bedroom door flies open behind me. I turn to face the damage and amp turns on illuminating the room in a soft glow. It''s just as they said, everything is fixed. I step into the room and the only sign that anything happened here is the smell of fresh paint with a faint hint of stale smoke. I turn back to Mason and find him staring at my bed, a haunted look on his face.

    "Thank you, for saving me, again," I say softly. His eyes flick to me and I can see the pain there, then his face turns hard, hiding his pain behind anger. "I know you didn''t do it for me, you don''t need to say it, but I''m still grateful," I say before he has the chance to use the words to hurt me.

    "I wasn''t going to say that," he frowns.

    "But you were thinking it,"

    "No, I was thinking that I''m going to take great pleasure in destroying anyone that tries to harm you again," he admits, I smile at him and move closer overwhelmed with the need to touch him. I ce a hand on his chest and I''m pleased when he doesn''t push me away. "I did it for myself because I was weak. I let myself care and all that does is leave me open to be hurt,"

    "Mason, caring doesn''t make you weak," I push up on my Eptoes and pepper kisses along his jaw, he doesn''t react until I get to his mouth. He kisses me back, gently at first and then as if a switch is flipped he pushes me against the wall with a growl, pinning my hands above my head with one of his. He yanks the towel from my body, leaving me in nothing but Mr Collins'' suit jacket. His fingers find my

    core w

    Walking through the academy is much less embarrassing than expected, we only see a few students and they give us a wide birth. They''re probably scared they might get mistaken for one of us if they get too close and then get assassinated. "Where are we staying?" I ask as we enter Ruby house.

    "Back in our apartment," Luke smiles.

    "Is it safe?" I frown, I can''t imagine having half the wall missing is the safest of ces to stay.

    "Yes, all fixed and we have upgrades. Bulletproof ss, reinforced walls and a whole new security system," he exins.

    "I need to call my mum and let her know we won''t be returning, can I borrow someone''s phone because I left mine," Theo says as we arrive at our door. Mason hands him his phone and pushes open the door to our apartment. Beeping begins to sound out and he punches a code into a box on the wall, silencing the rm.

    "I''m going to take a shower," Luke says, leaning over to kiss my cheek before releasing my hand and heading into his room.

    "Me too," Axel mumbles and goes into his room just as Theo closes the door to his room to call his mum. "Could you be any more obvious?" Mason shouts at them when he realises he''s been left alone with me.

    "Is it really safe?" I hesitate at the door to my room and look back at Mason.

    "Safest ce in the whole apartment," he shrugs.

    "How do we know no one has been in here?"

    "Because only four people know the code for the rm and we are all in here, even if anyone managed to get the wards down and teleport in we''d know, we have motion detectors covering every inch of the ce and a CCTV system covering the outside with 24/7 monitoring. It really can''t get any safer," he exins, sounding a little agitated with me.

    "Oh I don''t know, we could get a few armed guards," I smirk.

    "I''m the armed guard, now go to bed," he flicks his wrist and my bedroom door flies open behind me. I turn to face the damage and amp turns on illuminating the room in a soft glow. It''s just as they said, everything is fixed. I step into the room and the only sign that anything happened here is the smell of fresh paint with a faint hint of stale smoke. I turn back to Mason and find him staring at my bed, a haunted look on his face.

    "Thank you, for saving me, again," I say softly. His eyes flick to me and I can see the pain there, then his face turns hard, hiding his pain behind anger. "I know you didn''t do it for me, you don''t need to say it, but I''m still grateful," I say before he has the chance to use the words to hurt me.

    "I wasn''t going to say that," he frowns.

    "But you were thinking it,"

    "No, I was thinking that I''m going to take great pleasure in destroying anyone that tries to harm you again," he admits, I smile at him and move closer overwhelmed with the need to touch him. I ce a hand on his chest and I''m pleased when he doesn''t push me away. "I did it for myself because I was weak. I let myself care and all that does is leave me open to be hurt,"

    "Mason, caring doesn''t make you weak," I push up on my Eptoes and pepper kisses along his jaw, he doesn''t react until I get to his mouth. He kisses me back, gently at first and then as if a switch is flipped he pushes me against the wall with a growl, pinning my hands above my head with one of his. He yanks the towel from my body, leaving me in nothing but Mr Collins'' suit jacket. His fingers find my core whilst he kisses along my jaw and down my neck.

    "Your wolf might have dominated mine, but make no mistake little one, in this form, I''m in charge," he growls against my neck and then bites down, marking me in the same ce that I''d marked him as his fingers work my clit. The mix of pleasure and pain is thrilling and he savagely rips an orgasm from me.

    "Take what you need from me, Mason," I pant. I can see how much he needs this. To feel in control and take what is his. He releases my hands and makes quick work of freeing his erection, then he lifts one of my legs to wrap around his waist, positioning himself at my entrance he surges forward. I cling to his shoulders and cry out at the fierce reunion of our bodies. Encouraged by my moans he pounds into me with reckless abandon. I feel his walls breaking down with his every thrust, all his pain and anger ebbing away as he finds his way back to me. hilst he kisses along my jaw and down my neck.

    "Your wolf might have dominated mine, but make no mistake little one, in this form, I''m in charge," he growls against my neck and then bites down, marking me in the same ce that I''d marked him as his fingers work my clit. The mix of pleasure and pain is thrilling and he savagely rips an orgasm from me. "Take what you need from me, Mason," I pant. I can see how much he needs this. To feel in control and take what is his. He releases my hands and makes quick work of freeing his erection, then he lifts one of my legs to wrap around his waist, positioning himself at my entrance he surges forward. I cling to his shoulders and cry out at the fierce reunion of our bodies. Encouraged by my moans he pounds into me with reckless abandon. I feel his walls breaking down with his every thrust, all his pain and anger ebbing away as he finds his way back to me.

 Chapter 0073

    +35 BONUS

    "Fuck, Josie," he grunts as he chases his release until we detonate together. We breathe heavily as we both float back down from our high. "Good girl," he praises and ces a gentle kiss over the spot where he''d bitten me. Then he lifts me and moves across the room toy me on the bed. "Stay here," he says before going to the bathroom. I hear the water turn on and then momentster he returns with two washcloths. He ces one over my bite mark and the warmth soothes the tender skin instantly. He pushes my legs open and begins using the other to clean between my legs.

    "It''s fine, I can shower," I try to stop him, feeling a little ufortable at his caring for me.

    "No, you won''t, you''ll let me clean you and then you''ll sleep," he grumbles. "Theo," he calls over his shoulder. Theo appears in the doorway secondster, he must have been waiting outside, I wonder if he was watching us. Make sure she doesn''t leave this bed, she needs to sleep. I''m going to check the cameras,"

    "Okay," Theo says nervously and Mason tosses the washcloth at him and moves to walk out before he stops and looks back.

    "Oh, and Theo, next time eithere in and participate or fuck off back to your room," he says before leaving and

    closing the door behind him. Theo gapes at him and then looks back at me with wide eys before leaving and

    you okay?" he mouths. I nod and smile to reassure him that I am fine. I want to tell him more, that it was amazing and that I think I broke down Mason''s walls again but I''m sure he will be listening to us. I sit up in the bed and peel the cloth from my neck, trying to look at the bruise I know is there.

    "Shit, babe," Theo whispers andes to examine the bruise. "Does it hurt,"

    "Yes, but it''s fine, it''s a good pain," I smile. "Can you exin these alpha marks to me?" I ask, still not fully sure what I did.

    "Sure, let''s get into bed and I''ll tell you all about it," he nods. He pulls back the covers and climbs into the bed, he is wearing his own shorts now and he keeps them on but he pulls off his t-shirt and tosses it across the room. He holds his arms out for me and I crawl up the bed to him. He wraps an arm around me and I rest my head on his shoulder. If he notices I''m still wearing Deacon''s jacket he doesn''t say anything as he begins to exin the mark of the alpha. I learn that only the most powerful and dominant of wolves can mark their mate, or mates. The dominant wolf will only mark wolves they deem worthy and it''s a clear show of intention to breed with that wolf.

    "So basically my wolf just dered to the realm that she intends to have your pups?" I huff.

    "Pretty much," heughs.

    "Sorry," I cringe and bury my face into his chest. What if they don''t even want kids? We haven''t even had time for that kind of conversation.

    "You have nothing to apologise for, I''m honoured that she deems me worthy," he strokes my hair.

    "As am 1," Axel''s voicees from the door as he opens it. He is wearing just a pair of shorts and I can''t help but admire him. "Room for another?" he nods towards the space on my other side and I nod eagerly. Luke arrives momentster and pouts when he sees both spaces at my sides taken.

    "We are going to have to make a sleeping schedule," he frowns andys across the bottom of the bed.

    "Or maybe we could have her spread out like a starfish and we all get to cuddle a limb each?" Theoughs.

    Luke snakes a hand under the covers and wraps his fingers around my ankle, providing me the extra contact I

    crave.

    "Who is taking care of the first heat wave?" Luke yawns.

    pels to her first when dats." Thruseldie

    "Game on," Axel agrees. They banter back and forth quietly and I drift off to sleep happily listening to their voices, feeling their skin on mine and breathing in five of the best scents.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0074

    The next morning I wake up on top of Axel, Theo is snuggled in on one side and Luke is on the other. I''m not quite sure how this happened. I''m a little disappointed that Mason isn''t here but I don''t think group snuggling is his thing. I wonder if I could crawl into his bed with him for some one-on-one time. I gently extract myself from the bed, careful not to wake anyone and I creep out of my bedroom. I ce my hand on Mason''s door handle and I''m about to open it when I hear a noise behind me.

    "What are you doing?" Theo whispers.

    "I want to cuddle with him," I whisper back.

    "Fine, but I''ming," he sighs.

    "Come on then before he wakes up and gets grumpy,

    "You are going to get us in so much trouble," heughs quietly, I push the door open slowly and freeze when Mason rolls onto his back. He is only wearing his boxers, his stunning tattoos on full disy. Theo urges me forward when Mason''s breathing evens out and we each crawl into the bed on either side of him, we inch closer until we are both pressed into his side and then Ice my fingers with Theo''s on top of Mason''s chest. I sigh softly in contentment, it''s nice to finally hold Mason whilst he''spletely rxed.

    "Why are you two in my bed?" Mason''s sleepy voice startles me.

    "Erm... it''s my heat, I needed your contact," I lie.

    "Hmm, and you Theo?" he asks, sounding unconvinced.

    "I think I''m developing an empath gift and taking on Josie''s symptoms," Theo groans and I almostugh.

    "Is that right? Let me check," Mason hums and I have no idea what he''s checking

    but Theo looks worried. "You are both lying," Mason sighs.

    "What makes you say that?" I ask, acting offended.

    "Mason is an empath," Theo huffs.

    "Interesting. So you can feel what I feel?" I ask, an ideaing to me.

    "Yes, but not right now as my shields are back up. I have learnt to block everyone.

    I have enough of my own feelings to deal with, I don''t need anyone else''s,"

    I make eye contact with Theo, hoping he understands what we need to do, and then I look up at Mason and say, Drop your shields again,"

    "No, thanks," Mason snorts.

    "Just for a minute, please," I beg

    "Fine," he sighs. I close my eyes and rey the few good memories I have of him, letting him feel all the positive emotions he caused. Hope, safety, desire, gratitude, pride, excitement, awe and something close to love. His chest rises as he sucks in a breath. Heys still for a minute in silence and I hold my breath waiting for his reaction.

    "You know you could have just told me you were hungry, I didn''t need to use my gift for that," he eventually speaks and pushes himself up, then off of the bed, leaving me and Theo behind.

    "Hunger is not an emotion," I frown.

    "He feels physical feelings as well as emotional ones," The

    him.

    "I guess we should get breakfast then," I move to the edge swap Deacon''s suit jacket for the t-shirt and head to the kit more than hunger from us and if he wants to pretend he did

    "I think we might have overwhelmed him," Theoes up

    Maybe, but he needs to understand how much he is cared doesn''t need to push us away to protect himself. We will get happen," I say, shutting the kitchen cupboard with a sigh,

    "Just be careful, thest thing I want is for you to get hurt,

    "No one is going to hurt her ever again," Axel cuts Theo off

    "He feels physical feelings as well as emotional ones," The sighs and Mason ms the bathroom door behind.

    him.

    "I guess we should get breakfast then," I move to the edge of the bed and see Mason''s discarded t-shirt there. I swap Deacon''s suit jacket for the t-shirt and head to the kitchen, taking the jacket with me. I know Mason felt more than hunger from us and if he wants to pretend he didn''t then that''s okay. The main thing is he knows.

    "I think we might have overwhelmed him," Theoes up behind me and whispers.

    "Maybe, but he needs to understand how much he is cared for. He needs to know we are his safe ce and he doesn''t need to push us away to protect himself. We will get through to him Theo, one way or another it''s going to happen," I say, shutting the kitchen cupboard with a sigh, move to the fridge.

    "Just be careful, thest thing I want is for you to get hurt, and..."

    "No one is going to hurt her ever again," Axel cuts Theo off as he joins us in the kitchen.

 Chapter 0075

    "Hey,¡± 1 grin at him and go to greet him with a hug

    "Is everything okay?" he asks, smiling down at me.

    "No, we have no food, "Iugh.

    "Well, that''s a problem," he frowns,

    "Could we call Mr Collins to bring us something? I need to speak to him for an update on my mum anyway," I ask, gripping his jacket a little tighter.

    "Nope, he''s busy for the next few days, your mum is fine, we can arrange a visit when your heat is done," Mason says as he walks out of his room, freshly showered and wearing a pair of jogging pants. His eyes go to the jacket clutched in my hand and then he notices I''m wearing his thirt and raises an eyebrow at me. "I''ll see if Dot can bring us something from the canteen,"

    "She can''t, she''s in heat," I shake my head and Mason grimaces.

    "Looks like two of us will need to go down and get something," Luke says with a sigh as he walks out of my room, his hair looking sleep-tousled

    ?????

    "I''ll go," Mason nods.

    "I''lle with you," Theo volunteers.

    "Fine, we will try and find Josie some clothes too so she doesn''t have to steal any more of mine," Mason huffs.

    Thirty minutester I''m pacing the apartment, and with every passing minute they''re gone my panic rises, "we should have gone with them," I rant to myself.

    "Hey, they''ll be fine, calm down," Luke tries to soothe me out until I see them in front of me I know I can''t be cated.

    "You don''t know that! What if whoever is after us sees them? They will target them because it''s easier to take out two than five of us, this is exactly what they want, to separate us, divide and conquer," I pine.

    "Josie, listen to me," Luke stops me and takes my free hand in his, "breathe, this is just your heat, your wolf is driving you to have all your mates around you. If you don''t calm your heart rate down then you are going to have them worried,"

    "No, it''s not that," I shake my head. He''s wrong. Luke looks at the jacket clutched in my hand and frowns.

    "Axe, go grab something of Theo''s" he says over his shoulder and Axel moves quickly, returning momentster with one of Theo''s hoodies and hands it to Luke.

    10

    "Hold this,¡± Luke says and gives me the hoody. I take it with a frown and then he wraps his arms around me, Axe," he says and Axel presses his chest against my back, sandwiching me between them. Peace washes over me and I feel like I can finally breathe again. "Better?" Luke asks and I hum in agreement.

    "Have you had any other signs of your heat apart from needing contact? Mason wasn''t sating your heatst night was he?" Luke asks.

    "No, just the overwhelming feeling of needing you all around me, touching me, and it feels like it is getting worse by the hour,''

    "Interesting, let''s see how today goes but I''m starting to think this may not be your heat," he says, his geek brain working overtime.

    "Does that mean you are all going to put your shirts back on?" 1 pout and Lukeughs.

    "I''ll take mine off for you whenever you need," Axel rumbles behind me and it sends a thrill straight to my core, and if I didn''t desperately need a shower I''d ask him if he''d remove his pants for me too.

    "I think maybe it is my heat, my thoughts are... not pure right now," I chuckle.

    "You know that you can just be horny without the heat. Would you like us to take care of you Josie?" Luke purrs.

    "Yes," I breathe, "but I need to shower first,''

    "Then you better hurry up," they both release me and I run to my bedroom. I ce

    my stolen clothing on my bed before pulling off Mason''s t-shirt and adding it to the pile before dashing to the bathroom.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0076

    howering as fast as possible I dash back out in my towel. Volces In the living area stop me and I grin when I hear Mason and Theo are back. I''m about to walk out to great them when I hear my narne mentioned. I pause, focusing my hearing to listen in on their hushed conversation.

    "How long are we going to try and keep this up for? It''s not fair," Theo says.

    "As long as we can, it''s for her own good," Mason responds

    "You

    saw how scared she was Theo, she''s not ready for that" Luke reasons.

    "And what if she''s never ready, what do we do then?" Axel asks.

    "Then we deal with that too," Mason grunts.

    "I just think we should let her decide for herself," Theo sigas.

    "We will, just not yet. She already has so much to deal with, she doesn''t need any more pressure right now," Luke

    says.

    "I''d also like to remind everyone that we have a huge responsibility weighing on us already, we don''t need to even consider the possibility of adding any more until we have dealt with the threats to us and this entire realm. End of conversation," Mason says with a raised voice, his temper ring up.

    Will the

    The room goes silent after his outburst and I have no idea what to do. Do I confront them?... Will they lie to my face about what I just heard if I do?... Or do I ignore it and let them lie to protect me from whatever they think I''m not ready to handle? That feels like the easiest option, I can learn to live this new life oblivious to whatever it is until they deem me ready to know. But there''s a huge problem with that, my detective nature. If I get a clue about something I have to follow it. There''s no way I can let this lie. I yank open the door.

    "What are you talking about?" I demand. All four sets of eyes turn to me. They look like four little rabbits caught in the headlights. Mason is the first topose himself.

    "Nothing, eat some breakfast," he says sounding bored.

    "I lost my appetite," I snap at him, "what are you hiding from me?"

    "Mace, if you don''t tell her, I will," Theoes to stand beside me.

    "No, you won''t," Mason snorts.

    "Deacon is your fifth bond," Theo says so fast that Mason has no chance to react. I stagger back in shock as shouting begins all around me. Deacon is my freaking bond!

    "Why were you hiding this from me?" I try to ask but ites out as barely a whisper. I stumble back into my bedroom, I need clothes, I have to find Deacon and ask him why. I open my wardrobe and find itpletely empty. Shit. All I have is a towel, Mason''s t-shirt, Theo''s hoody and Deacon''s jacket. I can''t run around the academy with no pants or underwear.

    "Josie," Luke says cautiously.

    "Get out," I shout at him.

    "Please, let me exin, we..."

    "I don''t want to even see you right now, get out of my room," I cut him off. He backs off and I copse onto my

    #

    bed. I want to go home, I want my mum and my best friend, Freya. I want my boring human life back.

    "Can Ie in?" Theo asks softly. I look up at him, he

    me the truth and he did tell me, despite Mason''s proto me too but I heard how he had been fighting to tel

    "Yes, but please could I borrow some underwear? I feel vulnerable like this," I motion to my

    ny towel. Theo nods and leaves, I hear more shouting but I try to block it out. Theo returns, looking pissed and hands me a pair of boxers that I quickly put on, along with his hoody.

    "Is that mine?" he frowns.

    "Yeah sorry, Axel stole it for me. Is that okay?"

    "You can have anything of mine, actually I like you wearing my clothes," he smiles but he looks sad.

    "Are you okay?" I ask.

    "I''ll be fine. Mason hates me but whatever," he shrugs.

    "He doesn''t hate you, he''s just mad, he will calm down. Thank you for telling me, but please don''t hide things like that from me again,''

    "I won''t, I never wanted to in the first ce but Luke, Mason and Deacon said it would only hurt you if you knew," he sighs.

    "Hurt me how?" I frown.

    "Because you can''t be with him, Jose, not like you can with us, not yet anyway,"

    "Why not?"

    "Thank you, Theo, but I think I can take it from here," the deep voice of Mr Collins interrupts and my heart skips a beat. I look up at him standing in my doorway and if I wasn''t so angry I''d probably swoon. Why does the asshat have to look so damn good right now?

 Chapter 0077

    "Are you sure you can be trusted around her, you do know her heat is starting?" Theo asks bitterly.

    "The timing is not great, I have you to thank for that, I suggest you stay very close," Deacon says, sounding very much like the headmaster and not a part of our bond..

    "Yes, Sir," Theo mocks, "Jose, I''ll be right outside the door, if you need me just shout,"

    "Thanks, Theo," I smile at him, happy for his support and is attitude towards Deacon on my behalf. Deacon closes the door behind Theo andes to sit beside me with a sigh. I keep my eyes trained on the carpet.

    "Josie, I didn''t want you to find out this way, and especially not now," he says softly.

    "Why? Why didn''t you want me to know?" I fight back the tears. I won''t let him see me cry.

    "There are a few reasons, the first one being that you are only 18,"

    "So there''s a bit of an age gap, that''s your biggest issue?" snort. I can''t believe

    this guy. He didn''t seem to mind it when he was kissing me right before I triggered The Spark bond with the others. Shit. The Spark, he can''t touch me without triggering it.

    "It is an issue, yes, but not in the way you are thinking. Do you remember right before your first shift when you were upset about the possibility of falling pregnant at such a young age, I told you that our males do not bte fertile until the age of 25. I''m 26, Josie," he exins and I feel sick. That''s why he was so offended when I mentioned unwanted pregnancies. So he hid this from me to stop me from falling pregnant so young?

    "But you should have told me, we could have worked something out," my voice trembles.

    "I did n to when the time was right, I was trying to find way to make it work. I didn''t want you to know and still have to keep your distance from me. I didn''t want you to suffer the way I am. I long for you every second of every day, it''s torture. You have no idea how hard it is to see you and know you are mine and not be able to touch you," he admits and it takes so much willpower not to jump into his

    arms.

    "But why would we have to keep our distance? Is it because of The Spark?" I frown. I don''t understand. I get we can''t have sex but we can cuddle at least, can''t we?

    "Yes, but..." he stops talking and I look up at him, he searches my face and smiles softly, then he reaches over and takes my hand in his. I flinch at the contact, expecting him to drop dead but nothing happens. I look down at my hand in his and then look back at his face. "We already have The Spark bond," he smiles.

    "How? When?" I gape.

    "When you were in thea. It was the only way I could prove to Mason that he could trust me to keep you safe, but it''s very important no one finds out. We don''t know who is trying to take you out of the picture, and if they find out that any of you have ess to my level of power they will up their game. We need to keep this quiet, at least until you have all trained to harness your new gifts,"

    "Okay, I can do that. I won''t tell a soul," I nod, understanding how important this is for all of our safety.

    "I know you won''t, nowe here, let me finally hold you," he pulls me towards him and I go eagerly, climbing into hisp. He leans forward and kisses me gently. You have no idea how much I think about you, how I want to be able to visit you for real and not just in a dream,"

    "Wait, are you saying that dream was actually you?" I gasp

    "Yes, I can dream walk," He smirks, "I couldn''t resist you any longer, it was the only way I could be with you safely," He brushes my hair from my face and looks into my eyes, "I want you to know I''ll do everything within

    my power to keep you safe and make your life easier." his eyes suddenly turn serious and I know what he''s about to do but I''m powerless to fight it, he already has a grip on my mind, "Which is why you are going to forget that I''m your bond, I just came here to collect my jacket and tell you that your mum is doing great and you can visit her

    very soon,

    N.O Darling

 Chapter 0078

    "Thank you for your time, Miss Banks, I''ll have your new phone and clothes delivered to your room shortly," Mr Collins nods and walks out of my room. I blink in confusion. Why did we have to be in my room for that chat? I hear Theo shouting in the living area and 1 rush out to see what''s going on. Mason has Theo in a bear hug from behind and he''s struggling, Mr Collins whispers something to him and he suddenly goes still in Mason''s arms.

    "What''s going on?" I demand.

    "Compulsion training again," Luke exins spinning me to face him, "Are you hungry?"

    "Yes, I''m starving, but I want to see Theo act like a chicken" Iugh, trying to look over my shoulder to see the show, but I only catch Mr Collins leaving.

    "You know I''m starting to think that guy is a bit of a creep. I know he''s our headmaster and is supposed to help us but don''t you think he helps us a little too much?" Theo asks with a frown.

    "We are a special case," Luke shrugs.

    "Can we finally eat now?" Mason huffs.

    "I think I lost my appetite," Axel growls and I notice that his fists are clenched as he walks into his room and ms the door behind him.

    "Did I miss something?" I ask, looking between the guys. Theo frowns, looking just as confused at Axel''s mood as

    1. mc.

    "He''s just tired," Luke smiles and Mason grunts in agreement whilst he loads a te up with breakfast pastries.

    I take a te, grab a few of the pastries and head to Axel''s bedroom. "Axel?" I call as I knock on the door. "Can Ie in?"

    The door opens and Axel steps back, allowing me in before he ms the door behind me making me flinch.

    "Sorry," he mumbles.

    "It''s okay. What''s wrong?" I ask, following him to sit on the edge of his bed.

    ''Nothing, I''m fine, just in a bad mood," he sighs and points towards the door before tapping his ear, indicating the others might be listening. I nod in understanding.

    "Then it''s lucky I''m here to cheer you up then isn''t it," I grin, "eat," I offer him one of the pastries, and he shakes his head.

    "You eat," he half smiles.

    "Only if you do," I challenge.

    "Fine," he grabs one of the pastries from the te and takes a massive bite, making me giggle as he struggles to

    chew it.

    "So what should we do today?" I ask as we eat.

    "There''s not much we can do," he snorts.

    "Oh I don''t know, I was thinking we could get an Uber into town, maybe visit a restaurant and go to the cinema or bowling," I shrug.

    "Do what?" heughs, clearly having no idea what I''m talking about.

    "Ugh, what do you guys do for fun in this realm?"

    "We have parties with dancing, but they''re not really my scene. We watch TV, y video games, go for walks or a swim, run as wolves, read books," he shrugs.

    "I can''t wait to take you guys to the human realm," I sigh and flop back on his bed, imagining all the fun we could be having.

    "I''ve never been there, tell me about it," he says,ying back on the bed next to me. I tell him about all the amazing food we have, the fun activities we do and the sports we y. I find out that they do y some of the same sports here but they''re mostly just school activities and not the big events that we have in the human realm. We talk about music and he ys some popr music from this realm, which is different but not bad.

    "I wish I still had my old phone, I had some music saved on there," I say sadly.

    "Wait here," Axel frowns and leaves the room, he returns momentster with a box, "this is all of your stuff that they managed to save," he ces the box on the bed and I open it eagerly.

    I smile when I see my phone, it''s battered and the screen is smashed but when I press the power button the screen lights up

    with a t battery icon. I route through the box pulling out old college tex and some stationary and sigh when I reach the bottom without finding my charger. Then I remember I''d left it in the living area.

    "Be right back,¡± I grin and dash to retrieve my charger, which is right where I''d left it. I run back to Axel''s room and frantically search for a plug socket. I plug my phone in and hold my breath, the screen lights up, the battery symbol indicating it is charging. "Yes! Give me 5 minutes and then be prepared to be amazed by some real music," The moment my phone powers in I open up my music library and hit shuffle, the first song begins ying and I feel a little more at home. I push my box of belongings from the bed and climb up to lie next to Axel. Wey in afortable silence for a while, just listening to the music. Axel stares at his celling, he looks lost in thought.

    "Are you okay?" I ask him, I wish he''d open up to me.

    "Are you happy here, Josie?" he asks.

    "Happy here in your room?"

    "No, I mean in this realm, with us," he turns onto his side to look at me.

    "Mostly, I mean I''ve not had much time to get to know you all, and Mason is, well, Mason," I roll my eyes, wouldn''t say I''m unhappy, but I have an empty void inside me and I don''t think I can fill that vold here, I need my mum, my human friends. I think I could be happier if I was able to have regr visits back home and with my mum. Oh and if people stopped trying to kill us that would be great too,"

    "If you were given the option to go back to your old life, would you?" he asks and I have to think about that for a moment. Could I go back to being a regr human? Could leave my bonds behind?

    "My life wasn''t easy but it was simple, it was boring but it was also safe. I had my future nned out, finish university, get a good job, buy a house, maybe get married and have a couple of kids. Then I''d retire and help raise my grandchildren. Now, well, I have no clue," Iugh. "If I had to leave you all behind to return to my old life then no, I''d miss you all too much," I smile and reach over

    to touch his face. It''s crazy that I''d actually choose these men I barely know over everything in my old life but I know it''s the truth, we are bonded, our souls connected. I don''t think living without them is even a possibility now.

 Chapter 0079

    "Good answer," Axel smiles, and inches closer to me. "When all this is over and we have dealt with whatever threat we are here to deal with, I''d love to show you more of this realm, and maybe with a good cover story we can arrange regr visits to the human realm to visit your friends,"

    "If we survive the threat. I am nowhere near ready to fight alongside you guys, and we still don''t even know what it is we are supposed to do," I sigh.

    "None of us are ready yet, we didn''t develop any new gifts whilst you were in aa. James thinks we needed your mental connection to power share, whilst you were unconscious we went back to how we were before. Hopefully, now you are awake we will all progress together Once your heat is done we will focus hard on our training. Whoever it is we are up against are clearly not ready to carry out whatever ns they have though, if they were they''d have done it the moment they found out about us. They''d have tried to do it before, we are strong enough to stop them," he exins and I feel a little better about the whole thing.

    "You know, I don''t think I''ve ever heard you speak so much"ugh and he smiles shyly.

    "I realised that I''ve been chosen for something great, I''m finally an important piece of something and the past 6 weeks have taught me that my voice needs to be heard, even if I still get ignored half the time," he rolls his eyes.

    "You are important, Axel, and I''ll never ignore you. I love to hear your voice and your opinions," I smile and his eyes light up.

    "When your heat is over and if it''s safe, would youe to visit my family with me? I want them to meet you, to see how lucky I am, and finally prove I am meant for more than just a soldier," he asks, his eyes hold a pain behind them and I know I''m close to finding out his story.

    "Of course, I would love to, but even if you were just a regr soldier, that''s still an honourable and important role. In my country in the human realm, we adore our military, they''re our heroes and we celebrate them,"

    "My family have very different views, they believe that only dumb people be soldiers. That they have no other talents except brute force and a taste for violence. They wanted me to be more academic, more like Luke. They''d be proud to have a son like Luke," he admits and I have an urge to go and visit his family right now and give them a piece of my mind, heat or no heat.

    "Luke is amazing, every realm needs people like him, but they also need people like you. You are just as amazing and important. If everyone was the same with the same talents the realm would fail. What about your siblings? What do they do?"

    "They''re all much older than me. I was ate surprise for my mother," he snorts, "My eldest brother is a soldier, my sister teaches kids to read and write and my other brother is a chief,"

    "Are your parents disappointed in them too?"

    "No. They had extremely high hopes for me. It''s very umon for a female to have more children than she has bonds. My mum has three bonds so when she found out she would have a fourth child she was convinced I was a miracle, blessed to them for something great. I guess that''s why they put so much pressure on me and why they are so disappointed in me and not my siblings,"

    "Well they were right about one thing, "I grin and crawl up to straddle him, "you are destined for many great things, and I think one of them is about to happen right now in this bedroom," I lean down to kiss him. He meets my kiss with eagerness, his hands gripping my hips as 1 grind against him. I want to show him just how important he is to me. He tugs at the hem of my hoody and I sit up allowing him to pull it over my head and leaving me bare to him. His eyes roam my chest hungrily and he quickly flips us so I''m beneath him. Axel spends the next hour

    +29 BONUS

    showing me just how great he can be until we copse into sweaty and fully satisfied mess on his bed.

    My heat doesn''t develop any further than the clingy stage and we all agree that this is just how I am now. So the next morning we return to our training with Noel. New clothes and a phone are brought to our apartment for me, and Axel and Luke finally get their red ties, now officially members of Ruby. Despite my new clothes the guys quickly ept that I''m now a clothes thief, I have quite a collection of their hoodies and t-shirts in my bed, so many that it''s starting to be an issue. I overhear the guys discussing my little hoarding problem and that it''s getting out of hand but I can''t stop, I can''t settle without having their scents avable to me at all times. Despite the gruelling training we are doing that leaves me utterly exhausted at the end of each day, I often wake multiple times in the night, checking that I have all their scents but never feels right, as if the bnce is off or something is missing. After a week of training and terrible sleep, we are finally given a day off and Mr Collins calls us to his office for a meeting. The moment we enter his office and I see his tense expression I know this is not going to be good news.

    "Thank you for joining me, we have a few matters to discuss, please take a seat," Mr Collins motions to the couch. I sit between Luke and Theo on the couch, Mason sits on the other couch facing us and Axel stands behind me, a supportive hand resting on my shoulder. Theo and Luke both take one of my hands each and a pit forms in my stomach. Whatever this is about I have a feeling my bonds know about it and are here to support me.

    "I have some good news and unfortunately, some bad news" Mr Collins says from behind his desk, he avoids eye contact with me.

    "What is it about?" I ask, hating the suspense.

    "It''s regarding your parents,"

 Chapter 0080

    "What do you mean? Is my mum okay?" I demand, fear trickling down my spine.

    "Physically she is fine, but her mental health has taken a turn for the worse. Being in this realm is now causing her further distress. The doctors in charge of her care have a solution that they are sure will mean she can go back home and live a normal human life, free of any physiological issues, but this solution would require a great sacrifice from yourself," Mr Collins exins. I take a minute to process his words. They can fix my mum,

    she can go back to her old self before she became unwell.

    "Whatever it is I''ll do it, just tell me what I need to do," I nod, there''s nothing I won''t do for her.

    "Please take some time to think this over before you decide as I said it''s a great sacrifice. In order to relieve your mum of her mental burden, we would need to delete you from her life,pletely," he says and I suck in a breath

    "You mean,pel her to forget me?" I ask, my voice thick with emotion.

    "Yes, it''s not something we usually condone, but given the circumstances that caused her mental decline, permission has been granted. Ultimately though, the decision is yours," he smiles sympatheticly.

    "If this is the only way to help her then do it, but I want to see her first, I need to say goodbye," a sob rips from me without permission and Luke pulls me against him.

    "Of course, I will arrange for you to see her tomorrow. I have spent quite some time with her in thesest few weeks, she is a fiercedy and I can see where you get your fighting spirit," he says and I smile through my tears. I can imagine the abuse she has been throwing at him.

    "She is not afraid to say what she thinks," I snort and immediately follow it up with another sob.

    "She definitely isn''t, she has nicknamed me the handsome demon," heughs, "During our chats, I have managed to uncover some facts regarding your father if you would like to hear them," he adds. I frown and nod for him to continue. "Your mother informed me that she was already pregnant with you when she met her husband. The man that raised you was not your biological father, but he raised you as his own anyway, he didn''t love you any less, to him you were his daughter," he tells me and whilst I already suspected this might be the case, it''s still a punch to the gut to hear it confirmed. It doesn''t matter though, blood is nothing, he was my Dad in every way that mattered.

    "Who was my sperm donor then?" I ask, refusing to give the man who abandoned me and had no input in my upbringing the title of father.

    "I have not managed to work that out yet. We know that he must be a Grey, but all

    I was able to get from your mum was that he was a blue-eyed demon that seduced her with his mind. She is very confused about him, she has used multiple people of being him, including me, so I don''t think it''s worth distressing her with any further questions,"

    "Are you saying that hepelled her into having sex with him?" I fume. When I find him, I will kill him.

    "I can''t be sure, she definitely has signs ofpulsion but her mind is so damaged that I can''t sort through it," he grimaces.

    "How soon can you fix her?" I ask. I want her free of all this. I don''t want to lose her but to keep her in my life. would be selfish.

    "There are a few details we need to work out, she would need to relocate to a ce no one knows her with a new identity and a new backstory. I can provide all of that, I have a few properties in the human realm that I inherited from my father, and she is wee to reside in one of those for as long as she likes. I will send the details of each

    one to your email and you can choose which you think is best for her," he smiles and I am filled with gratitude.

    "Thank you, Sir, I can''t tell you how much I appreciate this "I breathe.

    "Yes, it''s awfully kind of him, isn''t it?" Theo says and his voice is full of suspicion. "Theo," Mason wams.

    "What? This is great, I''m d Josie''s mum is going to be taken care of but is no one else thinking there must be a catch to this level of help?" Theo scoffs.

    "I assure you, Mr Henry, there is no catch. Josie and her mum''s case is unique and one of our kind is responsible for this, the least I can do for one of my students is use my gifts to help right this wrong and loan out one of my empty properties," Mr Collins defends.

    "Sure, whatever you say. Are we done here? I think Josie needs some alone time with her bonds whilst she processes all this," Theo stands and reaches a hand out to me.

    ''Actually I do need to discuss your training, but feel free to take Miss Banks back to your apartment, I''m sure Mason, Luke and Axel can provide me with all the information I need," Mr Collins

    says.

    "I''m going with them, you don''t need me for this discussion," Axel grunts and seems to have some kind of stare- off with Mr Collins.

    "Fine," Mr Collins eventually agrees, ¡°Miss Banks I''ll email the properties over to you soon," he adds.

    "Thank you, for everything," I take a step towards his desk, I want to hug him, but then I realise that''s weird and stop myself.

    I leave with Axel and Theo and we walk in silence until we get back to the apartment.

    "I''m going to run you a

    "What do you mean? Is my mum okay?" I demand, fear trickling down my spine.

    "Physically she is fine, but her mental health has taken a turn for the worse. Being in this realm is now causing her further distress. The doctors in charge of her care have a solution that they are sure will mean she can go back home and live a normal human life, free of any physiological issues, but this solution would require a great sacrifice from yourself," Mr Collins exins. I take a minute to process his words. They can fix my mum,

    she can go back to her old self before she became unwell.

    "Whatever it is I''ll do it, just tell me what I need to do," I nod, there''s nothing I won''t do for her.

    "Please take some time to think this over before you decide as I said it''s a great sacrifice. In order to relieve your mum of her mental burden, we would need to delete you from her life,pletely," he says and I suck in a breath

    "You mean,pel her to forget me?" I ask, my voice thick with emotion.

    "Yes, it''s not something we usually condone, but given the circumstances that caused her mental decline, permission has been granted. Ultimately though, the decision is yours," he smiles sympatheticly.

    "If this is the only way to help her then do it, but I want to see her first, I need to say goodbye,¡± a sob rips from me without permission and Luke pulls me against him.

    "Of course, I will arrange for you to see her tomorrow. I have spent quite some time with her in thesest few weeks, she is a fiercedy and I can see where you get your fighting spirit," he says and I smile through my tears. I can imagine the abuse she has been throwing at him.

    ¡°She is not afraid to say what she thinks,¡± I snort and immediately follow it up with another sob.

    "She definitely isn''t, she has nicknamed me the handsome demon," heughs, ¡°During our chats, I have managed to uncover some facts regarding your father if you would like to hear them," he adds. I frown and nod for him to continue. "Your mother informed me that she was already pregnant with you when she met her husband. The man that raised you was not your biological father, but he raised you as his own anyway, he didn''t love you any less, to him you were his daughter," he tells me and whilst I already suspected this might be the case, it''s still a punch to the gut to hear it confirmed. It doesn''t matter though, blood is nothing, he was my Dad in every way that mattered.

    "Who was my sperm donor then?" I ask, refusing to give the man who abandoned me and had no input in my upbringing the title of father.

    "I have not managed to work that out yet. We know that he must be a Grey, but all

    I was able to get from your mum was that he was a blue-eyed demon that seduced her with his mind. She is very confused about him, she has used multiple people of being him, including me, so I don''t think it''s worth distressing her with any further questions,"

    "Are you saying that hepelled her into having sex with him?" I fume. When I find him, I will kill him.

    "I can''t be sure, she definitely has signs ofpulsion but her mind is so damaged that I can''t sort through it," he grimaces.

    "How soon can you fix her?" I ask. I want her free of all this. I don''t want to lose her but to keep her in my life. would be selfish.

    "There are a few details we need to work out, she would need to relocate to a ce no one knows her with a new identity and a new backstory. I can provide all of that, I have a few properties in the human realm that I inherited from my father, and she is wee to reside in one of those for as long as she likes. I will send

    the details of each

    one to your email and you can choose which you think is best for her," he smiles and I am filled with gratitude.

    "Thank you, Sir, I can''t tell you how much I appreciate this "I breathe.

    "Yes, it''s awfully kind of him, isn''t it?" Theo says and his voice is full of suspicion.

    "Theo," Mason wams.

    "What? This is great, I''m d Josie''s mum is going to be taken care of but is no one else thinking there must be a catch to this level of help?" Theo scoffs.

    "I assure you, Mr Henry, there is no catch. Josie and her mum''s case is unique and one of our kind is responsible for this, the least I can do for one of my students is use my gifts to help right this wrong and loan out one of my empty properties," Mr Collins defends.

    "Sure, whatever you say. Are we done here? I think Josie needs some alone time with her bonds whilst she processes all this," Theo stands and reaches a hand

    out to me.

    ''Actually I do need to discuss your training, but feel free to take Miss Banks back to your apartment, I''m sure Mason, Luke and Axel can provide me with all the information I need," Mr Collins

    says.

    "I''m going with them, you don''t need me for this discussion," Axel grunts and seems to have some kind of stare- off with Mr Collins.

    "Fine," Mr Collins eventually agrees, "Miss Banks I''ll email the properties over to you soon," he adds.

    "Thank you, for everything," I take a step towards his desk, I want to hug him, but then I realise that''s weird and stop myself.

    I leave with Axel and Theo and we walk in silence until we get back to the

    apartment.

    "I''m going to run you a bath and pamper you," Theo kisses my cheek and leads

    me to the bathroom. Axel follows and he closes the door behind him when the water begins running.

    "Okay spill, Axe, because I know you know something we don''t. What''s the deal with Mr Collins?" Theo asks quietly.

    bath and pamper you," Theo kisses my cheek and leads me to the bathroom. Axel follows and he closes the door behind him when the water begins running.

    "Okay spill, Axe, because I know you know something we don''t. What''s the deal

    with Mr Collins?" Theo asks quietly.

 Chapter 0081

    Axel looks torn. Theo is right, he does know something. He opens his mouth to speak and then frowns.

    "I can''t," he sighs.

    "Wow, so you do know something but won''t tell us," Thed

    "No, you don''t understand. I physically can''t," Axel rubs at his temples either from stress or a headache.

    "Shit, you''ve beenpelled not to tell us something," Theo begins pacing, "I knew something wasn''t right, I''m going to go and confront him," Then moves around me to leave but Axel steps in front of the door.

    "No, not again," Axel''s words are strained and he shakes his head.

    "Fuck, I''ve beenpelled too, haven''t I?" Theo curses. "What about, Jose, has she beenpelled?"

    A bead of sweat forms on Axel''s brow and his breathing bes faster.

    "Theo stop, I think it''s hurting him to even ask, we need to find another way," I take Axel''s hands in mine. "It''s okay, breathe," I tell him.

    "Sorry, Axe, don''t say anything else, you''ll be okay soon," Theo says andes over to pat him on the shoulder. Jose we need to be really careful, if we show signs we know we will probably getpelled again. We have to assume Luke and Mace have beenpelled too,"

    "Okay, but let''s talk about this alone. I''m not risking hurting him any further," I motion to Axel whose brow is creased in pain.

    "You don''t look so good, buddy, let''s get you on the bed," Theo takes one of Axel''s arms and wraps it over his shoulders to support him, and I repeat the action on the other side, ¡°I meant that in a totally non-gay way by the way," he adds, making me giggle.

    "Good, because you couldn''t handle me anyway," Axel groans in pain as we manoeuvre out of the bathroom door.

    +

    "Josie," Theo mock whispers, "I think Daddy Axe is trying to flirt with me,"

    I snort out augh, it doesn''t matter how bad of a day I''m having, I can always rely on Theo to make meugh.

    "Did you just call me Daddy?" Axel halfughs as we get to the bed.

    "What happened?" Luke rushes into the room, assessing Axel with concerned eyes.

    "Nothing he''s fine, he just had the orgasm of his life is all, Theo says quickly and I could kick him when I see Mason leaning against the doorframe, eyeing us suspiciously. Think horny thoughts. Think horny thoughts. I repeat in my head because I''m 99% sure Mason is using his empath gift to test us.

    "Josie, I think the bath is ready. Let''s leave Axel to sleep it off," Theo says and ushers me into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him quickly and leaning against it "fuck," he mouths.

    "Mason is reading our emotions," I whisper as quietly as possible.

    "I know," he grins and points to his erection tenting his pants.

    "We had the same thoughts then," I grin back. I love how in tune me and Theo

    are. I definitely don''t need a seer to tell me that he is my soulmate. He feels like

    my best friend, partner in crime and lover all wrapped up in a hot package. ™

    "Will Axel definitely be okay?" I ask, hating to leave him when he looked so unwell.

    "Yes, he will have a killer headache, he needs to sleep it off and then he''ll be fine,¡± he assures me and starts to help me out of my clothes.

    When I sink down into the bath Theo turns off the tap and sits on the floor beside me whilst I wet my hair. The bathroom door flies open and an angry-lookding Mason scowls at us.

    "What happened to Axel? And give me the truth this time, he demands.

    "I already told you," Theo shrugs and picks up the shampoo bottle.

    "And you expect me to believe it gave him a headache like that?" he scoffs.

    "Must be theck of blood flow to his brain," Theo smiles. Mason strides forward and grips Theo''s chin, forcing him to look at him.

    "Which one of you gave him this amazing orgasm?" he growls and I snort augh. His head snaps to me, '' something funny?" he scowls.

    "You''re jealous aren''t you?" I smirk and Mason releases Theo. "Oh, no please continue, it''s quite hot to see you all possessive and jealous at the thought of Theo and Axel together. You know he calls him Daddy Axe," Thum

    "No, because I''m not gay," he growls, clenching his fists.

    "I know you''re not, but you do want Theo, there''s nothing to be ashamed of Mason. We want who we want," shrug. His eyes search mine and I see that look again, his walls breaking just that little bit further. His eyes move to Theo and soften further.

    "You have no idea what my dad would do to me if..." he stops himself and turns to leave. I feel like we just made the biggest breakthrough with him. He''s finally opening up about his father, giving us a glimpse of what scares

    him.

    "Nothing Mason, your dad will do nothing, because he''d have to get through me first," I dere.

    "And me," Theo agrees, Mason stops and turns back to us.

    "You have no idea who he is, what he''s capable of," he shakes his head.

    "Mason you are 22 years old and you are a part of the most powerful bond group in the entire realm. What the fuck can he do? And how would he even know what happens in this apartment?¡± Theo says. Mason hesitates a moment, looking like he''s searching for another reason he can''t have what he wants. When he can''t think of any more words he reaches out and grabs the front of Theo''s T-shirt to pull him closer, then he kisses him like a man that''s been starved of his favourite treat. A thrill of excitement for them both bubbles in my chest. Iy back in my bath and watch the show, pleased that we managed to distract Mason from his interrogation and happy to focus on two of the hottest men I''ve ever seen kissing rather than dwelling on what I have to do tomorrow.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0082

    Dread pools in my stomach as we leave the academy gates and arge ck car pulls up in front of us. The car is very simr to a stretched Hummer that we usually use for special asions in the human realm. I wish this car was taking us to a celebration and not to say goodbye to the person who created me. Six of us pile into the back of the car,

    the seats are set out in a rectangle, all facing each other. I sit between Axel and Theo, holding both of their hands. Axel had made a full recovery by the time we woke up this morning, Mason is back to wearing his trademark frown and sits with Luke opposite us. Mr Collinssits alone in a chair on our left and Then keeps eyeing him with suspicion. Luke watches me with concern as we start the journey in silence. It feels like we are going to a funeral, and I guess in a way, we are. Today I will lose my mum. I have no idea how I am going to do this, but I know I have to. She deserves this.

    "I don''t know what to say to her," I admit, breaking the silence in the car.

    "Say what you feel you need to," Mr Collins gives me a sympathetic smile.

    "I don''t even know where to start, how do I say goodbye to the only person I''ve known for my whole life?" my voice trembles.

    "You don''t have to say goodbye, you can still see her asionally. She just won''t know who you are," giving me a small piece of hope.

    he says,

    I''d chosen a small cottage near the beach for her. She would love it there, she always said she would move us near the beach one day. She used to love creating art before she became unwell, and she said when we moved to the beach she would go out to collect shells every morning to use them in her art.

    "I''d like that," I nod, smiling as I imagine going to the beach one morning to watch as she collects her shells. Maybe I''d make polite conversation with her and ask what she is doing with the shells and she would tell me what she has been making. I could even offer to help collect the shells with her. She wouldn''t know who I am but she''d be free of her mental torture. I''d get to see her beautiful carefree smile again. I''ve missed that smile so much.

    "Everything is set up for her, we have her new identity and back story in ce so as soon as you''re ready, just give me the nod," Mr Collins says as we pull up outside a beautiful building. It looks nothing like a psychiatric hospital and exactly like an old English manor house with stunning walled gardens surrounding it. I blow out a breath and nod in understanding

    "Let''s get this over with. It''s time to free my mum," I scoot over in my seat and exit the car. Luke pulls me into a hug and kisses me on top of the head.

    "We will be right out here waiting for you," he says.

    "You''re noting in with me?" I frown.

    "We thought you''d probably want some time alone with her," he exins.

    "No," I shake my head and look at my bonds, "I want her to meet you all, she probably won''t react positively to you but I want her to meet the men I will spend the rest of my life with. I want the experience of introducing you all to my mum. Please let me have that experience with her,"

    "Of course," Theo smiles and takes my hand. The others all agree and we head inside together.

    "Miss Banks, it''s so lovely to finally meet you. I''m Doctor ck and I''ve been in charge of your mum''s care, I must say you have a striking resemnce to your mother," a short man with a kind face and greying hair greets

    1. me.

    "Thank you, how is she today?" Lask as he guides us up the stairs.

    +26 BONUS

    "As feisty as usual," he chuckles, "I must say I am happy you made the decision you did but she will certainly be missed around here. She is currently in the art room, she is the calmest in there," he stops outside a door, "are you ready?" he asks and I take a steadying breath before nodding. Mr ck knocks on the door and secondster ady of around Mr ck''s age opens the door, she smiles warmly at us all and steps back to allow us in. The room is bright and airy. Painted canvases rest on easels, and the room is heavy with the scent of paint. My mum has her back to us, she is wearing a nightgown and slippers and she lumns as she paints.

    "Mum," I say softly and she freezes, mid-paintstroke.

    "No," she gasps and then spins in her seat to look at me, "Ch no, they found you, I knew they''d find you, they came for your soul Josie, I''m sorry I couldn''t save you," she begins to weep.

    "Mum, I''m fine, I promise," I rush to her, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in mine.

    "You don''t understand, they''re demons Josie Bean, they know you are one of them and they want to seduce you with their minds," she grips my hands tightly.

    "They''re not demons mum, they are here to help us, they are going to help you,¡± I smile, trying to calm her.

    Watch that one there, the handsome one, he''s very interested in vou, he''s going to use your womb to grow his demon spawn," she points at Mr Collins.

    "Mum, that''s Mr Collins, my headmaster, and he''s a kind man who has helped me so much already, and he''s going to help you too. He''s going to take you home. You''re going to live by the beach mum and collect your shells

    face. and then turn them into beautiful art. You''re going to be so happy," I smile with tears rolling down my

    "Will you being too?" she blinks, a moment of rity dear in her eyes. She reaches her hands up to my face and wipes away my tears with a motherly smile.

    "Not yet, but I will visit you real soon, I promise," I rest my head on herp and she strokes my hair for a moment. Something she used to do often when I was a child

    My mum stands from her chair suddenly, making me fall back onto my butt, "I''m not leaving you here, I will stay and protect you from these blue-eyed demons, I won''t let them take your soul. I''m supposed to keep you hidden from them until hees to collect you," she shouts, moving to stand in front of me protectively. "Who ising to collect me, mum?" I push up to my feet

    "The demon that nted you in my womb, he said to keep them away from you," Chapter 0083

 Chapter 0083

    "Can you remember his name?¡± I ask, praying she stays lucid long enough to give us some answers,

    "Grey, his name was Grey, he said he would collect you on your 18th birthday. So I ran to a ce I never thought he''d find us. Keep running Josie, run so he doesn''t find you, hising for your soul," her hands begin to tremble and her eyes dart around wildly as she spirals back into Insanity.

    "It''s okay mum, we are safe here. He can''t find us," I try to calm her.

    "Mrs Banks, it''s a pleasure to meet you, I''m Luke. I want to assure you that I will protect your daughter with my life," Luke says and her eyes snap back into focus to asses him.

    "Is this your boyfriend, Josie Bean?" she asks.

    "Yes, Mum, he''s one of them," I give Luke a grateful smile. "I brought them to meet you before you go home," "Oh gosh. How many do you have?" she asks me, her eyes wide and amused, ¡°tell me all about them. What are they like? Do they treat you well?"

    "You''re really putting me on the spot here," Iugh. "Let me think," I look at my four bonds and try to think of their best qualities and how they make me feel. How can I sum up everything I want to tell her about them in such a short amount of time? ¡°Luke is the brains, he has a sharp and inquisitive mind, and he''s a real gentleman. The chivalry is strong with this one. I hope I can be as attentive to his needs as he is to mine,"

    Luke grins proudly and my mum nods her approval.

    Then Theo steps forward, a warm smile on his face. "I''m Theo and I think your daughter is amazing, there''s nothing I wouldn''t do for her,"

    "Theo is the most loyal ally I could dream of, he''s kind, caring and hrious. He brightens even the darkest of days, it''s impossible not to smile around him. I hope to light up his world as much as he lights up mine," I tell her.

    "Baby girl, please don''t make me cry,in front of your mum, Theoughs, his eyes full of emotion as I guide my mum towards Axel.

    "Mum, this is Axel. He is sweet and shy, but he''s also the most fierce protector when I need him and always puts my safety and well-being above his own. He is my safe space, he makes me feel valued and heard. I want to be his safe space too and give him the peace he gives to me," I smile at Axel and he gives me the perfect example of his shy smile.

    "It''s nice to meet you, Mrs Banks, I will always do my best to keep Josie safe," he nods with a slight blush on his cheeks.

    I look to Mason next, he avoids my eyes and looks as if he''d rather be anywhere but here awaiting my introduction

    of him.

    "And this is Mason. Mason supports me through actions rather than words. He constantly tests my limits, pushing me to meet my full potential, and when things seem dire, Mason never fails toe through and pull me out of the worst of situations. I intend to do the same for him," I tell her and Mason audibly gulps before he gives us a small nod.

    "They sound lovely, and they''re all very handsome," she says softly before raising her voice into a bitter hiss, but they''re all filthy demons, they can''t have you!"

    "Mum, they aren''t. Don''t call them that," I defend. She grips my shoulders and stares at me intently with insanity

    12

    dancing dangerously behind her eyes.

    "Do you love them?" she demands and my tears return as she shakes me, "Do you love these disgusting creatures?" she bellows.

    "Yes," I cry and the sharp sting of a pshes my face. I stagger back and warm protective arms wrap around me. I breathe in Axel''s scent as my mum screams awful things at us. She ispletely lost to her delusions, it''s no longer my mum in there. I peek out from Axel''s embrace and see Mason using telekinesis to hold my mum in ce. She rages and spits like a wild animal. I can''t watch her like this anymore. It''s cruel and selfish of me to let this go on any longer. I could wait it out and hope for her to have another moment of sanity, to get my mum back for a few minutes, but it is not worth the torment she is going through now. I search out Mr Collins with my eyes and give him the nod. He returns it with a solemn nod of understanding and I bury my face into Axel''s chest with a sob. He holds me tighter and Theo and Luke huddle in, giving me the onlyfort they can as I lose my

    mum.

    Banks, sleep, rest now and don''t wake until I tell you to," Mr Collins'' sombre tone fills the room before it falls into silence. A wave of grief overwhelms me and my knees give up on me as a scream of agonising heartbreak rips from me. Axel holds me up and my guys whisperforting words that I can''t process. I don''t care what they are saying, just hearing their soft tones and knowing they''re with me is everything. I''m not alone. "Josie, look at me," Mr Collins''s voice is harsher than the others and Ipose myself enough to look at him. His eyes soften the moment my eyes meet his, then I look at my mum, she looks so peaceful in Mason''s arms. Despite her words to him he still holds her gently, giving her the only respect he can. Doctor ck offers to take my mum from him and he declines. "Josie," Mr Collins says softly this time and I look back at him.

    "Are you going to take my pain away?" I ask. Maybe it''s for the best.

 Chapter 0084

    I close my eyes, waiting for the words that will take this agony from me.

    "No, Josie, not in the way you think. I hope that I can give you somefort though. I think it would be beneficial for you to apany us to the human realm. I know from experience that you''ll probably rey thest memory you have with her whilst you grieve, I don''t want this to be the memory you rey," he exins.

    "Yes, I''d like that, thank you," I nod.

    "Erm, are we all going?" Theo asks.

    "If that''s what Josie wants then yes," Mr Collins says.

    "I''d like you all toe if you''re all okay with that,"

    "Of course, whatever you need," Luke says.

    "I''m in." Theo agrees but he sounds nervous. "Mace, you good to go?" he asks and I look at Mason. He gives a

    small nod.

    "Okay, but don''t we need sses?" Axel asks.

    "I have enough, although I doubt we will need them," Mr Collins retrieves his briefcase and arge duffel bag.

    "I hate to be rude, Sir, but do you have enough juice to get us all there?" Theo frowns and quietly counts us all.

    "Yes, it won''t be an issue," Mr Collins says, "Luke can you take Mrs Banks? Josie, hold onto me, please. The rest of you try to stay on your feet and don''t throw up on the carpet when we get there, it''s a new one,"

    Luke takes my mum from Mason and I wrap my arms around Mr Collins'' waist, I fight the urge to inhale his scent and tell myself that it''s just the grief and my gratitude that''s making holding him feel soforting. He wraps one arm around me and holds his bags in the other. Everyone huddles in closer.

    "Ready?" he asks, everyone confirms and he counts us down from three before the telltale nausea hits. Mr Collins''s arm tightens around me, keeping me on my feet and I screw my eyes shut, pressing my face into his chest whilst I focus on my breathing and wait for the nausea to pass.

    "Ugh, I hate this," Theoins and I hear a thud of someone dropping to their knees.

    "Yes, I''m afraid that even at my age I still struggle with the disorienting effects of teleportation," Doctor ck breathes.

    "Luke, there''s a bedroom through that door, you cany her in there," Mr Collins''s voice rumbles in his chest. "You good Axe?" Theo asks and I assume it was Axel that had dropped to the floor.

    "Yeah, just need a minute," Axel breathes.

    "When

    you are ready, you can have a few minutes with your mum before I start if you like. Then you can all wait outside. Doctor ck is going to stay with her for a few hours to help her get settled, he will bring her out onto the deck for a cup of tea so you''ll be able to see her if you go down to the beach," Mr Collins exins. I nod and take a breath, opening my eyes slowly. The nausea doesn''t return so I release Mr Collins and straighten up. I look around the room. It''s a cosy living area that seems a little cramped with so many of us in it but it''s perfect for my mum. Mason, Theo and Dr ck are sitting on the couch looking a little pale, Axel is slowly pushing himself back up to his feet and I give him a sympathetic smile.

    "Does my mum have everything she needs?" I ask.

    "For now, yes, I''ve had the kitchen stocked with the basics and I''ve arranged for one of my father''s old acquaintances to stop by tomorrow and try to befriend her, he is human but aware of our kind and your mother''s situation, he runs a local bookshop and has a job for her there if she wants it. He will keep me updated and make sure your mum thrives here," Mr Collins assures.

    "Thank you," 1 nod. Luke exits my mum''s new bedroom and I rush in to check on her. Sheys peacefully on the double bed. Her features are so rxed and she looks just how I remember her before the madness stole her from me. I sit on the side of the bed and take my mum''s hand in pine. "You are going to be so happy here Mum. There''s a stunning view of the beach from your bedroom," I smile as I look out of the window. Even inte October, the sky is blue and the water washes up onto the sand in gentle waves. The beach is quiet, with only a family walking a dog upying it at the moment. It''s perfect. "I''m sorry for what happened to you, you didn''t deserve such a cruel fate, but I hope your future will be everything you dreamed of, I wish I could be here to see it. You were a wonderful mother and I will cherish every memory I have of growing up with you, I hope when I be a mother that I can make my child feel just as loved and cherished as you made me feel. I don''t want to let you go, it'' breaking me that I have to do this, but to keep you would be selfish. Thank you for being my mum, I know it came "I lean over and at a great cost to you. You won''t know it, but I promise I will get justice for you. I love you, Mum, kiss her forehead before I stand and with onest look at her I turn to leave. Mr Collins is in the doorway waiting to take my mum and turn her into the carefree woman she deserves to be. I nod at him to go ahead and he gently squeezes my shoulder as I pass him. Luke waits with open arms and I run to him, letting him wrap me in hisfort.

    "How about a walk on the beach? These three have never experienced this realm, let''s go and get their feet in the sand," Luke says softly and I nod. I want to show them some of my world, and the beach is a pretty awesome ce

 Chapter 0085

    We leave the small beach house and I feel oddly at peace. My mum is going to

    be okay. I inhale deeply as the sea breeze brushes my face. Lake hands us all a pair of what look like reading sses and I frown at them.

    "What are these for?" I ask.

    "They hide any ir of power we have. Humans tend to freak out when our eyes glow blue," he smiles awkwardly.

    "I could have done with these years ago," I sigh, wondering if my mum would have been less crazy if I''d had a pair of these back then. I put the sses on and look up at the others, struggling to suppress a giggle at them all wearing sses. I remember Luke wearing these the first time I had seen him, I''d thought he just wore them for reading but now I understand why he wore them. "You know these would be more believable if we didn''t all have the same style? It''s not often you see a whole group of people wearing the exact same sses in this realm," "Usually we don''t travel here inrge groups but you''re right, they should mix up the style a little," Luke agrees.

    "We look ridiculous," Mason grumbles.

    think you look cute," Theoughs at him.

    "I am not cute, don''t ever call me cute," Mason huffs.

    We walk down the small beachfront, keeping our distance but staying close enough that I''ll be able to see my mum when Doctor ck brings her out onto the deck. We stop outside a small shop and Luke pulls a small wad of cash from his pocket with a grin.

    "I think we all could do with a treat," he pushes open the door and we follow him in. It''s a little convenience shop with a few beach items. We load up with fizzy pop, a selection of different choctes, a pic nket and coffee from the machine for me and Luke. As Luke is about to pay spot some national newspapers on a stand and quickly grab a few, wanting to catch up on what is happening here. I wish I''d brought my human phone, I could have gotten a signal and checked in with Freya while I was here.

    We head down onto the beach and setup our nket close to the water, we have a good view of my mum''s deck from here. I sit down to take off my socks and shoes, then roll up my leggings a little before walking the short distance to the sea. The icy water washes over my feet and I reminds me of when I''d first shifted and I feel my wolf rise under my skin. I know she isn''t trying to shift, she''s just letting me know she is with me and that brings mefort. A small shell washes up on a wave andnds right at my feet. I lean down and pick it up with a smile, shoving it in my pocket and looking out to sea. It''s such a beautiful ce.

    "This is freezing," Mason''s voice surprises me from my side and I turn to face him.

    "Yeah, it''s usually cold, but it''s autumn here so the weather is actually pretty warm for this time of year," I shrug.

    "What you said to your mum, about getting justice for her, I want to help you with that, not just for her but for you. You are already suffering for your father''s wrongdoings. You should not have to carry the weight of this too," he says and I search his eyes, I see the determination there. If anyone can understand suffering for their father''s actions then it''s him.

    "What kind of justice are you thinking?"

    "Whatever you deem appropriate, I have no limits," he smirks. I''m pretty sure he''s just offered to kill my sperm donor for me, is it bad that I find that hot?

    "I''m not sure what I want to happen to him yet, but sure, you can help on one condition,

    "What''s that?" he frowns.

    That you allow me to help you when you are ready to get your own justice, no limits," I hold out my hand to shake on a deal and he looks at it in confusion.

    "What do I need justice for?" he asks, suspicion heavy in his tone.

    "I don''t know because you haven''t told me yet, maybe you won''t ever tell me, either way, my offer still stands,"

    Mason is quiet for a moment before he puts his hand in mine and shakes it in a silent pact.

    "Mr Collins ising," Theo calls to us and I quickly turn to look at my mum''s new ce. The deck is still empty. Nerves flutter in my stomach. Did something go wrong? I walk up the beach to meet him. He lookspletely out of ce walking on the beach in his tailored suit and briefcase.

    "Did something happen?" I ask as soon as he''s close enough to hear me.

    "Everything is fine, she is making tea with her new therapist, she should be out soon," he says, he looks ufortable with what he has just done and I can''t me him for feeling that way. Even though he was helping it still must feel wrong to mess with someone''s mind like that. "We should probably sit so as not to draw attention to ourselves," he motions to the nket. I nod. We sit and share the chocte we had bought and the guys discuss among themselves which chocte they prefer and how itpares to what they have in Greys realm. I can''t pay them too much attention though because I''m too focused on waiting to see my mum. When she finally appears on the deck I breathe a sigh of relief. I focus my hearing on her and listen as she tells Doctor ck that she just moved in this morning and can''t wait to explore the vige. She leans against the railing and looks along the beach. When she starts looking our way I quickly grab one of the newspapers from the bag of goodies and open it to a random page, hoping she didn''t notice me watching her.

    ''UK public fear cults are taking teens as another 18-year-old goes missing'' the title reads. I read more of the article wondering what the hell I''ve missed now. ''Spection grows as the twelfth 18-year-old disappears without a trace from family home within two months. Parents are urged to check for signs of cult behaviour after a spate of disappearances across the country...'' I flip the page and curse when I see my face staring back at me from the page along with 11 other blue-eyed teens.

    "We need to get out of here, now," I say, turning to show the paper to the guys.

    "Hey, that''s you," Theo frowns. Mr Collins scans the article and looks around nervously. He takes note of a lone man in the distance, and a couple up on the road looking down at the beach.

    "Okay, here''s what we are going to do," Mr Collins stands before exining his n to get me out of here unnoticed.

 Chapter 0086

    my

    I take onest longing look at my mum, sheughs loudly at something Doctor ck says and happy tears fill eyes. She''s free and I feel it in my gut that she is going to be okay now. We walk as a group of 6 to the sea wall, it''s not perfect but it''s the most sheltered ce we can find without heading into the vige. Luke wraps his arms around me and perfectly times our teleport when the guys hold up the pic nket, pretending to shake it off as they shield us from any onlookers. Nausea grips me as soon as we arrive back in Greys realm. I close my eyes and hold onto Luke until my stomach settles.

    "Do you want to wait out here or sit in the car?" Luke asks, rubbing soothing circles on my back.

    "Let''s wait in the car, I want to read the rest of these papers," I breathe. Luke opens the door for me and I climb in. He informs the driver that we are waiting for the others to arrive and not to take us back to the academy yet. I hope no one noticed that two of our party had vanished into thin air and that the others find a safe ce to teleport back quickly.

    "How are you feeling?" Luke asks. I take a moment to asses my emotions. I''m definitely emotionally drained, it''s been such a tough day.

    "You know, I''m actually pretty good," I smile, "seeing my mum so carefree helped massively. I''m going to miss h¨¦r so much but I already lost her a year ago when she became ill. I''d get glimpses of her now and then but most of the time it wasn''t my mum in there, she was only suffering 1 might not ever be able to have a real conversation with her again but I couldn''t anyway, not really,"

    "Good," he smiles, "whenever you want to talk about her I''m here to listen, I''d love to hear your memories of her,"

    "I have so many good memories of her, she was a good mother. I''m sorry you had to see her at her worst today. That person you saw was not my mum, my mum would never have spoken of you the way she did,¡±

    "Hey don''t worry about that, besides, she did say I sounded lovely, and at least she thought I was a handsome demon and not an ugly one," he jokes and I snort augh.

    "What she said about my biological father being called Grey, do you think that''s really his name?" I frown.

    "I doubt it, that''s like a human naming their child human. It''s probably just an alias he used in the human realm," he shrugs.

    "Do you think he''s still looking for me? He can''t have been happy that he couldn''t find me when I turned 18,"

    "He must have nned to bring you here when you got your powers, but I don''t know why he didn''t n to bring you sooner. He had to know you''d be at a disadvantage by growing..."

    "Shit," I cut him off, opening the newspaper quickly to find the article about missing 18-year-olds. "Luke, I think I know what it is we are supposed to stop," my voice shakes with nervous realisation as I look at the faces staring at me from the paper. "They''re all like me, they''re all Greys raised in the human realm," I don''t know how I didn''t make the connection straight away.

    Luke takes the paper from me and reads the article, "I think you''re right, but why? What''s the purpose of hiding Grey kids in the human realm?" he frowns.

    "Could it be the unbonded? If they have been dered as having no bond then maybe it''s a desperate attempt to have a child of their own,"

    "It could be, but if they were so desperate for a child then why abandon it until it was 18? This has to be rted to their gifts. They only be useful to whoever

    is orchestrating all this once their gifts start to manifest. I think

    someone is creating an army," he says nervously.

    "I need ess to the inte in the human realm, is that possible here?"

    "No, it''s forbidden. I have been trying to ess it for your music device to work but I can''t break through. I know someone who does have ess though," he grins.

    "Who?" I ask, just as the car door opens and Mr Collins climbs into the back of the car followed by Axel, Theo and

    Mason.

    "I''ll give you a clue, he''s in the car with us right now," Luke mock whispers and my eyes shift to Mr Collins who looks back at me with suspicion.

    "What now?" Mr Collins sighs.

    "I need ess to the human realm inte," I smile at him as sweetly as possible.

    "Why?"

    "Because, I think we''ve just worked out why this whole Spark bond thing happened," I gesture to my bonds.

    "Exin,¡± he says, and all eyes move to me with interest. I tell them my theory and Luke expands on his thoughts. Mr Collins''s frown deepens and he pulls out his phone. "I''ll look into it," he says before letting the driver know we are ready to leave.

    "I''d like to look into it myself. After all, this is what I''m here for," I protest.

    "You need to focus on your training and sses, and trust me work on the rest," he says tly. My wolf bristles under my skin, bolstering me to show him who is alpha here, who it is that makes the decisions.

    I think ¡°With all due respect, Sir, this is the responsibility of me and my bonds, and whilst I appreciate your help, you are overstepping your role here," I say and I feel as though my wolf is powering my words. I''m not sure if she is trying to test him or challenge him but Mr Collins sits a little taller in his seat, his eyes shing blue as they bore into mine holding my stare. The ass is meeting my challenge, and enjoying it by the smirk on his lips.

 Chapter 0087

    I shift in my seat, my spine straightening to match Mr. Collins''s rigid posture, the tension crackles between us like static electricity. I can sense that he''s on the verge of some clever retort that could tilt this battle of wills in his favour. His confident smirk suggests he has an ace up his sleeve, but he remains silent.

    dig is

    "Careful, Sir. Her wolf is close to taking control, and we really don''t want her breaking free right now, she bites," Mason quips, his tone dripping with yful sarcasin as lucubs at the bite mark on his neck. I can''t tell if his aimed at me or Mr. Collins, but it has the desired effect. MrCollins''s steely gaze falters, and he lets out a defeated sigh.

    "Fine. But you''ll have toe to my office and use myptop," he buffs, his voiceced with resignation.

    "Thank you," I reply, a victorious smile spreading across my face as adrenaline pulses through me. Theo winks, clearly enjoying the show, but Axel and Luke give off a nervous energy, and they can''t seem to meet my eyes. What''s going on with them? 1 look back to Theo who is studying them now too, when he meets my eyes again he gives me a knowing look. This is a conversation for the showerter. Mr Collins gets more frustrated as we drive, he checks his phone every few minutes and his frown grows with every nce at the device.

    "Is everything okay?" I ask, gesturing to his phone.

    "My human contacts in the police department are not responding," he rubs at the back of his neck.

    ''Maybe they''re busy?" I shrug,

    "No, they would have informed me of the missing persons. They keep me in the loop on such things but I''ve had no contact from them for almost a month and they''re not responding to any of my messages,"

    "Are these contacts the ones that informed you about me?" ask.

    "Yes, it was pure luck it was one of them that found you and recognised what you were," he nods. "I just hope that whoever is looking for you didn''t find them,"

    A twang of guilt hits me in the gut and pools there. If something bad happened to those officers because they helped me then I have to get justice for them too. The air in the car feels heavy with tension as we make the rest of the journey in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

    As we arrive back at the academy, I can''t help but feel apprehension about what lies ahead. We head straight to Mr. Collins'' office, but I can feel the eyes of other students on us, filled with suspicion and curiosity. Their hushed conversations buzz in my ears, but I block them out. I know I might never fit in as just another face in the crowd, and honestly, that''s okay with me. I''m not looking to be Miss Popr, I already have my bonds and a few friends. Still, I don''t like to be at the centre of their gossiping.

    "Wee back, Sir! Did your trip go well?" rrisa''s perfect voice chimes as she eagerly strides up to us, falling into step beside us with folders clutched in her arms. A low growl rumbles in my throat, my wolf on high alert, ready to react to the presence of someone I can''t stand

    "Down, Girl," Mason mocks, and grabs one of my hands in his. It''s not an affectionate gesture, precautionary one.

    more of a

    "Yes, fine. You can leave us now," Mr. Collins says, a hint of impatience in his tone, causing rrisa to hesitate. I have to stifle the childish urge to stick out my tongue at her as we pass her in the corridor. His eyesnd on me and a small scowl forms on her face before she remembers herself.

    "But Dee, I have to give you these," she rushes back to his side and stops him with a hand on his forearm, which I hate, but not as much as the small smirk she shes back at me. I step forward with determination. I will break

    every finger that she is touching him with. Mason''s hand tightens around mine and he yanks me back to him.

    "Calm down," he hisses in my car. Luke opens a door to my left and Mason pushes me through it.

    "What the fuck," I demand, turning to face Mason and Lule who have their backs

    to the closed door, blocking me in-

    "Breathe Josie, you need to rx," Luke

    lys softly.

    "How can I rx when she has her hands on my....

    "On your headmaster," Mason cuts me off, "It''s none of your business who touches him," his words hit me hard, he''s right.

    "What is wrong with me? Why do I feel like this?" I ask, close to tears. Luke''s eyes soften and he steps forward to wrap me in his arms.

    "It''s been a really tough day, your emotions are heightened and it''s messing with your wolf too," he soothes.

    "No, it''s not that. I feel like he''s one of my bonds, I know he''s not but no matter how hard I try I can''t stop how I feel," I admit, "I think there''s something wrong with me,

    "Listen to me, there''s is absolutely nothing wrong with you..."

    "Luke," Mason warns.

    "No, fuck this I''m done. Fix this now," Luke spits back at him. A knock at the door interrupts whatever Mason is about to say.

    "Open the door," Mr Collins demands and Mason shifts nervously, stepping aside to let him in. I bury my face into Luke''s chest, too embarrassed to face our headmaster right now, he probably heard everything I said. I send up a silent prayer for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

    "Give us the room please, I''d like to talk to Josie in private Mr Collins says and my heart begins pounding in my

    chest. Shit.

 Chapter 0088

    "Actually. Let''s move this to my office, I''d rather not have his conversation in a filing cupboard," Mr Collins'' voice rumbles and I avoid looking at him as Luke guides me out of the room with an arm around my shoulders.

    We get to the office door and Luke wraps his arms tighter around me for a brief moment, kissing the top of my head, before releasing me to my fate. I step into the room and the door clicks shut behind me. The air suddenly bes thick with tension. I keep my eyes fixed on the floor, and I can feel the embarrassment zing on my cheeks. Mr. Collins steps closer, his presence radiating a warmth that sends shivers down my spine. He gently lifts my chin, forcing me to meet his piercing gaze. My heart races wildly as I lock onto his intense stare and I struggle to swallow around the lump of emotions stuck in my throa

    "There is nothing wrong with you," he whispers, and my pulse quickens. My mind spins in confusion as I search his eyes. "I feel it too," he adds, a knowing smile ying on his lips.

    "But why? If we''re not bonds, then what is this?"

    "We

    share a connection. Our lives are intertwined for an important reason. When the moment is right, everything will make sense, but that moment isn''t now. I need you to trust me, Josie. Can you do that?" His fingers brush against my cheek as he tucks a stray hair behind my ear, and that simple gesture is a promise of something much deeper than friendship. I know now with every fibre of my being that he is my bond, no matter how much he denies it and my brain tries to reject the idea, I know. He is mine, I just have to wait for him to admit it. That doesn''t mean I''m going to let this go though. If he needs a push to help him get to that ''moment'' sooner then I''m more than willing to help.

    "Yes, I can do that, but on one condition," I say, reaching up to unknot his tie.

    "Josie," he breathes, "we can''t," he says, although he makes no move to stop me from pulling the tie from his neck.

    "I know, but I''m keeping this," I smile and shove the tie into my pocket. He blows out a breath and I sense his

    relief.

    "You are driving me insane," he whispers as his hand finds my hip. He squeezes it gently as his eyes roam down my body, making my breath catch. "You have no idea how much of a temptress you are do you?"

    On

    "Clearly not quite tempting enough," I try to joke but my wordse out as a vulnerable sounding whisper. "Fuck this," he growls and drops to his knees in front of me. "Mason get in here," he calls, his breathing heavy. "What are you doing?" I ask as Mason slips through the door, closing it behind him. He looks at the scene in front of him with raised brows.

    "Proving just how tempting you are but I don''t trust myself alone with you. Thave to taste you though, just once, please," Mr Collins begs on his knees in front of me and a deep throb of desire begins to build in my core. What on earth is happening right now? I''m dreaming again, I have to be, because in no realm is a man like Mr Collins going to get on his knees, in front of Mason no less, and beg to ''taste me''. Might as well enjoy it I suppose, I shrug internally. I nod at the god of a man on his knees for me and he runs his hands up my thighs, sying his fingers as he reaches my hips. His eyes scan the room andnd on his desk and then a wicked grin spreads across his face. "Take these off and sit on my desk," he almost purrs tugging at the waistband of my leggings.

    "Yes, Sir," I quickly agree with a teasing smirk. He gets to his feet and guides me around to his side of the desk with a hand on the small of my back. I wish I''d have dressed myself a little sexier for this dream rather than leggings and an oversized hoody but I guess it doesn''t matter. Feeling confident I kick off my shoes and push down my leggings and underwear. Mr Collins hurns in approval as he removes his suit jacket and hangs it over the

    back of his chair, he unbuttons the top of his shirt and I hold my breath in anticipation of what I know he will do next. I bite down on my bottom lip to suppress a moan when he unfastens the button of his shirt cuff and rolls up the sleeve before doing the same to the other arm, revealing his strong forearms. How can he make such a simple action so erotic? 1 this rate I''m going to orgasm before he even touches me.

    "On the desk, Miss Banks," he demands, using my name teasingly, and nodding towards his desk. Mason shifts behind me and clears space on the desk for me. I push myself up to sit on the edge of his desk, the cold wood beneath my butt warms quickly as Mr Collins stalks towards me with hunger in his eyes. Mason wraps his arms around my upper body and slides me backwards, further onto the desk, then supports my weight so I''m half lying back. Mr Collins'' handsnd on my knees, forcing them apart and stepping in between them.

    my centre."

    "You''re so wet," he groans as he looks down at me. Then he leans down and licks a path straight up my Fuck, you taste so good," he hums before he devours me. He licks and sucks my clit like it''s hisst meal whilst Mason holds me in ce. Mr Collins pushes a finger into my core and I cry out in rapture. Mason quickly covers my mouth to muffle my screams adding to my fantasy as I get lost in oblivion.

 Chapter 0089

    "We managed to get pizza, some ple, and a selection of fru. That''s all they had left," Theo announces, jolting me back to the present. I blink, shaking off the remnants of sleep, and sit up slowly, orienting myself. The firm cushions of the couch in Mr. Collins'' office shift under my weight as I take in my surroundings. Mason is lounging on the opposite couch, his eyes glinting with amusement. Mr. Collins is at his desk, frowning intently at the screen of hisptop, his fingers tapping on the keyboard, lost in whatever task he''s doing

    Theo, Luke, and Axel, each carry a tray piled high with food the smell hits my nose and my stomach rumbles in response as they ce the trays down on the coffee table. My hand instinctively runs down the length of my thighs, reassuring me that I''m still in my leggings. Had I really just dozed off on the couch? The memories of my vivid dream flood back sending a thrill through me.

    My gaze flickers to Mason, who is watching me with a smirk that sends a rush of warmth to my cheeks, Oh no, he knows exactly what type of dream I had. Embarrassed, I quickly avert my eyes. I peek a nce at Mr. Collins again. He looks unusually dishevelled, a stark contrast to his typical polished style. His usually neatly styled hair is tousled, and his shirt is unbuttoned at the cor, his tie missing. I shback to my dream, how I''d removed his tie and shoved it in my pocket. I dip my hand into the pocket of my hoodie and a familiar silky texture sends my heart racing. I fight the impulse to shout "Got ya!" when I realize it''s his tie. That was no dream and now I have the proof. With a triumphant grin spreading across my face, I turn back to Mason. His eyes track the movement of my hand and he gives me a subtle shake of his head, a silent warning to keep my mouth shut. Okay, I''ll y along for now. I pull my hand from my pocket, leaving the tie hidden there as Theo sits on the couch beside me.

    "You good, Babe?" he asks, handing me a slice of cheesy pizza.

    "Thanks, yeah just tired, I must have dozed off," I smile and take a bite, humming with satisfaction as the greasy, cheese and tomato vour hits my tongue.

    "If you make that noise again we are not going to get any work done," Theo whispers, leaning over and stealing a bite of my pizza.

    "Look at this," Mr Collins says, almost sounding excited as he turns hisptop screen to face us. A picture of a dark-haired girl with a beautiful smile and piercing blue eyes is beside a more morbid picture of the same girl, her head framed by the cold metal of an autopsy table.

    "Is that the girl from the woods?" I ask, moving closer to study both pictures. It''s definitely the same girl, she has the same plump lips and a slightly upturned

    nose.

    "Yes, and she is one of the missing girls from the human realm," he points to the smiling girl on the left of the screen. "In my opinion, it''s the same girl,"

    "I agree," I nod, "What''s her name?"

    "Does it matter?" Mason grumbles.

    "Yes, it does. She is an innocent victim, the least we can do is respect her with a name," I scowl at him.

    "Amelia McNell," Mr Collins says drawing my attention back to him. ¡°I''ll make arrangements to get her back to her family,"

    "Thank you," I smile,forted in the knowledge that she will be reunited with her loved ones andid to rest in the way she deserves.

    "The question is, if she is a Grey that was hidden in the human realm for 18 years, then why kill her when she finally bes useful to whoever is doing this?" Luke asks

    +25 MONUS

    "I suspect she either had gifts that they deemed useless or he didn''t agree to their ns so they used her to send us a message," Mr Collins frowns. "It had to be something big for a Grey to kill a female,"

    "Maybe she activated a Spark bond," Theo shrugs as he bites into an apple.

    "That''s also a very good theory, they wouldn''t risk having Spark bond within their ranks. Not if they suspect that their ns are what has triggered the originals to be reincarnated," Mr Collins nods and the room falls into a tense silence at his words. We all know that this could very easily have been my fate. If Mr Collins hadn''t found me when he did it would probably be me lying on that morgueble right now.

    "We need to figure out what they''re doing. The biggest clue we have is the Greys they''ve created in the human realm. They must have a purpose in all this," Luke says as he begins pacing the office.

    "I think they''re creating an army," Axel speaks up and all eyes move to him, causing a slight blush on his cheeks.

    "Yes," Luke says animatedly. "Now we just need to figure out why. What''s their end goal?"

    "I think we should start with working out who it is, I''m going to make a list of every Grey with the ability to teleport. They are clearly travelling easily between realms so we know they have at least one teleporter high up in their ranks and we know this all started at least 19 years ago so they have to be over 37 years old now," Mr Collins exins.

    "Do you guys have some kind of gift registry?" I ask.

    "Yes, all gifts are listed in each Greys record, so unless they''ve somehow managed to keep gifts hidden we should be able to narrow the list quickly and start interviewing," Mr Collins nods.

    "And by interviewing, you meanpelling the information out of them right?" I raise a brow at him.

    "Of course," Mr Collins grins.

    "I know where we can start," Mason huffs and we all turn to him. "It''s time to visit

    my family, one of my fathers fits the profile," he adds and his eyes lock on mine with intent. I nod in acknowledgement of the deal we had made earlier.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0090

    "Set it up," Mr Collins agrees.

    "It''s my mum''s birthday next weekend, she is having a party, we can get in easily then," Mason sighs.

    "Perfect, we will be discrete so as not to draw attention or ruin her birthday," Mr Collins assures. Mason shrugs like he doesn''t care either way, I sense lie probably holds some contempt towards his mother, she didn''t save him. I want to go to him andfort him but I know he''d not like that, not in front of everyone anyway.

    "Can I ess the human inte now? There''s some thing I want to check about the disappearances," I ask looking at Mr Collins and trying to shift the attention from Mason.

    "Eat more first, you''ve barely eaten," he nods towards the food left on the tray. I grab another slice of pizza, rolling my eyes as I bite into it and walk around his side of the desk to use hisptop. He opens up a new inte search. page and slides theptop towards me. Shoving thest bite of pizza into my mouth I quickly log into my social media. I ignore the notifications and messages and open up the search bar. I begin searching for the names

    h one whilst of all the missing people from the newspaper article. I read out all the information I can find on each

    find in Luke writes it down. There''s so much more personal information about them on social media than any news article. Once I have basic information on each one start looking into their mothers, trying to find any clue about where they lived 19 years ago and plotting it all out on a map. There are two distinct clusters on the map, tworge cities.

    "Is there anything of significance to Greys in these two areas?" I ask.

    "Not that I know of," Luke shakes his head.

    "We should add my father to our shortlist of suspects," Mr Collins sighs, "he has a property in each of those cities,"

    "Shit. Why did he even have all those properties?" Luke asks.

    "He said they were his insurance policy," he rubs the back of his neck, looking a

    little pale and stressed. "Well unless one of us has the gift of talking with the dead that''s not really going to help us right now," Mason

    dismisses.

    "Wait, is that an actual gift?" I ask, not sure how I feel about that being a potential gift for me.

    "No," Theo snorts. "Are we really going to start interrogating our own families though?"

    "If they fit the profile then yes, we have to. No one is exempt," Mr Collins nods. "I have dinner ns with my mother in an hour, I''ll talk to her about my father whilst I am there."Please try to stay out of trouble while I''m off campus," he warns, shooting me a pointed look that sends a thrill down my spine. He rises from his chair and adjusts his shirt cuffs, the guys start clearing the trays, but my eyes are locked on him. I hop onto the edge of Mr. Collins'' desk, mirroring my earlier boldness. With a smug stare, 1 watch him slip on his suit jacket and reach for his tie, only to falter when he notices it''s missing. He rummages through his pockets, realization dawning on him as his eyes dart to me with a sh of panic. A triumphant smile spreads across my face. If he wants it back, he''s going to have toe and take it from me and admit it wasn''t just a dream. He steps closer to me, causing my heart to race in anticipation and drawing everyone''s attention to this charged moment. Mr. Collins nces nervously at the guys before leaning over and mming hisptop shut, the tension hanging thick in the air between us. This game he seems to want to y is going to get very interesting and I''m determined to win it.

 Chapter 0091

    "Can I borrow that?" I ask pointing to theptop as if nothing happened.

    "Nope," he quips back.

    "Why not?" I pout.

    "Because very few people are allowed to have that kind of ess to the human realm, it''s too risky. What do you need it for?"

    "I mean, I would love to chat with my friends but I know I can''t right now. What I really need though is music. The music here is okay but it''s not my music. I''ve spent hours creating the perfect ylists to apany my every mood. If I could just have time to d******d them onto my phone I would be a thousand per cent happier here,¡± 1 almost plead, and I''m not ashamed to say that if he asked me to get down on my knees and beg I would. I need my music.

    "You should hear her sexy ylist," Lukeughs. "You''d never hear music like that here,"

    "I want to hear it," Theo says excitedly.

    "If I had it I''d be so much more productive in every way, plus it keeps me calm when I need it. It makes me happy when I''m sad and I can dance again. Which is so good for my mental health. When I dance I forget everything else. 1 miss my dance sses so much," I exin. Dance has been a lifesaver for me. I''d stared as a child when my father had died and I''d danced my way through all my grief ever since. I need it now more than ever.

    "We have dance sses here," Mr Collins frowns.

    "No offence, Sir, but I''ve seen them and it''s just not my style or level. This realm is great but you''re so cut off from modern human life that you are severelycking in some departments. Music and dancing arepletely different here," I give him an uneasy smile.

    "Then show me how you want to dance and I will talk with our dance tutor and see what she cane up with, he gestures to the room as if he wants me to dance right here and now, a flush warms my cheeks.

    22

    "Erm... I can''t. There''s no music... or space," I struggle with excuses but there''s no way I can just dance in front of these five men right now after he''s just put me on the spot like that, but there are other ways I can show them, " let me use yourptop for two minutes and I''ll show you,''

    Mr Collins cracks open hisptop again, casting a sideways nce at me, suspicion etched on his face. I''ve no idea what he thinks I might do, but I quickly dive into my dance group''s social media page and hit y on one of the first videos that catches my eye. Instantly, the room bursts to life with music as my dance crew lights up the stage. Strobe lights sh, electrifying the atmosphere as we deliver the sultry hip-hop choreography that we had painstakingly perfected for months in preparation for the international dancepetition. The guys all gather closer, their eyes glued to the screen.

    "You can dance like that?" Theo asks excitedly.

    "Watch closely," I nod towards the screen with a yful smirk, and they all lean in with anticipation.

    "Whoa, Babe, that''s you!" Theo bursts out, and a surge of pride wells up inside me as I step into the spotlight on screen. The music transitions seamlessly from Daddy Yankee''s high-energy ''Gasolina'' to a smooth, sensual vibe as my dance partner, Conor, steps in to support my upper body, tilting me back while I roll my- hips to the rhythm. A move I''de up with myself.

    "Who the fuck is that?" Mason demands as he jabs a finger at Conor on the screen and then turns to me with a scowl. Shit.

 Chapter 0092

    Mason steps closer to me, getting into my personal space. "Who is

    I clearly have issues because I am so turned on by him right how hat?" he asks again in a low threatening tone.

    "That was Conor," I smirk, taunting him.

    "Mace," Theo tries to reason.

    "Don''t fucking pretend that it didn''t bother you to see some other guy''s hands on her like that, Theo, but that''s not the biggest issue here," he snaps and I almostugh considering the number of men I have touching me daily. If only he knew where else Conor''s hands had been off of the camera. I''m tempted to tell him and then let him lose on Conor''s cheating ass, but I guess letting him get murdered would be a little extreme.

    "Then what''s the issue? You do realise that was almost a year ago and it was

    him.

    "And you do realise that he''s a fucking Grey, right?" he snarls.

    "What? How?" I gasp in utter shock. There''s no way.

    just a dance, right?" I raise a brow at

    "He''s right, I saw it too," Luke sighs. "Watch," he winds the video back and presses y. Moving around Mason I lean in close and watch Coner. His eyes do seem to sh blue as he pulls me backwards.

    "That''s probably just the stage lights," I shake my head, unwilling to believe this.

    "I''ve not even left yet and you''re already causing trouble," Mr Collins lets out an exasperated sigh.

    "How have I caused this?" I scowl at him.

    "Because, Miss Banks, you are a trouble ma. Let''s go,

    "Go where?"

    "To look for Coner, but first we need to change your appearance," he looks at me assessing my hair.

    "Coner moved away for university, I doubt anyone will recognise me there. It will be full of drunk students," I shrug.

    "Do you know where he lives?" Luke asks.

    "No, we didn''t exactly part on the best of terms, but I might be able to find him if I can get inte on my phone," I say nervously.

    "Then let''s try that," Mr Collins nods. He calls his mum to inform her he will be missing dinner again as we walk back to the apartment.

    As soon as we get back I grab my human phone and charger unplugging the wire from the plug I push it into the USB port on theptop and hold my breath, praying this works. Mr Collins clicks a few pop-ups on theputer screen and then my phone begins to ding with notification after notification as it''s reunited with the human inte. I could cry with relief, I feel like I''ve just reconnected with a long- lost family member. I open my Snapchat and click on Coner, grinning when his location pings up.

    "Got him," I grin.

    "Great, let''s go," he moves to close hisptop and I put a hand out to stop him. "Wait, we can''t go looking like this," I gesture to us all.

    "Why? Want to look good to meet your boyfriend?" Mason scowls, I smile at him, he''s adorable when he''s jealous. "Fine, let''s go like this but it will be a wasted journey," I roll my eyes.

    "Why?" Theo asks.

    "Because he''s in a nightclub that requires a certain dress code. So either we y dress up or we wait until tomorrow," I shrug.

    "I''d rather not wait if possible, every minute that passes is an opportunity for him to be taken by our opposition.

    outfit, nodding to myself as I picture how to

    What''s the dress code?" Mr Collins asks. I look at him and scan b

    make him fit in.

    "Lose the jacket," I say and he does, I step up to him and undo the top two buttons on his shirt, "roll up your sleeves and you''re good. The rest of you need trousers, a shirt or a polo shirt, and shoes, no trainers,"

    "I''m so excited," Theo exims, running to his room to change, Mason huffs and retreats to his room and Axel smiles at me before going to find an appropriate outfit. Luke leans over and kisses my cheek and then leaves the

    room too.

    "Can you pull up a map of the area? I need to find a safe ce for us to port in," Mr Collins asks and I bring up the satellite image of the club for him.

    Not wanting to miss the opportunity I open up the music app on my phone and click d******d on all my ylists then press y on my "getting ready" ylist. Music starts ying and I throw my head back, closing my eyes and letting out a happy breath as I soak up the sound. Everything is a little better with music. I head to my room to find something to wear, my hips swaying to the music as I walk.

    I emerge from my room wearing a pair of ck skintight jeans, ck heeled boots and a red scarf that I''ve crossed over my chest and tied the back to create a halterneck top. I added some jewellery that had survived the st and did a very quick job of smoky-eyed makeup with red lipstick. My hair is down and scrunched into messy curls. It''s not perfect but it''s the best I could throw together with my limited wardrobe and in a short amount of time. The guys are all waiting for me in the living area and I almost drool as I take them all in. They''re all hot as sin. "Wow, you are so damn hot," Theo says as his eyes scan me with admiration. "So are you," I repeat his gesture. "Let''s go dancing," I grin.

    ¡°This is not a social outing," Mr Collins rains on my parade.

    "Of course not, Sir, but we can''t just walk in there, grab him, and walk out. We have to fit in or we will draw attention to ourselves. Did you find somewhere to teleport?

    "Yes, although it''s not ideal," he nods.

    We travel out of the academy in the car, and I can''t help feeling excited. Theo squeezes my hand, sharing in my excitement. I can''t wait for them to see how the humans party. We pull up to what I can only describe as a mansion and I gape at it open-mouthed as we climb out of the car and walk around the back of therge building. An outdoor pool is lit up, making it look inviting even in the dark.

    "Wait here a moment please," Mr Collins says, and darts off to a ss patio door, unlocking it before slipping inside.

    "Is this his house?" I whisper in awe.

    "Yes," Mason rolls his eyes, "another gift from his father,

    "Wow, do you think he''ll let us use his pool?" I ask.

    "I''m sure if you ask him he won''t be able to say no," Mason snorts.

    "Are you kidding? I think no is his favourite word," Iugh

    Mr Collins returns, sans his briefcase and shoving cash into his pocket and then

    we all huddle in before teleporting to the human realm for the second time today.

    Chapter 0003 Chapter 0093

 Chapter 0093

    Luke holds me tight against him whilst the nausea grips me. I focus on my breathing, waiting for it to pass.

    "You can''t be here. Leave now, or I''m calling the police," a startled female voice chastises.

    "We are supposed to be here, we are your friends, we came to help you," Mr Collins'' smooth voice floats into my ears, his wordsced withpulsion. "Don''t tell anyone though or you will lose your job, we will go soon but we will returnter and you''ll let us back in,"

    "Of course, I''ll wait for your return," the female responds, her tone now rxed.

    I take another deep breath and then blink my eyes open when I smell the familiar scent of books. Azel grips a bookshelf, fighting to stay on his feet and Mason supports a pale-looking Theo. The female library attendendent smiles at us with familiarity. She looks to be in herte forties and holds a stack of books.

    "Are we ready?" Mr Collins asks. Axel shakes his head and I stumble out of Luke''s arms and go to Azel, rubbing his back.

    "Breathe," I whisper to him. A few more seconds pass and he straightens up, running his hand through his hair.

    "I don''t think I''m ever getting over this," he groans.

    "Same," Theo grumbles.

    "Oh dear, are you feeling sick?" the library attendant asks with concern.

    "Yes, just a little travel sickness, they''ll be okay," Mr Collins assures her.

    "Come here," she says, putting her stack of books on her trolley and taking Theo''s hand she squeezes a spot on his wrist and he frowns in confusion before a grin spreads on his face.

    "What gift is this," he asks in awe.

    "It''s called acupressure, if you feel sick then just pinch here, it worked wonders for me when I was pregnant, she smiles. Axel copies the action on his own wrist and after a few seconds, he smiles.

    "It works," he takes my wrist and applies just enough pressure that it almost hurts, but then as if by magic a sweeping feeling of wellness washes over me.

    "Thank you, you have no idea how much you''ve just helped " Iugh, almost giddy with relief.

    13

    After donning our terrible sses, that really ruin my outfit we leave the library and walk down the high street, the town is buzzing with students. The air feels charged with excitement as groups of peopleugh and talk as they make their way to their destinations.

    "Wow, this is amazing," Theoughs, as his eyes dart around to take everything in. "I think I was supposed to be born a human, I already love it here,"

    "Don''t get used to it," Mason grunts, looking tense. His eyes scan the crowds on high alert.

    I pull out my phone that''s going mad with notifications now that it is connected back to the humanwork. I have multiple messages from Faith and it takes a huge amount of self-control not to open them and respond. I check Coner''s location and see he''s still in the same ce.

    "He''s in there, let''s go," I point to the nightclub entrance, there''s a short line of people waiting to get in, and they each sh their I.Ds to the security on the door. "Shit, we don''t have I.D.," I curse.

    "I''ll deal with it," Mr Collins nods as he watches the security guards.

    "Can''t you just send him a message and tell him toe outside?" Mason asks.

    "No, it''s too risky. If he knows she is missing he might alert the authorities to her location before we can get to him," Mr Collins says.

    We move to join the line and we all stand behind Mr Collins as he approaches security. Luke and Theo look eager to get inside, their eyes are lit with wonder. Mason still seems tense, and Axel looks ready to fight anyone who gets near us.

    "Rx," I say quietly to Axel and Mason. "At least make it look like you want to be here otherwise people will take note of you,"

 Chapter 0094

    Axel nods and his shoulders drop lightly as he smiles. Mason just scowls as usual. Mr Collins leans forward and says something to the security guard and then we are ushered inside with a friendly smile. "Nice to see you all again," the bouncer grins.

    "You too," I smile back as I step inside. The smell of alcohol and various perfumes almost masked the underlying scent of stale sweat, something I''d never noticed before. My sense of smell must have improved. The music thumps in my chest and my hips move on their own ord in time to the beat as we approach the bar. Mr Collins orders us all a bottle of water and I sway to the rhythm as my eyes scan the crowd in the low light. It is busy, hundreds of bodies grind together on the dance floor and all the tables are rammed with groups of drunk customers. It''s not going to be easy to find him here.

    "We need to get on the dancefloor. That''s where he will most likely be," I shout over the music.

    "I am not dancing," Mason scowls and Iugh. I turn my back to him and reach back grabbing his hands and cing them on my hips as I grind against him, he steps in close, his fingers digging into my skin.

    "Be careful, you really don''t want to tease me here," he growls into my ear and desire trickles down my spine. Theo steps up to my front and begins to move with me in time to the music with ease, and damn he can move. I think I just found my new dance partner. Mason backs off as I dance with Theo and then Luke joins us, matching our energy and movements as the three of us move as one.

    "This is the best," Theo shouts.

    "Come on, let''s get on the dancefloor and look for Coner whilst we dance," I move to the dancefloor, squeezing between bodies with Luke and Theo following me. I stop when we are almost in the centre and we begin dancing again. My eyes scan the room as we dance together, their hands roam my body and their movements are like a silent promise of what is toeter, the energy between us is charged with sexual tension. I notice a few people casting us curious nces but it''s notpletely out of the ordinary to have a woman dancing with two men like this. One girl makes eye contact with me and fans herself dramatically making meugh. I can''t lie, I''d be just as jealous if I saw a girl getting this much attention from two men as hot as these two. I''d love to see her face if the rest of my guys had joined us. I look over to where I''d left the rest of our group and Mr Collins motions for us toe back. With a sigh, I lead Luke and Theo back towards the bar.

    "Are you sure this is the right ce?" Mr Collins leans in to ask in my ear just as someone shoves past and pushes me into him. He catches me by the waist and my heart skips a beat at his hands on my bare skin. The guy that had knocked into me suddenly falls to the floor and Mr Collins pulls me in closer, away from the guy on the floor. I catch Mason''s evil little smirk as he looks down at the guy sprawled at his feet.

    "Are you okay?" Mr Collins asks and I look up into his captivating eyes and nod. I realise then that I have my hands on his chest and I remove them reluctantly when he releases my waist. Taking out my phone I check Coner''s location again and turn the screen to show Mr Collins that we are in the right ce. Turning to scan the crowd again I get an idea. Rather than search for Coner in the mass of people, I''ll draw him to me. It''s time to put

    on a show.

 Chapter 0095

    I search my memory for the perfect song that will help me stand out in a sea of dancing people. It needs to be something that most clubgoers won''t easily know how to move to, leaving them swaying or slow grinding, maybe even taking a break to rest or grab another drink. Allowing the space for my floor work and to be more visible to Coner. There''s a particr song and dance that is guaranteed to get his attention. Yet, I feel a wave of reluctance wash over me because it''s a contemporary piece of choreography that I swore I wouldn''t ever do again. That piece was born from a coboration with Coner, a time filled with creativity, hope,ughter and lust, but it was shattered when I discovered his betrayal just a day before our performance. All those feelings from that moment, the heartbreak, seem insignificant now in the grander scheme of things. What truly matters is thepany I have with me now, these incredible men who stand by my side. So with that thought in mind, I decide to do it, but I feel that this will be a test for all of us.

    "Okay, I think I can draw him to me but I''m going to need help and for all of you to promise you won''t kill him," I say to the guys.

    "Why would we kill him?" Theo frowns. 1

    "Because he''s going to have his hands all over her," Mason growls, his fists clenched at his sides.

    "Mason, I love your possessiveness, it''s hot, but I need everyone to keep a level head for this," I shut him down, " I''m about to do a dance that I swore I''d never do again for personal reasons and the only reason I can even consider doing this is because I know I have you all here toe back to, so please support me rather than judge me,"

    "You don''t have to do anything you don''t want to," Axel says, taking my hands in his and I could kiss him right

    now.

    "It''s fine, now I have all of you this doesn''t hold the same emotional connection it once did. In fact, it''s almost insignificant now. Plus I put so much work into creating this that it deserves to be seen, at least once," I smile, feeling the truth of my words ease the bitterness I had once held.

    "Then I look forward to seeing it," Axel squeezes my hands

    "Me too," Luke agrees.

    "What help do you need?" Theo asks.

    "I need the DJpelling to y the song because there''s no way he''s going to y it otherwise. It''s pretty much a dance floor clearer in a ce like this," I look around nervously. Am I really going to do this?

    "What song is it?" Mr Collins asks.

    "Let Me Down Slowly by Alec Benjamin. Tell him to follow it with his best floor filler so we can disappear into the crowd straight after," I say with a slight tremble in my voice that I hope they don''t notice over the loud music.

    "Is it wise to draw this much attention to yourself when you are supposed to be missing?" Mason asks.

    "I think this will work in my favour, if someone does recognise me then it won''t take long for them to recognise Coner too. We could have Coner send a message

    to his uncle that he and I have run away together. If I also send the same message to my friend, who is the only person who would have reported me missing, then that would make our lives easier," I exin.

    "We will discuss thatter, let''s just get this done and get out of here," Mr Collins says, he gives me a small nod before walking off towards the DJ booth.

    "How do you want to do this?" Luke asks.

    "Stay on the edge of the dance floor, and please do not try to interrupt," I give Mason a pointed look, "If anyone were to make Coner trip it would be bad for me,

    I have to trust him to catch me at some points and he can''t do that if he''s on the floor himself,"

    "Fine," Mason grunts.

    "Good luck, Babe," Theo grins as I move to the centre of the dance floor. It bes harder to breathe with every step I take. A panic attack threatens to grip me but I focus on the music, letting the beat soothe me. I sway to the current song whilst I wait for my song to start and I think of my bonds and how each of them makes me feel. Then I think of Coner, the boy that made me happy once, but then put me off dating in the worst way. I can''t believe he is a Grey, what are the chances? Maybe that''s why we were drawn together. Or what if he''s another one of my bonds? I quickly push that thought away. I have enough bonds already, I don''t want to collect any more. My eyes find Mr Collins, he''s up next to the DJ. He gives me a nod and I take a steadying breath. I can do this, it''s a three-minute routine. I just pray it works. The current song finishes and the opening melody of my song starts. My eyes scan the crowd and find my bonds as the dance floor starts to clear of at least half the people. Theo gives me a thumbs-up. Axel and Luke both smile encouragingly and Mason gives me the smallest of nods. I close my eyes and block out everything else except the music letting it fill me and take over as I begin to move with it. This routine has no contact until the two-minute mark, at which point I am supposed to fall backwards and Coner is to catch me. "Swan," I hear him use his pet name for me and I can''t keep the smirk from my face, got ya!

    "Coner," I breathe, not breaking my stride or even turning to look at him as I drop forward into a reverse fall before straightening up. I quick step backwards and let myself fall back into Coner''s waiting arms. I may not have been able to trust him to keep his dick in his pants but as my dance partner, I trust in himpletely. He spins me to face him and then supports my lower back as I bend over backwards, my head almost touching the floor. We had practised this move so much and we pull it off perfectly. We move around each other with grace, like we''ve done this every day of our lives and when the song ends he pulls me into a hug. I hug him back in excitement. We did it, we finally performed our routine in front of an audience and we nailed it.

    "Oh my god, Swan, I''ve been so worried about you. You were on the news. What happened?" he asks, holding my face in his hands and examining me as if to reassure himself it''s really me. His words bring me back to reality and I nce around nervously.

    "I''m going to exin everything but we need to get out of here, you''re in danger," I say, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards my guys through the quickly filling dance floor.

    "What do you mean?" he demands yanking his hand from mine just as the lights go out with a pop so loud it can be heard over the music, plunging us intoplete darkness.

 Chapter 0096

    +29 BONUS

    The music cuts out and the room is filled with worried chatter as the clubgoers try to figure out what is happening. Lights start to shine too brightly as people take put their phones and turn on the shlights.

    "Josie," Coner shouts in warning and I turn back to see him struggling to escape the hold of two men who each grip one of his arms.

    "Let him go," I sneer. I didn''te this far to lose him now

    "Go away little girl, you have no idea who we are," one of the men snorts and looks me over as if I''m nothing more than an ant he could easily step on. I realise then that they have absolutely no idea who I am. These two are nothing more than muscle, sent to retrieve Coner. A grin spreads across my face.

    "On second thoughts, she looks fun, we could do with a little fun. Should we take her too?" the second man says and I sense my bonds closing in behind me.

    "Sure, let''s go have some fun," I smile, "You don''t mind if I bring my bonds along do you?" I raise a brow at them. Their faces drop but before they can react further their fingers that grip Coner snap back at a sickening angle. They both cry out in pain, nursing their mangled hands. Coner rushes to my side. "Sorry I forgot to mention that one is a little bit of a psycho, I hope that''s not an issue,'' I shrug.

    "How about youe back to ours instead?" Theo asks, appearing at their side in a sh.

    "We didn''t mean no harm, we were just collecting a stray," one of the guys groans.

    "Josie, what the fuck is going on?" Coner whispers beside me, he grips my hand tightly, his eyes taking in the barely lit scene unfolding around us as Axel grabs one of the guys and Mason holds the other in ce with telekinesis.

    "I''ll exin soon,"

    "It seems we got three for the price of one," Luke halfughs.

    Theo approaches me and his eyes move to where Coner holds me. "Hi, I''m Theo,¡± he smiles and takes my wrist to lift my hand, he gently prys Coner''s fingers from me, "and if you have an ounce of self-preservation you''ll keep your hands off of our girl," he says politely. His eyes move back to me and I see the pride behind them. ¡°You are amazing," he says before leaning in to kiss me on the cheek

    "Is everyone okay?" Mr Collins asks as he finds us in the mass of panicked people.

    "We got ourselves some people to interrogate," Luke grins.

    "Perfect. Let''s get out of here," Mr Collins makes eye contact with me as if checking I''m really okay before he deals with the two men. He ensures they are here alone and thenpels them to follow us without a fight or sound.

    "Wait, I''m not here alone. I can''t go with you," Coner protests as we begin to

    move.

    "You wille with us calmly and quietly, without questioning anything," Mr Collins says, the power washi~~ over Coner and making him rx instantly. We make it out of the club where people are gathering, searchin their friends that they''d lost in the dark.

    "Coner!" a female shrieks, she runs at us her face awash with relief as she throws her arms around Coner. I know her. This is the girl I''d caught him cheating with, Molly. Her eyesnd on me and I see the recognition there. She knows exactly who I am.

    "Molls, I have to go with these, I''ll see you soon," Coner says.

    "What? No, you are not going anywhere with these people, especially not her," She scowls at me.

    "We do not have time for this," Mr Collins sighs and steps towards Molly.

    "Back off," she snarls, clearly sensing Mr Collins'' intent as her eyes sh blue. "Shit," Theoughs..

    "Make that four for the price of one," Luke blows out an amused breath.

    "Follow us calmly and quietly, question nothing," Mr Collins uses the samepulsion on Molly and our group of ten walks quickly towards the library. Mr. Collins takes the lead with Axel and Mason shadowing the two men closely behind him, then Coner and Molly walk hand in hand behind them, with me, Theo and Luke taking up

    the

    rear.

    I can''t believe this! What are the chances of me knowing two of the Greys hidden here? I don''t know Molly exactly, she''s just the girl who stole my boyfriend but still, it''s an insane coincidence.

    "Luke, you know how you exined that bonds are naturally drawn to each other. Do you think Greys could be too?" I ask.

    "How do you mean?"

    "Well, there can''t be that many Greys here right, but at least three of us connected," I motion towards Coner and Molly in front of us.

    "You know her too?" he asks.

    "We met once, it didn''t go well," I scowl and his eyes widen at my expression. I notice Coner''s shoulders tense, he''s obviously listening to our conversation.

    "Then it doesn''t seem you were drawn to her," heughs.

    "I wasn''t but Coner certainly was," I huff.

    "Oh damn," Theo curses, working out what I''m saying.

    Coner turns and his eyes meet mine, I can see the guilt there. "Swan, I have no idea what is going on here but we need to talk, in private," he says, his eyes ncing to Theo and Luke at my sides.

    "You don''t owe her anything," Molly says, tugging on Coner''s hand.

    "Yes, Molls, I do," Coner sighs.

    "Can we save the reunion forter when we are safe," Mr Collins calls from the front of the group as we reach the library doors. The assistant greets us with a smile and ushers us inside. We thank her and Mr Collins tells her to forget we were ever here and to go home and rest. "Back to my ce," Mr Collins tells Luke, who responds with a nod.

    "Aren''t you going to put them to sleep for this?" I ask, motioning to Coner and Molly, knowing how awful this is going to be for them.

    "Nope,¡± he grins deviously and I smirk ¨¢t him. He''s letting me have some revenge for the way they hurt me. We teleport in two groups. Luke takes me, Theo, Coner and Molly. Whilst Mr Collins takes Axel, Mason and our two silent captives. The moment we arrive I grip the spot on my wrist, driving away the nausea almost instantly. Coner and Molly drop to the floor, retching and groaning as they curl into the fetal position at my feet. I grin in

    satisfaction. I love a little karma.

    N.O Darling Author

    Thank you for reading, please consider giving this story a gem if you have any. It helps so much!

    Tomorrow''s chapter will give a small glimpse into Mr Collins'' mind as I''m writing a chapter from his point of view.

    19

 Chapter 0097

    1 crouch down, taking Coner''s wrist and applying pressure to the ce the librarian had shown us and seconds

    "Keep holding there for a minute," I tell him and his fingers rece mine on his wrist as I move to repeat the action on Molly. She yanks her hand from me with a scowl and I shrug, "Suit yourself, I was only trying to help you feel better,"

    Coner turns to her and shows her what to do and she soon sits up, looking much better. Her eyes scan our surroundings and thennd on me.

    "What the hell just happened?" she asks.

    "We teleported, it sucks," Theo says, drawing her attention to him. She studies him suspiciously before she bursts intoughter.

    "It''s hard to believe, I know. I had the same reaction," I smile down at her.

    "You know what we are don''t you?" Coner asks.

    "Yes, do you know what you are?" I frown.

    "Not really. We know we are different. In thest year we''ve both been able to do things we shouldn''t," he admits. I turn to nce over at Mr Collins who is on the phone.

    "Mr Collins is the best one to exin all this to you," I motion in his direction. "Let him just deal with those two assholes first,"

    Molly shuffles closer to Coner and he wraps his arms around her as they both stay sitting on the floor, they both seem a little scared and shocked. At least they have each other to get through this. I waspletely alone at first. Theo takes my hand and leads me to a bench.

    "Thanks, I needed to sit. I''m so tired," I smile and lean into him.

    "I''m not surprised, it''s been a hell of a day. That dance you did was incredible by the way, you were stunning out there, I see why he calls you Swan," he nods towards Coner who looks at me. He half smiles at Theo''s words and

    nods.

    "Thank you. It felt so good to dance again," I sigh in contentment.

    "When all this is over I think we should open our own dance club like the one we went to tonight, we have nothing like that here, the people are missing out. Then you can dance as much as you like," Theo suggests.

    "I agree. I''d be there every day just to see you dance and dance with you," Luke says,ing to join us on the bench. He takes one of my hands in his and brings it to his mouth to kiss it.

    "What''s happening over there?" I ask, motioning to the two guys who are still being held by Mason and Axel.

    "A team is on their way to take them, they will lock them up for the night until Deacon can interrogate them properly," Luke exins.

    "Good," I say with a shiver as I lean further into Theo, trying to soak up some of his warmth. Luke stands and goes to talk to Mr Collins and then returns a momentter.

    "Come on, let''s get you warmed up inside, the team are at least 30 minutes out," Luke smiles down at me and holds out a hand for me. I take it and he pulls me to my feet. I''m so grateful to be going inside, my top is not a

    great choice for sitting outside in the middle of the night inte October. Plus I''m curious to see inside Mr Collins'' home. "Come on you two," he says to Molly and Coner as we pass them. Mr Collins waits for us at the ss door. He pushes it open and flicks on the lights to reveal a stunning white and gold kitchen. It''s huge and Coner lets out an impressed whistle. He leads us to an equally impressive sitting room that has threerge couches all facing a firece in a semicircle. Taking a nket from the back of one of the couches he wraps it around my shoulders and it feels as though he''s hugging me as his scent wraps around me. "Thank you," I breathe.

    "Rest a little, you did great tonight," he smiles at me with pride and I almost want to cry at his praise. Damn hormones. "Make yourselves at home, I''ll be back once I''ve secured our guests," he says to the room before leaving.

    Theo pulls me down to sit on one of the plush couches with him and Luke sits on my other side. He leans down and lifts my feet into hisp, pulling off my shoes and rubbing my feet.

    "That feels amazing," I moan asy back and rest my head on Theo''sp. Theo strokes my hair and I quickly rx, drifting to sleep under their tentative touches.

    Sometimeter I wake up absolutely parched. My throat hurts from how dry it feels. I sit up and take in my surroundings. We are still at Mr Collins'' ce. Theo and Luke are both slouched over on the couch sleeping. Axel is sprawled on the other couch, his soft breathing barely audible. Mason is on the floor in front of the cracking fire, the glow makes him look like a sleeping angel. He''s even more stunning when he''s rxed, the trademark frown gone and reced with a soft look that makes him seem innocent. I almost snort at my own thoughts. Mason and Innocent do not go together. Coner and Molly are cuddled up on the other couch, even in sleep they seem tense. I hope for both their sakes that they''re bonds because I feel that things will get messy around here if they''re not. If they are bonds then it will be much easier for me to forgive Coner. He''d tried to tell me at the time that he couldn''t resist her. If I''d have known then what I know now I think it would have hurt less. If one of my bonds hade into my life whilst I was dating Coner I''m not sure I''d have been able to resist them for long. Maybe in the future Coner and I could even be friends again, we could dance together the way we used to dance before we got too involved with each other. We could teach dance sses here and make a new dance group. I push the thought away, tamping down my excitement. I''m getting ahead of myself. There are so many other things I need to be focusing on first. The first one is a drink. Creeping from the room I head back towards the kitchen we hade through earlier. Mr Collins did say to make ourselves at home, so I''m sure he won''t mind me getting a drink and hopefully, I''ll find a bathroom on my travels.

 Chapter 0098

    **Deacon, AKA, Mr Collins POV **

    I never wanted her in the house, not yet. Not until she was truly mine and she was ready to move in but what else could I do? She was cold and tired, and we had at least another 40 minutes before I could return them all to the academy. There was no way I could leave her outside for that long. When the security team had finally arrived and taken the two would-be kidnappers off of our hands we hade inside to find everyone sleeping. I was going to wake them but Axel and Mason had informed me that they''d not seen her sleep that well since she had woken from thea. I couldn''t wake her after I heard that, and I told them to get some rest and I''d return them to the academy in the morning. It''s as if her body knows this is her home, this is where she belongs, or maybe it''s because I''m so close. I know she''s been scent hoarding, collecting her bonds clothing and making a bed with it. She''d had my jacket in it, her wolf knowing I was hers, even if she hadn''t. I had hated taking it from her but I couldn''t risk her working it all out again. I promised Mason Axel and Luke that if she figured it out again I wouldn''tpel her this time. They were struggling to watch her so confused about me, but they knew why I was doing it. I should havepelled them all but then they wouldn''t trust me like they do, they wouldn''t let me near her, and I need to be near her. I''d been weak today, but she had been so upset, she thought she was going insane like her mother because she couldn''t exin her attraction to me and her need to challenge any female who showed me interest. Seeing her like that had broken me and I''d been down on my knees, ready to confess all and beg for her forgiveness. Instead, I''d asked to taste her and she had let me. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. She had been everything I''d dreamed of and more and I already crave to taste her again. There''s no way I can keep up this rouse for 3 years. I''ll be amazed at myself if I can keep it up for 3 months at this rate.

    I can''t settle knowing she is here. She''s so close but I can''t touch her. I can''t go in there and steal her away for myself, no matter how tempting it may be. I dip into her dream, maybe I can spend some time with her there where it''s safe to touch her. She''s baking with her mum, her pink apron is covered in flour as she ps her chubby little toddler hands excitedly, I drop back out before she notices me there. She has that dream often and I always leave before she can see me. I won''t disturb her happy childhood memories. I throw back my covers, giving up on sleep. Shoving on my swim shorts and grabbing a towel I head down to the pool. I intend to swim until I''m too exhausted to think, then maybe I''ll manage a few hours

    I swimp afterp, but I can''t shift her from my mind. I rey her dance in my head. The way she had moved so gracefully. Her movements told a story, each action was filled with emotion and it almost moved me to tears to watch. She is the most beautiful creature to ever walk the realms and I can''t say I wasn''t ready to rip Coner''s head clean from his neck when he''d joined her. It''s going to be so hard to be professional around him when I know that he''s had her in a way I haven''t. He''s been with her intimately, and he had no right to be with her in that way, she''s mine! And what''s worse is that she honoured him with her time and he repaid her by hurting her! I stop swimming and grip the edge of the pool sucking in ragged breaths as anxiety grips me. I hate feeling out of control and right now I''ve never felt closer topletely losing it.

 Chapter 0099

    475 BOWS

    "Are you okay, Sir?" Josie''s angelic voice brushes over me like a healing balm, and I absorb thefort her presence brings me for a few seconds before I school my features and turn to face her.

    "Yes, I just swam too hard. Is everything okay?" I ask, ncing behind her to see if she is alone. I don''t see anyone with her. I''m partly happy about this and partly worried. It''s not safe for me to be alone with her.

    "I woke up thirsty, so I came to the kitchen to get water, I hope you don''t mind. Then I needed some air. I didn''t know you were out here. Sorry for disturbing you," she smiles nervously and it takes a gargantuan effort not to go and kiss those perfect plump lips. I can''t help the twang of disappointment I feel knowing that she didn''te looking for me.

    "That''s fine, you should try and sleep a little more before sses," I tell her and begin to swim again, just to stop myself from staring at her like a lovesick puppy. What I really wanted to tell her was that she should strip off her clothes and join me in the water. My wolf rises in interest at that thought, his barely contained excitement bubbles under my skin. He wants her, wants to meet his mate but I force him back down. Shifting in front of her would be bad, very bad. When Ie up for air she is gone. Good. She needs to stay away if I have any hope of staying in control. I do another twops before I pull myself up out of the water, my cock aches from being so hard, I need to go and relieve myself in the shower. I wrap the towel around my midriff and head inside. A groan of pain has me stopping dead in my tracks the moment I step into the house. Josie is on the cold marble floor of the kitchen, curled up and in pain. No. No. No. Not this. Not now. Not here.

    "Please," she cries, her voice barely audible. She whimpers and writhes and my control snaps. I rush to her, leaning down and scooping her into my arms.

    "I''ve got you," I whisper as her hands stroke my bare chest, desperate for contact, and I stride with purpose towards my bedroom. ''How do you prevent unwanted pregnancies here'' Her words from that day in the woods ring in my head. She had been so scared about the possibility. My steps falter as I look at her in my arms. With a growl of frustration, I turn back and kick open the door to the sitting room, because this is how we prevent unwanted pregnancies. "Hey, assholes," I shout. Startled eyes fly open all of them quickly focusing on Josie as she groans in my arms.

    "Shit," Theo curses, jumping over the back of the couch and trying to pull Josie from my arms. Josie''s arms cling around my neck in protest and everyone jumps into action.

    "What''s wrong with her?" Coner gasps, jumping to his feet

    "Get out, now," Mason growls, stepping in front of us to block Coner''s approach.

    "No, she is hurt, I want to help," Coner bravely squares up to Mason and if the situation was any different I''d probablyugh. I have to admire his courage though.

    "You can''t help with this, trust me, take your girl and go to the kitchen," Luke cuts in, calming the tension and probably saving Coner''s life as he guides them out the door,

 Chapter 0100

    Chapter 0100 Chapter 0100

    **Josie''s POV**

    My bare feet pad silently down the hall, I open the first door Ie across on my way to the kitchen and sigh in relief when I see it''s a bathroom. I use the toilet before sshing water on my face. The heat from the fire has me feeling flushed. Cupping my hand under the running water bring it to my mouth and drink it, the cool water soothes my dry throat but it''s not enough. Leaving the bathroom I move to the kitchen, I open three cupboards before I find a ss and I quickly fill it with water. Two sses of waterter I still feel too hot and my head feels fuzzy from dehydration. I step outside to get some fresh air but my attention is quickly drawn to the figure in the pool. Mr Collins'' back moves as he sucks in deep audible breaths.

    "Are you okay, Sir?" I ask. He stills at my words but doesn''t turn to look at me straight away. I''m about to ask again when he finally turns and holy hell does he look hot. His hair hangs in short wet strands around his face, and his bare chest is on full disy. My mouth waters as I imagine how it would feel to run my hands along that smooth skin and lick each drop of water that runs down his body. I barely register his words as he says something about swimming. Not wanting him to think I''m a creep who''s stalking him I exin that I was thirsty and needed some air before he sends me away, getting straight back to his swimming. He''s clearly not happy that I disturbed his workout. I close the door behind me and almost fall backwards when a wave of dizziness hits me. I make it to the sink and fill another ss of water, sipping it and waiting for this feeling to pass. The water does nothing to help, instead, heat rushes to my face and I feel weak, almost like I''m starting with the flu. Horror dawns on me as I realise what this is. I need to get to my bonds and get out of here. Now! I begin to stumble back towards the sitting room when a wave of desire hits me so hard that it hurts. I double over with need and a sob escapes me. No longer able to fully support my own weight I drop onto my knees and crawl towards my bonds. Another wave of crippling lust grips me and I copse onto the cold floor, letting it soothe me as I rest and gather some strength. The door that has my bonds behind it is in sight, but like this, it feels so far away. Why aren''t theying? Don''t they feel my elevated heart rate? Surely it should be alerting them that I''m in distress.

    "Please..." I try to call for them to please help me but I can barely get the words out. I hate being a Grey female right now. Why do we have to go through this? It''s debilitating and humiliating. Not to mentionpletely inconvenient.

    "I''ve got you," Mr Collins says as his arms wrap around me, lifting me from the floor and whisking me away. Praise the lord for this man. Or maybe he is the lord, he certainly feels like a lord. His wet skin under my hands is heaven. I want him, all of him. "Hey, assholes," he shouts and suddenly I can sense my bonds, they''re all around me, and I want them, all of them. Someone tries to take me from Mr Collins but I wrap my hands around his neck, I don''t want to let go. I need him, just as much as I need them all.

    "If you want us to take care of you then you need to let go, Babe, we can''t do anything like this," Theo says softly. He''s right I know he''s right, but if I let go I know Deacon will leave, I can sense it. He''s already nning his escape and I don''t want him to go. A desperate need shoots through me and I let go of him involuntarily. Arms wrap around me and suddenly there are hands everywhere, stripping me of my clothes. I''mid out naked on the rug in front of the fire and Theo''s stunning face appears above me as he positions himself at my entrance. I nce around just in time to see the room clearing. Leaving Theo and me alone.

    "Theo,¡± I gasp as he fills me, taking away the pain and recing it with instant pleasure.

    "You feel so good, Baby Girl," he groans, he lowers his mouth to mine, kissing me passionately. His pace is slow and I don''t know if I''m just imagining it but this feels different with him. Maybe it''s my heat making me emotional, or it is the atmosphere that the fire is creating but this doesn''t feel like heat-fueled sex. It feels like making love. A stray tear falls from my eye as I''m overwhelmed by the emotions. Theo smiles down at me, his eyes full of affection. "I love you, Josie," he whispers, causing my breath to catch.

    "I love you too, Theo," I smile back at him, my heart swells with love and admiration for him. He kisses me again

    and there''s no mistake in what''s happening here now. I love him even more for furning, a horrible and embarrassing night into one of the best. He makes love to me until we find our release together. My heat sated and forgotten for the time being. He rolls next to me and pulls me to him, I rest my head on his chest and just abenth this feeling.

    "I''ve been wanting to tell you that for so long," he halfughs, ¡°I think I fell in love with you the moment my eyes found yours through the window when you first arrived at the academy. I didn''t want to scare you though, I know you wanted to take things slow and I''ve been trying, but when you admitted to your mum that you loved us ! knew I could finally tell you. You light up my world too, Josie, more than you''ll ever know,"

    "I don''t know what I ever did to deserve you," I whisper, my voice thick with emotion.

    "Ditto," he strokes his hand gently up and down my back.

    "You good in there?" Luke calls through the door and I know our time alone is over

    for now.

    "Yes," I shout back, "I guess it''s time for the clean, clean and clean," I sigh.

    "Yep, do you think we will get detention for having sex on our headmaster''s rug?" heughs and I suddenly want to die of embarrassment.

    "Shit, Theo he found me like..." I start but Theo silences me by tapping my ear

    and reminding me that Mr Collins could be listening. I lean up and kiss him in a silent thank you for saving me from further embarrassment.

 Chapter 0101

    Clean, clean and clean, should be renamed awkward, embarrassing and ufortable, when you''re in your headmaster''s house with your ex and his girlfriend that you just kidnapped from the human realm. I''d been wrapped in a nket and bundled upstairs to a bedroom that had an en-suite bathroom. Theo had helped me shower and then Axel had helped me to dress in a hoody and some shorts that he''d borrowed from Mr Collins. I''m d the shorts had a drawstring otherwise they''d fall off every time I stood up. I really hope the clothes are not Mr Collins'' favourites because I have zero Intention of returning them to him. If he''s going to reject our bond then he can at least let me have his scent. Axel has his shirt fully unbuttoned, giving me full ess to his skin as he lifts me. I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck so I''m hugging him as he carries me back downstairs. Theo walks behind us and I reach my hand out in him, wanting his contact too.

    "We are going to get you home very soon," Axel reassures as he takes me into the kitchen. The sun is just beginning to rise and he sits me on the kitchen counter to face the rising sun but stays standing between my legs. Luke rushes over to us, standing at my site with a te of fresh waffles topped with powdered sugar,

    strawberries and banana. He brings apiece of waffle to my mouth and I take it. Groaning at the soft, fluffy texture and the sweetness that bursts on my tongue.

    "Did you make these?" I ask him, impressed.

    "No, it was Dea... Mr Collins, but if that''s how you react to them I''m going to learn," he grins and leans in to kiss me briefly on the lips. "Mmm they do taste good," he licks his lips.

    "Drink," Mason grunts, handing a ss of apple juice to me and Theo.

    "Okay, does someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on now?.. because this is getting weirder and weirder by the second. Are you all, like... together?" Coner asks, I turn in the direction of his voice to see him sitting at the kitchen table with Molly and Mr Collins. I''d been so consumed by my bonds that I hadn''t even noticed we weren''t alone in here.

    "Isn''t it obvious? She''s clearly some kind of subus," Molly grimaces, her words are full of distaste.

    "A suck you what now?" Theo asks and augh bursts from me.

    "A demon that seduces men to feed on sexual energy," she tolls her eyes like he''s stupid.

    "She can feed on me anytime she likes," Axel almost purrs and the rest of my bonds all make noises of agreement.

    "Prepare yourself, Babe, Daddy Axe is waiting to pounce any second," Theo waggles his eyebrows at me.

    "If you''d let me finish what I was trying to exin without interrupting me every 5 seconds then I''d have exined all this already," Mr Collins says, sounding exasperated.

    "I think I''m having Deja Vu," I frown and rub my temples in jest. Mr Collins can''t keep the small smirk from his face when his eyes meet mine.

    "So because of the male-to-female ratio I was telling you about, our females usually have between three to five. partners, we call them bonds," Mr Collins exins to Coner and Molly whilst I eat my waffles, offering each of my guys a bite that they all decline.

    "So you''re saying we will be like them? That I''ll have to share my girlfriend?" Coner asks in disgust.

    "No, Boo, you don''t have to share me with anyone," Molly reassures him and I snort augh.

    "Like you''ll be able to resist them," I say under my breath.

    "Not necessarily, because you might not be one of her bonds. We have a seer that I''ll have visit you as soon as possible, she can identify bonds. In the meantime, I suggest you do not continue your rtionship. If you two are not identified as bonds then it could cause problems with the bonds that are identified for you both. In this realm. we don''t have sexual rtionships until our bonds are identified. We save ourselves for our bonds," Mr Collins says and a blush of shame flushes mytheeks. Coner''s eyes shoot to me and then to my bonds as he absorbs what he''s being told.

    "Don''t even fucking look at her right now," Mason growls and the whole room fills with tension. Awesome.

    "Obviously your circumstances are different, you weren''t raised knowing any of this. Now you know though it would be wise to halt any rtions until your bonds are identified," Mr Collins says trying to steer the conversation back on track.

    "Are you okay, Beautiful?" Axel leans in and whispers in my car. I wrap my arms around his neck.

    "Get me out of here," I whisper back. Axel lifts me and walls us back to the sitting room, he sits on the couch with me straddling him. Luke sits next to us, followed by Theo and then Mason sits on another couch. I rest my head on Axel whilst he strokes my hair.

    "Try and rest a little, the wards should be lifted in an hour or so, then we can port straight to our apartment," Luke says softly, cing one of his hands on my knee and gently rubbing his thumb over my skin there. Theo leans against Axel''s side and wraps an arm around my back

    "Wards are lifted," Mr Collins'' voice startles me from the half-sleep I was in as he enters the room.

    "Thank fuck," Mason grunts. "Luke get us home because if I have to listen to those two whiney little dweebs any longer I''m going to snap their necks,

    "I''m going to bring them in and get them settled in Amber I''ll see you all in a few days," Mr Collins says and my heart protests, my eyes move to his and I want to cry. He smiles at me softly as if he knows what I''m thinking.

    "Thank you for, well, for everything," I say with tear-filled eyes. Damn, these heat hormones!

    "Anytime, Miss Banks," he nods.

    Luke lifts me from Axel''sp and my guys all huddle in around us before we port back home.

 Chapter 0102

    1 grip the pressure point on my wrist, the nausea passing wkly.

    "Bed or couch?" Luke asks.

    He lowers me gently to the couch and kisses ron before dering he''s going to shower and then make me coffi pull him back down for another kiss to express my gratitude. He knows just what I need.

    I''m going to shower and change. Are you good for now?" tastes, I nod at him. I love how attentive they all are f know it''s my heat that is driving them to be this way right now, but even without my heat, they are always caring for me, always making sure I''m okay and my needs are met My eyes fill with tears again, I''m just so full of leve

    for them.

    "What a night," Theo exhales as he flops down on the opposite corner of the couch. He looks exhausted but also

    till a little buzzed. Mason seems on high alert as he resets the rm and checks all the rooms and windows. "All good?" I ask when he finally slows down.

    "Seems so," he nods and sits next to Theo. Theo Jeans into bim slightly and Mason tenses, only their arms touch but his eyes scan the room nervously before his body rxes.

    "We are safe, Mace," Theo reassures, obviously noticing what I had. We are all going to need to work harder to get Mason morefortable. Maybe I could use my heat as a way to do that. An idea begins to form in my mind and grin internally. Getting up from my side of the couch I saunter over to Theo and Mason.

    "What do you need, Babe?" Theo asks and moves as if to get up.

    "Contact," I say as I straddle Mason''sp. He gives me an incredulous look but makes no move to stop me, even as I begin to unbutton his shirt to expose his beautifully inked chest. I run my hands over him and hum at the feel of his skin under my hands. He lets me explore his tattoos, trace the outline of each piece of artwork with my finger, making sure not to react to the scaring I can feel hiding behind them. I feel almost giddy at the progress we are making here and I nearly forget that I had a n here. "I need more," I whisper, looking at Theo. Theo quickly obliges, removing his shirt and tossing it on the floor. I runs hand over his torso, admiring the feel of him too. Can you get behind me?" I ask Theo and he nods, he moves to straddle Mason''sp behind me. His hands grab the hem of my stolen hoody and pull it up over my head, leaving me bare. Mason sucks in a breath as Theo''s hands cup my breast from behind.

    "She has the most perfect tits doesn''t she, Mace?" Theo hums as he brushes over my nipples with his thumbs. This is not how I was nning for this to go but I''m notining. Especially not when I see the fascination in Mason''s eyes as he watches Theo tease my nipples. I can feel Mason hardening beneath me and Theo is hard behind me, his excitement pressing into my ass.

    "Bedroom, now," Mason demands. Theo jumps up and pulls me to my feet, he keeps hold of my hand as he leads me to the bedroom. Mason stalks in behind us and I nce back, sucking in a breath at the sight of him. He is str personified, the way his shirt hangs open, showcasing his toned body and the unhinged look in his eyes make me want to drop to my knees in front of him and beg him to let me worship him.

    "Get her shorts off," he demands as he closes the door behind him. Theo follows his instruction quickly, desperate to please Mason in any way he can. He tugs the shorts until they pool on the floor at my feet. He takes my hand to help me step out of them. Leaving mepletely naked. Mason''s gaze travels over us and I know he''s deciding what will happen next. He likes that he''s in contro. "Take his off," he says gesturing to Theo. Theo kicks off his shoes as I unfasten his pants and push them down his legs along with his boxer shorts. He pulls off his

    socks and now we both stand naked awaiting our nextmand. Mason''s eyes roam over us and he nods as if pleased with what he sees.

    "Lay on the bed, Josie," he smirks and I do as he asksying back on the bed. "Good, spread your legs for us," he adds. Theo sucks in a breath as I open my legs for them.

    "Crawl up the bed and taste her for me, Theo," he almost

    "Fuck, this is so hot. I like this game," Theo breathes as he gets on the bed and crawls to me. Heys on his front between my legs and brings his mouth to my core, licking my clit. "Get up on your knees, Theo," he demands and his eyes Theo freezes. I''m not sure if he''s in shock but it takes him a few seconds to respond. He rises to his knees, meeting mine and I see the excitement and anticipation there, I smile and nod at him in encouragement. He takes a shaky breath before lowering his upper body back down and his mouth is back on me. I moan as he licks and sucks at my clit. "Don''t let her cum yet," he says and Theolows his pace. I look at Mason ready to protest keep quiet when I see him slowly undressing as he enjoys what he sees. This is not about torturing me, about prolonging the show for him whilst he works up the courage to do what I know lie wants to do.

    N.O Darling Author

    The next chapter that I''ll upload very soon will be from Mason''s POV. Thanks for reading, please give this story a gem of possible

    6

    but

 Chapter 0103

    ** Mason''s POV **

    I wish I could tell them how much I want them, both of them. I wish I could be more like they are, more open, but I learnt the hard way that admitting any kind of feelings or howing affection is just giving someone an opportunity to hurt you. Every time I even think about touching Theo, my father is in my head ready to punish me with his knives orsh me with his whip. The worst mistake of my life had been to ask him that stupid question when I was a child. I''d paid for that every day since. Those simple words had made me who I am today. A monster. Josie pleads for more as Theo teases her with his tongue. She is beautiful like this, flushed with need. There''s a

    and look at Theo. wildness about her that calls to me. The bottle of lube sits on the dresser behind me. I pick it up He''s so alluring to me, he has been since the moment Iid eyes on him.

    "Boys don''t love boys Mason!" Whip. My father''s words scream in my head and I flinch. The bite of that whip across my back still stings like he''s here right now. He''s not here, though. He can''t get in, he can''t see what I''m doing. I take a step closer and I notice Josie''s eyes tracking the.

    "Your bond will reject you when she finds out you are attracted to boys," Whip. But she hasn''t rejected me has she, She supports this, encourages it even. She epts me for who I am, even after I''ve been awful to her.

    "Make her scream, Theo," I breathe. She deserves this, to be worshipped by us all. I wish I could be like the others for her. I wish I could tell her how I feel. I kneel on the bed behind Theo.

    "Her other bonds will kill you when they find out what you are!" Whip! I look at the bedroom door. Her other bonds are happy as long as she is happy. They ept me too. They''re my family now. I reach out and stoke my hand up Theo''s thigh. He shivers at my touch.

    "Your bond will be so distraught that she won''t be able to go on living. You''ll kill her Mason!" Whip. I screw my eyes shut. I can''t do this. I don''t want to kill her. Then Josie screams out her pleasure, dragging me out of the past and back here, to this moment, with the two people who matter to me the most. Theo sits back on his heels and turns his head to look at me. I don''t know what he sees on my face, but his features soften. My eyes move to his mouth. The evidence of Josie''s pleasure glistens in the early morning sun.

    "My turn," Josie announces. "Theo, kiss him," she demands and before I can exin that this is not how this

    game works Theo''s mouth is on mine. I want to protest, tell them that I''m in control here, they don''t get to

    change the rules, but Theo''s mouth is so warm and soft and he tastes like her. I push my tongue in his mouth, I need to taste more of him and her, they''re a headybo.

    "Boys don''t kiss boys, Mason!" Whip. I flinch and end the kiss with a gasp.

    "That was so fucking hot," Josie groans. "Lay on the bed, Mason," she says, taking my hand and pulling me towards her on the bed. Iply,ying on my back with the bottle of lube still clutched in my other hand. "Taste him for me, Theo," she says before leaning over and kissing me. I forget everything when her mouth dominates mine and when I feel Theo wrap his lips around me I groan into her mouth. Josie breaks the kiss to watch Theo and I watch him too. He sucks me into his mouth like he''s done this a million times before, but I know this is a, first for him too. His eyes meet mine as his tongue teases my piercing. I throw my head back at the sensation.

    "Is this okay?" Theo stops to ask.

 Chapter 0104

    "Yes, fuck yes," I say quickly. How can something that feel this good be wrong? Theo wants this, Josie wants this and I want this. My dad is nothing but a liar. Theo sucks me into his mouth again and I have to focus hard not to blow my load already. I''m not ready for this to end. Joste takes the bottle of lube from my hand and Theo holds out a hand. She pumps some of the cool liquid onto his fingers whilst he continues to tease me with his mouth. Then his fingers are at my ass, circling it slowly.

    "There''s something I have to go and do, please don''t stop. Makes each other feel good," Josie says. My eyes move to her and she''s over by the door, I hadn''t even noticed her get off the bed. She gives me an encouraging smile before she slips from the room, closing the door behind her

    "Theo, stop," I breathe. His eyes shoot to me in concern and feel his pain. He thinks I don''t want him because Josie has left, but it''s the opposite, I want him more than anything right now and I know she only left to allow us this moment alone, I could feel it in her emotions. Since she convinced me to drop my shields that one time and I felt the love they both had for me I''ve been addicted to doing it. "If you carry on I''m going to bust, and I don''t want to yet," I smirk and his eyes light up. He has no idea what it does to me when his eyes light up like that for me. Its not just Josie''s world that he Hights up, it is mine tog, and that''s a great feat because my world has been pitch ck for a long time. Theo crawls up my body, his cock strokes against mine as he kisses me, I roll us over so he''s beneath me, and then I break the kiss to sit back on my heels between his legs and look down at him. He''s perfect. I stroke a finger from the tip of his hard cock, all the way down, over his balls and to his ass.

    "Please, Mace, I want you so bad," he gasps as I tease him gently.

    "I know," I smirk and grab the lube, I pump plenty onto my fingers before

    smearing the slippery liquid around his hole. I massage gently, slowly increasing

    the pressure until a finger slips past the tight band of muscle.

    "Do you jerk off and think of me?" I ask as I move my finger in and out slowly.

    "Yes," he gasps.

    "Show me how you do it, stroke your cock for me Theo,"

    He wraps his hand around his length and begins pumping slowly.

    "Good, keep doing that but don''t cum," I say as I work a second finger into his ass. "Is this okay?" I ask when he tightens around my fingers.

    "Yes, don''t stop," he groans.

    "Rx for me, Theo," I tell him, pumping more lube onto my fingers as I withdraw them almostpletely. Then I push them back in as far as I can.

    "Green, green green," he pants, letting me know he is more than okay with this. "So greedy," I tut, "Are you ready for three?" I ask. We both know what that means, if he can take three fingers he can take a cock. His eye lock onto mine. "Yes," he says eagerly. I work a third finger into him and my cock pulses with anticipation.

    "That''s three," I breathe. I move my fingers until he''s panting.

    "Mace, please, I''m ready," he finally says. I withdraw my fingers and ther more lube on my cock, stroking it to make sure itspletely covered. Then I move into position, pushing his knees towards his chest before I line myself up at his entrance. My eyes meet his again and I drop my shieldspletely. Absorbing his every emotion right now and turning them into my own. He nods and gently push forward until he takes mepletely. "Boys do love boys, Dad!" I roar in my head as I connect with Theo in a way I''ve dreamed of for so long.

 Chapter 0105

    **Josie''s POV**

    It takes a lot of willpower to leave my bedroom. I really want to be with them, to share in this special moment I know is about to unfold, but I also realise this is their time, it''s something they''ve both been wanting for ages, and they truly deserve it. My heart could burst with happiness for them!

    "Just in time for coffee," Luke greets me with a bright smile, setting down steaming cups on the coffee table. I grab my discarded hoody from the floor and pull it over my head.

    "No need to cover up for me," heughs.

    "It''s i

    just a bit chilly in here," I say, rubbing my arms. Luke sits on the couch and pulls me down to sit sideways on hisp, then grabs one of the nkets from the back of the couch and covers my legs with it.

    "Let''s get you warmed up, then," he grins.

    Axel joins us, carrying his own cup of coffee and sitting beside us on the couch. Both of them are shirtless and I worry they''ll get cold. "You can put your tops on if you''re cold, I''ll be okay,"

    "I''ve just turned the heat up in here," Axel smiles just as we hear Theo groan loudly from my bedroom.

    "Sounds like someone just turned the heat up in there too, Luke waggles his eyebrows and I p his chest yfully. Then I sigh in contentment.

    "I''m so happy for them" I whisper.

    "It''s about damn time this happened," Axel nods and Luke hums in agreement before reaching for the TV remote and turning it on. I sip on my coffee whilst Luke surfs the channels.

    "What do you want to watch?" he asks with a sigh, clearly not finding anything that appeals to him.

    "You don''t have any of my favourite shows or movies, so anything. You choose," I shrug.

    "Axe, go grab that box of human DVDs," Luke grins.

    If

    "Since when do we have human DVDs?" I gape.

    "We might have been having people collect them for you when they visit the human realm," he says sheepishly. Axel pulls out a cardboard box from the cupboard and brings it over, cing it on the couch beside me. I put my coffee down and open the box eagerly. I pull out all the Avengers and Guardians of the Gxy movies.

    "Theo is going to love them," I say before searching the rest of the collection. I pull-out Mortal Combat and hand it to Axel, "I think you''ll like this one," I tell him. Next, I pick up The Matrix, "This one for you," I hand the movie to Luke before pulling out Transformers, "This one too," I give it to Luke. "Batman for Mason," I nod, pleased with my choice.

    "This is very sweet but these are for you, not us. What do you want to watch?" Luke stops me as I arrange the movies into piles of who I think will like each one.

    "I like them all, and I want to share as much of my world with you as I can," I exin. Luke gives me a chaste kiss.

    "Okay, Sweetness. How about you close your eyes and pick one out of the box?" he suggests. I nod and they throw all the movies back into the box. I close my eyes and dip my hand into the box, I pull out the first one my handnds on and open my eyes.

    +20 BONUS

    "Transformers it is," I grin. "But let''s wait for..." My words are cut off with a startled gasp as the sudden cramping of my heat begins, and wetness pools between my legs almost Instantly.

    The movie in my hand tters to the floor and Luke wastes no time telling Axel to get ready whilst moving me into position. My arms rest on the back of the couch on either side of Luke''s head whilst I straddle him. "Get up on your knees for me, Beauty," Axel''s voice rasps. Iply quickly, hell, I''d do a backflip if he asked right now if it meant he was going to take this need away, and I can''t even do backflips. I kneel on the couch with Luke beneath me when I feel the thick head of Axel''s cock push at iny entrance and I push my hips back to meet him, gasping as my body stretches to amodate him. Axel grips my hips his fingers digging in to add more sensation as he guides my movements with his. Luke brings his mouth to ine, kissing me whilst Axel takes me from behind. When Luke moves a hand between my legs and starts teasing my clit I shatter.

    "You have no idea what you do to me," Axel breathes as my orgasm rolls from one straight into another more intense one. "I''m addicted to you, Josie, the way you feel, the noises you make whilst I''m inside you, the way your pussy squeezes my cock,"

    Luke''s hands move around to my ass, grabbing a check in each hand as if trying to spread me even further for Axel. "Fuck, she looks so good like this," Axel groans. I feel something wet drop between my cheeks and then there''s a teasing thumb circling my back hole. My breath catches at the sensation. "Rx," Axel encourages, as he breaches my tight muscle. A third orgasm begins to build, and a whimper escapes me as I chase it. Axel''s hips jut behind me as he finds his own release. Seconds pass and my heat still rages, demanding more.

    "More, I need more," I almost sob. Why didn''t it go?

    "Okay, it''s okay, this is normal," Luke soothes as he adjusts beneath me, pushing down his shorts until his hard cock springs free. Axel pulls out and helps me to move into a better angle to take Luke. Just before I''m lined up, Axel reaches beneath me, his fingers diving into my pussy, collecting some of his cum and spreading it to my ass as his own brand of lube. I sink down onto Luke''s waiting shaft and throw my head back in pleasure. Luke tugs at my hoody, pulling it over my head so I''mpletely naked. His hands move to my breasts, his thumbs stroking over my nipples whilst Axel works his fingers into my ass. Tfeel like a supercharged ball of sensation that grows with every movement until I reach supernova. I scream until my throat is hoarse and then I copse against Lukepletely spent. My heat fully sated.

    N.O Darling

    Author

    Sorry for any grammar and spelling mistakes in one of yesterday''s chapters (chapter 80), I identally uploaded the unedited version. I have re-uploaded the edited version but as it''s weekend the changes may not be approved until Monday.

    2

 Chapter 0106

    **Theo''s POV**

    I''m not ashamed to say I cried after Mason finally gave in to what we both wanted. I had sobbed like a small child and he hadn''t pushed me away, he had pulled me into his ams and held me. He had uttered words of apology and at first, I thought he was scared he''d done something wrong until he had opened up and told me more than he''d ever told me before.

    "I''m so sorry Theo, for every time I''ve rejected you, for every time I''ve made you feel unworthy and told you that this is wrong and unnatural. It was never you, I was the one worthy, and I still am," he admitted. He had never looked so vulnerable as his sad eyes spoke a thousand words.

    "No, Mace, you are not,"

    "I was weak, I let myself be destroyed, I let him turn me into this, this monster," his face hardened, his walls building back up.

    "Mace, you are the strongest person I know. You have never been weak, ever," I ced my hand on his chest, right over his heart that now beats in time with my own thanks to our girl. As if she had known I was thinking of her right then she had moaned loudly and Mason had looked straight at the door she was behind and grimaced. "Her heat is intense, she''s in pain. We should shower and go to her, she''s going to need us all soon," He had said, ending our heart-to-heart, which was fine, I wasn''t going to push him. He needs to open up at his own pace. I realised then that his shields must be down if he can feel what Josie feels then he has been feeling what I feel. Good, he deserves to feel loved, because I do love him, immensely. I had followed him to the bathroom and when he had turned the shower on I had thought we were going to shower together, that was until he had stepped aside to let me into the cubicle and then told me he''d see meter before leaving the bathroom. I''d washed quickly with ns to go after him but now I''m at the bedroom door I have no idea what to do. How am I supposed to act around him now? Do I pretend this didn''t happen and go on as normal? Or will that send his progress backwards? Why is this so damn hard? Josie screams and my heart pounds in time with hers, dragging me out of my existential crisis. I pull open the door to witness the most beautiful sight. She screams out her pleasure with abandon whilst she rides Luke''s cock and Axel finger fucks her perfect ass. I move around for a better angle, sneaking a peek at Daddy Axe''s fine ass whilst I''m there. Josie copses forward onto Luke, giving me the perfect view of the three fingers in her ass. Oh fuck yes! She is so ready, and I''m going to be the first one to take her there, if anyone even tries before I get my chance I''ll cut their dick off.

    "You good, Babe?" I ask her when she finally gets her breathing under control. Her eyes snap open and search me out, filling with tears when she sees me.

    "Yes. Are you?" she asks her eyes scanning the room for Mason.

    "I''m great," I reassure her with a wide grin, then I mouth "Thank you," to her. She nods and bursts into happy tears. I love seeing her like this, her emotions are so raw and visible to us all. "I''ll go prepare your bath,"

    I add a soothing muscle soak to her bath as it fills andy out her bathrobe on the bed for her. I want to go prepare food for her but I''ve been banned from cooking after thest time I almost set fire to the ce. One of us is going to need to learn to cook though. We can''t rely on Josie to do it all the time, especially not when she is in heat. Why are cooking lessons not included in the bond care sses? They''re missing out on a huge chunk there. Axel carries our girl in and joins her in the bath whilst Luke showers. I guess I''ll go see if the couch needs cleaning. I''m about to step out of the bedroom when I hear Mason''s voice. I pause, holding my breath to listen in on his conversation. "Yes, she''s just got in the bath,e up now," he says and then goes silent. He must have been on the phone. A few minutes pass and then I hear Mr Collins speak, he must have had the wards lifted to port in.

    "How is she?" Mr Collins whispers and my suspicions abou our esteemed headmaster grow further.

    "It''s getting more intense and quickly, it''s only a matter of time before we aren''t enough for her, she''s going to need you. If it doesn''t happen during this heat then I''m certain it will happen during her next one, it''s progressing too fast. I don''t understand,¡± Mason responds a hushed tone. I fucking knew it! He''s her bond, and he''spelled Axel to not tell us. I wonder if Mace and Luke arepelled too. Am Ipelled?

    "She''s different to most females, we can''t expect her to develop the same way they do. If she needs me I''ll be here, but we know the most likely oue if that happens, Mr Collins sighs.

    "Yes, and I want to avoid

    as much as she does. None of us are ready for that," Mason says and I frown. What in the realm are they talking about? I hear the rustling of bags and then they both say goodbye before the silence resumes. I retreat further into the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed and trying to figure this whole Mr Collins thing out. N.O Darling

    Author

    Thank you to all my wonderful readers! Please keep giving gems if you can, it helps so much.

    3

 Chapter 0107

    3

    **Coner''s POV

    I don''t know what''s worse, the nausea or the pain in my knees from dropping on the floor. My knees are important. I can''t be a dancer if my knees are damaged Although I''m not sure they would have a need for a dancer in this new world I''ve found myself in. I grip the spot on my wrist that Josie had shown me and wait for the churning in my stomach to stop. I keep thinking this is all wild dream and I''ll wake up soon, but is it possible to sleep in a dream? Because I went to sleep and when I woke up I was still here. I can''t believe Josie is here too. I thought I''d never see her again. In fact, they were thest words she had spoken to me. "If I ever see you again, it will be too soon," she had spat. I rey what I''d done to her often. How I had hurt her. She never deserved that. I guess this is my punishment for that. Karma always finds a way. I still don''t know why I did what I did. I loved her, I was sure I did, but then I met Molly. Sure Molly was pretty and 1 sympathised with her, we shared a very simr life story. We had both lost our parents and had been put into foster care. I''d been with my foster family for seven years when she had joined us. I hadn''t been interested in her at all for the first six months, too upied with Josic, dance and college to form much of a bond with her. Then one evening shortly after her 18th birthday she hade to my bedroom and I''d slept with her. I still have no idea how it happened. I should have admitted my mistake to Josie right then, but I didn''t. I didn''t want to lose her or hurt her. I''d sworn to myself it would never happen again, but it did, every single time we were alone. I couldn''t stop, I had an uncontroble urge to be with Molly.

    "Feeling better?" Mr Collins'' voice rips me from my trip down memoryne. I blink up at him and he has a smug grin stered on his face. I swear this guy is enjoying seeing me suffer.

    "Yes, now can you please tell me where Josie is, I want to see her. I have some things I need to tell her," I huff. He''d promised she would be here but she isn''t.

    "Coner will you forget about Josie for fucks sake, I''m sick of hearing about her," Molly sneers.

    "Josie is here in the academy, but I''m afraid she will be indisposed for a few days, I assure you she is fine and her bonds are taking great care of her. I''d like to give you a few words of advice regarding Josie and her bonds. It would be wise not to antagonise them. There''s nothing more dangerous than a male protecting his bond, and Josie has the most powerful bonds in the academy," he smiles, but it doesn''t reach his eyes. "Now if you want to get up off of my office floor I''ll escort you to the dining hall for breakfast, someone will be along shortly to collect you from there and show you to your rooms. I''ll also assign some students to answer all your questions and help you get settled here,"

    Molly tries to hold my hand as we follow Mr Collins but I brush her off, remembering the warning we had been given about pausing our rtionship until the seer has been. I really don''t want to antagonize a bunch of students with powers. The academy seems quiet and Mr Collins points out different buildings as we make our way to the dining hall. We bump into a few students who give us curious nces as we pass but no one says anything to us.

    "I''m starving, I hope the food is good here, although it can''t be worse than..." Molly begins to natter as we walk into the dining hall but her words fade into the background as my eyesnd on the most beautiful creature I''ve ever seen in my life. The whole world seems to stop as her stunning wide eyes meet mine. Her mouth parts slightly and I forget how to breathe.

    "Coner! Are you even listening to me?" Molly demands with a shove to my chest. I stumble back but my eyes stay on the goddess across the room. Her eyes move to Molly with a hint of a scowl, then a dark-haired guy wraps his arm around her shoulderspletely oblivious to me as he guides her to a table. I blink back into reality and Molly is pissed. "What the fuck was that?" she hisses.

    "I... I don''t know," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck.

    "That is Sunny," Mr Collins leans over to whisper with a knowing smile. Sunny, what a perfect name for her. I nce back over to her but I can only see her dark hair that cascades down her back as she sits at a table with two

    mell

    "Conor get your shit together, people are watching us and you''re acting like a freak, It''s embarrassing," Molly grumbles beside me.

    "Could I have everyone''s attention for a moment," Mr Collins calls loudly and the room falls into silence as all eyes move to him. "We have two new students joining us today. This is Coner and Molly, they arrived in our realmtest night from the human realm," he tells the room. All eyes move to us and students begin to chatter excitedly, but there''s only one set of eyes I care about. Sunny gives me a small smile and my heart almost stops." Now I know this is very unusual, especially since we have already had a student from the human realm join us recently but I would like to remind everyone to treat them with respect. The seer will be here at the earliest opportunity. I do not want a repeat of what happened with Miss Banks, and I will not hesitate to issue suspensions again should I need to. I need two bonded groups to volunteer to help settle them in," he looks at the crowd of students expectedly and a few hands shoot up, including Sunny''s. "Coner, you can join Sunny''s group,'' he points towards Sunny and I can''t stop the grin that spreads across my face. "Molly, you can join Sienna''s group,

    he points to another table but I don''t take notice, I can''t pull my eyes from Sunny.

    "You are not separating us," Molly insists and gasps sound out as the room suddenly goe

    3

    ** Coner''s POV

    I don''t know what''s worse, the nausea or the pain in my knees from dropping on the floor. My knees are important. I can''t be a dancer if my knees are damaged Although I''m not sure they would have a need for a dancer in this new world I''ve found myself in. I grip the spot on my wrist that Josie had shown me and wait for the churning in my stomach to stop. I keep thinking this is all wild dream and I''ll wake up soon, but is it possible to sleep in a dream? Because I went to sleep and when I woke up I was still here. I can''t believe Josie is here too. I thought I''d never see her again. In fact, they were thest words she had spoken to me. "If I ever see you again, it will be too soon," she had spat. I rey what I''d done to her often. How I had hurt her. She never deserved that. I guess this is my punishment for that. Karma always finds a way. I still don''t know why I did what I did. I loved her, I was sure I did, but then I met Molly. Sure Molly was pretty and 1 sympathised with her, we shared a very simr life story. We had both lost our parents and had been put into foster care. I''d been with my foster family for seven years when she had joined us. I hadn''t been interested in her at all for the first six months, too upied with Josic, dance and college to form much of a bond with her. Then one evening shortly after her 18th birthday she hade to my bedroom and I''d slept with her. I still have no idea how it happened. I should have admitted my mistake to Josie right then, but I didn''t. I didn''t want to lose her or hurt her. I''d sworn to myself it would never happen again, but it did, every single time we were alone. I couldn''t stop, I had an uncontroble urge to be with Molly.

    "Feeling better?" Mr Collins'' voice rips me from my trip down memoryne. I blink up at him and he has a smug grin stered on his face. I swear this guy is enjoying seeing me suffer.

    "Yes, now can you please tell me where Josie is, I want to see her. I have some things I need to tell her," I huff. He''d promised she would be here but she isn''t.

    "Coner will you forget about Josie for fucks sake, I''m sick of hearing about her," Molly sneers.

    "Josie is here in the academy, but I''m afraid she will be indisposed for a few days, I assure you she is fine and her bonds are taking great care of her. I''d like to give you a few words of advice regarding Josie and her bonds. It would be wise not to antagonise them. There''s nothing more dangerous than a male protecting his bond, and Josie has the most powerful bonds in the academy," he smiles, but it doesn''t reach his eyes. "Now if you want to get up off of my office floor I''ll escort you to the dining hall for breakfast, someone will be along shortly to collect you from there and show you to your rooms. I''ll also assign some students to answer all your questions and help you get settled here,"

    Molly tries to hold my hand as we follow Mr Collins but I brush her off, remembering the warning we had been given about pausing our rtionship until the seer has been. I really don''t want to antagonize a bunch of students with powers. The academy seems quiet and Mr Collins points out different buildings as we make our way to the dining hall. We bump into a few students who give us curious nces as we pass but no one says anything to us.

    "I''m starving, I hope the food is good here, although it can''t be worse than..." Molly begins to natter as we walk into the dining hall but her words fade into the background as my eyesnd on the most beautiful creature I''ve ever seen in my life. The whole world seems to stop as her stunning wide eyes meet mine. Her mouth parts slightly and I forget how to breathe.

    "Coner! Are you even listening to me?" Molly demands with a shove to my chest. I stumble back but my eyes stay on the goddess across the room. Her eyes move to Molly with a hint of a scowl, then a dark-haired guy wraps his arm around her shoulderspletely oblivious to me as he guides her to a table. I blink back into reality and Molly is pissed. "What the fuck was that?" she hisses.

    "I... I don''t know," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck.

    "That is Sunny," Mr Collins leans over to whisper with a knowing smile. Sunny, what a perfect name for her. I nce back over to her but I can only see her dark hair that cascades down her back as she sits at a table with two

    mell

    "Conor get your shit together, people are watching us and you''re acting like a freak, It''s embarrassing," Molly grumbles beside me.

    "Could I have everyone''s attention for a moment," Mr Collins calls loudly and the room falls into silence as all eyes move to him. "We have two new students joining us today. This is Coner and Molly, they arrived in our realmtest night from the human realm," he tells the room. All eyes move to us and students begin to chatter excitedly, but there''s only one set of eyes I care about. Sunny gives me a small smile and my heart almost stops." Now I know this is very unusual, especially since we have already had a student from the human realm join us recently but I would like to remind everyone to treat them with respect. The seer will be here at the earliest opportunity. I do not want a repeat of what happened with Miss Banks, and I will not hesitate to issue suspensions again should I need to. I need two bonded groups to volunteer to help settle them in," he looks at the crowd of students expectedly and a few hands shoot up, including Sunny''s. "Coner, you can join Sunny''s group,'' he points towards Sunny and I can''t stop the grin that spreads across my face. "Molly, you can join Sienna''s group,

    he points to another table but I don''t take notice, I can''t pull my eyes from Sunny.

    "You are not separating us," Molly insists and gasps sound out as the room suddenly goes very tense.

    "Coner, please join Sunny''s group. Molly will not be joining the academy at this time. She will be learning the consequences of trying to usepulsion so carelessly, "Mr Collins says with a barely controlled anger.

    1

    s very tense.

    "Coner, please join Sunny''s group. Molly will not be joining the academy at this

    time. She will be learning the consequences of trying to usepulsion so carelessly, "Mr Collins says with a barely controlled anger.

    1

 Chapter 0108

    **Deacon Collins POV **

    #

    Gripping Molly''s upper arm I march her back to my office. She has tried to run away from me twice already, although I''ve no idea where she thinks she''s going to go. She curses me out the whole way but I can''t risk leaving her in the academy without getting herpulsion ability under control. When I''d felt her words trying to probe at my mind I had been in shock. She has great potential to be very powerful in thepulsion field. I need to iste her while she has intense training in this fieild. I''d be the best one to train her on this, there''s no one more powerful inpulsion than me in this realm, and if it was anyone else I''d probably take her to stay at my house and train her there, but her history with Josieplicates things. My bond is my priority, shees above all else, even the academy and my students and I know it would hurt her to know I had Molly at my home, at her future home. Plus I have enough on my te at the moment without taking on Molly''s training too.

    "Sit," I tell her, motioning to the couch in my office. She does, but she makes sure I''m aware of how unhappy she is about it. She acts like a petnt teenager, she''s nothing like my bond despite them being the same age. I move around my desk, removing my suit jacket and rolling up my shirt sleeves, I can''t work on myputer unless my arms are free, the shirt and jacket feel too restricting. Sending a quick email to Noel I request him toe to my office. He can work with Molly this week. I also send an email to Sunny and her bonds, Damien and Sebastian, dismissing them from the morning sses to help Coner settle. I ask them to remain in the dining hall until rrisa arrives with Coner''s dorm key. Once I''ve dealt with Molly I''ll need to check Coner forpulsion, I hate to think how much she has subjected him to. How many choices he''s had taken from him? A pang of guilt creeps

    I have up on me, because isn''t that what I''m doing to my bond? I attempt to push the nagging feeling away, good reason for doing it, it''s for her benefit, yet the guilt still gnaws at my conscience. How long can I justify doing this? I keep telling myself that I have to be cruel to be kind, but is this truly a kindness? It doesn''t feel like it sometimes.

    "Are you even listening to me? Molly demands obnoxiously

    a very

    "Nope, to be honest, I didn''t hear a word," I admit without even ncing her way. If she is looking for attention then she is going to be severely disappointed.

    "Return me back to my home, you don''t want me here and don''t want to be here. It''s a win-win situation," she tries to bargain.

    "Good idea, there are a few ces I''ve been meaning to visit in the human realm and I''ve always wanted to see the skan mountains, I can drop you off there whilst I''m going if you like?" I suggest whilst texting Mason to ask how Josie is and if she needs anything. I realise it''s barely been an hour since we parted but I can''t stop thinking of her. I want to give her everything I can, even if she doesn''t know it''s me providing everything for her it helps me to feel involved in her care. That I''m at least doing my part in some way.

    "Why there? Isn''t it cold and deserted?" Molly asks.

    "Yes, very. It''s the perfect ce for a Grey with an out-of-controlpulsion gift. Tell me, Miss Andrews, were you aware you could manipte other people''s minds? I suggest you do not lie, I have the ability to get the truth from you," I finally look at her. She seems a little panicked and unsure if I''m telling the truth.

 Chapter 0109

    "Yes, kind of, I just know that if I really want something I can demand it and admits, chewing nervously on her bottom lip.

    people can''t deny my request," she

    And have you demanded anything of Coner? Again, I suggest you don''t lie. I will be checking Just how muchpulsion Coner has been subjected toter today," I raise my brows at her.

    "Yes," she says with a defeated huff. "That''s how I discovered I could do it. He spent months ignoring me, always running off to meet his girlfriend and dismissing my advances. One day I snapped and confronted him. He asked what I wanted from him and I told him I wanted him to want me more than he wanted his girlfriend. He had this dazed look for a second and then kissed me,¡± she shrugs. Confirming what I''d suspected since I''d discovered her power. It all made sense now. I couldn''t understand how Comer could have chosen this girl over Josie. She''s not a bad-looking girl but her attitude and personality leave a sour taste in my mouth. She''s not a patch on my little temptress.

    Noel arrives to collect Molly and I fully exin the situation to him, he agrees to spend time away from the academy training her and teaching her our ways. I feel like I can finally breathe again now she is out of my office. My relief is short-lived though when I check my phone and see that Mason has not responded. I know he''s probably in the midst of a wave of Josie''s heat but I get angsty nheless. I send him another message to let him know I''m picking up lunch for them all and to call me when it''s a safe time to bring the food. Then I leave the academy, having my driver take me far enough away from the acaderny that I''m out of the wards that block teleportation. I don my sses and port to the human realm, into one of my father''s empty properties. I know there is a popr fast-food chain very close by that has featured in Josie''s dreams on more than one asion When I walk inside I feel a little overwhelmed by the menu

    "Can I take your order, sir?" a pimple-faced teenage boy asks from behind the counter.

    "Yes, I have 10 students that I wanted to treat to lunch, what would you rmend?" I smile politely at the boy and he looks back at me seeming disinterested.

    "A few family buckets," he shrugs.

    "Okay then I''ll take that, and two of each vour of milkshake," I nod.

    Almost thirty minutester I return to my car with my arms loaded with bags of food, the smell of fried chicken makes my mouth water but this is not for me, I won''t take any. Mason finally responds on the drive back to the academy. He tells me Josie is about to take a bath and that he will call as soon as it''s safe to port in. I call rrisa and ask her to lift the wards so I can port in the moment Mason gives me the go-ahead. When my phone buzzes with Mason''s call I grin, and after informing my driver to continue back to the academy I port into the kitchen area of my bond group''s apartment and find Mason waiting for me there. I can''t stay long but I can''t leave without asking about her. Mason informs me her heat is progressing fast, faster than most females, Which equally excites me and terrifies me. I may have to give up this act much sooner than I''d nned. More research on the Spark bonds heat is needed, I add that to my list of one million other things

    I need to do. I''m tired, so tired. All I want is to be here with Josie, with them, shutting out the rest of the world for a few days, but that''s not an option right now, I have too much responsibility.

 Chapter 0110

    **Josie''s POV**

    Feeling refreshed from my bath I walk out of my bedroom my clean robe and a delicious scent hits my nose. I know that smell, but it can''t be...

    "Oh my goodness!" I exim when my eyesnd on the red buckets on the table, I could actually cry right now at the beautiful sight of KFC. Me and my mum would go there on thest Friday of every month before she became unwell, she called it Fat Friday. We spend the afternoon calling and watching Transformers. All the guys enjoy the food and the movie and I feelplete contentment as I fa Into ate afternoon nap on the couch surrounded by my bonds. I wake up to a buzzing that vibrates against my head and the leg I was apparently using as a pillow shifts beneath me. I sit up slightly, allowing Mason to retrieve his phone. I have no idea how I ended up with my head on him, I was leaning against Theo when I''d dozed off

    "Yes," Mason answers in a gruff voice.

    "We were napping," he yawns. "Give me a minute," he says into the phone and then looks at me. "How is your heat?" he asks.

    think!!

    "Okay, I think," I frown in confusion and look around for the rest of the guys. Is it one of them calling to ask about my heat? Axel sleeps on my other side but Theo and Luke are nowhere to be seen.

    "Axe, wake up," Mason raises his voice, startling Axel who immediately reaches for me.

    "I''m fine," I smile at him.

    "Theo, Luke, get in here," Mason calls, Theo runs out of his bedroom, his eyes scanning the room to see what''s going on. When his eyes meet mine in question I shrug. Luke joins us momentster, looking a little sleep-dazed.

    "Okay we are all here, let me put you on speaker," Mason says and presses the speaker button on his phone. "Go ahead,

    "Josie?" Mr Collins'' voice crackles through the phone speaker.

    "Yes, Sir, I''m here," I say, giving Mason a questioning look

    "I have discovered something today that I think you should know, I think it can bring you a littlefort, and the others should hear this too," he says and my heart skips a beat. Is it about my mum? Or the two guys we picked up. yesterday? Maybe my biological father?

    "It''s about Coner. I have just spent the past few hours removing all thepulsion Molly had ced on him," he sighs into the phone and I put my hand over my mouth to cover a gasp as my eyes fill with tears.

    "I knew she was a bitch," Theo curses.

    "Is Coner okay?" my voice trembles.

    "He will be, I think he may be able to forgive himself now, he''s been carrying a lot of guilt over how he hurt you, he never understood why he did what he did but he has those answers now. He wants to see you, but I''ve told him he will need to wait until your heat is over,"

    "Does he have a phone yet? I want to speak to him," I ask.

    "Yes, you should be able to find him through the school directory. There''s something else you should know. I think it''s very likely that Sunny is his bond, they had an instant connection, she is aware of the situation and her group is supporting him,"

    Chapter 01 10

    $

    "That''s great, I''m so happy for him. Sunny Is the sweetest I smile, genuinely happy for thern. "What happens to Molly now?" I ask, fury bubbling under my skin at the thought of what she has done to him.

    "Normally she would be handed over to be dealt with by our justice system but as she was not fully aware of the gift she was using she has been sent away from the academy to be trained. I''ve ensured Noel doesn''t take it easy. on her. When her training isplete then she will return to the academy on a trial basis," he exins. I nod and blow out a breath. Then I realise he can''t see me.

    ¡°Okay. Thank you. By the way, what''s the punishment for making another student trip over using telekinesis?"

    "Well, that would depend if there are any witnesses," I can hear the smile in his voice. ¡°Are you informing me that Molly is usually ident-prone?"

    "Yes, very, that girl trips over her own feet every time I see her," I grin.

    "Hmm, I''ll be sure to add that to her file," he jokes.

    "Thanks, and thank you for letting me know and for helping Coner,

    "Just doing my job," he responds but this feels more personal.

    "Any update on the men we brought in yesterday?" Mason asks.

    "I''ve not had a chance to get there yet. I''m headed over there to interrogate them very soon," he says.

    "Okay, good. Wait for me I''ming with you," Mason says.

    HA

    "Are you sure you''re not needed there?" Mr Collins asks, sounding a little awkward. Mason looks at me in question.

    "I''m fine right now," I shrug.

    "There''s three of us here, I think we can manage without you for a few hours," Luke reassures Mason.

    "Give me 10 minutes, and I''lle to your office," Mason tells Mr Collins before we all say goodbye and he ends the call.

    "Damn, I wanted to ask him if he had my human phone, I think I left it at his house," I p my own forehead for being so forgetful.

    "I brought it," Axel smiles. "It''s in my room,

    "My hero," I grin, and lean over to kiss him.

    "Axe, check the cameras after I leave and make sure to reset the rm. Call me if you''re worried about anything," Mason says, looking a little anxious at the thought of leaving us without him. I''m sure he''s about to call Mr Collins back and tell him he''s noting.

    "Go, we will be fine. Mr Collins probably needs you more. don''t think he''s slept since yesterday," I reassure. Mason searches my eyes and then nods. He steps towards me and I think he''s about to kiss me goodbye but then he catches himself and steps back, almost making me giggle. Getting up from the couch I follow him to the door, with Axel and Theo.

    "Set the rm straight away," he says, turning to Axel.

    "Will do," Axel confirms.

    "Be careful," I tell him and he nods, his eyes move to Theo and he gives him the same nod before opening the door and leaving.

    "He''s so cute when he''s awkward," I sigh dreamily leaning going to call Coner, and then we can watch another movie

    "Sure, do you want to be alone when you call him?" Luke a head. It''s probably something I should do alone, but I don'' with me all the time.

    :

    "He''s so cute when he''s awkward," 1 sigh dreamily leaning against the door as Axel punches the code in. "I''m going to call Coner, and then we can watch another movie you want?" I ask the guys.

    "Sure, do you want to be alone when you call him?¡± Luke aks. I think about it for a second and then shake my head. It''s probably something I should do alone, but I don''t want to hide anything from them, plus I want them with me all the time.

 Chapter 0111

    **Josie''s POV **

    When I retrieve my phone from my bedroom I''m not surprised to see messages from Dot and Sunny.

    Dot: New human realm Greys are here. Do you know them?

    Dot: Bitch, where the hell are you? Drama with the new girl She tried topel Mr C in front of the whole dining hall!! He was so passed! Dragged her out of there with steaming out of his ears I swear!

    Dot: Okay I just spoke to the new guy, he says he knows you and you''re in heat. I need all the deets on these neers. Do we like them?

    Me: Yeah sorry, heat came at the perfect time... NOT! It''splicated with those two. I''ll give you the full story when I see you but we like Coner, Molly is a bitch!

    I respond to Dot before checking Sunny''s message.

    Sunny: Hey, so I think Coner is my bond. Of course, I won''t act on anything until the seer has been to confirm it but I wanted to tell you anyway. Coner exined some of your history together so I thought we should talk. whole thing is messed up but I don''t want to cause any agro between us,

    Me: Hey, I''m so d you are potentially his bond. Coner is good guy and deserves someone like you in his life. Are you with him now? I just found out what Molly did and wanted to call him if you are okay with that. Thest thing I want to do is cause issues in your bond group.

    I reply to her, Sunny is so sweet, I''d hate to make her feel like I was going behind her back to call Coner. Seconds. pass before she responds.

    Sunny: Yes, please call him. He''s pretty torn up about the whole thing. I think only you can help him to forgive himself.

    I blow out a breath and hold my phone up to the guys to let them read her message before I find Coner''s contact in the school directory and hit call. He answers on the second ring.

    "Swan, is that you?" he asks sounding a little short of breath.

    "Yes, it''s me. Mr Collins exined everything. How are you?"

    "Hell, I don''t know. My head is up my arse right now. I can''t believe I was so stuold. How could I not know what was happening?" he sighs.

    "That''s the thing withpulsion, you usually have no idea,"

    "I did know something wasn''t right though. I should havee to you and told you, maybe you could have helped me," his voice sounds vunerable.

    "Don''t be too hard on yourself about that. To be honest I doubt I would have believed you then. I only found out about all this stuff a few months ago. If you''d have told me a year ago that Molly was using mind control to make you cheat on me I would have thought it was the worst excuse ever,''

    "Yeah, you''re right. You''d have probably checked me into the room next to your mum," he halfughs, "How is she by the way? When I heard you were missing I tried to contact her and the facility told me she had been moved,"

    "She is great, but Coner she wasn''t crazy, well, she was, but it was because she knew what I was. Her story started very simr to yours actually, but I''ll exin all that when see you," I tell him and that thought makes my gut

    twist. Would Coner have turned out like my another eventually?

    ¡°Shit, Swan, that''s bad," he curses and I quickly change the topic because I''m not sure if he knows that one of his biological parents probably did the same to his other blological parent. That also gives me another idea, another lead we can follow.

    "How is your new room?" I ask

    "It''s not bad, it''s basic, but better than my college dorm,"

    "I doubt you''ll be there long, when the seer confirms Sunny is your bond then you''ll move to an apartment with her group in Saphire," I smile at the thought, even though know he can''t see it.

    "That would be strange, but Sunny is amazing, and her bonds, Damien and Seb are pretty cool too. They''ve been a massive help today," his voice is instantly more chipper at hist the mention of Sunny.

    "I''m happy for you. Sunny and her group are great, you''ll be a good fit with them,

    "I hope so. When can I see you? I have some things I want to say and I''d rather

    do It face to face," he asks; his tone a little nervous.

    "I''m not sure, as soon as my heat is done I guess," I shrug

    "That heat thing is wild huh? I''m still trying to wrap my head around it," he chuckles.

    "You and me both," Iugh.

    "This whole Grey thing is insane. I keep thinking I''m going to wake up from this crazy dream soon. I feel like I''m living inside of a movie," he snorts.

    "Yeah, I''m still waiting to wake up too," I say and Theo pokes me in the side with a scowl making me squeal, Theo''s scowl turns into delighted interest. He''s just discovered how ticklish I am, shit. "Coner, I have to go but you can text me whenever. I''ll see you in a few days,"

    "Okay, see you soon. Thanks for calling and erm.... have fun he says awkwardly before ending the call.

    "If this is a dream then you better not wake up, because I wille to the human realm and hunt your sweet little ass down," Theo grumbles and Luke and Axel make sounds of agreement.

    "You better had, I''ll be so pissed if I wake up back in the human realm and none of this ever happened," I shake my head. I wouldn''t be pissed, I''d be destroyed. "I need to call Mason, I had an idea about how we might find some of the parents of Greys born in the human realm,"

    "Call him, they probably only just left the academy," Luke says.

    "What''s wrong?" Mason answers on the first ring.

    "Oh, erm... nothing. I just had an idea and wanted to share it with you and Mr Collins," I say, a little taken aback at his abrupt way of answering the call.

    "Let me put you on speaker," he says. "Okay, go ahead,"

    The

    "So I was thinking, Coner''s parents died when he was a child. He was told it was a car ident but he always suspected there was more to it. 1 know something happened to Molly''s parents too because she was in th foster home as Coner. I think if we look into suspicious deaths and mental illness simr to my mum''s case we may find that some of those people have Grey children," I exin. The phone is silent for a beat.

    "It''s worth looking into, but I still can''t reach my police contact. I may need to visit the human realm and check in on them. In the meantime, I have some other contacts that may be able to look into hospital records. Can you make a list of what exactly we are looking for?" Mr Collins asks.

    "Yes, I..." my words cut off with a groan as my heat res.

    "We will call you back," Theo says snatching the phone and ending the call.

 Chapter 0112

    **Mason''s POV**

    Josie moans down the phone and my cock hardens instantly Theo ends the call and I have to clench my fists and focus on my breathing. My every instinct is urging me to go to her. My palms begin to sweat and I rub them on my pants as we drive away from the academy.

    "Wee to my world," Deacon snorts, he must have been watching my reaction.

    "I''m fine," I snap.

    "Sure you are, no big deal, right? It''s so easy to ignore the call of your bond. Your wolf isn''t threatening to take control and run to his mate," he grins sarcastically.

    "Exactly," I nod.

    "Do you want to go back?" he raises a brow. Yes! Every fibre of my being is screaming at me to say yes. To demand that the driver stop this car and allow me to shift and run back to her.

    "No," I grunt, barely able to force the word out.

    "Let''s get this over with quickly and get you back to her," he gives me a knowing smile.

    "She is worried about you you know? She said I shoulde with you because she thinks you haven''t slept and will need me more than she does," I quirk an eyebrow at him.

    "She''s right, I haven''t slept at allst night, but I''m fine," he shrugs.

    "You don''t look fine,"

    "Fine, I''m tired, and I''m stressed, and I crave my bond every second of every day, I''m jealous that I can''t be with you all, shutting out the world for a while, and I need a damn break. Does that make you feel better?" he rants and I smirk in victory.

    "So should we just agree that we are both fine? Or do you want to talk about our feelings more?"

    "Point taken,¡± he rolls his eyes and for a second he looks younger. I keep forgetting there are less than four years between us. When I started the academy he was a student here too, we even had some sses together for my first two years. Now though, he acts so grown up and very professional with his suit and briefcase that I sometimes forget he''s only 26. I hated it when he became headmaster of the academy, he started treating me differently. Not just because he was my superior now, but because he had ess to my file, with all my personal history. I knew the exact day that he read it because I saw the pity in his eyes. He had never looked at me that way before and it pissed me off. I didn''t want him to know. No one at the academy was supposed to know apart from Dot. It was supposed to be a fresh start, where no one pitied me, where I wasn''t poor, troubled little Mason.

    "Why do you look murderous?" Deacon asks.

    "Because I feel murderous," I grin.

    "Awesome," he grins back, he never did back away from me like most people.

    We pull up at the prison gates and Deacon talks with security. I message Theo asking how things are, replies quickly, informing me that he and Axel were not enough and that Luke is now trying to sate her.

    12

    "Shit," I curse. This is not good. She is progressing far too quickly. Most females don''t get to this stage until their

    twenties.

    12

    "What''s

    my phone out to him and his wrong?" Deacon asks, turning his attention from the security guard. Iho eyes growrge with concern as he reads the message. "We need to do this as quickly as possible," he snaps at the guard.

    "Yes, Sir, I''ll have the suspects in the interview room by the time you get in there," he nods and presses a

    the gates whilst using his radio tomunicate with the inside of the prison.

    to open

    Do vo

    you think she is damaged from the head injury?" I ask

    button

    "No, this has to be something to do with the Spark bond. What if, and I know this sounds insane, but what if it''s not us that will physically save the realm? What if we are supposed to create the child that will? That would exin this elerated heat," he suggests.

    "You mean fate is angry that you are not fucking your bond and forcing an 18- year-old to be a mother before she is ready so this is its way of forcing you?" I frown at how ridiculous he sounds, but it''s also the kind of bullshit move fate would probably pull.

    "It''s all I can think of that makes any sense," he shrugs.

    ¡°I think it''s time to talk to Josie about this,¡± I suggest reluctantly and he nods.

 Chapter 0113

    "Let''s get this out of the way first," he motions towards the Intimidating building as we pull up in front of it. I don''t miss the twitch of a smile on his face though, and I can imagine he''s nning exactly what he will do after that talk. ¡°Also, she is 19 in two weeks," he adds, no longer able to hide his smile.

    We are quickly ushered from the car and into an interview room where one of the guys is waiting.

    "Good evening, I believe your name is Tucker, is that correct?" Deacon asks, his professional armour now firmly back in ce. The guy nods with a scowl.

    "Great, now there are two ways we can do this. You can choose to answer my questions truthfully, or I canpel the information out of you. How would you like to proceed? Deacon asks.

    "Ask your questions," Tucker juts his chin with a slight scrunch of his nose.

    "Very well, but I must warn you, my friend here is very good at detecting a lie, should he catch you in a lie he won''t hesitate to cut off your air supply," Deacon exins, Tucker''s eyes move to me, assessing me before a toothy grin spreads over his face.

    "This weasel doesn''t have the juice," heughs for barely a second before I cut off his oxygen with barely any effort. I could tear his head clean from his body with my current power level. This is nothing to me now. His eyes bulge and I release my hold when he begins turning purple. He sucks in huge breaths and Deacon waits for him to recover a little before he begins his questioning.

    "What do you know about the Spark bond?" he asks.

    "What? Why are you asking me about that? It''s a myth," Tucker frowns. So he''s definitely not high up in the ranks or he would be aware it''s been activated.

    "Tell me what you were doing in the human realmst night,"

    Tucker nces in my direction nervously and I grin at him, ''We were sent to pick up one of the orphans, I''ve been trying to find him for weeks. We were about to leave the club because I couldn''t find him and then he just appeared there on the dance floor as if fate was pointing him out to us,¡±

    "What were you going to do with him when you found him?

    "Deliver him back to the client," he shrugs, "whatever would have happened after that is above my paygrade,"

    "So you were hired to find him?"

    "Yes,"

    "Who hired you?" Deacon asks.

    "No idea, my partner and I offer an anonymous service, cash on delivery. No names, no faces, no questions," he says proudly and I wish he was lying because

    I want to wipe that smug look off of his face.

    "Is everything you''ve told me the truth?" Deacon asks, his wordsced with power this time.

    "Yes,"

    "Well this was a waste of time," I sigh and stand to leave.

    "Thank you for your time, we are done here," Deacon says and follows me out of the room. He lets the guards know we are done and we get back into the car. "Let''s wait to see if we can pull anything from the numbers found on their phones but this seems like a dead end," he says once the car starts moving. I message Theo to let him know we are on our way back and he responds with a picture of Josie asleep on her bed, her cheeks look flushed

    and her hair is fanned around her head. The soft light makes her look almost ethereal. Her beauty takes my breath

    away.

    "You might want to go home and sleep for a while before you talk with Josie," I say, turning my phone screen to show Deacon. His face lights up instantly.

    "She''s the most beautiful woman in the world, how did we get so lucky?" he smiles, "can you send me that?" "Yeah. You know you''re going to have to get a new assistan? You can''t keep rrisa around after the stunt you pulled with her, plus she seems determined to antagonize sie. Does she know you are bonds?"

    "I think she suspects something. We need her right now. You know how rare it is to find someone with a blocking gift, she is the only one we have that can keep the wards up right now. I am..." Deacon''s words are cut off by the sudden impact into the side of the car. I''m flung from my seat as the car rolls. I attempt to stop our momentum with telekinisis but something hits my head, turning the world ck.

 Chapter 0114

    **Josie''s POV**

    Axel satisfies my heat, followed by Theo and then Luke. By the time the wave passes, I am utterly exhausted and Axel has to carry me to the shower. My body wants to sleep, every muscle hurts, even muscles I didn''t know I had. I notice the guys exchanging worried nces and if I had any energy left I''d ask them what''s wrong, but I think I fall asleep before we even make it to the bed. I startle awake with a jolt, sickness twists in my gut, and my wolf urges me to give her control.

    "Something is wrong," I sit up telling the guys who are in the bed with me but are still awake.

    "Shh, everything is fine, you need to rest, you''ve barely slept," Luke soothes but I shake my head. My heart pounds in my chest and my wolf insists there is something very wrong

    "No, something has happened," my voice trembles and my eyes fill with tears, I scramble out of bed and find my phone, hitting call on Mason''s contact, "pick up, pick up, pick up," I plead, but it rings out. I try Mr Collins next and get the same result. "We have to go," I turn to face the guys who now look concerned too. Theo tries Mason again and I wait with baited breath.

    "No answer," He shakes his head.

    "How far to the prison?" Axel asks, his tone is deadly.

    "About twenty minutes in a car, but they were on their way back. Mason just texted me about five minutes ago saying they were leaving," Theo says, pulling on his pants... grab a hoody and jeans, shoving them on quickly.

    "Let''s shift and head that way then," Axel nods, his fists clench and unclench as he waits for us all to dress.

    "Maybe I should stay here with Josie, I''m not sure she should be out there in this state," Luke suggests and I''m shaking my head before he can finish his sentence.

    ¡°Nope. I appreciate you''re trying to protect me but this is non-negotiable. I''m going," I move to the door.

    Minutester we are running out of the academy gates. Security attempts to intercept us but one furious look from Axel and they back down.

    "Mr Collins and another student are in trouble. Get a team sent towards the prison now!" he roars at the two men. One of them nods and rushes into the small security office. Axel shifts, his wolf is enormous, I swear it''s almost doubled in size since Ist saw it. The rest of us shift and then we take off running. My wolf pushes forward, racing in front of the guys and following her insticts, she seems to know where she is going. The night air is cold, each exhale from my wolfing out in a visible vapour. Scenery blurs by as we move so fast that my eyes can barely keep up. My heart pounds in my chest, a frantic rhythm that matches the thrumming in my ears. The scent of petrol, smoke and blood hit me and my wolf surges forward with urgency. The scent grows stronger with every hurried stride. When the scene finallyes into sight my wolf''s strides falter. Theo''s wolf whimpers beside me as we look at the fire consuming the wrecked car on the road ahead.

    "Get down," Luke whispers, back in his human form. His words seem muffled under the weight of my panic but I do as he says, crowing low on my haunches. Thick plumes of ck smoke rise from the wreckage and my eyes scan the debris, looking in for them. Men circle the wreckage, seemingly unaware of our arrival. One of the men appears to kick something in the road and I rise a little to get a better look. When I see the body at his feet I don''t think, I just move. I leap forward. The man turns just in time and I see the startled look on his face right before my teeth sink into his neck, giving him no time to react. His blood gushes into my mouth in bursts as I sever his artery. He drops to the floor beneath me and his fist connects with my jaw, hard. I release him with a yelp and his feet kick up into my abdomen, sending me flying. Ind on my side, skidding across the rough tarmac. Shit, he''s

    +28 BONUS

    strong. I push back to my feet, ready to try again but when look at film he is clutching his throat, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. He''s done, he can''t heal that. Sinds of fighting draw my attention away from him and I watch with pride as Axel, Luke and Theo hunt down the rest of the group. Axel makes short work of taking them down. He''s savage, he''s Axe. A movement to my left catches my eye and I see someone looking down the sights of some kind of rifle, aiming in the direction of my guys. I sh and my hand shoots out on instinct. I crush the end of the barrel with little effort. The mafi turns his attention towards me, his eyes shing, blue a split second before. I''m sent flying backwards. I hit the ground hard, my breath knocked from me. I struggle to turn onto my front and push up to my knees, but before I can get up somethingshes across my back. I feel my skin split under the strike and I gasp in pain. A further fiveshes marr my back and 1 scream out in pain and frustration. I hear Axel''s roar of fury and the assault stops. Pushing to my feet I stumble cowards the body in the road. My heart almost seizes at the sight of the battered man at my feet.

    ''Mason," 1 cry, my voice breaking as I drop to my knees beside his fragile body. His eyes are closed, his body too still, but he''s still alive, he has to be. My hands tremble above lilm, too scared to touch him, afraid I''ll cause more damage. Lukees up behind me, wrapping his arms around me in support.

    "Mace," Theo shouts, dropping down beside me on the tarmac. He pulls Mason''s limp body onto hisp, "Wake up, Mace, please wake up," he begs, breaking my heart. "You can''t leave me now, not when I''ve only just got you. This was not a one-and-done deal, do you hear me? So wake up you stubborn asshole," he

    sobs.

    Axel staggers over to us, a limp body in his arms. He drops next to me and I suck in a horrified breath when my eyes take in the bloody but unmistakable face of Mr Collins.

 Chapter 0115

    **Josie''s POV**

    My body gives up on me. It''s too much. I slump against Luke. Not even flinching at the sting in my back as it brushes against Luke''s chest. Mason and Mr Collins are in a bad way and the others are covered in blood. I''ve no idea if they''re hurt too.

    "Where the fuck is this team?" Lake rages, pulling me in closer to him.

    "We need a healer," I whisper, barely able to speak from grief. "We need a healer," I say louder when no one responds.

    "Luke, can you port us closer to the academy?" Axel asks, still holding Mr Collins in his arms.

    "No, the prison has arge ward around it. I could run to the prison and get help there," he suggests.

    "They should already be on their way, surely they can see the fire from there," Axel shakes his head, staring off towards the prison that is just visible in the distance.

    "He''s still breathing," Theo says, as if reassuring himself. My eyes move to Mason''s hand, which hangs limply at his side, I swear it just moved. His finger twitches again, and hope swells in me.

    "Mason," I gasp, a surge of energy courses through me and I reach out taking his hand. His eyelids flutter and my heart skips a beat, but they don''t open. I lean over and gently ce a hand on his chest, his breathing is shallow and uneven. "Mason, stay with us. You''re safe, we are all here, and help ising," his eyelids move again. He''s trying, he''s trying so hard. His hand squeezes mine for a brief second. His grip is weak but it''s there.

    "Keep talking to him," Luke encourages, obviously seeing what I have.

    "Mace, Josie kicked some ass for you, you should have seen her, she was fucking amazing," Theo says, brushing the hair that''s matted in blood from his face. A small frown twitches over Mason''s brow and Theoughs through his tears. "I knew that would piss him off,"

    "We got them, well most of them. Thatst one got away," Axel says, taunting Mason into waking up.

    "Thatst one is dead when I find him. He whipped me! How do you even whip someone with telekinisis? I need to learn that trick," I join in. Mason groans and I blow out a relieved breath.

    "Don''t move, Mace," Theo soothes when Mason tries to roll off hisp. His hand moves to his side, his face screwed up in pain.

    "Ribs," he groans.

    "Help ising, we are going to get you some epic pain meds soon," Theo reassures.

    "Some help here," Axel''s panicked voice has my heart pounding again as heys Mr Collins on the ground. "He just stopped breathing,"

    I scramble on my bloodied knees to Mr Collins'' side. I grab his wrist trying to stop my hands from trembling long enough to check his pulse. It''s there, very week, but it''s there. "Don''t you dare die on me," I say, tilting his 1 back and pinching his nose before bringing my mouth to his to start rescue breaths. His chest rises as I breat. ir into his lungs. I count to five before repeating the action. After ten breaths I check his pulse again. It''s stronger. That''s it, keep fighting. I need you D, we all need you," I lean over him and give him three more breaths before Axel stops

    me.

    "I think he just took a breath on his own," he says, studying Mr Collins'' chest. I ce my hand near his mouth

    and almost cry in relief when I feel his warm breath hit my hand.

    "That''s it, keep breathing," I smile, taking his wrist to check his pulse again. It beats stronger now. Lights sh over us as men run from the direction of the prison with torches. "Helpsing," I lean over him, my head. resting gently on his chest so I can rest a moment whilst still monitoring his breathing. His breathing evens out and gets stronger until it''s almost novinal.

    "Josie," his voice rasps and I sit up quickly, my injuries protesting and the sudden movement.

    "Yes, I''m here," I tell him, his eyes remain closed. His face is covered in blood and sut and I use the sleeve of my hoody to try and clear some away. "Josie," he murmurs again.

    "Shhh, just rest," I brush the hair from his head and look over to check on Mason. Theo still holds him whilst he takes shallow pain-filled breaths. Car headlights appear in the distance. "Finally," The cars will arrive before the men from the prison do.

    "Bonds," Mr Collins mumbles.

    "They''re okay, Mason is a little banged up but he''s going to be okay, we are all going to be okay," I reassure. Trust him to be worried about everyone else when he''s just been knocking on death''s door himself. You can take the headteacher out of the academy but you can''t take the academy out of the headteacher. "Axel, can you lift him? Let''s get him straight in the car,"

    Axel scoops

    Mr Collins up as if he weighs nothing and the sight makes me sad. I never thought I''d see a man as powerful as Mr Collins be carried this way. Two vans and a car pull up and a military-looking man jumps out.

    "Status?" he demands.

    "Threat neutralized bar one that escaped. One DOA in the car. Six wounded, one is a level one and one a level two, the rest a level five," Axel reports and I try to dissect what he''s saying. I assume the levels are injury severity.

    "Let''s get the level one and two loaded and shipped first," the man nods and motions to his men. The men begin to spread out, some run straight to the burning car, and others check the dead men scattered around the floor. My eyes move to the man I''d killed. I know I should feel some kind of remores, I''ve taken a life, but I don''t. He almost killed Mason and Mr Collins.

    "Follow me," another man says to Axel and he follows him to a van with Mr Collins.

    Luke and The

    and Theo are trying to get Mason to his feet and I rush over to assist.

    "This will be easier if you just let us carry you," Theo says.

    "I''m... not... being... fucking... carried," Mason grunts between short, shallow breaths. Two men rush over with a stretcher and Mason allows Luke and Theo to help him onto it.

    "Josie, go with them," Luke says. Motioning for me to follow Mason. I nod and walk behind them. They load Mason into the back of the van beside Mr Collins.

    "Take a seat, Miss," a kind-faced man says gesturing to a seat by Mason''s head.. Go ahead, we will be in the next one," Axel reassures.

    "Be careful," I say to my three guys as I climb into the van. The doors shut behind me, blocking them from my sight. After this, we are never splitting up again. I can''t stand it.

 Chapter 0116

    **Josie''s POV**

    The ride is tense, Mason groans in pain with every bump and turn the van makes, I keep a hand on his shoulder to let him know I''m there, but he''s too consumed in his pain to acknowledge me. Mr Collins is still and silent as the healer works on him. I watch him work, curious about his ft as his hands hover over Mr Collins'' body, seeking out injuries. I want to ask about his gift, and how it works, but I don''t want to Interrupt him. His main focus seems to be around Mr Collins'' head.

    "Did someone start healing him already?" the man asks, his voice startling me because I''d been so intensely focused on watching his hands.

    "No, none of us have a healing gift," I shake my head.

    "He''s partially healed. One of you has the gift, you just dont know it yet," he grins at me. "He''s stable for now, I''ll fix him up properly once we have a stable work environment. It''s hard to focus with the jostling of a moving vehicle,"

    "Thank you," I nod.

    "I''m Arturo, but most people call me Art. I teach at the academy and also help out in the infirmary, and asionally, Ie out on these rescue missions," he introduces himself.

    "Nice to meet you, I''m Josie, thank you for helping us," I smile, d to have some normal conversation right now.

    "We have met before, although you were unconscious at the time. I''m d to see you recovered well. Dot did a fine job, I was immensely proud of her,"

    "Oh, well I''m sorry I missed our first meeting, you caught me on a bad day," I joke. Mason groans again and Art shifts his attention to him. His hands hover over Mason''s chest and I see him visibly rx.

    "Thanks," Mason rasps.

    "That should take the edge off, for now," Art says and then his hands move up and hover over Mason''s head. "You''ve had healing too," he frowns.

    "Josie," Mason says and I almost respond until I realise he''s saying I healed him.

    "I don''t think it was me. I mean, I didn''t try to. I don''t think I have the gift," I shake my head because surely I would have felt something. The vanes to a stop and the back doors open quickly.

    "Well, we are going to find out," Art winks at me before instructing the men waiting outside how to transport his patients. Mason and Mr Collins are unloaded and Art helps me out of the Van. I''m surprised to see we are at the academy.

    "Why are we here?" I ask.

    "The infirmary here is just as good as anywhere else, and this was the closest, bar the prison," he shrugs as we follow the stretchers.

    The room we are taken to contains four beds, and Mason and Mr Collins are transferred to two of the beds, the other two remain empty.

    "I''m going to get you something to help you rest," Art says to Mason before leaving us alone.

    "I just received a message to attend the infirmary, how can help?" I hear Dot''s voice in the corridor.

    16

    "You weren''t called here to help, Dot. It was a family admitted alert," Art says softly and Dot gasps.

    "Where is he? What happened?" She asks.

    "Fuck," Mason curses and tries to sit up but soon gives up, the pain tiot allowing him to move.

    Dot appears in the doorway, her eyes wide with fear as she takes us in. Her hand goes to her mouth to cover her shock. "What happened?" she rushes over and I move around Mason''s bed to greet her, she pulls me into a hug. 1 finch as her hands brush over the wounds on my back. "Oh gosh I''m sorry, let me heal you," she says.

 Chapter 0118

    **Mason''s POV**

    Josic sits on my bed, her sad eyes focused on Deacon. I couldn''t lie to her again, not after what we went through tonight, and what she did to save us. He nned to tell her tonight anyway. It''s hard to look at her. She''s caked In blood and I''m sure a lot of it is her own. Dot returns and helps take Josie''s shredded top off. When I see hershed back rage courses through me. I know how it feels to sustal those injuries. I''m so angry at myself for not being able to protect her from knowing that sting. Dot gives me a cautious nce, I know she isparing the markings to the barely healed scars I''d returned with as a teen. She cleans Josie''s back with antiseptic before healing each split in her skin, then she moves to therge grazes on her arms. She helps Josie into the medical gown before removing her pants and healing her lower half Art walks in and checks on Deacon whilst Dot finishes

    1. up.

    "Feeling better?" Dot asks.

    "Yes, so much better. Thank you," she says stretching her limbs out beautifully.

    My chest feels like a truck ran over it and I can''t take a full breath without it being agony, and my head pounds but

    I don''t want to rest, I don''t want to miss another moment with Josie because I know how close I just came losing everything. For the first time since I was a child, I truly want to live.

    "As you''re in heat and the rest of your bonds are en route I''m going to have Mr Collins moved to another room, Art tells us.

    "No, he stays with us," Josie shakes her head.

    "It''s not really appropriate for him to be in with a bonded group, I don''t think.....¡±

    "He''s my bond," Josie cuts him off and I detect pride in her voice, she stands a little straighter too.

    Art looks at me in question and I nod.

    "Oh my goodness, I knew it!" Dot gushes.

    "I''d appreciate it if you kept this information to yourselves for now," Josie says.

    "Of course," Art nods and Dot does a zipping motion across her lips.

    "Let me do another round of healing on you," Art says turning to me. "Josie, watch me please," he adds. His hands hover over my chest, right where it hurts the most and I feel the soothing heat as it goes straight to where I need it. "I''m pushing my gift into him, asking it to fix what is broken, in more serious cases like Mason''s it may take several sessions to heal himpletely. I suspect you''ll be here a lot over the next few days so I will work with you whilst you are here and then I''ll have my sses added to your schedule once you are ready toe back to lessons," he tells her.

    "You should add the rest of my bond group too then, we can gift share. Although we are still figuring it all out, she responds and his eyes widen.

    "They''re special, it''s Spark bond stuff," Dot grins. "Speaking of Spark bonds, I''m going to go find out where the rest of them are," she frowns before leaving.

    "How do you feel now?" Art asks me.

    "Better," I manage to say without it hurting. I suck in a test breath and it still hurts but nothing like it did. I can breathe normally now.

    "Good," he smiles and then asks Josle to observe him whilst he does another round of healing on Deacon.

    "When will he wake up?" she asks.

    "I''m going to keep him sedated for a while, at least until we know more about what''s happening. We can heal the actual injury but not the bruising and swelling as they are a reaction and not a physical wound or break. With an injury as serious as this feels at the very least he''s going to have the worst headache, it would be cruel to wake him now," he exins and she nods. She picks up one of Deacon''s hands and holds it in both of hers.

    "I''m not sure how much you know about the Spark bond but that heart monitor is not going to help much unless it''s me you want to monitor," she says.

    "I''ll silence the heart rate but I''ll keep it running to monitor his other stats," he nods and the machine goes quiet, which is great because my head still hurts and that obnoxions beeping wasn''t helping.

    "They were helping with clean up at the scene. I have said they need to return as a matter of urgency considering

    re-enters the room. Her they have a bond in heat. They''ll be here in around thirty minutes," Dot announces as she eyes move to me, "Then the four of you have some exining to do,"

    "We don''t have any answers Dot, this only started happening today. Deacon has a theory that he wanted to discuss with Josie but I think we should wait for him to be awake for that,¡± I grumble. Why am I even answering her? This is not even any of her business. Josie lets out a pained moan and my body instantly responds to her call.

    "Everyone out, now," I growl, trying to get up to get to her.

    "This is so messed up," Dot groans, running from the room as if her pants are on fire.

    "I''m sorry, I can wait for the others," Josie whimpers as she staggers towards me.

    Art is busy closing the curtains that look out into the infirmary corridor then he dashes out the door closing it behind him.

    "You''re going to have to climb up here," I groan, lying back on the bed.

    "No, Mason, you''re injured," she protests.

    "And you''re in pain, I can fix that, get up here," I demand. Why is she being so stubborn?

    "I can wait," she almost sobs as she doubles over.

    "No you fucking can''t!" I use my gift to lift her onto the bed causing her to squeal. The action causes the throbbing in my head to worsen and I screw my eyes shut for a moment, breathing through the pain as I unfasten my pants. My cock springs free, not at all affected by my current state. I open my eyes to see Josie eyeing me hungrily.

    "I don''t want to hurt you," she says softly reaching out to gently stroke my cock. As if an ideaes to her she quickly pushes down her underwear and swings a

    leg over me, facing backwards giving me the perfect view of her stunning ass as she lowers herself down onto me. I groan at the feel of her, the pleasure overriding any pain I was feeling.

 Chapter 0120

    **Josie''s POV **

    "And you disgust me," I seeth moving from the bed anding to stand beside Theo. Axel and Luke move in beside us,pletely blocking Mason from his view. "All of you do! Why are you just standing there crying whilst he''s talking to your son like this?" 1 demand jabbing a finger towards the rest of Mason''s parents who don''t respond, they''re more interested inforting each other,

    "You have no idea who you are bonded to do you?" Cash sorts.

    "Yes, I know exactly who I am bonded to and ept every single part of them. I''m proud to be bonded to each of them. I bet your bond can''t say the same. Now leave before make you!" Thiss.

    "I''d like to see you try, little girl," Heughs.

    "You are leaving this room. You can either walk out now or ''ll carry your dead body out, but you are leaving, Axel growls so low that it sends a trickle of fear down my spine. Cash stares at Axel and whatever he sees there has him backing away. I guess he''s smarter than I gave him credit for.

    "Fine, but you''ll all go to hell for allowing this," he casts another disgusted nce towards Theo.

    "Then so be it, be sure to save us all a seat there," I grin sarcastically and he turns to leave without a backward nce at us.

    "It''s time for you to leave too, Mum, all of you," Dot says as she walks back in with her bonds, fierce determination is written all over her face and pride fills me

    "No, we should be here with Mason," her mum protests.

    "No, Mum, he has everyone he needs already. If you want to do something for him then get rid of Cash. This has gone on long enough, I won''t stay quiet any longer. Either he goes or you lose me too," Dot says firmly before moving around us to talk quietly to Mason

    "You don''t understand, none of you do," she shakes her head but her eyes are on

    me.

    "Oh, I understand just fine. You are all cowards! You should have put your child above all else, all of you, even each other! Why do you all allow him to behave that way towards your own son? It makes you all as bad as him, you''ve had years to deal with this, to stop him but you chose not to," I shake my head, and let them see how much I despise them right now. I don''t care that they are my bonds parents, they don''t deserve to be.

    "Time to go," Damien says, and the rest of Dot''s bonds escort them out.

    "We will make sure they leave academy grounds and aren''t allowed back," Joe nods. I let out a sigh of relief as the tension in the room fizzles out.

    Dot is still talking to Mason, she holds his hand and cries. I want to hold her, and him but this is their moment. move away to give them some privacy and check on Deacon Luke, Axel and Theo join me at his bedside.

    "You need to hurry up and get better, we have some serious talking to do," I tell Deacon as I brush the hair from his face again. "Can someone put some water in the bed bath kit? I want to get this blood off of his face at least "I ask the guys. Minutester Luke returns with a bowl of warm water and a cloth. I begin wiping the blood an from his face and once he''s cleaner I lean over and ce a ldss on his full lips.

    "Who are you and why are you kissing my son?" a female voice asks and I turn to see a middle-aged woman. looking at me curiously. Art stands beside her and two men are behind her.

    "As I was trying to exin, the situation in this room isplicated, he is not In the private room because this is a bonded group," Art says.

    "My son doesn''t have a bond," she frowns and looks at me with suspicion.

    "Hi, I''m Josic, I''m new to the realm. I''m sorry we''ve not had a chance to meet yet," I say nervously.

    "Ah, the troublemaker from the human realm that kept him from family dinner on more than one asion. Now it all makes sense," she smiles and then shocks me when she wraps her arms around me in a motherly hug. "I''m so happy he finally has a bond, and such a big group too," she grins taking in Luke, Axel and Theo. I want to tell her that there''s Mason too but I don''t think he would want the attention right now. She moves to Deacon''s side and takes his hand.

    "As I said before, we are going to do a head scan very soort and we are keeping him sedated as a way to control his pain, but I think he''s going to be just fine," Art says to her

    "Of course he is, he''s a strong boy," she smiles running her fingers through his hair before she looks back up at me. "Please forgive me, I didn''t even introduce myself. I''m blive, and these are my bonds, Toby and Ronnie,

    "It''s lovely to meet you, this is Theo, Luke and Axel, and Mason is over there with his sister," I gesture to each of

    bonds and the men shake hands.

    my

    "Five bonds, wow, we better start prepping for all the grandchildren now," Ronnieughs and Olive bats at his arm as if to shush him.

    "I can''t believe he kept this from us," Toby shakes his head in astonishment. "We are still working things out," I lie, "itplicates things as we are all students at the academy so we are keeping things quiet at the moment," I don''t want to tell them their son has been denying our bond andpelling me, because I''m more sure of that than ever now. The ground begins to rumble under my feet and the lights in the room flicker.

    "Now what," Theo grumbles.

    "We will go check it out," Axel says and rushes from the room with Luke and Theo. Nervous energy swirls in my stomach as I watch them go. Something is very wrong, I can feel it.

 Chapter 0121

    **Josie''s POV **

    Another rumble under my feet almost knocks me off bnce and this time the lights go out, seconds pass before an emergency light flicks on.

    "Do you have earthquakes in this realm?" I ask.

    "No, not unless someone makes one. This is certainly a new experience for me," Ronnie answers me and I nod. I don''t like this. Art rushes from the room and Dot goes to follow him.

    "Dot, I need some clothes," I call after her.

    "There''s some scrubs in the second door on the left," she calls back.

    "I''ll be right back," I say, darting from the room and quickly finding a small room that contains clean scrubs and a small changing room. I grab a packagebelled small and dash into the changing room to put the blue pants and top on. I''m about to exit when I hear voices.

    "We have to go now, it''s already started," a male voice hisses.

    "Why are they starting now? I thought we were months away from this," a female voice whispers back.

    ¡°Because their two strongest are incapacitated, this is the weakest we are going to get them. They get stronger by the day. It has to be now, drop the wards and I''ll get us out of here," the male exins.

    I don''t stop to think, I just react, yanking open the door to confront them. I suspected the woman was rrisa but when Cash''s eyesnd on me I stumble back in shock. Then I realise where I recognised him from. He''s the one that had whipped me earlier. I''d only seen his silhouette when we''d been fighting but now I feel stupid that hadn''t made the connection.

    "Looks like we got ourselves a bonus prize too," Cash grins menacingly. His hand grips my upper arm his fingers digging in. Before I can react, the nausea of teleporting hits me and I drop to my knees.

    "Why the fuck did you bring her?" rrisa hisses.

    "Because she''s weak alone, just look at her, and without her, there is no Spark bond. This worked out perfectly," Cashughs.

    "Just hurry up and kill her then," rrisa huffs. I grip my wrist discretely and the nausea passes, but I stay down, pretending I''m still suffering. I''ll let them think I''m weak, let them

    +25 BO

    drop their guard and then I''ll strike.

    "Not yet, I need a new project. She can''t cause any harm here. By the time her bonds notice she is missing the fracture between the realms will be done. They can''t get to her. Do you know..." his voice cuts off in a strangled gargle as I telepathically grip his throat. I keep my head down so they don''t suspect it''s me.

    "What is it? What''s wrong?" rrisa panics. I grip her throat too and then lift my head with a grin.

    "I''m not weak!" I rise to my feet. Watching as their eyes bulge in panic and their hands frantically scratch at their necks. Trying to remove whatever is cutting off their oxygen. A stingshes across my chest, almost making me release my hold on them. I feel the warm blood spreading across my chest but it only angers me further. "Is this what you did to Mason?" I sneer and another split opens on my chest, this one not as severe as the first, as he struggles to stay conscious. Two morences over my shoulder and arms. "He was a fucking child you sick animal. I wish he was here to see this. To see how weak you really are as you turn purple and die with your head looking like a grape," another whip hits me, but it''s not even enough to break the skin now. "You are a pathetic excuse of a man," I taunt as he goes limp and drops to the floor. "See you in hell, Cash!" I turn my eyes to rrisa who is moments away from the same fate. "And you are exactly the sly little bitch I suspected. You betrayed my bonds trust and tried to take him from me," I say as she drops to the floor too. "Oh, and you''re fired by the way," I grin down at her body. I keep my hold on them for a little longer to be sure they won''t wake from this.

    "That was awesome! Are you a superhero?" an excited voice asks. Shit.

    "Yes, I am," I ster a smile on my face as I turn to see a small boy, he must be about ten years old. I take in my surroundings and don''t see any other people around. It''s daylight here so I can only assume we are in the human realm. "Listen," I crouch down to the boy''s eye level, "you can''t tell anyone what you saw here today, you can''t give away my superhero identity, or I won''t be able to stop the bad guys,¡± I say. The boy gets a zed look in his eyes.

    "I won''t tell anyone," he shakes his head a little robotically before his eyes clear and he grins. "Here, take the rest of my chocte, superheroes need a treat too," he holds out his chocte bar.

    "Thank you," I smile, taking a square of his chocte. "Now go home before these guys wake up," I tell him, not wanting him to know he just witnessed a double murder.

    "Are you going to put them in jail?" he asks.

    "Yes, but I need to make sure you are safe first, so off you go," I scruff the hair on his head and he gives me onest grin before he turns and runs away.

    "Shit," I curse, blowing out a breath. I''m pretty sure I justpelled a child. Go me! Now

    what the hell am I going to do with these bodies? 1 pop the square of chocte in my mouth whilst I think. Ignoring the fact that this is probably a little psychotic of me. We appear to be outside an abandoned building. Nature has started to reim a part of the building, as try vines have climbed through the broken window and a part of the roof is missing, I could move the bodies into there for now, I don''t want to leave them here though, not if that young boy maye back and discover them, I suspect this is a y spot for him. I begin to position myself to move rrisa''s body when I hear voices approaching

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0122

    **Axel''s POV **

    "What the fuck is happening?" Theo curses as we run out of the infirmary.

    "Guys, this is bad, very bad," Luke says, his eyes wide with fear as he looks up at the night sky. I follow his gaze and dread fills me at what I see. The dark sky has jagged blue lines spread across it. It almost looks like cracked ss. Another rumble shakes the ground and I see more lines appear in the sky.

    "We need to get back inside now," I slowly back up, making sure Luke and Theo are inside before I follow them in.

    "We need every healer you have working on Mason and Deacon now. We need them both on their feet as soon as possible. Do whatever you have to," Luke tells Art as we pass him.

    "What''s happening?" Mason asks, struggling to sit up.

    "Erm, the sky is breaking," Theo says.

    "What do you mean?" Mason frowns, probably thinking Theo is exaggerating.

    "What he said," Luke nods.

    "Where is Josie?" I ask when I realise she is not in the room.

    "She went to get clothes, she should be back by now, second door on the left," Mason says and I turn to find her. Dread begins to fill me as I search for my bond. I have a sense that something is wrong with her. I push open the door that Mason had said she went through and I find her discarded gown but there is no other sign of her. There''s no way out of this room apart from the way I came in unless... I run back to the room the guys are in.

    "Luke, are the wards lifted?" I shout before I''m fully through the door. He closes his eyes and

    nods.

    "I think someone took her," I growl. My wolf surges forward, almost forcing my shift but I manage to hold my form. He''s more in control right now though, his animal insticts to simr so simr to my own that it''s difficult to distinguish which thoughts are mine and which are his. Someone took his mate and he is pissed. We will burn this whole realm down to get her back if we have to.

    "There''s CCTV in the halls. I''ll go check it out. She might have just gone looking for us,¡± Luke says calmly, but I see right through him. I see how fucking terrified he is.

    "Hey, Big Guy, let''s just breathe, we will find her," Theo approaches me cautiously. He can clearly see how close I am topletely losing it. "We aren''t going to find her if we don''t keep our shit together,"

    "Someone try to heal him," Mason grunts, finally getting to his feet and moving towards

    Deacon.

    "Luke told Art to get all the healers in to heal you both," Theo tells him.

    "Good, let''s start with you two. Josie healed us, so we all should have the ability," he says breathlessly.

    "Oh, that''s helpful, now if only we knew how the fuck to use it!" Theo throws his hands up dramatically. The stress finally putting a chink in his armor.

    "It was fucking rrisa and Mason''s Dad! They took her!" Luke shouts as he runs back in.

    The world seems to detonate around me. Fury takes over and my wolf forces the shift. He runs and runs. Searching for her scent. He won''t stop until he''s checked every inch of this realm. I don''t know how long he runs for, hours turn to days, days to weeks, time bes meaningless without her. His only focus is on finding his mate. He searches every house hees across. Breaking down doors without a second thought. He doesn''t care about the scared children who scream at the sight of him. So many people try to stop him but they''re no match for him like this, their gifts are useless against him now. He deflects them all, it''s an amazing development. A gift so rare that it''s considered a myth, but what does it matter now? He couldn''t protect his mate, couldn''t stop her from being taken. I had left her for a few minutes and he was never going to forgive me for that.

    All I have left are my memories, and I rey all my moments with her on repeat, starting from that first moment I''d seen her. She had walked into the dining hall with Dot and the world seemed to stand still for a moment. Her beauty was like no other. Her plump lips had called to me. I''d had to fight the incessant urge to run over to her and nt my lips on hers. It had been so bad I''d had to leave the hall without eating. I''d skipped my next four meals after that. Not sure I could stop myself from making a fool of myself. By dinner the next day I''d been starving, I couldn''t survive off of snacks in my room any longer. I''d known the moment she walked into the hall, it was as if my every nerve ending sparked to life at just her presence. I kept my full focus on my food, avoiding looking in her direction. Then Josh, another unbonded had nudged me. "Looks like someone is very interested in you," he had whispered and I couldn''t help it. I''d looked up and locked my eyes with hers. They were stunning eyes, I could have stared at them forever. It had taken a gargantuan effort to break the eye contact and focus back on my food, I was too shy to just go over there like Luke and Theo had. I''d only make a fool of myself. I''d say something stupid or I''d identally touch her and get myself suspended. I couldn''t keep the smile from my face though and I''d felt my cheeks heat under her attention. Since then she has shown me what it was like to love and be loved,

    unconditionally.

    I wish I could go back to that day. I''d have kissed her, I wouldn''t have wasted a single second of my time with her. I''d do anything for her, anything to get her back. Whilst I still have breath in my body I''ll fight for her, to get back to her. My heart beats for her, literally. So I don''t stop fighting my wolf for control. Whilst her heart still beats, I''ll keep fighting.

 Chapter 0123

    ** Josie''s POV **

    The voices draw closer and I scramble through the empty window, crouching behind the wall there. The decaying building reeks of must and mildew I cover my nose to try and block the smell.

    "What the hell happened to these two?" a gruff voice asks.

    "Must have got into a fight on their way out," another voice responds, seemingly unbothered.

    "This saves me a job. They''re no longer needed now anyway. They were in the perfect position to take them out and they failed every single time. Useless idiots," the gruff voiceins. I process what they are saying. I had already worked out that Cash was one of our attackers but now I think about the other attacks. When someone had thrown that knife at my head in the dining hall rrisa had been there! That bitch! If she wasn''t already dead I''d kill her.

    "Let''s get rid of these bodies and get out of here, if anyone else was going toe they''d be here already. The realms arepletely cut off from each other now, if anyone is stuck on the other side then it''s their own damn fault," one of them says and I have to surpress a sob.

    It can''t be true. I can''t be cut off from the other realm, my bonds are there, all of them. There''s no way they won''te for me. I just need to be somewhere they can find me when they get here. Where would they go to find me? They''d go where they''d expect me to go. To my mum. I could go there and find the bookshop owner who was a friend of Deacon''s dad. Maybe he could help me contact them if they''re not already there waiting for me. Now I just need to teleport there and hope like hell that no one sees me. I stay crouched behind the wall and close my eyes. I imagine myself standing on the beach near the wall. I open one eye and sigh in disappointment. I''m still in the musty building. I try four more times before I give up. Maybe I need to recharge some power. I did use it a lot in thest few hours. If I can work out where I am then maybe I could find a way to get there the human way. A train or a bus, I just need to find some money and clothes. First of all, I need to get out of this building before my wounds be infected. Once I''m sure the Greys have left I carefully make my way through the building, making sure to watch my step so I don''t cut my bare feet on the debris. I search for anything that might help me work out where I am but there''s nothing, the ce ispletely cleared out of anything useful. I walk down the abandoned street that is filled with derelict buildings, I can hear traffic in the distance so I can''t be too far from civilization, but I''ve no idea what I''ll do when I get there. I''m dressed in hospital scrubs and I''m covered in blood, someone is bound to call the police. Then an even scarier thought hits me. I''m in heat! What the hell am I going to do when the wavees? Panic grips me, goosebumps travelling up my spine as it bes difficult to breathe. I''ve not had a panic attack for weeks. My guys are always there to stop them, to keep me safe.

    +25 BONOS

    "Hey, you okay?" a voice asks and I look up to see two teenage girls. They look about fourteen.

    "Crap, she''s bleeding, call an ambnce," the other says.

    "No," I gasp. "Please don''t,"

    "Are you escaping an abuser or something?" the first one asks.

    "Yes," I lie, "if I go to the hospital he''ll find me. Can I borrow your phone?" I ask

    "Yes, of course," the girl hands me her phone and I take it with shaky hands. I

    type in the only number I know apart from my mum''s old one.

    "Hello," Freya answers and I sob at hearing my best friend''s voice.

    "Freya," I cry.

    "Oh my god Josie! Is that really you?" she gasps.

    "Yes, I need help,"

    "Where are you?" she asks and I love her for it. There''s no interrogation just an instant need to get to me. She doesn''t care what kind of trouble I may be in, she''s in it with me with no questions asked.

    "I''m not sure, hang on," I tell her before asking the two girls where we are. I reiterate the location to Freya and she says it''s going to take over an hour to get to me. I make her promise not to tell anyone until I''ve exined everything to her. One of the girls offers to take me to her house, her parents are out and she says I can wait for Freya there. She texts Freya the address before we go there to wait. I find out the girls are called Kelsie and Steph. Steph gives me some of her clothes, which are a tight fit but better than the bloody scrubs. I patch myself up the best I can with a first-aid kit that Steph''s parents keep in the house. I dont think I need stitches in the cuts, they''re not too deep but without a healer I''m going to have scars, just like Masons. The thought of him going through that as a child fills me with rage and I want to revive Cash just to kill him again. My wolf shifts under my skin and I take some calming breaths, shifting in front of these girls would not go well for any of us. The girls make me coffee and a sandwich and I make a silent promise that I''ll find a way to repay them for their kindness as soon as I''m able.

    When Freya''s beat-up old car pulls up in front of the house I run out to meet her. She opens her door and climbs out just in time to catch me in a hug.

    "Josie, oh my god, I''ve been so worried," she cries as she holds me.

    "You have no idea how good it is to see you!" I squeeze her against me and everything seems just a little less bleak with her here.

    Chapte 0123

    I say goodbye to the girls and thank them for everything before climbing into Freya''s car.

    "Where are we going?" she asks.

    "I need to get to my mum, they''ll look for me there," I say.

    "Who will look for you? Is someone chasing you? Where is your mum?" she asks, looking around nervously before locking the car doors.

    "My bonds, I''ll exin everything once we are driving, I promise. How far are we from Cawsand?" I ask. She gives me a sceptical look before she pulls out her phone and searches her

    maps.

    "Almost 7 hours, I''m not sure I trust this car to get us that far," she sighs.

    "Shit, okay take me home. I''ll work something else out,"

    Freya starts the car and sets off. Over the next hour, I tell her everything. N.O Darling Autor

    Thank you for reading and for all your support! Please give my story a gem if you have any, or leave ament. I currently don''t have an editor as mine has left and I''ve not been assigned a new one yet so interaction from my readers is the only way for this story to g

 Chapter 0124

    **Josie''s POV **

    When Freya pulls up outside my family home I feel disappointed. I had secretly hoped they''d be here waiting for me ande running out the moment we pulled into the driveway.

    "Shit, I don''t have my key," I curse.

    "Okay then teen wolf, now what?" Freya asks.

    "I''m serious, Freya, and I''m going to prove it all to you just as soon as we are out of the public view. I promise I''m not like my mum," I smile reassuringly before getting out of the car. I run around the back of the house with Freya on my heel and I stop at the kitchen window. I focus on the old window lock and lift it from the hook using telekinesis, grinning at Freya''s shocked expression when the window pops open.

    "Holy shit balls!" she gasps. I climb through the window and search the junk drawer for the spare back door key, to open the door and let Freya in.

    "Okay, great, our first problem is solved, now what?" she asks as she walks into the house. ¡°Now, I find some clothes that actually fit me, work out a way to get to my mum and pray my bonds show up before the next wave of my heat does?" I grin sarcastically.

    "So I believe you have these magical powers after that little disy, but I''m really struggling with this heat thing and five super hot boyfriends that all just share you without fighting," she frowns.

    "How is that the hardest part of all this to believe?" Iugh.

    "Because men don''t share well," she shrugs.

    "Mine do, plus they''re raised this way. It''s normal for them. They work together to make sure my every need is met. I can''t wait for you to see them," I smile fondly thinking of my bonds.

    "So which one is your favourite?" she asks, following me to my bedroom.

    "I don''t have a favourite," I shrug.

    "Do you love them?" she raises a brow.

    "Yes," I say without hesitation. "So much,"

    "Then let''s get you back to them," she nods.

    I shower and change into some clothes that I''d left here whilst Freya books two train tickets, the next train isn''t until tomorrow so we spend the night catching up. She tells me about her new job and a girl she''s been dating. I feel awful when she exins everything she has done to try and find me and apologise for not contacting her.

    When I finally fall asleep I dream of darkness. I''m lost there, in the nothing. I hear my name being called but no matter how far I run I can never find the voice. I wake breathless and in a cold sweat. Freya still sleeps peacefully so I spend the next few hours looking out of the window, waiting to see my bonds, but they don''t

    We leave early the next morning, grabbing breakfast on our way to the train station. I''m going to have to find a way to pay Freya back for the tickets and food, I have some cash that I''d kept at home for emergencies but it''s not going tost very long. I left a note in my house for the guys letting them know where to find me in case they turn up there but with every hour that passes, I be more worried. They should have been here by now. Luke should havee for me. Something isn''t right. I keep thinking back to what I''d heard the Greys saying, that the realms arepletely cut off from each other. I can''t ept that, I just can''t, my bonds will find a way to get to me. They have to, because I''m not sure I can live here without them. I''m not supposed to be here, I''m supposed to be with them. Home is wherever they are.

    "No sign of this heat?" Freya asks quietly.

    "No, I hope it''s passed. I can''t get through it without them," I say, tears filling my eyes. Freya takes my hand in hers.

    "Hey, we are going to find them. I promise. I''m not leaving your side until you are reunited with your harem," she reassures.

    "They''re not a harem, they''re my bonds," I halfugh as a tear slips from my eye. "And you can''t put your life on hold, you have a job,"

    "Screw my job, I''ll find a new one if I have to. I can see how important this is to you and I''m here to see this through. Plus didn''t you say three of your bonds are rich or something? I''m sure I can invoice them for my time when they arrive," she jokes.

    "I said one has a lot of properties and bought me a ton of new stuff and two of them were in Ruby, which is only for elites. I''m not sure if they actually have human cash though," I shrug.

    "I''ll take a property, I''m not fussy," sheughs. I know she is joking to try and cheer me up, she''s not materialistic or money-driven. I doubt she''d ept anything they offered her.

    Three train rides and two bussester we finally arrive in the seaside town where my mum resides. We search for the only bookshop in town and I''m not surprised to see it''s closed. It''s almost 7 pm and it''s been a long day of travelling but we still have one ce we can check before we try to find somewhere to stay for the night.

    +25 BONO

    ¡°Remember that she has no idea who we are, her past life is gone,¡± I remind Freya as we approach my mum''s house.

    "Got it," she nods.

    I take a breath and knock on the door. My mum answers the door with a friendly smile and it''s so difficult not to throw my arms around her. My heart aches with a need to hug my mum.

    "Hi, I''m sorry to bother you but I''m looking for the owner of the bookshop, someone in town told me you might know how I can contact him," I smile.

    "Of course. Frank, there are two youngdies here looking for you she calls over her shoulder," and I almost sag in relief. A short man approaches the door, a look of concern on his face.

    "Is everything okay?" he asks.

    "I''m a friend of Deacon Collins, I was wondering if you''d heard from him. I''m struggling to contact him," I say, keeping the smile stered on my face. The man''s eyes widen a little as he looks from me to my mum, obviously making the connection and noticing the family resemnce. I give him a subtle nod.

    "Penny, please excuse me whilst I assist thesedies. I''ll see you at work tomorrow," he kisses my mum on her cheek.

    "See you tomorrow, I''ll bring breakfast," she smiles at him and she looks genuinely happy. I take onest look at her as she closes the door behind Frank. We walk in silence from the house until we are out of sight and earshot of my

    mum.

    "What''s going on? You''re not supposed to be here," Frank turns suddenly and asks.

    "I know, I had nowhere else to go. I desperately need to contact Deacon. Do you

    have a way to get in touch with him? It''s an emergency," I say.

    "Yes, follow me," he sighs and begins walking again. Freya shoots me a confused look and I shrug at her before following Frank.

 Chapter 0125

    ** Josie''s POV **

    Frank takes us back to the bookshop and into a small apartment above it. He turns on an old- style desktopputer.

    ¡°It takes a while to boot up," he motions to theputer. "Why are you in this realm?" he asks, leaning against theputer desk and crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for an exination. I give him a rundown of the previous day''s events, skipping out the part where I killed people.

    "You can use theputer to email him but I''d expect that if he could get here, he would be here by now," Frank says, clicking the mouse.

    "He''s probably still unconscious, but I have to try something," I sigh. "Is the only way you have to contact him?"

    "Yes," he gestures for me to use theputer. I move around and see the nk email page. Deacon''s name is at the top and just the sight of it sends a thrill through me. What the hell do I say? I''m not sure how secure this is so maybe I shouldn''t put too much information in the mail.

    ''Hey D,

    I hope your head is feeling better. I took an unexpected trip here with your assistant. We had a slight disagreement and parted ways. Now I am left here alone without the means to return. I''m visiting family at the moment and was hoping you or Luke could join me here as soon as you are able. Hope to see you soon. J.''

    I hit send, hoping he receives it and it''s not too cryptic.

    "Done," I breathe.

    "Great. Now what?" Freya asks.

    "I didn''t n this far ahead. I thought they''d already be here. Now we wait I guess," I shrug.

    "There''s a bed and breakfast across the road, if Deacon shows up I''ll send him there," Frank

    says.

    "Thank you, Frank. I really appreciate your help," I tell him and we leave.

    We check into a double room in the bed and breakfast and I begin to pace our small room. I need my bonds. I feel like I can''t breathe without them and the thought of spending a second

    night away from them is too much.

    "I''m going to attempt to port back to them," I say, suddenly making the decision.

    "If you can do that then why haven''t you already?" Freya frowns and looks at me like I''m dumb.

    "Because I''m not fully trained to do it. Every time I have it has been by ident. There''s a chance I could get stuck between the realms," I admit.

    "What happens if you get stuck?" she asks.

    "I have no idea," I sigh.

    "Then don''t do it. Just wait a little longer. If they are anything like you say then they''lle for you," She says, taking my hands in hers. "Have faith in them," she smiles.

    "I feel like there''s no air without them, Freya, like a part of me is missing, I need them. What if they can''t get to me? I can''t go back to my old life. I don''t belong here anymore," I suck in panicked breaths.

    "Hey, calm down. Panic attacks are not going to help, it won''t get them here any quicker," Freya tries to calm me before I full anxiety attack takes over.

    "Wait that''s it," I almost shout in excitement, shoving my old shoes back on my feet.

    "What? Where are you going?"

    "Running, I need to get my heart rate up," I tell her, already jogging on the spot.

    "How on earth is that going to help?" she asks, already putting her own shoes back on to join

    1. me.

    "It''s going to get their attention," I smirk.

    "Fine, but I''m sure they''re already aware that you need them," she

    groans.

    We run to the edge of town, my increased speed means Freya has no chance of keeping up with me so I keep running back to her every time I get too far ahead.

    "Go on without me," she pants, leaning over with her hands on her knees whilst she tries to catch her breath. I continue to jog on the spot.

    "Let''s go this way," I say, leaving the path to go into the wooded area.

    "Are you insane? You want to go traipsing through the woods in the dark?" she huffs.

    "What''s wrong? Scared there might be wolves in there?" I raise an eyebrow.

    "Don''t be ridiculous, we dont have wild wolves in this country, I''m more scared of... Oh, are you going to turn into your wolf?" she asks, suddenly finding some more energy to follow me off the trail.

    "Only if you want to see her. She could do with a run," I grin.

    "Hell yes!" she squeals. "Wait, she doesn''t bite does she?"

    "Actually yes, she has a habit of biting, but I highly doubt she will bite you,"

    ¡°Erm, I''m going to need a little more reassurance than that,¡± she chews on her

    lip.

    "Well you are not trying to kill any she cares about and I doubt she''s going to mark you as her intended baby daddy so you''re good," I shrug.

    "Wait, she wants puppies? How does that even... actually no, dont tell me," she shakes her head as if to shake the thought out of her mind as we tramp deeper into the trees. I stop when I feel we are far enough away from civilization.

    "Don''t make a sound whilst I check there''s no one nearby," I say and focus on my hearing. I listen intently and hear nothing distinctly human. If anyone is out here they''re extremely silent. "Okay, the coast is clear, if I run off just wait for me here," I say, then I call my wolf forward. Allowing her to take over. Her warmth spreads over my body as I drop down onto all fours, seamlessly shifting into my wolf form.

    "Holy shit!" Freya gasps, taking a step back. My wolf assesses her, tilting her head to the side curiously. This is the first time she has seen a human through her own eyes. She sniffs the air, taking note of Freya''s scent. She can detect a hint of fear in her scent so she lowers herself to the ground, making an effort to seem as harmless as possible. She lets out a small whine and Freya edges closer. "Can I stroke you?" she asks softly. My wolf yips and Freya crouched beside us. She reaches out a shaky hand and strokes the top of my wolf''s head. "You''re so soft," she breathes, then scratches behind my wolf''s ear, which she loves. "Oh, you like that huh," Freyaughs as my wolf closes her eyes. "You are beautiful," she says. "Now go have a run, I''ll wait for you here," my wolf rises to her feet and takes off running. She stays close to Freya, not wanting to go too far in this strange world alone. She takes time to sniff the new scents and I feel her sadness when she can''t detect any of her mates. She throws back her head and lets out a mournful howl.

 Chapter 0126

    **Luke''s POV **

    My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out quickly and hit answer.

    "Anything?" Deacon asks.

    "Nope, it''s impossible there''s no way through," I sigh.

    "There has to be a way through. I''m not giving up," he growls.

    "Can you pick up Mason and Theo and meet me in an hour? I have an idea," I say, finally deciding it''s time to share my idea. It''s dangerous and I''d not wanted to tell the others until we''d exhausted every other option.

    "Yes, send me the location," Deacon says before ending the call. I blow out a breath. I need to see someone before I do this. I port to the academy, barging into the human studies lesson my sister is teaching.

    "Mr Weston, I hope there is a very good reason you are interrupting my ss," My sister admonishes, still keeping up the act that we are not rted. I stride towards her and wrap my arms around her. She startles for a second before rxing and giving into my embrace. I ignore the chatter of the students in her ss, I dont care what they think anymore. My bond is missing, trapped in a whole different realm so in the grand scheme of things their opinions mean nothing to me.

    "Luke, what''s wrong?" she whispers.

    "I''m going to find her, Alice, I''m not sure I''ll make it back," I smile at her but I know she can see the sadness in my eyes. Her own fill with tears.

    "You''ll bring her back, Luke," she smiles, "I know you will,"

    "I need you to do something for me," I tell her.

    "Anything,"

    "Tell mum I love her, and I''m going to do everything I can to get home. If I tell her myself she will try to stop me, they all will. I have to do this Alice, I can''t live without Josie, just the thought of her there alone and scared is killing me. We have no idea what is happening to her," I well up with tears, unable to keep my emotions in check.

    "I''ll tell her but mum will understand, of course, she will, she would do the same for her bonds or any of us," Alice reassures. "Go find your girl and bring her home, Luke,"

    +25 BONOS

    I give her onest hug "I love you, Alice, I love you all, make sure they all know that,"

    "They already know, but I''ll tell them. I love you too little brother," she says and I turn to leave. I''m taken aback to see the whole ss is now standing and looking at me. Their faces are a mix of pride, sadness and hope. Coner steps forward and holds out a hand to me. I study it for a moment before I take it. Josie cares for him and he cares for her, I''m not going to hold a grudge against him if she doesn''t.

    "Good luck, Luke, tell Swan I said hi," he says as he shakes my hand. I nod at him. Other students follow suit, shaking my hand or patting me on the back and wishing me luck. I leave the building and take onest look at the academy. I won''t return here again unless I have Josie with me. I port to the spot I''d found, where I could almost port through, the damage here is notplete. I send the location to Deacon and then I sit in the grass. Resting until it''s time. I''d spent four whole weeks searching this realm for any way through to the other side. I''m exhausted, but my girl needs me. My heartbeat pounds in my chest as if she knows what I''m about to do. Her heart rate does this regrly. I like to think she is purposely increasing it to let us know she''s thinking of us. It''s the only form ofmunication she has. The alternative that it''s happening as a pain response is too much to bear.

    "What''s the idea?" Deacon says, announcing their arrival. I look at my bond group. They all look ill with stress. Mason looks gaunt, he''s not been eating. He mes himself because of his father''s involvement. The light behind Theo''s eyes has gone, and he no longer smiles. Deacon looks dishevelled, he''s no longer ourposed headmaster, he''s a desperate man. I''m going to miss them. "Any progress with Axe?" I ask.

    "No, it''s like he doesn''t even recognise us, I''m starting to think he''s no longer in there. He''s a beast and is only thinking like one," Theo sighs.

    "He wille back, he just needs more time," I nod and get to my feet, ready to exin my idea. "I''ve searched the realm for any way through to the other side. It''spletely shattered, except for this one spot, here it''s only fractured. It''s not enough for me to get through but if Mason can manipte it enough I may be able to squeeze through," I tell them. Deacon studies the gap, it''s not visible to the naked eye but for someone experienced in porting between realms, it''s detectable.

    "We have no way of knowing this will even get us through to the other side, we could get trapped between the realms," Deacon says.

    "I know, that''s why I didn''t tell you when I first found it, but this is the best shot we have, it''s also why I''ll go through alone," I sigh, knowing they will protest and waiting to give my

    arguments.

    "I''ll go," Deacon says.

    +25 BONOS

    "You are needed more here than I am, the academy needs you. If I dont make it back then it''s no great loss to the realm," I object.

    "I am more experienced in porting between realms, I dont care about anything but Josie right now, the academy is running just fine with both my fathers covering. If I dont make it back then as my bond group the academy will default to the four of you once youe of age," he nods.

    "Sorry to interrupt this heroic argument but how are you nning to bring her back through? Mason can''t hold it open permanently, and we have no way tomunicate," Theo says.

    "We do have a way, she has beenmunicating with us this whole time, we just dont know thenguage," I grin and tap my chest over my heart. "When her heart rate rises and then falls three times in a row you have one hour to get here and hold it open for us," I say. "Time moves differently there so one hour here would be thirty minutes there,"

    "This seems risky, but I''m in. We have to try," Mason nods.

    "In the meantime I think we should have every molecr maniptor here, working on a way to permanently open this crack," Deacon nods.

    "Then what are we waiting for, one of you go through there and bring our girl home," Theo nods. I blow out a relieved breath, they''re all in agreement that this is worth a try.

    N.O Darling Autor

    Can''t believe we are at chapter 100 already! Thanks for making it this far with me

    107

    3

 Chapter 0127

    **Josie''s POV **

    Two whole weeks without their warm touch, without seeing their handsome faces or hearing their seductive voices. It''s hell. I know it''s probably worse for them, time moves differently there so it''s been much longer. I''m d they have each other at least. Luckily my heat hasn''t returned, maybe because my bonds are not around me? I hope that''s how it works because I grow more nervous that it will happen each day.

    "Happy Birthday!" Freya, Frank and my mum shout as I walk into the bookshop. I force a smile on my face. I should be grateful to have my mum and Freya here to celebrate my birthday, but all I can focus on are the ones that aren''t here.

    "Thank you," I say and blow out the candles on the small cake my mum is holding. I can tell she made it herself but I y dumb and ask anyway, "Did you make this cake, Penny?"

    "Yes, sorry it''s not much but Freya only told us it was your birthday yesterday,"

    She says.

    "It''s perfect, thank you," I reassure her. She never did feel like she''d done enough on my birthday, she apologised every single year despite always making my birthday perfect.

    "I''d like to invite you all over for dinner tonight, that''s if you don''t already have ns," She smiles.

    "We dont have ns, that''s very kind of you, Penny," Freya grins. I dont feel like dinner, I dont feel like doing anything, but I won''t waste the opportunity to spend my birthday with them. My mum had gotten friendly with us over thest two weeks after I''d beening into the shop daily to use Frank''sputer. I hadn''t meant for it to happen. I didn''t want it to happen, because it''s so hard to be around her so much and not hug her. My heart is broken and I want my mum to hold me and promise me everything will be okay but I can''t have that, she''s right in front of me and I have to keep up this act that I barely know her.

    "Perfect,e over at 6:30," she sps her hands together in the excited way she always did and I dont miss the concerned look Frank shoots me. I''m not sure how much longer I can keep up all this charade. I''m at breaking point. My wolf sends me warmth, not attempting to shift but to providefort. She is the only one who truly understands my pain, she craves her mates just as I crave my bonds.

    "Josie, can I talk to you for a moment?" Frank asks and I almost roll my eyes at him, ready for his speech about being worried for my mum''s mental health with me around.

    "Lead the way," I sigh, gesturing to the door at the back of the shop that leads to the apartment upstairs.

    +25 BONOS

    "I have to show you something," he says once we are out of mum''s earshot. He moves straight to hisputer and my heart skips a beat, hope blossoming in my stomach.

    "Did Deacon finally respond to one of my emails?" I ask.

    "No, but look at this," he says and begins to y a video. It''s one of those conspiracy theory content creators and I almost tell Frank I''m not interested right now when something the creator says catches my attention "Our government must have been brainwashed or are under mind control..." they say.

    "So the rouge Greys are taking control of the country, this is not good. What do you think their end goal is though? It seems like such a big effort just to take control of a country of humans,"

    "I have no idea but I can''t imagine it''s for anything good," Frank sighs. "Deacon needs to hurry up and find a way here. The humans have no chance of fighting this alone,"

    "They''re not alone, they have me, and my bonds wille and they will bring an army. This is our purpose," I say with determination because I have to believe it''s the truth, the alternative is too depressing.

    "Coffee is ready," my mum calls up to us and we go down to join her and Freya at the small lounge set in the shop. Freya hands me a cup of steaming coffee and I take it eagerly. I bring it to my lips and then wrinkle my nose. I move the cup away from my mouth, putting the cup down on the table. It seems I can''t even enjoy food and drink without my bonds anymore.

    We spend the next hour at the bookshop helping Mum and Frank unpack a new book delivery, Frank gifts me a few new books for my birthday and I head back to the bed and breakfast with Freya to spend the afternoon reading. I know my time here ising to an end, Freya has to return home in a few days and I still haven''t worked out what I''m going to do. Freya wants me to return to my hometown with her and I think it''s my only option at this point. If my bonds do show up here then Frank will tell them where I am but if I return home I''m going to have toe up with a convincing story to exin my disappearance if I ever want to be able to leave the house again. I dont even want to consider a long- term n because I have no intentions of being here long-term.

    I knock on my mum''s door just after six o''clock and Frank lets us in, the smell of mum''s cooking hits my nose and my stomach grumbles in response. I hope I can stomach this meal, this might be thest time I have her cooking for a while.

    "Come in and make yourselves at home, dinner will be ready in around thirty minutes," Mum calls from the kitchen. We sit in the living area and a wave of sadness washes over me. Thest time I was in this room is had all of my bonds with me.

    "I need some air," I say, fighting off the tears that threaten to fall. I slide open the door to the

    deck and step out, breathing in the ocean air. Then I hear a dull thud from inside followed by Freya''s shriek.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0128

    ** Josie''s POV **

    "Holy crap!" Freya gasps and I turn back to the house to see what she has done, she''s probably tripped over the rug or something, but what I see has my heart almost stopping.

    "Deacon," I gasp, as my eyesnd on his prone body on the living room floor. He groans and clutches his stomach as he turns into his side. My legs suddenly remember how to move and I run in, dropping to my knees beside him. I grab his wrist and press the pressure point there. Seconds pass and then he opens his eyes, seeming a little dazed as he pushes himself into a sitting position. The stunning blue of his eyes shes as they meet mine and I can''t hold back my emotions for a moment longer. Iunch myself at him.

    "You''re here, you''re really here," I cry as he wraps his arms around me.

    "I''m here little troublemaker, I''ve got you," he soothes.

    "I thought I was stuck here alone, I was so scared," I breathe.

    "We''ve been trying to get to you for weeks. Are you okay? We were so worried when we knew they''d taken you," he releases me to look me over, checking I''m still in one piece as his hands and eyes roam over me.

    "Where are the others?" I ask, looking around as if I''d somehow missed them in the room.

    "They''re not here, but they''re waiting on the other side to let us back through," he reassures. "It''s not going to be easy though, it''s taken me hours to get here," he grimaces.

    "Is everything okay in there?" Frank asks as he walks into the room, he stops dead when he

    sees Deacon.

    "It''s about damn time boy," he blows out a breath and I almost chuckle at Deacon being called a boy.

    "What''s going on?" my mum calls from the kitchen.

    "Everything is fine,¡± Frank says, rushing back to her.

    "I''m guessing this one is the hot headmaster," Freya says, reminding me she''s still here. Deacon''s brows raise and he shifts his gaze to Freya as my cheeks heat.

    "This is my friend Freya. Do notpel her! I trust her with my life," I tell him sternly and he nods.

    +25 BONOS

    "I trust your judgement," he smiles and moves to stand. I try to move off hisp but he holds me tighter, standing whilst still holding me before gently lowering me to my feet and holding out a hand to Freya.

    "I''m Deacon Collins, It''s a pleasure to meet you, Freya," he introduces himself as she takes his hand and shakes it.

    "It''s nice to meet you and see that you are actually real but we better get you out of here before Penny sees you," Freya says, nervously ncing in the direction of the kitchen.

    "Frank is dealing with it as we speak, don''t worry," Deacon smiles and I focus my hearing on the kitchen.

    "Well, there''s plenty of food for him. It''s so sweet of him to surprise her on her birthday like this. That girl has been so sad since I met her. I hope she will be happier now he''s here," I hear

    my mum say.

    "It''s your birthday?" Deacon asks and I nod.

    "No need to guess what she wished for when she blew out her candles this morning," Freya snorts, "I''ll go help in the kitchen and give you two some space,''

    "Happy Birthday, Josie. I''m sorry I crashed your birthday celebrations but I''m d I didn''t miss it," he smiles.

    "How are the guys? Is Mason healed? How is your head now?..." I start to bombard him with all the things I''d been questioning for thest two weeks.

    "Let''s go outside, we have a lot to catch up on," he says, interrupting my rambling. He takes my hand and leads me outside and nerves coil in my gut. I feel like he''s going to give me some bad news.

    "Your bonds are as well as they can be, Mason is healed physically, and my head is fine. I heard I have you to thank for that," he smiles down at me.

    "What are you not telling me?" I frown.

    "Nothing that you need to worry about for now. It''s just been a hard month for them all without you but as soon as we get you back to them they''re going to be fine," he reassures.

    "It''s been hard for me too, I thought I''d never see any of you again," I begin to well up.

    "Look at me," he says, his fingers lifting my chin so my gaze meets his, "There is nothing that would stop any of us from finding you, no matter where you are, we would find you. Don''t ever think we wouldn''t havee for you," he lowers his mouth to mine and ims my lips in a spine-tingling kiss.

    "Please don''tpel me to forget this or make me think it''s a dream," I whisper when he finally releases my lips.

    "I won''t, I''m done running from this, from you. I need you to know that I did it with the best intentions but it''s too hard to deny my bond with you any longer, please forgive me," he says, lowering to his knees in front of me.

    "After everything that''s happened in thest few weeks, I don''t want to waste time being upset with you over this. I believe you thought you were doing the right thing," I tell him honestly.

    "Thank you," he breathes, wrapping his arms around me and resting his forehead on my chest, "why do you smell like..." he starts but then trails off.

    ¡°Like what?¡± I ask, suddenly paranoid and subtly trying to sniff myself. I might have been depressed but I''ve still been showering and putting on deodorant daily. He doesn''t answer me, instead, he just holds me as if he needs to breathe in my scent a little longer. After a minute or so he finally lets me go and looks up at me, his eyes are full of an emotion I can''t read.

    "You smell so good. Let''s go and enjoy your birthday meal, everything else can wait,¡± he smiles, pushing to his feet again and wrapping an arm around my waist.

    "I can''t sit in there eating when we could be back with the others, let me make an excuse and we can go home," I shake my head.

    "We can''t go, not yet. I need to rest before I attempt that again so let''s eat dinner with your mum and friend and celebrate your birthday," he says before leading me into the house hand in hand.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

    3

 Chapter 0129

    **Deacon''s POV **

    Having Josie in my arms was worth every second of what I''ve been through. It''s been two weeks of hell followed by hours of being trapped between realms that really tested my resolve. The emptiness of the void is enough to drive anyone to madness. If I hadn''t had such an important reason to stay focused and get out of there I doubt if have made it out. The darkness of that ce creeps quickly into your mind, trying to consume you. I had felt bones under my feet of the poor souls lost there before me. I won''t risk taking Josie there, especially not now I suspect she carries a child. I have toe up with a new n and find a way tomunicate with the other side. Right now I can only think of two options. I stay here and raise the child with Josie until we can find a way back. Or I can attempt to get back through alone to get the help of the others. The first option is the safest for everyone but ites at a massive cost to us all. I fear Luke will attempt toe here when we dont return within a few days. He was determined toe this time but when Theo had had enough of us arguing about which of us would attempt to get here and tossed a coin for it Luke had lost.

    I sit beside Josie at the small dinner table, my hand on her knee under the table. I feel the need to touch her constantly, not just because I can now but because I need to reassure myself she really is okay. I''m d I get to share this moment with her, to see her celebrate her birthday with her mother and best friend, although I can still sense her sadness. I wish I could fix this for her, just bring her bonds here and see her face light up at the sight of them. I will find a way to reunite them, one way or another it will happen. I just dont know how long it''s going to take or at what cost. I can barely focus on the conversation at the table, my mind is reeling from everything I''m trying to figure out and at the possibility that I may have just lost everything back home. The choice is not a difficult one to make, I''d chose her and the baby she grows in her womb in a heartbeat, but that doesn''t mean I''m not devastated about everything I''m leaving behind.

    Josie nudges me, drawing my attention back to the present and all eyes are on me expectently. "My apologies, I''ve had a very long day travelling," I say to the table, unsure who I''m supposed to be addressing.

    "I was asking what line of work you are in," Penny smiles sympathetically.

    "Education," I force a smile.

    "Oh so you work with children, that''s nice," Penny says.

    "Not children, young adults," I correct, feeling the need to make that clear. "But you are a young adult yourself," sheughs.

    "I am, but my father recently passed away and I inherited his academy. It''s been quite an adjustment to take the role of headmaster whilst I still have ssmates attending the academy," I exin. I dont know why but I want to make it known that I''m not too old to be bonded to Josie. She doesn''t even know Josie is her daughter, but I still have this urge to make herfortable with our rtionship.

    "I''m sorry for your loss, I''m sure your dad would be very proud that you have taken on such a huge responsibility so young," Penny reaches over and squeezes my hand. "Let''s have dessert," she says before standing to clear the tes. Freya and Frank help her clean up, ordering myself and Josie not to help.

 Chapter 0130

    "We can leave if you want, you look exhausted," Josie whispers.

    "Not until after dessert, it is your birthday, we can''t leave early. Don''t worry about me," I reassure her.

    "I''m going to need to book another room at the bed and breakfast for you unless you want to share with me and Freya," sheughs.

    "You, yes, but not Freya," I smirk.

    "You want to share a room with me? Do you think that''s a good idea?" she raises an adorable eyebrow at me.

    "It''s an excellent idea and a necessity. I''m not letting you out of my sight any

    time soon,"

    "I''m d you think so because I don''t want to let you out of my sight either," she says in an almost purr, leaning in closer to me and running a hand up my thigh. I grab her hand before she reaches my crotch.

    "Miss Banks, please try not to be inappropriate at the dinner table, otherwise we will be skipping dessert. I have waited far too long for you to be teasing me right now," I whisper in her ear and I love the small noise she makes in response.

    "Yes, Sir," she whispers as Freya returns.

    "Did someone just turn the temperature up in here," Freyaughs, fanning herself sarcastically as she takes her seat opposite us. I like Freya, I can see why Josie is so fond of her.

    "How long have you been keeping Josiepany?" I ask.

    "Since she first got back here. Well, minus a few hours. I wasn''t there for the murdering part otherwise I would have helped, and then it took me over an hour to pick her up," Freya shrugs.

    "The murdering part?" I frown.

    "I''ll exinter," Josie whispers before Penny and Frank return with a cake. They begin singing and Penny ces the cake in front of Josie so she can blow out the candles.

    "We already did the singing and candles," Josie says with amusement.

    "I know but Deacon missed it, so I thought we should do it again," Penny beams before taking the cake and cutting it into slices for us all. Josie picks at the cake, eating a small amount before asking if she can wrap it up forter. I notice Freya eyeing her suspiciously before sharing a look with Penny. I need to get her out of here before they decide to say something. I doubt she is going to take the news well so dont want to ruin her birthday with this.

    "Thank you for hosting us this evening, Penny. The food has been wonderful," I say before Freya can speak.

    "You''re very wee, it has been nice to have somepany and an excuse to cook," Penny grins.

    I insist on helping to clean up this time and Josie stays by my side as we carry tes to the kitchen with Penny. Freya follows us a momentter and begins to wash the dishes. I take a towel and start drying them, waiting for Penny to leave the kitchen. The moment she walks out I drop the towel and turn to the kitchen cupboard opposite the sink. I drop to the floor and pull off the kick te under the cupboard, reaching in and feeling around until my handnds on the smooth leather of a briefcase. I pull it out and dust it off quickly before putting the kickte back in ce and brushing the dust from my clothes.

    "What''s that?" Josie whispers.

    "An emergency stash," I smile.

    "Oh, thank god because I''m almost out of savings and was worried I how I was going to keep us all fed," Freya sighs.

    "I''ll rece any savings you''ve lost," I assure Freya.

    We finish cleaning up and then say our goodbyes to Penny and Frank before

    heading to the bed and breakfast. I can''t wait to have some time alone with Josie.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0131

    **Josie''s POV **

    Deacon holds my hand all the way back to the bed and breakfast and I feel like a giddy teenager holding hands with a boy for the first time. He''s done a full 180 on me. He''s gone from doing everything he could to avoid me to not being able to keep his hands off me. I dont know if it''s because of everything that''s happened over thest few weeks or if he has somesting effects from his head injury I need to ask him when we are alone. I won''t allow things to go any further unless I''m sure this is really what he wants,

    "I''m so looking forward to a full night''s sleep," Freya moans when we get to our room and I collect some of my belongings to move to the room Deacon has been allocated

    "You''ve been sleeping just fine," I frown at her.

    "No I haven''t, your insistent pacing wakes me up multiple times," she huffs.

    "You''re going to miss me really," Iugh.

    "Girl, 1 love you, but I need my sleep," she hugs me before ushering us out of the door.

    Deacon takes my bag from me with a smile and holds out his other hand for me to take. I put my hand in his and. nervous anticipation begins to creep up my spine as we move down the hall to our room. Why am I suddenly nervous? Isn''t this what I''ve wanted since I first met him?

    "What''s wrong" He stops me to ask.

    "Nothing," Ilie.

    "Your heart rate says otherwise," he raises a brow at me.

    "When did you trigger the Spark bond with me?" I deflect. He begins to walk again before answering.

    "Let''s get inside, I''m going to remove all thepulsion. I want you to remember everything," he says squeezing, my hand

    "Just how muchpulsion are we talking about here?" I ask.

    "Not much, but I dont want any secrets between us. I want you to be able to trust me and understand why I did what I did," he exins, releasing my hand to unlock the door we have arrived at. He pushes open the door and gestures for me to go first. I take a nce back towards Freya''s room and then suck in a breath before walking into my new room with Deacon.

    The room is very much the same as the one I''d shared with Freya but instead of two single beds, there is just one double bed.

    "Take a seat," he gestures to the bed and I sit on the end of it. "Ready?" he asks.

    "Yes. Will it hurt?"

    "Not at all, it will just be like remembering something you''d forgotten," he smiles and crouches in front of me, taking my hands in his. I look at our intertwined hands, it feels right to be touched by him like this. I look up into his eyes and nod. ¡°Remember everything that I''ve made you forget," he says, his power washing over me like a warm breath. I close my eyes as memories crash back to me I relive every dream he had shared with me, the moment I''d figured out he was my bond and he''d admitted it and told me his reasoning why he was hiding it from me. I open my eyes and practically throw myself at him. Knocking him to the ground to kiss him

    "Please don''t ever hide things from me again," I say when our lips part.

    "I won''t, I promise, but can we start that from tomorrow?" he asks looking a little sheepish.

    "No, what are you hiding from me?" I frown.

    "Nothing that can''t wait until tomorrow. Just trust me that it can wait, please?" he says and I can see the worry behind his eyes.

    "Why tomorrow?"

    "Because today is your birthday and I''d really like to shower and then bond with you," he purrs and I feel just how excited he is to bond with me. The thought of bonding with him sends a thrill through me that pools in my core, but it also terrifies me because he''s at a fertile age. We can''t use a condom or the bonding won''t work, and even if we did hold off on the actual bonding there''s no way he can skip my next heat now. I''m not ready to be a mother, and it''s not even about my age anymore, it is because of everything else we have to deal with. I''ve not even told him about what I suspect the rouge Greys are doing here. Do I think I could bring up a child with all my bonds beside me... Yes, absolutely, we''d make it work somehow. Do I think it''s a good time to do it... No.

    "I''m not sure it''s a good idea," I tell him and I hate the hurt look that shes across his face. "Not because I don''t want to. I do, I really do. It''s just too risky right now. Do you really think we should risk bringing a child into this mess? What if we can''t get home?"

    "Let me worry about all that,¡± he tucks a lock of hair behind my ear and smiles reassuringly, ¡°We dont have to bond tonight, but I am going to pleasure you at least. I didn''t have time to go buy you a gift yet, so let me make

    feet. you feel good," he says, helping me to my

    ''Only if I can make you feel good too," I smirk as he stands, brushing off his suit.

    "Just looking at you makes me feel good," he purrs. "Take off your clothes and wait for me on the bed," he adds, lightly pping my ass before he walks into the bathroom. I hear the shower turn on and I begin to remove my clothes. My legs shake with desire and I decide to ignore hismand to wait for him. I climb up on the bed and begin to touch myself at the thought of him naked just behind the thin wall. I''m so close to my climax when he shuts off the water and exits the bathroom wearing just a towel around his waist. His eyes sh blue when they

    "Such a naughty little temptress," he hums.

 Chapter 0132

    **Josie''s POV

    Deacon stands at the end of the bed and my hand stills as my eyes roam his body. I''d seen him shirtless once before and I''m pretty sure it had triggered my heat. He''s perfectly toned, not quite as bulky as Axel but definitely a bigger build than my other bonds.

    "You started without me so now I''m going to watch you finish," he says with a husky tone as he kneels on the end of the bed. I suddenly feel self-conscious and close my knees together as a flush creeps over my chest and face. Hmm, don''t tell me you''ve gone shy now, Miss Banks," he runs his hands up my shins and stops at my knees, gently prying them apart and moving to kneel between my legs. The way he looks at me has all my inhibitions melting away and I want to rip the towel from him and tell him I changed my mind. I want to bond with him so

    badly.

    "Want to y a game, Sir?" I ask as I run a finger along my slit.

    "What game?" he hums, his eyes transfixed on what my fingers

    s are doing

    "It''s called just the tip," I say and his lust-filled eyes shoot to mine so fast.

    "What are the rules?" he breathes.

    "I''ve not decided yet," I smirk.

    "Then keep touching yourself whilst you decide,"

    I begin to circle my finger over my clit and Deacon gently teases my entrance with his own finger until I''m panting. He pushes the tip of his finger into my core and I cry out, I need more.

    "Is the the tip you wanted?" he asks.

    "No, please, I need more," I breathe.

    "Keep touching yourself for me," he purrs and I do as he says as he pushes the tip of a second finger in the join the other. He pulls the towel from his hips and wraps his other hand around his shaft, I moan at the sight of him.

    "That tip," I nod.

    "If I put it in are you going to make yourself cum for me?" he asks. "Yes,"

    "I answer quickly, desperate to feel him inside me. He moves closer, positioning himself at my entrance and I still, holding my breath.

    "Keep touching yourself," he demands and the moment my finger moves again he gently breaches my entrance. He sticks to the rule of just the tip and I already know at this point that I''m bonding with him tonight. I need him. more than I need my next breath.

    "More," I pant.

    "Josie," he warns.

    ''Bond with me, please. I need you to bond with me,

    ''I can''t deny you anything," he groans as he pushes the rest of the way in and an orgasm crashes over me almost instantly. A second release begins to build and Deacon suddenly pulls out.

    "No," I cry.

    "Are you sure about this?" he asks, "because once we are bonded you can''t take it back,"

    "Yes, I want to be bonded with you, fate will decide the rest" 1 nod.

    "Fucking Mason," he mutters with augh as he rubs the back of his neck.

    "What?" I frown, so confused at what Mason has to do with us bonding right now. "Nothing, get on your hands and knees for me little temptress," he smiles and I do as he says, still confused about Mason''s role in this. "You are perfect," he hums as he positions himself behind me, gripping my hips he surges forward and I groan in pleasure. ¡°This feels so much better in real life than a dream," he breathes. Reminding me that he is a virgin, or he was until a few moments ago, I guess all that dream sex made him so confident and taught him a trick or two because damn does he know what he''s doing

    "I love how you feel around me, it''s as if you were made perfectly, just for me," he praises as he chases his release. "Give me another one of your orgasms," he grunts and my body obeys as I spasm around him. I bite down on my arm to stop myself from screaming as his hips jerk and he groans out his climax before copsing beside me and pulling me against him. Neither of us moves as wee down from our high. Our heavy breaths are in sync as well as the beats of our hearts as the final part of my soul returns. I finally feel whole and I gasp as I feel a mix of emotions wash over me. They are not my emotions.

    "Do you feel that?" I ask, sitting up in the bed.

    "I feel something, was it like this with the others?" Deaconasks, his voice full of

    awe.

    "Yes, but this is more. I can feel them, I can feel you all," my voice shakes with emotion.

    "What the hell was that?" I hear Theo''s voice clearly in my mind and I think I must be imagining it until Deacon speaks.

    "Theo?" he says out loud sitting up next to me in the bed.

    "You heard that too?" I ask excitedly.

    "Yes. It must be something to do withpleting the Spark bond," he says and I feel his excitment. I dont know how I know it''s him I can feel but it''s as easy to identify each of my bond''s feelings the same way I can identify a physical touch on one of my limbs.

    "What''s wrong with Axel?" I rub my chest over my heart. He''s in so much emotional pairi

    "I didn''t want to tell you this yet, but Axel''s wolf took over. He''s gone on an insane rampage to find you. He''s unstoppable. I dont think we can get him back until he finds you," Deacon admits and my heart breaks for him. My big strong Axel needs me. I try to send him love and reassurance and I feel his confusion in response. "Axel?" I test but there''s no response. "How does this work? We both heard Theo so there has to be a way tomunicate with actual words,"

    "This is new to me too but we will figure it out. There are some things we should probably discuss first. Things you can''t share with the others yet," Deacon sighs. "I wanted to wait until tomorrow but I''m guessing you''re not going to agree to sleep and figure all this out tomorrow,

    "No. Just tell me," I shake my head. Deacon takes both my hands in his and I feel his worry and excitement swirling within him.

    "Please don''t panic. We are going to figure all this out okay?" he says and I nod. "You carry Mason''s scent," he admits and I frown, not understanding what he''s trying to say. "The only way I should be able to detect Mason''s scent on you after this much time apart is if you are carrying something of his,"

    "I didn''t have anything of his, I arrived here barefoot in hospital scrubs, I had nothing," I shake my head.

    Deacon releases one of my hands and inoves it to my abdomen. "I mean..." he starts but I cut him off as realisation dawns on me and my heart pounds in my chest.

    "Fucking Mason!"

 Chapter 0133

    Josie''s POV **

    How is this happening? Mason is 22 years old, he shouldn''t be fertile. I get up off of the bed and begin pacing. Trying to keep my breathing under control before I have a full-blown panic attack.

    "This doesn''t make sense. You said none of them were fertile yet," my voice shakes and I feel my bonds all reacting to the surge of emotions twisting through me like tornado.

    "It''s extremely rare. It could have been something to do with the healing he was having but I can''t say for sure. I''m not even 100% sure you are pregnant, we''d need to confirm it with a test but I can smell him on you and that''s the only possible exination I have for that," Deacon exins.

    ¡°I''m going to change my name to Rare because every time you tell me something is rare it happens!" I throw my arms up in the air dramatically.

    "This is all going to be okay, Josie, we will work it all out. I''m going to take care of you, both of you," Deacon soothes as he stops my pacing, wrapping his arms around me so my back is pressed to his front. I ce a hand on

    abdomen and he puts his on top of it.

    my

    "I''m going to have a baby," I cry, finally processing what this actually means. Pregnancy is a scary word, but there''s an actual life here, a baby that''s growing inside me and I love it already.

    "Yes, we a

    are," Deacon says and I feel his love too. He already loves it as much as I do.

    "Why can''t we tell the others?" I ask, I want to tell them the moment we work out how tomunicate with them.

    "Because they''ll do something stupid. They''re already on the verge of trying to get here, which is almost certain to get them killed. I almost got lost in the void and I have much more experience in teleporting than Luke. If Luke tries to bring them though we will lose them all. The moment they find out you are carrying a child they will attempt to port through," he exins and fear trickles down my spine at the thought of losing them forever.

    "Then we will tell them when we get home," Lagree. "Can we go tomorrow?"

    "That''s another issue. I''m not risking taking you back through there. It was hard enough alone, with you it will be even more difficult," he says and my heart plummets into my stomach. He can''t get me back there. The air bes too thick as I fight for breaths. "Rx, try to slow your breathing," he soothes. "I''m not going to leave you, if I have to stay here with you forever I will, but that won''t happen. It may take some time but we will rebuild the portal between the realms and we will be reunited with the others. Now that we can potentiallymunicate with them we can help rebuild from this side. Mason has a molecr gift so we should have ess to that too. He can guide us on how to use it. I have every Grey with a molecr gift being gathered to try to repair the fracture on their side, we just need to coordinate our efforts with theirs,"

    "What timescale are we looking at?" I ask, worry gnawing at me.

    "Until we get started andmunicate with the others I have no idea but as soon as it''s safe I will you get there,"

    "And what if we can''t get back by the time I give birth? You really expect us to be able to hide this from them for that long?" I lean back into him, trying to steal some of his warmth.

    "We will need to get you seen by a doctor to confirm how far along you are. I suspect you conceived right before. you were taken otherwise your heat would have ended sooner. So I guess we have about 18 weeks to figure all this

    out.

    "Excuse me...18 weeks? Don''t you mean 38 weeks?" I sputter, almost choking on the air.

    "You''re a superhuman, Josie, so you will grow that little one at superhuman speed. I''m sorry you didn''t know that, we all should have made more of an effort with your education," he holds me tighter, kissing my shoulder. I''m going to be a mother in less than 5 months and I''m trapped in the wrong realm without all my bonds. Oh, and I also need to stop whatever it is that the rouge Greys are up to. No big deal, I''ve got this.

    "There''s another issue we have to deal with," I sigh, fighting to stay calm so I dont panic my

    bonds.

    "What is it?" he asks, leading me back to the bed and pulling off the duvet to wrap around me and wrapping the towel back around his waist whilst I tell him the little information I have about what the Greys might be doing

    here.

    "I''ll look into that but our priority has to be fixing the portal between the realms. We need to get you and the baby safe first and then we wille back with an army to put a stop to whatever is happening here," Deacon says confidently, gently pulling me onto the bed toy on top of him. "Try to get some sleep," he adds as I adjust the duvet to cover us both then I rest my head against his chest.

    "I''m not sure I can sleep, there''s so much to think about," mumble as he strokes my hair.

    ''Everything will still be there to think about tomorrow, sleeping will probably help to form the connection with the others. Our brains probably need to rewire or something, sleep should speed up the process," he says and I''m sore he just made that up but the feel of his warm skin against mine soothes me into a sleepy daze.

    "Thank you foring for me," I squeeze him a little tighter, just to prove to myself he really is here and I''m not dreaming this whole thing.

    were

    "Of course, I will alwayse for you. How could I not? From the second I first heard your name I knew you mine, and the moment I saw you, you stole not only my breath but my heart, Josie. So dont ever doubt that I will find you," he admits and a tear escapes my eye. How can I be so unbelievably happy and sad at the same time? I fall asleep feeling as though I''m surrounded by my bonds. All five of them.

 Chapter 0134

    **Theo''s POV **

    my

    This is not how I nned to spend the rest of this year! I was supposed to be having crazy sex parties with bond group and learning how to use my gifts ready to defer the realm at some point in the distant future. Instead, I''m tramping across a muddy field in December, freezing my ass off whilst I lug a tent, sleeping bags, food and drinks to Mason because he refuses toe back to the apartment. I''m also alone. Which should be pretty much impossible for someone in such arge bond group. Josie is trapped in a different realm. Deacon is hopefully with her but potentially trapped in the void or already dead, Luke is being a taxi service to collect everyone with a molecr gift. Axel is still being a psycho wolf and Mason is trying to kill himself by working himself into the ground whilst we wait for a sign that Josie and Deacon areing back through. Life is awesome! Mason doesn''t even notice my return, too focused on manipting the opening into the void. His arms shake as he holds them up towards the sky as if he can physically pull the crack open. Sweat beads on his face and his leather jacket is on the floor by his feet. Two other Greys are trying to assist him but they keep casting him worried nces as they attempt to widen the fracture and stabilise it.

    "Mace,e take a break," I say softly.

    "Can''t," he grunts and his knees almost give out beneath him from exhaustion. "Take a fucking break!" I snap and he stumbles backwards before returning his focus to the sky.

    "I can''t, Theo, I need this open," he groans.

    "You are going to pass out from exhaustion soon and then you''ll be no good to anyone. Either that or you''re going to start draining our energy too, including Deacon who might need it to get out of the void. Or Josie, who for all we know, needs that energy to fight for her life so TAKE A FUCKING BREAK!" I shout. His hands drop to his sides in defeat and he nods before sitting down. He brings his knees up and puts his arms on top of them before resting his head on them and breathing heavily. The sight of him like this breaks something in me. We are all falling apart without her.

    "I need her back here. I just need to see she is okay, then I''ll leave," he murmurs. "What do you mean you''ll leave?"

    "I''ll stay away from her," he says lifting his head to look at me.

    "Why the fuck would you do that?"

    ''Because I don''t deserve to have her in my life. I dont deserve to be a part of this bond group. It''s my fault all this is happening, if I hadn''t been such a pussy and I''d killed my father years ago he''d never have been able to take her and I wouldn''t have treated her so badly. I can''t stand the thought that I could have prevented all this if I''d been stronger. It''s killing me!" he admits and his words hit me like a punch. I drop everything I''m holding and sit beside him on the soggy ground.

    "Mace, this isn''t your fault. If you had killed your father years ago then someone else would have just taken his ce, and you''d still have been an asshole, but guess what? We''d still love you exactly as you are. I could just as easily me myself for this too because I left her alone, but if we all me ourselves then we are all going to end up like Axel and then we will never get her back. When she gets home we need to be here for her, as a united bond group, so get your shit together," I say and my heart begins to pick up its tempo in my chest as if Josie is agreeing

    with me.

    "Do you think he''s found her?" Mason rubs his chest over his heart.

    112

    Chapter Uzal

    "Yes, her heart rate has been a little more erratic in the I with her," I nod. I reach over and grab a bottle of water ar Eat, you need to be ready for when we get the signal,

    :

    "Yes, bet heart rate has been a little more erratic in thest few hours than it has in thest weeks. He has to be with her," I nod. I reach over and grab a bottle of water and a protein bar from my bag and hand them to Mason, " Eat, you need to be ready for when we get the signal,"

 Chapter 0135

    Mason sighs but nods and rips open the wrapper of the protein bar before taking a bite, then he drinks half the water. Heys back in the grass and closes his eyes. Satisfied he''s finally taking a break I start to set up the tent It''s not as simple as the instructions make it look and I''m about ready to give up on it when Luke ports in with three more Greys. He directs them to the two who are still working on opening the portal and then helps me with the stupid tent. He makes it look easy as it pops up in front of my eyes.

    "Thanks, I was about to rip the whole thing to shreds," I sigh.

    "My dads used to take me and my siblings camping a lot to give our mum a break. We had this same tent, shrugs.

    "he

    "Good to know, you can be in charge of our future camping trips when Jose needs a break from all the kids she''s going to give us," I grin, trying to brighten his spirits.

    "I hope so," he smiles. We throw the sleeping bags into the tent and I turn to tell Mason to get his ass in here when my heart skyrockets in the telltale sign of an orgasm.

    "Damn," Luke groans.

    "Oh, he definitely found her," I hum, my cock rising to attention. "Down boy," I say as I adjust myself in my pants. I notice Mason and Luk

    doing the same and I almost suggest we get in the tent and relieve ourselves but push the idea away. It''s probably too weird, right?

    "You dont think this is how he ns to send the signal do you?" Luke asks.

    "Fastest way to get her heart rate up," Mason shrugs.

    "So three orgasms and we assume they''reing? Pun intended," I grin.

    "This is great. If she was injured he wouldn''t be having sex with her so this means she must be okay," Luke says excitedly.

    "This is not the signal, he''s not giving her heart rate a chance toe back down fully," Mason shakes his head as another spike marks her second climax. Then a weird rush of feelings wash over me. I see Luke and Mason react

    to it too.

    "What the hell was that?" I gasp. "Shit, I can feel her! I can feel you all!" I almost jump with excitement. ¡°She''s okay, she''s really okay!"

    We all silently study this new feeling and I''m sure they''re fully assessing Josie the same way I am. I don''t detect any physical pain from her but her sadness is heavy, she is missing us just as much as we are missing her.

    "They''vepleted the Spark bond. I think that muste with some upgrades, Luke breaks the silence.

    "Fuck. We need to help Axe," Mason groans when he senses the same pain from him that I do.

    "I''ll go find him," Luke nods. "I might be able to reason with him now he can feel her and knows that she is okay,

    "Come get us if you need some backup," I tell him before he ports out. "Mace, go rest in the tent a little. You need a nap. I''ll wake you if we get the signal," I insist and he looks at the tent before he nods and moves towards it

    "Comey with me?" he asks and I feel his loneliness. I smile and follow him into the tent toy beside him. He hasn''t let me touch him since we lost Josie so I dont attempt to cuddle up to him. I can''t face another rejection from him but this feels like progress.

    Josie has a sudden rush of fear and I sit up, feeling absolutely useless. What can I do? Before I can verbalize my

    10

    panic her fear is reced by excitment and a flood of love so flerce that almost brings me to tears. "What do you think is happening?" I ask as Iy back dowit beside Mason.

    "She''s worried about sonicthing, but she''s also happy and excited," Mason whispers, his voice is full of emotion as his feelings mirror hers. He turns onto his side and drapes an arm over me and a peace washes over me at his

    contact.

    "Do you think it''s abouting home?" I ask.

    "It must be," Mason responds but his voice is sleepy. I feel the moment Josie drifts into sleep, closely followed by Mason and Deacon.

    N.O Darling Author

    Just one chapter for now but it is a longer one. Thank you to everyone that''s left me a review, given gems,mented and read this far! You are all amazing

    15

 Chapter 0136

    **Josie''s POV**

    I awake wrapped in Deacon''s arms. I can''t keep the smile from my face, it wasn''t a dream. I am bonded with Mr Collins! I close my eyes, absorbing the feel of his body against mine when I suddenly remember the other life-changing event. I''m freaking pregnant! I wonder how my bonds are going to take this news. Will they be happy? I think Theo will be excited. Axel will probably be even more protective. Luke will no doubt focus on how this happened and Mason will... crap I have no idea how Mason is going to react to this. He doesn''t have a good family experience. Will that make him more determined to show this baby how a family should be? Or will he hate the idea of having to raise a child?

    "Everything will be okay," Deacon says in a groggy tone as if he''s not fully awake yet. His hand moves to my abdomen, holding me protectively.

    "How do you think Mason is going to react?" I ask and Deacon is silent for a moment and my nerves wind tighter.

    "I''m not sure," he breathes, "He''s not been in a good waytely. If he does initially react negatively I dont think we should judge him. I think he might be angry at himself for putting you in a position that you previously told us you were not ready for,"

    "He can''t me himself for this, it''s not like he did it on purpose,"

    "He mes himself for you being here because it was his dad that took you," Deacon sighs.

    "That wasn''t his fault, and he doesn''t need to worry about his dad anymore. I got rid of him," I shrug.

    "Ah, the murdering part that Freya so elegantly put it. What happened?" he asks and I dont feel any judgement from him, just curiosity.

    "Yeah, about that, you''re going to need a new assistant," grimace.

    "She was already fired, even before she helped take you. Whatever you did I''m sure it was more than deserved," he shrugs.

    "She wasn''t happy that Cash brought me along, she told him to kill me. Cash nned to keep me as his new project, whatever that means," I shudder at the thought.

    "Mason was his first project, he already deserved to die for that. You did the right thing, no one is going to judge you for it. Our justice system is not like the human one. If someone goes rogue and abuses their power then they need to be put down. Plus it sounds like it was a kill-or-be-killed situation so I hope you don''t carry any guilt over it," he reassures.

    "Not an ounce of guilt," I admit.

    "Good. Now let''s get breakfast. We have a busy day ahead and I need to make sure you are well taken care of," he says, climbing out of the bed and heading to the bathroom. I watch his fine, naked ass as he goes and almost suggest we just spend the day in bed. As tempting as that idea is I would rather take steps in getting back to the rest of my bonds. Once I have them all under one roof I don''t n on any of them getting out of my bed for at least 24 hours. I hear the shower turn on and I get out of bed. I throw on yesterday''s t-shirt and route through my small bag for an outfit for today. I only have two options as that''s all I''d brought from my house. I wonder how long these clothes will fit me. How long do I have until my stomach grows enough to be visible to others? A light knock at the door startles me and I quickly shove some shorts and open the door a crack. Freya''s grinning face looks back at me and I blow out a relieved breath opening the door a little wider as Deacon opens the bathroom door in just a towel. Freya''s eyes widen and her mouth parts slightly as her eyes track Deacon behind me. Once he sees that it''s

    Just Freya and I''m safe he closes the bathroom door again.

 Chapter 0137

    "Damn, Girl, he''s not even the right gender for me but I definitely would," she fans herself and I snort augh.

    "You know he can hear you, right?" I say and giggle when her face drops in horror.

    "Shush, take pity on the poor little human girl. I''m obviously just bedazzled by his powers like in those smut books we read," she smirks

    "I do not read smut books, they''re romance," I defend with a hand on my heart.

    "Mmmhmm, anyway I got you something, and I need you toe back to my room for a few minutes before breakfast," she gives me a conspiratory look before mouthing "alone,"

    "What is it?" I mouth back. "Can I shower first?" I say out loud.

    She pulls a small paper bag from inside her jacket and holds the top open for me to peek inside. I sigh when I see the pregnancy test in there. How did she work this out before I did? Deacon walks out of the bathroom again, this time fully clothes in his suit and tie and I hold the door wider for Freya, "You bettere in,"

    Freya tucks the bag back into her jacket and gives me a puzzled look as she walks in "Good morning," she smiles awkwardly at Deacon.

    "Good morning Freya," he smirks.

    "How did you know?" I ask her getting straight to the point the moment the door is closed behind her. Her eyes widen as she looks between me and Deacon. "He knows too, or suspects. It seems it was only me that was clueless," I say and she sighs in relief, pulling the bag from her jacket.

    "Oh, so you dont need this?" she asks holding the bag out to me. I reach out and take it from her.

    "I do need it, thank you,"

    "I''m your

    best friend, Jo, I know that you never turn your nose up at coffee. Then when you didn''t finish the cake your mum made I was sure this was more than you just being sad because when douchebag Coner broke your heart you stuffed your face with cake and ice cream for weeks! I''ve seen my mum pop out enough kids to know the early signs," she shrugs.

    "Oh, I forgot to tell you about Coner," I cover my mouth. How could I forget about that? I guess I was too concerned about my bonds to think of him. "How is he?" I ask Deacon.

    "He''s great, Sunny was confirmed as his bond," Deacon smiles and I am so happy for them.

    "Wait, what? How do you know Coner? Please tell me youcked his scrawny little ass!" Freya scowls.

    "Coner is like me, and the girl he cheated with is too. She was using mind control on him," I tell her quickly before she goes into a full-blown rant.

    "Shit. So she basically r*ped him?"

    "Yes, pretty much, but he''s okay now and he has the sweetest bond," I smile at the thought of Sunny and him together.

    "Okay, well we can discuss him another time. Right now you need to take that test," Freya nods towards the bag.

    "Do you need help?" Freya and Deacon ask at the same time as I move towards the bathroom.

    "I''m quite capable of peeing on a stick by myself thank you." I say, mortified at the thought of Deacon helping me pee on it. I am not thatfortable around him yet. I''d be okay with Freya in here with me but I dont want D to

    feel pushed out. I close the bathroom door and take the test from the packet. Reading the instructions twice before I take it. I ce it on the bathroom counter and brush my teeth whilst I wait for the longest three minutes of my life. I pick up the tests and take a breath before I look down at the results. The plus sign looks back at me as if smirking at me the way Mason does. Fucking Mason!

 Chapter 0138

    ** Mason''s POV **

    Josie''s nervous about something, I can feel it. It''s very simr to how my empath gift works except I''ve not worked out how to block it yet. Not that I''d block Josie right now. I want to feel her every emotion, it is all I have of her. I could do without Axel''s constant self-loathing though. I already have enough of that of my own.

    ¡°Fucking Mason!¡± I swear I hear Josie cursing me as my heart rate picks up and another rush of mixed emotionses from her. I nce around, half convinced I''ll see her standing behind me.

    "Josie?" I say when I don''t see her. I''m positive I heard hier Maybe this is it. My mind has finally broken.

    "Mace, I think you need to take another break," Theo says softly, his eyes ncing around us and I feel his concern growing. I think he''s right.

    "Mason, shit, can you hear me?" I hear Josie''s voice clearer this time and I spin quickly.

    "Yes, where are you?" I say. Theo takes my arm and tries to lead me towards the tent but I shake him off.

    "Oh my god, Mason it''s so good to hear you," Josie''s voice rings clear in my head and I feel her relief and

    excitement.

    "How can I hear you?" I ask.

    "It''s something to do withpleting the Spark bond. I heard Theo yesterday too," she says.

    "Mason! Pleasee and take a break, you''re talking to yourself and people are staring," Theo pleads.

    "I''m not, I''m talking to Josie," I tell him and I see the look of disbelief in his eyes and his concern increases.

    "Is this real? Theo thinks I''m going insane," I test the Josie I can hear, still not fully convinced I''m not imagining this. Theo watches me expectantly.

    "It''s real, I swear," she responds..

    "Prove it," I frown. This is impossible, right?

    "How?"

    "Tell me something I dont know but that Theo does," I say and Theo begins to gently tug me towards the tent.

    "Okay, look at Theo and tap your ear 3 times. He will know what it means," she says. I frown but do as she says. Theo''s eyes widen at the gesture and well with unshed tears.

    "Oh my goodness! You are really talking to her. How is this possible?" Theo exims and I can''t stop a smile spreading over my face. The action feels odd. I can''t remember thest time I genuinely smiled.

    "Are you okay? What''s happening? We have been feeling your emotions," I say, ducking into the tent behind Theo and out of sight of the curious onlookers.

    "I''m good. Even better now I can hear your voice. I''ve missed you all so much. I can feel you too. others?"

    Are you with

    you with the

    "Just Theo right now, Luke is with Axel," I tell her, unsure how much she knows about Axel.

    "This is not fair, why can''t I hear her," Theo sulks.

    "Theo is not happy he can''t hear you too,"

    for me," she says,

    "We will work it out. I dont know how this works. Can you do something

    "Anything, what can I do?" I respond quickly and I shock myself at how true my words are because I would literally do anything for her.

    "Hug Theo for me and tell him I love him and miss him," he says and I can tell she is crying. I nod, even though: she can''t see me. I look at Theo and think about how I''m going to do this, I am not a hugger but if this is what she wants then I''ll do it. Theo humpfs as I tug him against me, wrapping my arms around him. "Rx," Josie says and I let my body soften against Theo''s. It actually feels good to have him in my arms like this.

    "Josie says she loves you and misses you,¡± I say softly and Theo squeezes me tighter.

    "I love her and miss her too," he cries but he''s not sad, he''s unbelievably happy. I reiterate his words and love and happiness surge through me from both of them. The feeling is contagious and I embrace the foreign emotions. As an empath, I have felt these emotions many times before, but to feel them myself is something I never expected. If I wasn''t already sitting I think they''d have knocked me off of my feet. I suck in a breath and a lone tear rolls down my face. "Fuck, Mace," Theo breathes leaning back to look at me. He reaches up to try and wipe the tears from my face but I stop him. Wiping it away quickly, that''s enough of that lovey-dovey crap. How do people actually function whilst feeling like that? I shut down my emotions, blocking them out the same way I''m able to block my empath gift.

    "Josie, is Deacon with you? When are youing back?" I ask. Luke barges into the tent before she can answer. His eyes search desperately around the small space.

    "Where is she?" he asks breathlessly.

    "Not here, but Mace is talking to her. They have some kind of telepathic connection," Theo exins.

    "I felt all your emotions and I thought she was back," Luke sags in disappointment. "How is she?" he asks me.

    "Josie?" I call out to her but she still doesnt answer me. "I think I''ve lost the connection," I sigh.

    "It wille back," Theo reassures and I feel Josie''s disappointment. "This is great though. If we can actually talk to her with words it''s going to make it so much easier to coordinate their return. Our girl is okay and she ising home! Today is a great day!" Theo grins and his excitement trickles through our connection.

    "I wasted time. I should have asked her the important stuff about getting her back," I scowl, suddenly so angry with myself.

    "No, you didn''t, you did exactly what any of us would have done and just enjoyed reconnecting with her," Theo says and Luke nods.

    "How did she sound?" Luke asks.

    "Good....Happy," I nod. "She misses us and she can feel us the way we feel her,

    Luke smiles and then closes his eyes. I feel a sudden rush of love and longinge from him and I realise what he''s doing. He''s telling her he loves her without the need for any words, she mirrors his emotions and he smiles before he opens his eyes and looks between me and Theo. "Let''s go to the academy. I bet June can help us all connect telepathically to Josie,"

    "Great idea," Theo agrees. "Mace you can shower whilst we are there too, no offence but if shees back here to you smelling like that she might port straight back to the human realm," Theo jokes.

    "Fine, let''s go," I agree and Luke ports us back to our apartment.

 Chapter 0139

    **Josie''s POV**

    I try to reconnect with Mason but no matter how much I shout there''s no response. I wish I knew how it worked. Right now I feel like we are surfing radio channels on a walkie-talkie and hoping we bothnd on the same frequency at the same time. A rush of love pulses from Luke and I know he must be with Mason and Theo now.

    I''m happy that I connected with Mason when I did, he might not know it but he was there the moment I confirmed I was carrying his child. If anyone should have been there then it was him. It makes me feel a little less guilty for keeping this hidden. I had wanted so desperately to tell him I loved him, but I''m pretty sure it would have made him ufortable. Plus when I do tell him, I want to be looking into his eyes.

    I eat breakfast with D and Freya in stunned silence. There''s just so much to process.

    "You kn

    know I''ve got you, right? I''m going to be the best auntie to that little bean, and no matter what happens you. are not alone in this," Freya says as we head back up to the room I share with Deacon. I smile at her calling it Little Bean. It reminds me of my parent''s nickname for me

    "I know you will. I''m worried that I don''t know how the future looks for any of us. There''s just so much uncertainty right now," I admit. "And I really want all my bonds. I miss them so much it hurts. I hate that I can''t tell them about the little bean,"

    "I know it''s hard but it''s for everyone''s safety. Let''s focus on the here and now for the time being, we will take each day as ites and not worry about the future too much just yet," Deacon says as he unlocks our bedroom door and we go inside the gloomy room.

    "Yeah, what he said," Freya nudges me yfully. "This right now is the worst- case scenario, plus your

    your mum is here and she might not know she''s your mum but she still has her mother''s intuition. She asked me two days ago if you were pregnant, she still cares about you,"

    I smile at Freya, not wanting to offend her with the truth because I love her and my mum dearly, but she can''t possibly understand what it is like to be separated from my bonds. This is not just missing my boyfriends or having my heart broken. It''s like a physical part of me has been carved out, leaving a gaping wound which is slowly bleeding out. They are a part of my soul, connected in ways I have no words to exin to someone who will never experience this. Love is not a big enough word, it goes way beyond love.

    "I''m so happy to have you and my mum in my life, but I need my bonds too. I can''t just sit around waiting to find a way to get back to them. I need to be doing something," I sigh and move to the window. I open the curtains and stare out at the view. I can''t see the beach from here but there is a nice view of the town.

    "We have plenty to do, starting with getting supplies and a more suitable ce to stay," Deacon says.

    "What''s wrong with this ce?" Freya asks.

    "I''d just prefer somewhere more private, especially whilst we work out this

    telepathic connection. I don''t want to risk drawing any further attention to us because Josie looks as though she is talking to herself. It is already a risk without our sses,

    "What sses?" Freya questions.

    "We wear modified sses that stop humans from being able to see the power illuminate in our eyes. It''s hard to control the re," he exins.

    "I''ve seen Jo do that for years. I thought it was just how her strange eye colour reflected light. Now I think about it though it has been getting more intense recently. I feel so stupid for never questioning it,"

    "It''s barely noticeable until our powers fullye in, which is after 18. That''s how she has managed to pass as a human for so long."

    "So you all have the same eye colour?"

    "Yes, although many humans have a very simr colour so it is not easy to identify a Grey from eye colour alone,"

    I zone out as Freya bombards Deacon with questions a strange calmness washes over me and it takes me at moment to realise it''s Luke, Mason and Theo that I can feel

    "Josie,e sit on the bed," Deacon startles me, guiding me to the bed. "I think they''re trying to connect with you through meditation, I suspect June is guiding them, we should try to follow suit," he adds. I nod and quickly climb up onto the bed.

    "Come get me when you''re done," Freya whispers before slipping out of the door.

 Chapter 0140

    Deacon sits on the bed, leaning against the headboard and he pays the space between his legs for me to sit there. I move to where he indicates and he gently pulls me against him so my back is resting on his chest. He takes both my hands in his and rests them on myp.

    "Close your eyes and rx," he says softly. "Match your breathing with mine and focus on the tether to your bonds, forget everything but them.¡± I do as he says. Smiling when I feel them stronger than ever. It''s almost as if i could reach out and touch them.

    "Please let this work, you have no idea how much I need to hear you," I hear Luke''s desperate plea and I want to cry with happiness at the sound of his voice.

    "Luke, I hear you," I tell him excitedly.

    "Josie, oh god, Josic, I can''t believe it worked. I miss you so much. Are you okay?" he responds.

    "I miss you too. I can''t wait to see you. I''m okay but I''ll be better when I''m back home with you,"

    "When are youing? We need you here. We are falling apart without you," he admits and it hurts my heart to think of my bond group as anything but strong.

    "I''m not sure, Deacon says there is a problem with porting through. He almost didn''t make it. We need Mason to guide us to fix it from this side but I don''t understand any of it,"

    Porting between the realms isplicated. I''ve no idea how you did it by ident. Let''s focus on strengthening this connection so we canmunicate and Mason can teach us all how to manipte it,"

    "Okay, I''m not sure how this works exactly. Let me ask June," Luke says, he goes quiet for a moment before his voice startles me. "June said open yourself up to the person you want to connect with. Drop any barriers you have up and reach out to them,"

    "Got it," I reiterate the information to Deacon.

    "Whilst I have you alone I wanted to tell you something. I should have said it sooner. I wanted to find the perfect moment but I''ve regretted waiting for thest four weeks. I love you, Josie, so damn much," he says and I feel his love as I hear the words. I suck in a breath.

    "I love you, Luke, and I''m going to say that to your face as soon as I can," I tell him and send him my love through

    our bond.

    "I''m sorry I''m not there. I wasing for you but Deacon was fighting me on it, Theo ended up flipping a coin and I lost," I feel his disappointment.

    "It''s okay, I think it was supposed to happen this way. I needed to bond with D toplete our connection andmunicate with you all,"

    "Theo is desperate to talk with you, you should focus on him first," he says and I agree. I think of Theo, of his bright shining eyes. Of his smile that lights up a room and how I feel when I''m with him.

    "Come on, Baby Girl, you can do it, you can do anything," I hear Theo..

    "You''re damn right I can," I say as a tear rolls down my face at the sound of his voice.

    "Fuck, Jose. I fucking love you, you absolute beauty. How did I get so lucky to have the most badass bond?"

    "I love you too, and I''m the lucky one. I miss you,

    "I miss you so damn much! You are amazing! Can you believe this is happening right now?" heughs.

    Chapter 0140-

    "It''s kind of insane but I''m so happy,"

    "Me too," he responds.

    "And me," Luke says.

    +26 §á§à§ß§Ú§Ù

    "Okay, now to get Mason in, tell him I''ming for him,"

    warn. I try for a few minutes with no sess. "Why

    is it not working?" 1 ask.

    "Let me talk to him," Theo says.

    "Can you try to bring Deacon in, I need him to exin the issue with porting," Luke asks.

    uves, rive me a moment to

    "I''m already here, I was just giving you some time with then," Deacon cuts me off and kisses my shoulder. It''s strange to hear him in my head when he''s right behind me

    "Try Mace again, he''s dropped his shields," Theo says. I focus on Mason and his voice joins the party in my head quickly.

    "This is so strange," Iugh. "Let me try Axel,"

    "I think that''s something you should do aler, he might get overwhelmed with

    us all here," Luke suggests and sadness settles over me.

    "Okay, I''ll reach out to him once we are done here," I agree

    "Now we are all here, Deacon can you exin the issue with porting and how we can fix it?" Luke asks and we all wait nervously for his exination.

 Chapter 0141

    ** Deacon''s POV **

    The mind link with our bond group is extraordinary. It is trily a blessing for every situation we might find ourselves in. I will need to research into it more when we return to Greys realm. It''s also an indication that as a group we are incredibly more powerful than I''d first thought.

    "For those of us who aren''t experienced porters and havent had the training, could you make this simple?" Theo asks. I think for a moment of a way to exin this in a way they might all understand.

    "Imagine a huge room with a corridor that runs the entire length through the middle, separating it into two rooms. The corridor has multiple doors that line each side so you can walk through one door to a door directly opposite that leads to the other room. The corridor is very dark and it is easy to be lost inside but if you walk straight from one door to the other it''s not a problem. Now you are in one room and we are in the other, and all the doors on your side have been broken to the point of uselessness. All bar one is broken but there is just enough space to fit through. The problem is that when you angle yourself to squeeze through you put yourself on the wrong trajectory to go through the door directly opposite so you bounce around for a bit until you find one of the functioning doors that lead to this side. That is dangerous enough, but now imagineing through from our side and bouncing around trying to find that one small opening whilst the void tries to infect your brain with its darkness. If we found it, it would be pure luck. It''s just far too risky," I tell them hoping they can understand what I mean and how hopeless the situation is right now. There is a tense silence whilst they all process what it is I''m saying. One by one I feel their despair, followed by eptance and finally settling on resolve. I know what they will say before the words are spoken.

    "I''ming to you," Luke says with determination.

    "I''ming too," Mason deres.

    "And me, we should get Axe too, he will want toe," Theo agrees.

    "No, Luke you can''t get them through. You''ll most certainly lose them all in the void. You might make it through alone but it''s not guaranteed you can make it before the void infects your mind. You have no idea how close I was to being lost," I admit.

    "So what is the alternative? Because I''m not staying here if there''s no chance of you getting back. I''d rather take the risk and try to get there," Luke huffs.

    "I need you all fixing the portals, the more you can open the more chance I have of finding one," I tell them.

    "Wait, you said we can fix them from this side too with Mason''s guidance," Josie says.

    "We can fix the ones on our side for now. The more we open here, the easier it will be for Luke to attempt toe through if they can''t repair enough on that side but the priority needs to be fixing the portals on their side," I exin.

    "This sucks balls!" Theo curses.

    "I''ve had seven Greys here helping to open the one that''s notpletely shattered and we''ve barely made any progress. We are looking at years to try and open the others." Mason says, confirming what I had suspected.

    "Years is better than never," I tell them and Josie lets out a sob, her hands moving protectivly to her stomach. I ce my hand over hers in support.

    "This is some serious bullshit," Theo rages. Luke is quiet, too quiet. It worries me.

    -

    ¡°Luke, don''t attempt it. Not yet. They need you there," I plead, "We are only just unlocking our full potential. You need to get Axel and the four of you need to work on those portals. Our power is immense. I think it''s on a scale never seen before, we just need to work out how to use it. Ibelieve we are the original group that created the realm in the first ce, so we can fix these portals! So are we going to sit around moping about how long it''s going to take or are we going to get to work and fix this?"

    "He''s right. Let''s get some sleep and in the morning we will find Axe. We can get those portals opened up because we are the freaking Spark bond!" Theo says with determination, and I''m pleased I managed to bring at least one of them some hope and determination.

    "Josie, can you try and get through to Axel? I think we are going to need your help to bring him back," Luke asks.

    "Yes, all of you go and rest, I can feel how exhausted you are. Leave Axel to me for now," she reassures them.

    "What are you hiding from us?" Mason asks, his suspicion leaking through the bond,

    "What do you mean?" Josie answers a little too quickly.

    "I don''t know, something feels off," he responds.

    "I wanted to wait until I saw you to tell you, but I''m guessing you won''t let this go until then," she sighs. I shake my head at her, urging her not to tell them but she gives me a reassuring smile.

    "Just tell me," Mason grunts.

    "You know that deal we made? Well I fulfilled my end of it sooner than expected, he''s gone, Mace," she admits, nervousness trickling through her as she waits for his reaction. A surge of relief and guiltes from Mason as he processes her words.

    "Did he hurt you?" he asks.

    "Yes, but he paid for it. I''m fine,''

    "Good, I have to go," he says before he ispletely closed off from us. His shields are back in ce. He''s going to need to teach me that trick.

    "Theo go be with him, he needs you," she says.

    "Okay, I''ll talk to you soon. I love you," Theo responds and then I feel him drop from the mental connection.

    "I''ll help here as long as I can but I will being through as soon as they make progress here,¡± Luke says, dropping before I can protest.

    "Well that went well," Josie says sarcastically.

    "They''ll be okay. They''re much more resilient than they think," I reassure her. "I''ll give you some time to try a and connect with Axel. I need to get a change of clothes and make some preparations for us to move into one of my father''s empty properties,"

    "Okay, be careful," she nods and moves to let me up but I can feel her hesitation to let me leave. I turn her to me and pull her mouth to mine in a kiss that promises moreter.

    "I''ll be back before you know it. I don''t ever n to be away from you for very long,¡± I hum before flipping her onto her back so I''m on top of her. I move down her body until I reach her abdomen and I ce a kiss there before getting up to leave.

 Chapter 0142

    **Josie''s POV**

    Deacon leaves and I try not to fret about it. I don''t want to stare him by being too clingy. I know he said he''d never leave me for long but he''s spent so much time alone that I worry having a needy bond might be too much for him, I grab a bottle of water from the mini fridge and chug half of it down before flopping back down on the bed.

    "Right Axel, I''ming for you, you better be ready for me" I say out loud into the empty room. Closing my eyes I focus on my breathing, keeping it slow and steady whilst examine my connection to each bond. Mason is barely there, he''s already figured out how to shield himself, no surprises from my guarded bond. I condense all my attention onto my connection with Axel and suck in a breath at his whirling emotions.

    "Axel," I call to him and wait. I feel a slight recognition from him. A shift to

    confusion for a split second before anger takes over. "Axel, can you hear me?" I call out again.

    "Fuck off," he snarls.

    "Ouch. I miss you too," I grimace. I know he didn''t mean and I''m happy to hear his voice, even if it wasn''t the words I wanted to hear.

    "I''m not doing this. I''m not going to talk to my imaginary bond," he huffs out.

    "Imaginary? I feel pretty real to me,"

    "Whatever,"

    "Axe, it''s me. I swear it. Deacon found me and we bonded, we can allmunicate this way now. Can''t you feel me? I feel you," I say softly and I feel him hesitate, his emotions calming for a moment as hope peeks through.

    "Josie?" he asks.

    "Yes, I''m here," I say as tears roll down my face. "I want to be in your arms right now, I feel so safe there,"

    "I didn''t keep you safe though," his sadness and self-loathing fill me.

    "Axel you couldn''t have stopped it. It was my mistake, not yours, but I need your help to fix it,"

    "How? I can''t do anything like this,"

    "Tell me what''s happening, let me help you,

    "How do I know this is real and not another delusion?"

    "You don''t, but you could try to trust me. The worst that could happen is you have

    a nice delusion," I shrug, "can

    a delusion do this?" I ask as I open myself up to him, letting him feel how much I love him and miss him.

    "It''s really you?" he asks and I feel his wonderment.

    "Yes,

    it''s me. I miss you," I smile at the emotions pouring from him.

    "How is this happening?" he asks.

    "I told you, Deacon found me and wepleted the Spark bond. Now we need you to help get us back,"

    "How? My wolf won''t let me shift. He''s going crazy looking for you and I''m just along for the ride whether I like it

    or not,"

    +25 CONUS

    "You''re in control, Axe, he''s just taking over whilst you are not able. You need to forgive yourself. I can feel everything you are feeling and it is wrong. None of this was your fault and the people who caused It are gone. I dealt with them. Calm your wolf, tell him to stand down, there is no one left to fight right now, I''m safe. What I need from you is your human form, I need you to be thinking: like a person with a puzzle to solve not a wolf with a mate to protect,¡± I urge.

    "Okay, I''m trying. Keep talking to me. Tell me where you are, what you are doing,"

    "I''m in a bed and breakfast near the beach that we walked on after we brought my mum here. I''m sitting on afy bed, it''s warm and safe. I just spoke with Theo, Lukend Mason. They were at the academy and they are going toe for you as soon as you are ready," I continue to tell him mundane things. Describing the room I am in, the clothes I am wearing and finally I feel his relief as he shifts back to his human form. "Good, Axe, that''s so good," I beam with pride. "Where are you? I''ll get Lake toe for you," I ask

    don''t know, I only see trees," he says in frustration.

    "Look around, try to find andmark whilst I get Luke," I focus on my connection with Luke and I''m relieved to feel his consciousness. I''m not sure if I''d have been able to wake him up if he''d already fallen asleep.

    "Luke,"

    "What''s up, Sweetness?" he responds immediately.

    "Axel needs picking up but he doesn''t know where he is,"

    "Damn you work quick, has he shifted?" Luke asks.

    "Um, yeah I have. How can I hear you? Are you sure this isn''t a delusion?" Axel says, feeling confused again. "Axe, shit it''s good to hear you, Bro. Tell me where you are and I''lle for you,"

    "I''m not sure, there are trees, lots of trees, and it''s dark," Axel says.

    "Okay. Stay there and make some noise. I was tracking you earlier and know which forest you''re in. I''ll port there and shift. My wolf will find you and then I''ll have you home in no time," Luke tells him before he drops from my mind.

    "Josie, will you wait with me until he finds me?" Axel asks. He''s feeling vunerable and I want to hug him so badly.

    "Of course. Let me tell you everything that''s been happening and how we are going to fix it," I smile andy back on the bed. It takes less than an hour for Luke to find him and we talk the whole time. If I close my eyes and hug the pillow I can almost convince myself he''sying beside the in the bed. I end the connection before Luke ports him back to our apartment and I feel Mason and Theo''s relief at his return. That''s one of them back home, just two more of us to go, actually, make that three, I smile as I look down at my t stomach, imagining my little bean in there.

 Chapter 0143

    **Josie''s POV **

    After I know Axel is safely back with the others I go to Frey''s room but she''s not there. Maybe she went to the bookshop? I really need to get myself a phone, living in a modern world with no modern possessions sucks. I pass the next few hours by showering and reading one of the books Frank had given me until I fall asleep. I wake sometimeter to warm arms wrapping around me.

    "Hey," I say through a yawn.

    "Hey. Sorry for waking you," Deacon says softly.

    "It''s okay, I dont want to waste the whole day sleeping," 1uggle against him, content in his arms whilst I check in on the rest of my bonds. They all seem to be sleeping

    "Good job with Axel, he is much more settled,"

    "He is, I think he just needed to have a task to focus on. He needs to feel like he''s doing something to help me," "That makes sense. His abilities are more focused around strength andbat, without a clear target to fight he probably felt useless. Once he starts to explore his new gifts things will get easier for him,"

    "Did

    you manage to get everything done that you needed?" ask.

    "Yes, I think Freya may need some time to recover though. She did not enjoy porting," he chuckles.

    "Why did you take Freya?" Iugh. I can imagine she had some choice words for him when she felt the after-effects of teleporting.

    "I needed her advice,"

    "Advice for what?" I frown and turn to face him.

    "Your birthday gift," he grins.

    "You got me a gift?

    "Of course I did. We might be in a bit of a crisis right now but that doesn''t mean we can''t enjoy everything life has to offer, and that includes celebrating your birthday. You will have to be patient though. I''m not giving it to you yet, we have a date first. Freya is waiting in her room to help you get ready," he smiles.

    "Just having you with me is enough, I dont need gifts or dates," I say before kissing him.

    "I know, but I hate that I can''t give you all your bonds right now so this is the next best thing. They have also contributed to today, this is from all of us,"

    "You spoke with them?"

    "I did, I needed their opinions. Now go get ready, Freya is waiting." he gives me a chaste kiss and then gets out of bed before helping me up.

    "Where are we going?"

    "It''s a surprise. Oh, you need to take these too," he hands me a small paper bag from a pile ofrge shopping bags.

    "What is it?"

    "Vitamins, I spoke with a pharmacist and she said It is important to take them in early pregnancy," he exins. I open the bag and see various packages.

    "Hmm, there''s a vitamin missing," I smirk.

    "Which one?" he frowns and tries to take the bag from me to examine the boxes. "I''m severelycking some vitamin D," I grab his waistband to pull him against me suggestively and thenugh at my own cheesy joke, which carns me an exasperated head shake from Deacon but I can feel his amusement. "Later, go get ready," he says, spinning me around andpletely shocking me by pping my ass yfully. Mr Uptight definitely has a yful side hiding in there. I can''t wait to see ite out more.

    Freya opens her door with a smile and I step inside to find her room is now cluttered with shopping bags. There is also a small table set up with two food tters, one savoury and one sweet.

    "Wee to Freya''s beauty salon. Take a seat," Freya motions to the chair in front of the dresser where she has set out a hair dryer and various cosmetic products.

    "What is even happening right now?" Iugh as I take in all the new stuff in her room.

    "Your men have given me all the tools and instructions to pamper you. No way I''m turning down a girl''s day with you, especially when it''s all been paid for," she waggles her eyebrows. "Now we have approximately two hours to get you ready so sit your ass down and let me fix that bush on your head," she wrinkles her nose at the state of my hair.

    Just over an hourter my hair is perfectly styled into loose curls, I have a light makeup on and I''m about to step into a stunning red satin dress, with an intricate swirling pattern. It has delicate straps that go over my shoulders and is low cut showing just enough cleavage. The cut fits snuggly under my bust before ring out at the waist and stopping just above my knees.

    "Wow, did you choose this?" I ask as I twirl in the mirror.

    "Nope, your man has some good taste in clothes," she says with a dramatic swoon. "You look perfect, Jo," she smiles.

    "I wish you''d just tell me where we are going. The suspense is killing me," I huff, feigning annoyance when what I actually feel are nerves. Things with Deacon are still very few and I feel a little worried that I''ll show myself up or not meet his expectations. What if he decides he actually doesnt like me? He might have liked the thought of being with me but now he''s potentially given up everything back home to be with me I feel a lot of pressure to be perfect for him. The way I''m dressed makes me think he''s taking me somewhere fancy, it would be nice but I don''t feel like being around people right now. Which is a shame because this dress deserves to be seen by lots of people. A soft knock at the door has my heart skipping a beat and when Freya opens it and Deacon''s piercing blue eyes roam my body appreciatively beforending on my own hungry eyes, my breath catches in my throat. He is wearing a ck suit with a white shirt, that he''s left unbuttoned at the top giving him a less formal look. He truly is a gorgeous man.

    "You look incredible," he breathes.

    "So do you," I smile. "This dress is beautiful, thank you,"

    "Shall we?" Deacon holds out a hand to me and I nce at Freya, who grins and nods. I take Deacon''s hand with a flutter in my tummy and I hold my breath as he pulls me in close to port to our destination.

 Chapter 0144

    *Josie''s POV **.

    I grip my wrist to help the nausea pass and warm air touches my skin. I take in our surroundings and my jaw drops at what I see. It''s dark here, and the city beneath us is lit up with a stunning disy of Christmas lights. Usually, I''m opposed to Christmas decorations in November but this gets a free pass because... wow.

    "Where are we?" I ask in awe.

    ¡°Dubai, I have a friend here that''s pulled some strings for us," he smiles down at me and then turns me towards a lone dining table that''s been set up on the rooftop. The table is draped in white linen with a candle that flickers in the middle. There are two ce settings set out and a single red rose lies across one of the settings. Warm lights hand from a wooden perg above the table and soft music ys from somewhere nearby.

    "This is beautiful," I say, my eyes welling with tears. I''ve never seen anything so romantic and thoughtful. "Not as beautiful as you," he breathes. He guides me to the table and pulls out my chair for me. I take a seat and watch as he moves around to take the seat opposite me. He nces behind me and gives a small nod before his eyes move to me with a smile. A walter, dressed in a shirt and tie appears at our table and hands us both a menu. "Good evening. Could I get you some drinks?¡± the waiter asks with a friendly smile. I order one of the fancy mocktails from the menu and Deacon orders a ss of red wine. The waiter leaves to prepare our drinks whilst we study the menu.

    I don''t even understand what half of this is," I admit quietly, feeling a little out of my depth. "Neither do I. Iwas hoping you''d help me," heughs and I feel a little

    more at ease.

    We decide to skip the starters and both y it safe with a Wagyu sirloin steak and various sides to share. The food is delicious and when Deacon sees how much I enjoy the mac and cheese side he gives me his portion too. Which I shamefully eat like it''s myst meal. Deacon watches me in amusement and I get a little embarrassed, but it is the most delicious thing I think I''ve ever tasted and I can''t stop shovelling the gooey cheesy pasta into my mouth. For dessert, I have ice cream and D has a fruit sd topped with cream. We order another drink and move to the roof edge to take in the views. Deacon stands behind me, with his arms around my waist when the waiteres over and offers to take a picture of us. I''m about to decline when Deacon pulls a phone from his pocket and hands it to the waiter. I dont know why but having a picture taken with him makes this all feel much more real. I also realise I have no pictures of my other bonds and I hate that. I need pictures with them all as soon as I''m back with them. I can already imagine Mason''s scowl at the suggestion and I giggle at the thought. I wonder if our little bean will have its father''s scowl.

    "Are you ready for your gift?" Deacon asks pulling me from my thoughts.

    "I thought this was the gift," I gesture to the dress and our surroundings and D shakes his head with an amused smile.

    "I wanted to incorporate some human custom to honour how you were raised. I know bonding is very different but I wanted to mark the asion with something simr. That''s why I needed Freya''s input. I discussed this with all

    your bonds and we chose the design together," Deacon says and pulls a small ring box from his pocket. He turns it to face me and opens the lid to reveal a gold band engraved with an EKG pulse line.

    "Oh my god, it''s beautiful, and so thoughtful," I gasp, and damn these pregnancy hormones because my eyes are filling with tears again.

    5 more being made to match it so we will all have the same," he smiles and takes it from the box. "Freya

    said it''s a promise ring and it must go on this finger," he adds taking my left hand and sliding the ring onto my ring finger. Who knew Freya was a romantic? Not me!

    "Thank you, it''s perfect," I beam.

    "I''m sorry the rest of your bonds can''t be here with us but promise I will get you back to them. If it is thest thing I ever do, I will reunite our bond group," he deres and I feel his determination.

    "I know you v will," I smile and push up to my tiptoes to kiss him, he leans down, meeting me halfway and takes my lips in a spine-tingling kiss.

    "Do you want to stay here a little longer or are you ready to go back?" he asks breathlessly. I take onest look at the beautiful sights surrounding us and then my eyesnd on the most stunning sight here. Deacon.

    "Take me back," I say, hoping he feels my desire through our connection. His eyes darken in response and I feel a pulse of desire return from him.

    "Give me a minute," he smirks. He leaves me alone for a moment to go and thank the waiter and then he returns. to me, wrapping an arm around me before porting us out. I''m surprised when we dont arrive back at the bed and breakfast but at what appears to be a cosy little cottage.

    "Where are we?" I ask once the nausea passes.

    "Our temporary home," he smiles. "Don''t worry, we will go back for Freya and our belongings tomorrow, but 1 have one more surprise for you, and we need privacy

    for it,

    "Sounds perfect," I purr and I let him lead me to a softly lit bedroom.

    N.O Darling Author

    A "photo" from their date will be posted on my F.B. Search No

 Chapter 0145

    *Deacon''s POV

    Josie is truly a remarkable woman, and I find myself captivated by not only her beauty but her every action. Watching her responses to the world around her brings me so much joy. The way her eyes lit up when she first se the lights of Dubai was simply enchanting and a memory I will cherish forever. I will take this woman to every corner of every realm to see her light up the way she did. And when she gasped in delight at the jewellery we chose for her, it touched my heart in a way I never expected. I can help but want to fill her life with beautiful experiences and shower her with gifts, simply to witness her happiness and share in those precious moments with her. My only regret is that the rest of our group wasn''t there to witness it. I wish I could have recorded the whole thing for them. I do have pictures for them, but until they can repair the receivers in Greys realm I can''t send the photos to them. I take Josie''s hand and guide her to the bedroom. I''d had the property managere by earlier to freshen the ce up and prepare it for our arrival. The heat is set to afortable temperature which is good for what I have nned. I chose this ce for us to stay as it''s the most secluded of my father''s properties. It''s set within a dense forest in Scond and is perfect for our wolves to have some freedom to run. Josle begins to unbutton

    my shirt as I slowly guide her towards the bed. The hungry re in her eyes almost has me cancelling my ns and keeping her all to myself, but she needs this, they all need this. I feel the rest of our bond group responding the the desire pouring from her. They''re all awake and waiting in anticipation for my signal. She pushes my shirt and jacket from my shoulders and I let them fall to the floor but when her hands move to the waistband of my trousers I stop her, holding each of her delicate wrists in my hands. Her eyes shoot up to mine, a mix of confusion and frustration dancing behind them.

    "Sit on the bed, Little Temptress," I smile at her. A smirk ys across her lips but she does as I ask. I close m eyes and pull on the mental connection with each of the guys.

    "Is everyone ready?" I ask mentally. All four quickly confirm, "Okay, I''m bringing her in," I tell them before I pull on my connection to Josie, pulling her consciousness in to join ours.

    "Hey, Baby Girl," Theo is the first to greet her and I open my eyes to watch her reaction. Her eyes go wide and a beaming smile spreads over her face as each of her bonds greet her.

    "You nned this?" she asks me, her eyes full of emotion.

    "We all did," I nod. "Is this okay?" I ask her and she nods

    eagerly.

    "Of course she''s okay with it, she''s a needy little whore," Mason purrs and I feel I should defend her but the way her breath hitches and her desire soars at his words has me allowing it. Their sexual rtionship is already well established and as long as she enjoys it I won''t interfere.

    "What is she wearing, Deacon?" Luke asks.

    "A red dress that dips low between her breasts, and shows off her calves

    beautifully, with red heeled shoes that strap around her ankles,

    "Take the dress off her but leave the shoes," Axel demands huskily.

    I hold out a hand and she takes it, allowing me to help her to her feet. I turn her to face away from me and run my fingers up her arms and across her shoulders, then I trail them down her back until I reach the zipper of her dress. Slowly I pull the zipper down to reveal her bare back. The dress falls to the floor with a whoosh of fabric and her body trembles slightly from the intensity of desire coursing through the six of us. It''s almost to the point of overwhelming and I worry how long we are all going tost like this.

    "She''s not wearing a bra. She has redce panties on and her ass looks amazing." I tell the guys.

    Chapter 01:45

    "She has the most perfect ass doesn''t she?" Theo groans.

    "Tease her nipples for me," Luke says and I eagerly oblige step up to her back, kissing her shoulder as

    Chapter 01:45

    "She has the most perfect ass doesn''t she?" Theo groans.

    "Tease her nipples for me," Luke says and I eagerly oblige step up to her back, kissing her shoulder as my hands reach around, my fingers toying with her pebbled nipples, pulling a gasp from her lips,

 Chapter 0146

    "She''s so sensitive to my touch," I hum.

    "I can feel all of you. It''s driving me wild," Josie moans.

    "Goy on the bed, Jose," Theo says and she quickly moves to the bed. Crawling up it and giving me the most delectable view of her round ass before she rolls onto her back. Something about her still wearing the panties and shoes has me weak at the knees. How am I this lucky to be able to call her mine?

    "She looks incredible, I''ve never seen a more tempting sig," I tell the guys as my eyes travel over her body.

    "Is she wet?" Mason asks. I climb up on the bed and reach up between her legs, trailing a finger over herce- covered pussy 1 groan in unison with Josie.

    "She''s soaked, her panties are ruined," I say.

    "Take them off her then," Axel purrs,

    "Keep the shoes on though," Theo adds.

    I hook my fingers in the waist of her underwear and then peel them down her legs. Her core glistens in the soft light and my mouth waters with a need to taste her.

    "I have to taste her," I tell them, before pouncing. My mouthnds on her warm sensitive flesh and her sweet vour bursts under my younger. She cries out instantly, her hips rising to meet my mouth as I lick and such at her.

    "Make her scream for us," Luke says eagerly.

    Josie is so wound up that she screams out her release in less than a minute. Her climax almost sends us all over the edge with her as her pleasure pulses through the bond.

    "Damn, Baby Girl, you''re going to make me bust my load before I have even touched myself, I Theo groans. "Touch yourself for me, Theo," she breathes as shees back down from her release, ¡°all of you, touch yourselves,"

    "Make her stand up and bend her over the bed," Axel demands.

    I look down at Josie with a grin, her face and chest are beautifully flushed and a fine sheen of sweat makes her skin look like it''s glowing. She is incredible. I move from the bed and help her to her feet. Her legs tremble as she tries to stand in the heels. Turning her back to me she bends over, resting her hands on the bed and looks over her shoulder at me expectently. I suck in a breath and the sight of her as I unfastened my trousers.

    "Gather some of her slick and spread it to her ass, she likes something in there whilst she gets fucked," Theo says. I oblige his wishes, stepping forward and plunging a finger into her pussy before dragging my finger to her tight hole and circling it. I repeat the action with another finger until I''m satisfied she is ready and she squirms beneath my touch.

    "She is so responsive, she''s pushing her hips back to chase my fingers," I hum. "She''s so greedy. Give her what she wants D. Fuck her for us," Mason groans.

    I push down my trousers and boxers, my cock springing free and desperate to sink into her.

    "Please, I need it," Josie breathes. I step forward and align myself at her entrance before surging forward. Her warm heat envelops my shaft and I groan.

    "Fuck, she''s so warm and wet, she feels amazing," I tell them and I begin to pump my hips. I work my thumb into her ass and her pussy clenches around my cock making my movements stutter. This is not going tost long at all at this rate. A few minutes pass before Josle screams out in ecstasy, dragging all 5 of us over the edge with her. The feeling is so intense that I almost panic at how out of control I feel. My release amplified by 5 others is earth shattering and I''m sure I ck out for a moment because Ie to on the floor with Josie safely wrapped in my

    ??115

    "Holy shit, did anyone else just pass out?" Theoughs and we all make various sounds of agreement.

    "Thank you," Josie whispers to me and I feel a tear ssh onto my arm as her emotions overflow. I hold her tighter whilst we all recover and float back to reality together.

 Chapter 0147

    **Josie''s POV **

    The next morninges too quickly. I''m not ready to go back to reality. I''m happy here, in this bed with Deacon''s safe arms around me and my bonds whispering in my head If I dont open my eyes I can trick myself that we are all here together but my dder has other ideas as it screams at me for relief. I force myself up with a groan, hating my body right now.

    "What''s wrong?" Deacon asks, suddenly alert.

    "Need to pee," I mumble as I take in my surroundings with a squint. I''d not had a chance to explore this cest night, too caught up in the incredible attention of my bonds and then the aftermath.

    "The bathroom is the next door directly opposite," he says, flopping back down in the bed and if I wasn''t desperate for the toilet I''d jump on him. How is this man in ne? Mr Freaking Collins is naked and waiting in bed for me! I still can''t quite wrap my head around it. I dash out to find the bathroom, eager to get back to him. When I return he''s no longer in the bed and I pout. I pick his shirt up off the floor and slide my arm into the sleeves before fastening a few of the buttons.

    "Where did you run off to?" I call out to him.

    "In t

    the kitchen," he calls back and I follow the sound of his voice to find him. The kitchen is amazing. It''s a ssic English country cottage style and I love it, but what''s even more stunning is the man who''s in it, wearing only his boxer shorts as he routes through the fridge. He turns when hears my approach and his eyes heat when theynd

    on me.

    "Hungry?" I raise a brow at him.

    "You have no idea," he breathes before shaking his head as if to clear away his thoughts, "Waffles or pancakes?" he asks.

    "Either," I shrug as my stomach rumbles loudly making his eyes go wide.

    "I''d better hurry," heughs, turning back to the fridge and collecting a few ingredients. "Do you want coffee?" he asks. I''m about to say yes when my stomach churns at the thought of the bitter liquid I once loved. I shake my head with a grimace.

    "Do you have tea?¡± I ask, the thought not making me want to gag

    "I think so, I asked my property manager to stock essentials and I''m pretty sure tea counts as an essential in this realm," he says as he searches through the cupboards.

    "I''m not sure about the realm but it''s certainly an essential in this country, that''s assuming we are still in the UK," I move to peer out the window, only just now realising I have no clue where we are.

    "Scond," he says,ing to stand behind me at the window. There''s not much to see apart from trees, but I love it, "I thought we could shift and go for a runter, my wolf is desperate to meet his mate,"

    My wolf bes alert at his words, her excitement running across my skin like a static charge. "My wolf would love that," I nod, "Is it safe to shift whilst pregnant?"

    "At first, yes. Your wolf won''t allow you to shift once she deems it a risk. You can trust her insticts on all things pregnancy-rted. There''s nothing more important to her than ensuring her pup''s safety," he exins.

    "I''m d she knows what she''s doing because I''m pretty much clueless about caring for the little bean right now.

    I know the basics of human pregnancy but I''m not sure that''s much help considering I''m not human," I sigh.

    "I''m here to help you too, we will get through this just fine" he reassures. "Why don''t you go shower whilst I make breakfast? As much as I enjoy seeing you in my shirt m sure you''d be morefortable and warmer in your own clothes. There''s a bag of clothes Freya chose for you in the living room,¡±

    "You''re really spoiling me now, Sir," I tease.

    "I n on spoiling you every day for the rest of my life, Miss Banks, so I suggest you get used to it," he smacks my ass yfully as I walk towards the living room in search of the bag

    Almost two hourster we arrive back in our room at the bed and breakfast. Deacon collects all our new belongings he''d bought yesterday and takes them back to the cottage whilst I go to get Freya. I help her pack up her room and Deacon arrives to take her bags too before we go to visit with my mum and Frank for a couple of hours. We tell her we are leaving town but that we will be back often to visit. Byte afternoon we arrive back at my old house with Freya.

    "You know I think I''ll take the train next time," Freya groans and Deacon holds us both steady. My nausea passes quickly this time, I think I''m finally getting used to the porting.

    "Should we grab dinner with Freya whilst we are here?" I ask D.

    "Hell no, I have a date and I''m not having you two there outshining me," Freya scoffs before Deacon can respond.

    "Freya no one can outshine you, you know you''re hot," I roll my eyes.

    "I know," she shrugs, flicking her hair sarcastically, "but I want to keep her to myself for now, besides I''ve not seen her for two weeks. I need some alone time with her," she winks.

    "Fine, you hussy," I stick my tongue out at her.

    "Girl, you literally have 5 boyfriends, I think you stole my hussy title," sheughs and pulls me into a hug.

    "Thank you for everything," I tell her as I hug her back.

    "Anytime, you know I''ve got your back, no matter what.

    **Josie''s POV **

    The next morninges too quickly. I''m not ready to go back to reality. I''m happy here, in this bed with Deacon''s safe arms around me and my bonds whispering in my head If I dont open my eyes I can trick myself that we are all here together but my dder has other ideas as it screams at me for relief. I force myself up with a groan, hating my body right now.

    "What''s wrong?" Deacon asks, suddenly alert.

    "Need to pee," I mumble as I take in my surroundings with a squint. I''d not had a chance to explore this cest night, too caught up in the incredible attention of my bonds and then the aftermath.

    "The bathroom is the next door directly opposite," he says, flopping back down in the bed and if I wasn''t desperate for the toilet I''d jump on him. How is this man in ne? Mr Freaking Collins is naked and waiting in bed for me! I still can''t quite wrap my head around it. I dash out to find the bathroom, eager to get back to him. When I return he''s no longer in the bed and I pout. I pick his shirt up off the floor and slide my arm into the sleeves before fastening a few of the buttons.

    "Where did you run off to?" I call out to him.

    "In t

    the kitchen," he calls back and I follow the sound of his voice to find him. The kitchen is amazing. It''s a ssic English country cottage style and I love it, but what''s even more stunning is the man who''s in it, wearing only his boxer shorts as he routes through the fridge. He turns when hears my approach and his eyes heat when theynd

    on me.

    "Hungry?" I raise a brow at him.

    "You have no idea," he breathes before shaking his head as if to clear away his thoughts, "Waffles or pancakes?" he asks.

    "Either," I shrug as my stomach rumbles loudly making his eyes go wide.

    "I''d better hurry," heughs, turning back to the fridge and collecting a few ingredients. "Do you want coffee?" he asks. I''m about to say yes when my stomach churns at the thought of the bitter liquid I once loved. I shake my head with a grimace.

    "Do you have tea?" I ask, the thought not making me want to gag

    "I think so, I asked my property manager to stock essentials and I''m pretty sure tea counts as an essential in this realm," he says as he searches through the cupboards.

    "I''m not sure about the realm but it''s certainly an essential in this country, that''s assuming we are still in the UK," I move to peer out the window, only just now realising I have no clue where we are.

    "Scond," he says,ing to stand behind me at the window. There''s not much

    to see apart from trees, but I love it, "I thought we could shift and go for a runter, my wolf is desperate to meet his mate,"

    My wolf bes alert at his words, her excitement running across my skin like a static charge. "My wolf would love that," I nod, "Is it safe to shift whilst pregnant?"

    "At first, yes. Your wolf won''t allow you to shift once she deems it a risk. You can trust her insticts on all things pregnancy-rted. There''s nothing more important to her than ensuring her pup''s safety," he exins.

    "I''m d she knows what she''s doing because I''m pretty much clueless about caring for the little bean right now.

    I know the basics of human pregnancy but I''m not sure that''s much help considering I''m not human," I sigh.

    "I''m here to help you too, we will get through this just fine" he reassures. "Why don''t you go shower whilst I make breakfast? As much as I enjoy seeing you in my shirt m sure you''d be morefortable and warmer in your own clothes. There''s a bag of clothes Freya chose for you in the living room,"

    "You''re really spoiling me now, Sir," I tease.

    "I n on spoiling you every day for the rest of my life, Miss Banks, so I suggest you get used to it," he smacks my ass yfully as I walk towards the living room in search of the bag

    Almost two hourster we arrive back in our room at the bed and breakfast. Deacon collects all our new belongings he''d bought yesterday and takes them back to the cottage whilst I go to get Freya. I help her pack up her room and Deacon arrives to take her bags too before we go to visit with my mum and Frank for a couple of hours. We tell her we are leaving town but that we will be back often to visit. Byte afternoon we arrive back at my old house with Freya. "You know I think I''ll take the train next time," Freya groans and Deacon holds us both steady. My nausea passes quickly this time, I think I''m finally getting used to the porting.

    "Should we grab dinner with Freya whilst we are here?" I ask D.

    ¡°Hell no, I have a date and I''m not having you two there outshining me," Freya scoffs before Deacon can respond.

    "Freya no one can outshine you, you know you''re hot," I roll my eyes.

    "I know," she shrugs, flicking her hair sarcastically, "but I want to keep her to

    myself for now, besides I''ve not seen her for two weeks. I need some alone time with her," she winks.

    "Fine, you hussy," I stick my tongue out at her.

    "Girl, you literally have 5 boyfriends, I think you stole my hussy title," sheughs

    and pulls me into a hug.

    "Thank you for everything," I tell her as I hug her back.

    "Anytime, you know I''ve got your back, no matter what. Make sure you get a

    phone and keep in touch. I also want weekly visits at the minimum," she pulls back and gives me a stern look before turning her gaze to Deacon. I love how she is not afraid of him, my tiny human friend may be small but she is mighty.

    "Of course. Josie will have her own phone by tomorrow. You can contact her on mine in the meantime. You have the number," he nods. "Thank you for taking care of her when I couldn''t," he adds.

    A tear rolls down my face as I watch Freya reverse her car out of my driveway.

    "Pregnancy hormones," I huff, wiping the tear from my face and D gives me a sympathetic smile.

    "Let''s go home," he pulls me into his arms, kissing the top of my head before porting is back to his cottage.

    Make sure you get a phone and keep in touch. I also want weekly visits at the minimum," she pulls back and gives me a stern look before turning her gaze to Deacon. I love how she is not afraid of him, my tiny human friend may be small but she is mighty.

    "Of course. Josie will have her own phone by tomorrow. You can contact her on

    mine in the meantime. You have the number," he nods. "Thank you for taking care of her when I couldn''t," he adds.

    A tear rolls down my face as I watch Freya reverse her car out of my driveway.

    "Pregnancy hormones," I huff, wiping the tear from my face and D gives me a sympathetic smile.

    "Let''s go home," he pulls me into his arms, kissing the top of my head before porting is back to his cottage.

 Chapter 0148

    **Josie''s POV**

    As the sun dips behind the trees, our cosy cottage transforms, and the surrounding woods shift from enchanting to cerie in an instant. Gazing out from the cottage window feels like stepping into the opening scene of a horror movie, and I can''t get enough of it. The anticipation of what might lurk in the shadows ignites an exciting rush within me. I probably need therapy or something because sure most people wouldn''t get a buzz from this. Although it could be because I''m not like most people. I''m the predator, I''m the thing that lurks in the shadows that people should be scared of.

    "Ready to go for a run?" Deacon asks.

    "Yes," I nod eagerly as my wolf surges forward with excitement, heating my skin as she prepares to take over the moment I allow it.

    "Good, because my wolf is very enthusiastic about this happening as soon as possible,¡± he runs a hand through his hair, giving it a dishevelled look. I love seeing him like this, to see the man hiding behind the professional demeanour he is usually so strict about showing.

    "Does your wolf know that mine bites?" I ask, chewing nervously on my bottom lip.

    "He does," Deacon nods, "although I can''t imagine he''s going toy down and allow it. She may have to work harder for it than she did with the others," he adds with a yful smirk that has my wolf pacing excitedly within

    1. me.

    "Well, now you''ve gotten her all riled up," Iugh. My wolf''s excitement is contagious and I can''t wait much longer. I grab Deacon''s hand and pull him towards the back door of the cottage. The moment we are out in the open air my wolf decides she''s waited long enough and she pushes at her restraints.

    "Let her out, it''s safe," D encourages, stepping back to give me space to shift.

    The shift washes over me quickly and within seconds I''m looking up at Deacon''s handsome face through the of my wolf. He holds a hand out to us with pride written all over his face.

    "You are

    eyes

    the most beautiful wolf I have ever seen," he strokes a hand over her head and she turns to rub her body around his legs in affection before she begins to yip at him empatiently. ¡°Okay, okay, I just wanted to meet you first," heughs. My wolf backs up, giving him some space as she waits to meet her mate with excited anticipation.

    "Mine," a voice rings in my head as Deacon morphs into a majestic ck wolf in front of us. I''m pretty sure that that is the only word my wolf knows, I''ve never heard another actual word from her apart from that one. Our wolves stare at each other and I have no idea what they''re doing as they slowly circle, keeping eye contact. My wolf lets out a low growl and I get nervous. Are they going to fight?

    "They''re establishing dominance," Deacon''s voice suddenly fills my head. "Oh, is this normal?" I ask.

    "Perfectly, dont worry,"

    "But if they''re mates then why do they need to do this?"

    "They''re still animals, this is in their insticts,"

    "Oh god, they''re not going to... fuck are they?" I ask, not feeling veryfortable being present if they do that.

    It''s just weird.

    "No," heughs. "They''d only attempt that to procreate, they wouldn''t do it for fun. Considering you''re not in heat and you''re already carrying a pup that he can smell, then it''s pointless to them,¡± he exins as his wolf suddenly takes off running into the dark forest. My wolf is fast to follow, keeping pace with him as they dart

    between trees.

    "Is he not mad that the pup isn''t his?" I ask.

    "Why would he be? He feels just as I do on this, to us this pup is just as much ours as it is Mason''s. Any child thates from you is ours no matter who the biological father is," he says and a rush of love runs through me, closely followed by nervousness,

    "How do you think Mason is going to react when he finds out?" I ask and D is silent for a moment before he

    answers.

    "Truth?" he asks.

    "Yes,"

    "I think it''s going to break him, but in a way that he needs to be broken. Mason can''t be his true self until he breaks down his wallspletely. He''s going to sense that little one and feel how pure it is. Then he is going to realise that he is capable of bringing joy into the world, because his child will carry love, hope and everything good, and he won''t be able to deny that he created that," Deacon says, and if I was in my own body I know I''d burst into tears at his words.

    "Thank you, that''s reassuring. I hope you are right,"

    We observe our wolves in silence, both lost in our own thoughts for a while. Deacon''s wolf is fast and dodges my wolf''s attacks multiple times, but she''s determined to catch him. When she finally jumps onto his back and knocks him to the ground I cheer for her. That is until she pins him under her feet and sinks her teeth into his neck, marking him as hers. She throws her head back and howls in delight and I hear Deacon chuckle in my mind.

    "I guess I win," Iugh.

    "Depends how you look at it. I get to carry your wolf''s mating mark for the rest of my life in both of my forms, so I feel like I''m the one that won here," he says smugly.

    Then why did your wolf run?"

    "Because it''s a game to him, he wanted your wolf to chase him," heughs.

    My wolf cleans her mate''s wound before they spend some tone y fighting and running. Exhaustion starts to creep up on me and my wolf begins heading b

 Chapter 0149

    Josie''s POV **

    The next two weeks are spent searching the realm for broken portals. It''s not easy because the world is sorge and we can''t just port openly like we can in the Greys realm Each ce we visit has to be carefully nned out to make sure we don''t port into the middle of a group of unsuspecting humans. After another morning of finding nothing I''m starting to give up hope of us being any help.

    "Cheer up, Baby Girl, we are making good progress here," Theo reassures through our mental connection.

    "I hate this, Theo, I hate it so much. I want to see you, I want to feel you," I cry.

    "I know. I want to see you too. I want to kiss you everywhere. When I finally get you in my arms I dont think I''ll ever be able to let you go again," he says.

    "How are things with you and Mason?" I ask.

    "Not great, he''s not interested in any kind of intimacy with me. His sole focus is getting these portals open and teaching me, Luke and Axel to help. He keeps losing his temper with us because we are not learning fast enough,

    "How about Axel, how is he doing now?"

    "He''s as okay as he can be I guess. He is as focused as Mace but he is getting frustrated with himself a lot. We are just so desperate to get you home, especially before your heat makes an appearance,"

    "Don''t worry about my heat, Deacon can deal with it. We will be fine," I try to reassure. I hate lying to him, especially when it''s causing him concern but I know the alternative would be worse for him.

    "How can we not worry about it? It''s been four weeks for you. It''sing soon and the only way Deacon will be able to sate it on his own is to get you pregnant. Then things are going to be even more dire for us all. Luke is already on the verge of porting there. It''s hard enough as it is, there''s no way we''d be able to stay here knowing you were carrying our child," he says and my heart drops.

    ¡°We have a n for that,¡± I lie, ¡°D willpel me to sleep until it passes or until we are reunited,"

    "So he will just put you into aa until we can get you back? What if it''s years, Jose?"

    "Let''s worry about all that if it happens, we have enough to deal with right now without worrying about what-ifs, besides, you said you are making good progress there so I should be back with you soon, right?" I say and he''s silent for a moment.

    "Yeah," he finally says and I can feel how unsure he is. I think he may have exaggerated their progress. I can also feel how tired he is. They are all wearing themselves out and I hate it. I''m scared to see what I''m going toe

    back to.

    "Are you all eating enough?" I ask.

    "Mace isn''t, he''s not looking great, Jose, I''m worried about him. He barely takes a break or looks after himself," he admits, confirming what I''d suspected.

    "I''ll try to talk with him. Get Dot to boss him around a bit too, I think he listens to her,"

    "They''re not on good terms at the minute. She is trying to convince him to talk with their mum, but he''s not interested," he says.

    "I can''t say I me him. I''ll see what I can do to get through to him. In the meantime, you make sure you''re

    Chapter 01:49

    looking after yourself. I''m going to need you in full health when I get back, we

    have a lot of catching up to do," I tease, trying to lift his mood.

    "You are the one that needs to be at full health. You have four of us here to catch up with," heughs.

    "R.I.P. my pussy," I snort.

    "We will take good care of her, don''t you worry," he hums,

    "You should try and sleep, it''ste there," I tell him.

    "I will, can you talk to me until I fall asleep?" he asks.

    "Of course," I smile, and for the next twenty minutes, I talk to him about a book I had just finished reading whilst I prepare a casserole for tonight''s dinner. I feel the moment he drifts off to sleep and although I''m sure he can''t hear me I wish him sweet dreams and tell him I love him. I check in on the rest of my bonds. Axel and Luke are already sleeping. Mason and Deacon are excited about something and I assume they''remunicating with each other.

    "What''s going on?" I ask, focusing my words on D and Mason.

    "I''ming to pick you up in 10 minutes, I''ll exin then but we have work snacks and drinks for us both," Deacon responds quickly.

    to do. Dress warm and pack some

    ''Okay," I rush to add some extrayers to my outfit and abandon the casserole I was preparing to make some cheese and ham sandwiches instead. I also pack some fruit, crackers and cereal bars along with some bottled water and a sk of hot tea.

    "Ready?" Deacon asks from behind me, making me squeak in fright

    "Give a girl some warning will you," I breathe, clutching my chest.

    "Sorry," he says but I can feel his amusement.

    "What''s wrong?" Mason''s concerned voice sounds in my head.

    "Nothing, D startled me. Sorry," Iugh. "Shouldn''t you be sleeping?"

    "I''ll sleep when I''m dead," Mason grunts.

    "Which will be soon if you don''t start taking care of yourself. When was thest time you ate?"

    "Is that really what you want to talk about? Because I''d rather focus on getting you home, my calorie intake is not a priority right now," he snaps. Deacon gives me a sympathetic smile and wraps his arms around me.

    "I''d like to have some of you left toe back to," I murmur out loud. I know it''s pointless trying to get through to him whilst he''s in this mood so I let it go.

    "Are we fixing this damn portal or not?" Mason asks and I look up at D with wide eyes.

    "You found one?"

    stou

    "I did, and it is in the perfect location for us to work there undisturbed. Mason is going to teach us how to fix it, let''s go," Deacon grins, excitement pouring from him. I grab the bag I''d prepared and let D port us to our first glimmer of hope. Chapter 6150

 Chapter 0150

    **Mason''s POV**

    Theo has obviously been telling Josie that I''m not taking care of myself. He should focus on his own issues and coping strategies rather than running to our bond to discuss mine. I''m positive he won''t have told her he''s been unable to shift for weeks, or that he spends most of his time so lost in his own thoughts that he doesn''t notice the world around him.

    I wait for Deacon to let me know they''re at the portal and ready to get to work. The portal we have been working on fixing is almost fully repaired and if Deacon and Josie can fix the one on their side then our chances of reuniting with them will be a whole lot better. Luke is already ready to attempt the jump with the three of us. The only thing holding him back is the grief he''d felt from Josie when we had discussed the possibility of him losing us in the void. I don''t think he could live with the guilt of causing her that kind of pain. I know he''s close to attempting to go alone. I see it in his face every time he stares at the portal, he knows he could be with her if he left us all behind and went through like D had. Every time I''m sure he''s about to do it he looks at me, Axe and Theo and the guilt eats him up. I''m d he has such an honourable conscious that won''t let him leave us behind. If I was skilled at porting I''d have gone through already. Fortunately for the others, I still haven''t mastered porting within the realm so porting between realms is out of the question for me.

    "We are ready." Deacon says, Josie''s consciousness joining his in the mind link again.

    "Okay. So let''s practice on something smaller first. What is around you?" I ask. "Grass, some rocks, a wooden fence and a water trough. It''s some kind of animal field but there are no animals in it," he responds.

    "Great. Each of you choose a piece of wood on the fence. Focus on it. Don''t see it as a piece of wood. Think of it as trillions of grains of sand that are all stuck together to form the wood. They are much smaller than sand but that doesn''t matter, it''s just the easiest way I find to visualize it. Now manipte the grains of sand the same way we use telekinesis. Move the sand with your mind," I exin, hoping my method works for them. Otherwise, I''m going to have to talk to others with this gift to learn their method, and I''d rather not talk to anyone outside of my bond group if I can help it. I feel the intense focus of both Deacon and Josie and I remain silent, not wanting to break their focus. I slowly unzip the tent where Theo is sleeping. I''d told him to go back to the apartment but he wouldn''t go without me. I duck in as silently as possible, not wanting to wake him as I sit down beside him. If I was better at porting I''d scoop him up and take him home. He should be sleeping in a real bed, not in this cold and musty tent. Even in sleep, his face is sad. I wish I could take that sadness from him. I brush the hair from his forehead and he whimpers softly in his sleep making me want to hold him. I should be giving himfort, not pushing him away like I have been doing but if I allow myself to be weak around him I''ll break. I can''t stand to feel the affection he exudes when I touch him because I can''t return it, I''m not capable of it, and he really deserves to have it returned. He deserves everything.

    "I did it," Josie says excitedly, startling me from my musing.

    "Good, now try to return it to its original state," I tell her, almost smiling with pride. She never ceases to amaze me. Her power has already surpassed mine and Deacon''s level. Once she fully learns how to wield it she is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Iy down to rest for a while whilst I focus on guiding Josie and Deacon. My body aches and desperately wants to soak in a hot bath and then rx for a week, but it can''t, not yet. When my bond group is reunited I will rest. For now, this is all I will allow, my body can recover a little whilst my mind does all the work. Theo shifts closer to me, one of his arms and legs sprawling over my body as he snuggles into my side with a satisfied hum. He''s still asleep so I allow him thisfort, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to keep him warm.

 Chapter 0151

    "Done, Josie fills my mind with her Joy.

    "Is there water in the trough?" I ask her.

    "Yes,"

    "Okay, try to part the water and hold it. Water is not stable ke wood so this is going to be more difficult,"

    "Do I get a staff?" she asks and I feel her humour.

    "A what?"

    "I believe she is referencing a human Bible story," Deacon xins.

    ¡°I must have skipped those sses in human studies. How are you getting on D?" I ask.

    "I think I''ve almost got it," he says before going silent in concentration again.

    "Just call me fucking Moses," Josle exims with glee.

    "I''m going to get you your very own staff as soon as we gelback," Deaconughs. "Maybe Moses was a Grey," she chuckles.

    "You do realise that would make Mason God in this modern-day retelling?

    "Well, he is a god in some ways," she jokes and I feel her desire starting to build. "Calm yourself, we are supposed to be working." Deacon purrs.

    "Hey, you did it!" Josie says excitedly.

    "I did. I think less focus works better for me,"

    "Some people do find it easier to work that way. Try to return the wood to its original state whilst chatting," I suggest. Deacon and Josie discuss Moses more and I almost drift off to sleep, far toofortable with Theo cuddled against me and Josie''s voice soothing me.

    "You got it," Josie startles me, "Now part the water and I''ll get you a matching staff," she teases.

    Deacon quickly learns how to manipte the water and I have both of them practice a little longer before we move onto the portal.

    "This is not going to be as easy. I am struggling and I''ve been practising with this gift for years. Think of it simr to the water but on a much bigger scale. It has to be done bi by bit. It is tedious work and a slow process," I exin.

    "What exactly are we trying to do here? I can barely see the fracture. It almost looks like a whisp of cloud," Josie

    says.

    "Yes, it is much more subtle here, it''s nothing like it is on the other side. That''s why it has been so difficult to find," Deacon adds.

    ?L

    "I wonder why that is, but it doesn''t really matter. That whisp you see shouldn''t be there, you need to open Imagine it like arge sheet of ice that''s blocking your way Start chipping away at the crack in the ice until it''s all gone,"

    "Okay, now what?" Josie asks.

    Chimon01,51

    Holy shit she''s done It, Deacon exims and 1 blot uprigt, jostling Theo awake. What do you mean?" I ask, because surely he can''t mean he has opened it that quickly. It''s taken a team of us weeks to do that.

    "I mean she has just opened it, fully," he says in awe.

    "What''s happening?" Then asks in a daze, and in a moment of pure excitement, I lean forward and crash my lips against his in a kiss.

    "She fucking did it, Theo, just like that," I snap my fingers "she fixed one of the portals," Iugh.

    "Of course she did, I never doubted her. She is stronger than all of usbined," Theo grins and I''ve missed that smile, that light behind his eyes. I feel Axel and Luke waking up at our excitement and they join the mind link. We are one step closer to getting our girl home.

    AN.O Darling Author

    ¡ú AN.O

    I was hoping to get two chapters done today but due to a family emergency I''ve only gotten one written. I''ll be back to two chapters a day as soon as I''m able. Thank you all so much for your support with reviews, gems andments. I still haven''t been assigned

    106

 Chapter 0152

    **Luke''s POV**

    Josie is incredible! She was able to fix a portal in seconds with practically no experience with a molecr gift. Mason has had a whole team working for a month to aplish that. Our bond group is bursting with pride and excitement, which is great, but they''re letting those feelings overshadow any logical thinking. If we want to bring Josie and Deacon home anytime soon then we need Josie in he vold, fixing the portal from that side. I fully believe she can do it, but I doubt any of the others are willing to risk attempting it. That''s why I''m going to port through to the human realm. If I can prove that I can get there safely with this portal now fixed, then I think they''ll consider attempting to bring losie through. I cant tell any of the others my n. Mason, Theo and Axel will either try to stop me or they''ll insist I bring them with me, which makes it more difficult. There''s a soft knock on my door before it slowly opens, Axel pokes his head in.

    "Hey, I was wondering if you wanted a coffee to celebrate," he smiles meekly.

    "Sure, do you know how to use the machine?" I ask, sitting up in my bed. I think I''d had two hours of sleep but there''s no chance of going back to sleep now.

    "No, I was hoping you could teach me though. Then I can make it for Josie when shees home," he says quietly, his eyes not meeting mine. His confidence has taken a hit since we lost Josie. He had been slowlying out of his shell since he bonded with her but now he''s almost back to his pre-bonded self. It doesn''t help that he spent so much time stuck in his wolf form.

    "Of course, let me grab a quick shower," I nod

    Ten minutester I''m in the kitchen teaching Axe how to make coffee like a human barista.

    "How did you learn this?" he asks.

    "I applied for a job in a coffee shop in the human realm. I had no intention of taking the job but it came with a day, of training so I turned up for that and then I worked there for two days before I never returned," Iugh.

    "Why did you work there for two days?"

    "It was my way of making myself feel less guilty for the training, I left before they could pay me so I feel like it was a good trade," I shrug.

    "It''s funny that you have been so interested in the human way of life and that you end up bonded to someone who grew up as a human. It''s as if fate was preparing you for her," he says as steams the milk the way I''d had just shown him.

    "I don''t think anything could have prepared me for her. She fascinates me in a

    way I never expected, and it''s not Just because of the way she was raised. I could spend the rest of my life just watching her and never get bored," I smile at the thought of her.

    "I want toe with you," Axel says abruptly.

    "What do you mean?" I ask, trying my best to keep my emotions under control and my face neutral.

    "You are nning to go to her. I want toe," he shrugs like it''s no big deal.

    "I''m not. We all agreed it''s too dangerous," I lie and Axel turns to face me with a scrutinizing stare.

    "Yes, you are, and I''ming too," he crosses his arms across his chest, Shy Axel is long gone right now. This is Axe, the badass warrior who is staring at me with determination at the idea of being reunited with his bond.

    "You know it''s not safe, I might lose you in the vold," I say in defeat, there is no point trying to lie to him any longer.

 Chapter 0153

    "That is my risk to take, besides, what better way to test if''s safe to take Josie through? I''d rather get lost in the void and prove it''s not safe for her than risk taking her through it with no idea if it''s even possible. Take me as the test subject, if you can port me there and back then you can bring Josie home," he demands and when he puts it like that I dont have much of an argument. I''d never forgive myself if I lost him in the vold, but if I lost Josie in there it would be the end of us all.

    "Fine," I sigh, "but we can''t tell the others or they''ll stop us,

    "Agreed," he nods "When do we leave?"

    "After our coffee?" 1 suggest, and Axel raises his cup, clinking it with mine before knocking it back like it''s not hot.

    "Ready when you are," he grins,

    "Is there nothing you want to do or anyone you want to see before we leave? We may not make it back," I ask, nerves beginning to flutter in my gut. Axel looks around the kitchen in thought.

    "Nope. My family won''t even notice I''m gone," he shakes his head. "What about you?"

    "I already said my goodbyes weeks ago, I''m not repeating that. Besides they might try to stop me this time," I shrug before knocking back my coffee like Axel had. Instantly regretting it as I feel the burn travel all the way down to my stomach. A pulse of desirees from Josie and I try not to react to it.

    "Seems like a good time to go. Everyone is about to be distracted," Axel adjusts himself in his pants and shakes his head as if shaking away his thoughts, "Let''s go find our girl,"

    "Hold onto me, whatever you do, don''t let go. If we get stuck in the void and end up separated I''ll never find y you,

    I warn.

    ''Can''t I just shout until you find me?" He frowns.

    "No, the void absorbs sound. If you do get lost there then don''t let the darkness take over your mind. You''ll see things, awful things, but they''re not real. Ignore them and ght with everything you have to port out. You have the ability to port, so don''t give up trying,"

    "Okay," he nods.

    "Are you

    sure about this? I won''t think any less of you if you''ve changed your mind," I ask, giving him onest opportunity to back out of this insane n.

    "I''m sure," he steps forward and grips both of my shoulders with a nod. I take a breath and asses the best way to hold him when an ideaes to me. An idea so simple that I want to p myself for not thinking of it soon.

    "Do you have a belt?" I ask.

    "Yes, why?" He raises a brow,

    "Go get it, if you have more than one bring them too," I say before rushing to my room to retrieve the two belts I bave. Axel returns with three belts and I quickly put one around my waist, motioning for Axe to do the same. I loop the belts through each other before fastening them, attaching Axel to my hip. Then I use the others the bind our arms and legs together.

    Well we look ridiculous but if this works then it''s a great idea," Axeughs looking down at our bodies tied together.

    "I can''t believe we never thought of this before," I shake my head at my own stupidity. "Ready?" I ask.

    "Yes," he nods and I close my eyes, take a breath, and attempt to port us to the human realm.

    N.O Darling Author

    I have another chapter to upload but I haven''t edited it yet. I will edit and publish once I get back from the stables.

    Ike

 Chapter 0154

    **Josie''s POV**

    Deacon picks me up and splus me in his arms before lowering me to my feet and leaning down to kiss me,

    ¡°Whenever I think I couldn''t be any more proud to be yours you do something that blows me away!" Heughs, unzipping my coat and kissing his way down my body until he''s on his knees in the grass in front of me. He tugs at the waistband of my joggers and I gasp.

    "What are you doing?" 1ugh nervously, ncing around us, "we are outside," "Do you see anyone around?" He asks.

    "No, but..." I start but my words are cut off as he ces a hot kiss between my legs. The contrast between the cold air and Deacon''s hot breath is an interesting sensation that want more of. I grip the back of his head, holding

    him to me.

    "Take your coat off andy on it," his hot breath fans over my sensitive flesh. I let the coat slip from my shoulders and slump in a heap on the floor. Deacon reaches around, spreading it out for me to sit on before guiding me down onto it gently. He yanks off my shoes and pants and tosses them to the side like they''ve personally offended him. His gentle side evaporatespletely, reced by a desperate man and he pushes my legs open and his head delves between them. His hot tongue seeking my most sensitive spot. I flop backwards with a moan, not caring that I''m probably getting soggy grass in my hair. Because how can I care about anything when this god of a man is between my legs, eating me out like I''m hisst meal?

    "Fuck, Babe, you order me back to sleep and then do this," Theo groans in my head. His desire pulsing through the bond and mixing with my own.

    "Touch yourself for me, Theo," I moan. Imagining his hand gliding up and down his shaft.

    "With pleasure," he responds.

    Deacon slides a finger into my core whilst he licks and sucks at my clit and my hips move without permission.

    "Fuck, D, I need more," I breathe. He adds a second finger, curling them around to hit me in the perfect spot. I feel Mason''s lust begin to build in time with my orgasm.

    "Mace is watching me," Theo groans in my head,

    "You''d better put on a good show for him then," I say before I scream out my release to the darkening sky.

    Deacon continues his brutal pace with his fingers and tongue, forcing my orgasm to roll straight into another, more intense one and I scream until my voice bes hoarse.

    "Good Girl," D praises as Ie back down to earth. I''m so blissed out that I don''t notice him pull down his trousers and move between my legs until he''s slowly pushing the length of his cock into me. I gasp as my body adjusts around him. He moves his hips in slownguid strokes, gradually picking up his pace until I''m on the edge of oblivion before he halts his pace. I open my mouth to protest but he silences me with a desperate kiss, his tongue waring with mine until I can barely catch my breath His hips begin to move again, stopping once again to kiss me right when I''m on the precipice of another orgasm

    "Please," I whimper when he releases my mouth to continue his thrusts.

    "It will be worth it, I promise," Deacon says with a wicked smirk.

    "Is he edging you?" Theo groans.

    "Yes,"

    "Fuck that''s hot,"

    "Don''t stop," 1 beg Deacon as he increases his pace. I wrap my legs around him, digging my heels into his ass and encouraging him to go harder and faster until he finally allows me to detonate. My whole body shakes with pleasure, every nerve-ending sparking with sensation. Deaton''s hips Jerk as he grunts out his own release closely followed by a flood of ecstasy from Mason and Theo, that intensifies everything. I float on a cloud of utter conentmen. That is until a jolt of fear from Axel hits me.

    "Axel," I gasp and it feels as though the entire bond group hold their breath in anticipation.

    "What''s going on?" Deacon asks as he draws everyone''s consciousness into the mind link.

    "Axe, it''s not real" Luke shouts desperately. "It''s not real, it''s not real," he repeats whilst we all listen in horror. I dont dare say a word.

    "Where are you? What is happening?" Mason demands.

    "Void," Luke says, making my heart sink. Deacon moves, palling up his trousers whilst I begin to hyperventte.

    "Try to stay calm," he says softly, pulling me into hisp and stroking my hair. ¡°Our anger and fear are only going to make this worse, everyone stay calm," he says into the mind link. "Try to talk to Axel," he encourages me.

    "Axe?" I ask, even my mental voice shakes with fear.

    "Snake, giant snake," Axel shouts, his tone urgent and full of fear.

    "It''s not real, Axel, you need to stop fighting it. Ignore whatever it is you see there," Deacon soothes.

    "Just breathe, everything is going to be okay," I tell him.

    "That''s it, we are safe. I''m going to get us out of here but you need to stay calm so I can focus," Luke says.

    "Swear to me it doesn''t have her, Luke, because I saw her in its mouth and I can feel her terror," Axel demands

    "I swear it, or I''d be encouraging your to chase it, not stopping you. Josie is fine, you can hear her, she is fine."

    "I''m okay, Axe, I''m just scared for you. I''m safe in Deacon''s arms. Now you need to rx so Luke can bring you me," I tell him, trying to calm my heart rate and fill him with calmness.

    "I''m sorry I scared you," Axel responds before I feel him and Luke slip from my consciousness.

    "What the..." Theo starts but Deacon cuts him off.

    "Don''t panic, the mind link doesn''t work when porting Me and Josie already tested it," he exins.

    "They better have a damn good reason for doing this without me and Theo," Mason growls and anger radiates from him.

    "Let''s wait until we know they are safe before we get angry at them," Deacon says in an attempt to calm the situation.

    at Then asks.

    "How long did it take you to get through?" Theo

    "I''m not sure, time is different there. A few hours I think," says. I feel numb, unable

    to do anything except wait to hear Luke and Axel again. If they dont make it

    through I''m not sure I''ll ever be able to recover. I''m not sure if

    even want to. The thought of losing two of my bonds feels like a death sentence.

 Chapter 0155

    **Josie''s POV **

    Rain begins to fall on us as if the sky is also worried about my missing bonds. Deacon attempts to get me back into my pants but I don''t react. I feel as though I''m watching myself from the outside. I can''t function until I know Luke and Axel are safe. I don''t care if I''m wearing pants, I don''t care that it''s cold and my body is shivering, or that my stomach rumbles with hunger.

    "We need to get you home, you''re freezing," Deacon says softly.

    I can''t respond. I just wait, wait for Axel and Luke to tell me they''re okay. Theo and Mason are silent as they wait with me, seemingly stuck in the same state as I am. Only D has the mental capacity to function.

    "Josie, you need to snap out of it. It''s not just you that will suffer if you make yourself unwell," he says a little harsher this time and I blink at him. My hand moves to my abdomen where my little bean grows. He''s right. I nod and move, allowing him to help me dress and put my shoes on. He grabs the bag of food I''d packed and pulls me against his side.

    "I''m porting Josie back, I''ll let you know if we hear from Luke or Axe," Deacon says into the mind link before porting us back to the cottage.

    The moment we arrive I begin to wretch violently. I grip the pressure point on my wrist but it doesn''t help much as my stomach tries to empty itself. Deacon scoops me up and carries me to the bathroom just in time for me to vomit the small amount of liquid I''d consumed into the tollet. He rubs my back in soothing circles until I''m done and I lean back against him on the bathroom floor.

    "Feel better?" he asks. I nod with a grimace.

    "I thought porting was supposed to get easier, not worse, grumble.

    "That wasn''t from porting. I think it was abination of worry and pregnancy hormones," he exins, reaching around to brush away the hair that''s clinging to my damp forehead.

    "Great. I guess I have more of this to look forward to then, I groan.

    "Yes, but you won''t be alone and it will be worth it for the end result," he moves his hand to my stomach and I ce my hand over his.

    "Do you think Luke and Axel will be able to keep the little bean a secret?" I ask.

    "Yes, they won''t want to worry Mason and Theo, especially now they''ve just left them there with no way of getting here," he sighs. "Let''s get you showered and into some dry clothes, then we will go to your old house to wait for Luke and Axel. I think that''s where they''ll go.

    #

    "Okay," I nod and let him help me to my feet. I wrinkle my nose as flush the toilet and go to the sink, cleaning my teeth whilst D turns on the shower.

    Once I''m clean and dressed in warm clothes we go to my childhood home. Deacon brings the bag of food and forces me to eat one of the sandwiches and drink some warm tea whilst we wait. He says we need to keep our energy levels up because Luke will probably need to borrow our strength to get him and Axel out of the void. I hear a car pull up on the driveway and get up to look out of the window. I turn to look at D with a frown when I see Freya''s -car there.

    "I called for backup," he says with a shrug and a smile.

    "Thank you," I breathe, wrapping my arms around him in hug as Freya lets herself in through the backdoor. "Ie baring gifts," she beams, instantly lifting my mood like only a best friend can. She holds up a bag of food from my favourite Chinese restaurant in one hand and a box under her other arm.

    "You didn''t need to bring anything, just seeing you is enough," I tell her.

    "Oh, I know, but I''m trying to be the best auntie there ever was, which means I

    need to take care of you until you pop out my new niece or nephew,¡± she says, handing me the box. "Open it," she grins.

 Chapter 0156

    I ce the box on the kitchen counter and lift the lid. It''s a gift hamper, filled with pamper products, ''mummy to be'' tea bags, warm socks, chocte and candles. There is a gard that says ''Growing a tiny superhuman is exhausting'' the ''super'' part of superhuman is handwritten

    "This is great. Thank you," I force a smile onto my face. I do love the gift, but I''d enjoy it more if I knew Luke and Axel were safe.

    "So what''s the deal? Why have I been summoned for emotional support?" she asks, looking between myself and D.

    "Two of my bonds have attempted to port here," my voice trembles as I form the words, "thest we heard from them they were trapped in between the realms. We don''t know if they can get through... I can''t lose them, Freya," I say with a sob, unable to hold back my tears any longer.

    "Shit," Freya curses and wraps her arms around me, holding me whilst I let all my emotions flow out. "This is way worse than a takeout and pamper situation. I would suggest vodka but that''s not an option right now. Tell me what I can do to help,"

    "Just be here," I squeeze her.

    "Always. How about I make you some of that pregnantdy tea and then I do your hair? Let''s make you look all pretty for when they get here, because they will get here, Jo. They''ll do it for you," she reassures and I nod, wiping the tears from my face.

    My hair is still damp and unbrushed from my shower. I know the guys won''t care about the state of my hair but it at least would feel like I was doing something in preparation for theming. I have to believe they''re going to make it because the alternative is just not an option.

    I sip on the ginger and mint tea, trying not to pull a face at the taste whilst Freya brushes out my hair, she keeps me distracted, talking about work and her girlfriend. Deacon sits on the couch quietly and I keep casting nces at him. He smiles at me but I can see its forced, I can see the cease of worry on his brow and feel his anxiety growing through our bond. I can also feel Luke drawing on our energy.

    "How are you doing, Babe?" Theo''s yoice drifts through my mind.

    "Just about holding onto my sanity and I''m getting tired. How about you?"

    "Same. We walked back to the apartment. Mace has locked himself in his room. What are you doing?" he asks.

    "We came to my old house to wait for them. They''ll most likelye here. Freya is here too trying to keep me distracted," I tell him.

    "I wish I was with you too. Freya is a good friend, I can''t wait to meet her one day," he says.

    "You''ll love her, and she will certainly love you," I smile at the thought of those two together. I think their humour matches, they''d bounce off of each other.

    "Okay, spill! You finally cracked a real smile, tell me whats going on in that head of yours," Freya grins at me in the mirror.

    "Theo is in my head, he was saying he can''t wait to meet you and I was thinking how well you two would get on," I tell her.

    "Well I''m not going to pretend this telepathic mind shit doesnt freak me out but you can tell him I''m looking forward to meeting him too, even if its just to see you happy again,''

    "Freya said she is looking forward to..." I begin to tell Theo when I hear a heavy thump in my bedroom. I look at D

    who is already up and running to investigate the noise.

    "They''re here," Deacon calls and I almost fall off the chair as I sag in relief.

    "We got them, Theo, tell Mason,"

    "Oh thank goodness," Theo responds before dropping from my consciousnesss. I

    stand up on shaky legs, equally excited, relieved and angry. I don''t know if I want

    to hug them or scream at them, maybe both?

 Chapter 0157

    *Josie''s POV**

    Luke and Axely on my bedroom floor side by side on their fronts. Their bodies heave as both of them wretch and suck in ragged breaths of air. Deacon is already trying to get to their wrists and I drop down beside Luke to try and help. Axel rolls onto his back with a groan and somehow puls Luke along with him so he''sid on top of him.

    "Erm... I thought you said it was the other two that were fudding each other," Freya says and I Ignore her trying to work out what is happening.

    "They''ve tied themselves together. Freya, can you get me a harp knife please?" Deacon asks.

    Luke''s body goes limp and a jolt of fear hits me. I manage to grab his wrist and breathe out in relief when I feel his pulse there. He''s just passed out. Which makes sense, he must have depleted all his energy because he''d been drawing

    on ours.

    "Axe," I say softly, moving closer and touching my hand to his cheek. He blinks his eyes open with a frown that softens when he finally focuses on my face. His eyes dart around in fear beforending back on me.

    "Did we make it? Or am I tripping again?" he asks.

    "You made it, you big idiot. God, I am so happy to see you bot so angry at you at the same time,¡± I say as tears stream down my face. Axel tries to sit up before he realises that Luke is sprawled on top of him.

    "Luke?" he asks, reaching up a hand to shake him.

    "He''s okay, he''s just exhausted. We are going to get him off of you in a minute. Are you okay?"

    "I am now I''m with you. I love you, Josie. I''ve missed you so much," he strokes a thumb over my cheek, wiping away my tears.

    "I love you too," I sob..

    Freya returns, running into the room with arge kitchen knife and Axel''s eyes go wide.

    "It''s okay, she''s with us," Deacon reasures before Axel has a chance to react. "Yeah chill out big guy, I''m just a tiny human," Freya snorts, handing the knife to D, who quickly begins to cut at the binds around their arms and legs.

    "The belts around our waists are fastened together too," Axel says once his arm and leg are free. He rolls to his side whilst Deacon supports Luke and I squeeze my hands between them to unfasten the belt buckles.

    "Damn, Girl, they''ve not even been here two minutes and you''re already trying to get in their trousers," Freya jokes, earning a small chuckle from Axel.

    The moment the belts are loose Deacon lifts Luke andys him on my bed and I grow myself at Axel. He catches me in a bear hug and I kiss him desperately until Freya clears her throat.

    "Sorry," I cringe, burying my face into Axel''s neck in embarrassment.

    "Mmm-hmm, so who wants coffee?" she asks.

    "Everyone, I think but I''ll have tea please,¡± I say, just to get a few minutes alone with my guys.

    "Why are you not having coffee?" Axel asks and I lean back to look at him. My eyes shift to Deacon and he gives me a nod.

    "Are you good at keeping secrets, Axe?" I ask.

    "For you, of course. What is It?" he frowns, looking utterly confused.

    "Take in her scent," Deacon says with a smirk.

    Axel gives him a puzzled look before leaning in and inhaling deeply, "Why do you smell like Mason?" he shakes his head in disbelief. "No, it''s not possible,"

    "I don''t know how it happened but it did, Axe, I''m having baby," I smile. His eyes travel to my stomach and he ces one of his giant hands there gently.

    ¡°We are having a baby,¡± he corrects me and I feel love and ferce protectiveness pouring from him. "Why did you tell us? We would havee sooner,"

    "That''s exactly why we didn''t tell you. We knew you would do something wreckless like this," Deacon chastises, sounding very much like our headmaster again.

    "And that''s why you can''t let Theo and Mason find out, they will do something drastic to try and get here or they''ll just make themselves ill with worry. It''s kinder that they don''t know for the time being," I insist.

    "I don''t like it, but I understand. They won''t find out from me, but when we get home we are done with secrets in this bond group," he gives Deacon a pointed look.

    "Of course, no more secrets. A bond group is supposed to be built on trust and I apologize for getting us off to a bad start, but I can assure you it''s all been with the best intentions, just like the Little Bean," D says.

    "Little Bean?" Axel raises an eyebrow.

    "That''s what we call the baby," Iugh and Axel shakes his head with a smile.

    "I can''t believe this, I''m going to be a Dad!" heughs and exudes excitement. Which is a relief. I hope the rest of

    bonds will feel the same way when they find out

    my

    "You must be hungry and exhausted, there''s some Chinese food in the kitchen," I say, getting up out of hisp. "I''m starving, but can I use the bathroom first?" he asks, pushing up to his feet.

    "Damn, you''ve grown," I say when I get a full look at him. "Have you been working out?

    Iugh

    "My wolf has," he smiles shyly.

    "You look good, Axe," I nod approvingly, shamelessly checking him out again, "The bathroom is across the hall," I point in that direction before turning to the bed to check on Luke. I want to climb into the bed beside him and cuddle up with him but I don''t want to risk waking him He definitely earned this sleep. I''m so proud of him for getting not just himself but Axel here safely, and even though it was such a stupid and risky thing to do I can''t say I''m not thrilled they are here. I just wish Theo and Mason were with them too. I lean over and gently kiss Luke''s forehead. The moment he opens his eyes I''m going to pounce on him.

 Chapter 0158

    **Luke''s POV

    I can''t remember thest time I slept this well. I don''t want it to end, but I''m sure we are going to bete for sses. I groan and nuzzle my head Into Josie''s chest. I can smell Mason, Axel and Deacon on her but she still smells amazing. My wolf enjoys being able to scent our bond group on her, they''re his pack and it''s right for her to carry their scents. Oddly, Theo''s scent is missing, he''s usually all over her like a rash.

    "How do you feel?" Josie asks.

    "Like I want to skip sses and stay in bed all day," I mumble.

    "Hmm... we can certainly skip sses, but I don''t think staying in this bed is an option," sheughs softly.

    This bed? I snap my eyes open and don''t see the familiar walls of our apartment. This is Josie''s bedroom in the human realm. This is the bed I''d lost my virginity in when we first met. Thest monthse flooding back to me and then I remember the void. The deste feeling I''d had as my energy had depleted. I''d thought I was never going to get us out of there. Is this the delusion of a dying mind? It has to be because I shouldn''t be able to scent Mason on her. It''s been over a month since he was anywhere near her. I feel a tear roll down my cheek and onto Josie''s chest. If this is myst moment then I''m not going to question anything. I am just going to enjoy holding my girl, I''ll die happy in her arms.

    "I love you, Josie. I may not have had much time with you and heaven knows we''ve not had it easy, but despite everything we''ve been through, I''ve never been so happy than I''ve been since you walked into my life. When your eyes met mine across the dining hall I knew from that moment on we belonged together. You brought me warmth in the cold, peace in the chaos and light in the darkness. You showed me what true love is and you gave me my bonded brothers, even if some of them are dicks half the time, I love them just the same. We are a family. There are no words to express the depth of what I feel for you, Goddess. My heart is tearing in two that I can''t be with you, that I failed you, I failed Axel and our entire bond group..."

    "Sorry to interrupt your heartfelt speech, but I just wanted to make it clear I don''t feel like you failed me," I hear Axel''s voice from somewhere but I can''t see him. Is he sharing this death delusion with me?

    "I did fail, Axe, and I can''t tell you how sorry I am. I wish I had been strong enough to get us out of the void. I hate

    "Luke, you''re out of the void," Josie cuts me off, her voiceced with amusement. I sit up to look down at her. She''s so beautiful that it''s hard to drag my gaze from hers to check my surroundings. Axel''s head pops up beside the matress and he grins at me from his makeshift bed on the floor.

    "I''ve made pancakes," Deacon says as he fills the doorway holding a te in one hand and a steaming cup in the other. "Oh, good, you''re finally awake," he says when his eyesnd on me.

    "This is real? I''m not in the void hallucinating?" I ask with a shaky voice. I want to believe them, more than anything, but I''ve spent so long seeing things that weren''t real. I''d seen them over and over whilst I ported myself and Axel around the void trying to get here until I''d been unable to go on any longer. I''dpletely drained myself so it''s hard to believe any of this now.

    "it''s real, Luke. You made it," Josie says her hand stroking my arm. I look down at where her skin touches mine. I can feel her, feel the electric spark between us.

    "Fuck, Josie," I gasp and pull her to me. I hold her tight against my body, absorbing the feel of her and her giggle is music to my ears.

    "I missed you so much. I''m so happy you made it. I don''t want to be separated from you ever again," she says wrapping her arms around me.

    ''Now that I''ve found you I''m never losing you again. I will always find you, Josie. In every lifetime, I will find you," I promise.

    "I''ll hold you to that," she says, cing a hot kiss on my neck over my mating mark.

    "Luke, you must be hungry, do you want some breakfast before we go back to our other amodation? We have much to discuss today," Deacon asks, his voice is closer now and I release my grip on Josie so she can eat the food he''s brought for her.

    "I''m starving," I nod and my stomach grumbles loudly when the sweet scent of the pancakes hits my nose. Deacon hands the te to Josie and I reach out to take the cup, holding it for her so she can eat.

    "I''ll be back with more pancakes," Deacon says before leaving.

    Axel pushes himself up to sit on the end of the bed, watching our girl eat. She takes a small cube of cheese from

    Side of her te and closes her eyes with a moan as she eats it. Pancakes and cheese? Strangebo but if she enjoys it then I won''t say a word. I look at the hot liquid in the cup and frown. It''s not coffee like I expected, it looks more like hot pond water. I bring the cup closer to my nose and sniff it.

    "What the hell is this?" I grimace at the offensive smell.

    "Horrible, is what it is," she sighs.

    "Then why are you having it? Do you want me to make you some coffee? I could go to Starbucks for you if you want,

    "Ugh no, no to coffee," she shudders and takes the cup from me. Her nose wrinkles as she sips the hot liquid, "I drink this because it helps," she says we a smile. She casts a nce at Axel and the pair share a knowing smile. My heart plummets into my stomach. Nothing is making sense which makes me think I''m still in the void after all.

    N.O Darling Author

    Sorry, it''ster than usual. Writer''s block has struck! There will be another chapter after this and then hopefully another one or twoter. Thanks for reading and all your support with gems, gifts,ments and reviews.

    10 3

 Chapter 0159

    **Josie''s POV**

    Luke goes quiet whilst I sip the awful ginger and mint tea. The taste is bad but it really does help keep the sickness at bay. I''m desperate to tell Luke about the little bean, hell I want to scream it to the whole world, but he''s still recovering from his ordeal in the void. The emotions I''m feeling from him are all over the ce. I think it will be less of a shock if he works it out for himself, that doesn''t mean I''m not going to drop some massive hints to help him out though. I finish the cubes of cheese on my te and take a bite of one of the pancakes. I hold the pancake out to Luke offering him a bite, which he declines. I repeat the action to Axel, who also shakes his head before finding my feet under the covers and massaging them. Momentster Deacon returns with another two tes of pancakes. He hands one to Luke and one to Axel who starts eating them immediately. I quickly inspect their tes, looking for cheese and pout when I don''t see any, which Deacon doesn''t miss.

    "More cheese?" He asks with an amused smile.

    "Not yet," I smile. "You need to eat first. When do you want to head home?"

    "As soon as everyone is ready,"

    "I''m ready as soon as everyone is done eating. I want to shower but I''d rather do that when we get back," I tell him.

    Half an hourter we are back at the cottage. I text Freya to let her know we have left and that Luke is awake and I''ll bring him back to meet her soon. She had spent at least an hour chatting with Axelst night despite him barely saying anything back. She seemed to like him. She had left when I could no longer keep my eyes open. 1 offer Luke and Axel to use the shower first, they need it more than I do, but of course, they decline. Deacon finds them both some clothes whilst I shower, although I''m not sure Axel is going to fit in them. I swear he''s doubled in size. I tell them to hurry with their showers because I can''t wait to spend the whole day with the three of them.

    "I missed holding youst night," Deacon says,ing over to kiss me when I walk into the kitchen, still wrapped in my towel.

    "I missed you too," I wrap my arms around him and hum when I take in his amazing scent.

    "I''m a little disappointed that I''m going to have to share you now but I''m d you have more of your bonds here. I just hope Mason and Theo are going to be okay," he sighs. I check in on my missing bonds and they feel as though they''re both sleeping.

    "They''ll be okay. We will find a way back to them, we have to. Little Bean needs all of you and so do I,"

    "Don''t forget we have an appointment at the clinic tomorrow. You should tell Luke before then if he doesn''t work it out before the appointment," he says and I look around nervously. "He''s in the shower, he can''t hear us,"

    "I will, but Luke is smart. He will work it out. I think he''s still a little dazed from the void, he''s still not quite himself,"

    "Agreed, I can''t get a read on his emotions, they''re like a tornado right now. I don''t think he fully believes he''s out of there. You might need to help convince him," he says suggestively, lifting me to sit on the edge of the kitchen counter so I''m more his height. He stands between my legs and kisses me. His teeth catch my bottom lip and he bites it gently whilst his hands travel up my thighs, making desire pool in my

    "Do you need convincing this is real too?" I joke breathlessly when he releases my lip.

    core.

    "Oh I know this is real," his fingers brush over the apex of my thighs making me gasp, "but it''s only fair I help out and get you all riled up for him," he hums.

    "That''s awfully kind of you, Sir," 1 tease.

    "Oh, that reminds me, Miss Banks, I still owe you some punishments. I should really get started on those. I have a book in my office full of all your offences and all the punishments I had nned for you," he smirks, a thrill travels down my spine at the thought of what those punishments might be.

    "If I''d have known that you were keeping count I''d havemitted more of these offences," I breathe, staring into his eyes and I see my own excitement mirrored there.

    He tugs the towel from me, baring my naked breasts to him His fingers trace over the scars just below my corbone with a sh of anger on his face before he travels lower. My nipples pucker under his attention and I hum at the sensation. They seem so much more sensitivetely, which I assume is due to the pregnancy hormones, at least there are some perks. Deacon steps back scanning my body appreciatively before offering me his hand. I take it and he helps me down from the counter. He begins to lead me out of the kitchen and I make a quick grab for my towel, holding it to my front to give me a small amount of dignity. My legs feel shaky as my body courses with eager anticipation. Axel opens the bedroom door as we pass it. My desire is like a siren call to him as his hungry eyes meet mine. I suspect Luke won''t be far behind him. Deacon takes me into the sitting room with Axel following closely behind. He positions me at the side of the couch. cing my hands on the arm of it before pulling a tie from his pocket. He stands at my side bringing the tie up to my face.

    "Do you trust me, Miss Banks?" he asks.

    "Yes," I answer without a moment''s hesitation because of course, I trust him, I trust all of my bonds.

    "Good Girl," he praises before covering my eyes with his tie, turning my world ck

 Chapter 0160

    **Luke''s POV**

    Josie''s lust washes over me like a tidal wave, stealing my breath and my cock instantly hardens. Filthy thoughts of Tything I want to do to that beautiful woman run through my mind and my hand begins to stroke i erection in the shower without permission. I reluctantly pull my hand away, Instantly missing the sensation but I know I have a much better sensation waiting for me and I can''t wall to feel her heat envelope my aching cock. I finish washing at record speed and shut off the water. Grabbing the towel I dry off and ignore the t-shirt and shorts Deacon had given me, instead wrapping the towel low around my hips to go in search of my bond.

    I walk into the living room to the most stunning sight. Josie''s beautiful round ass is on full disy, her pussy is barely visible, just a small glimpse of her pink flesh between her legs as Deacon has her bent over the arm of the couch. Fabric is tied at the back of her head and I realise she is blindfolded. I swear my blood pressure shoots through the roof and it takes everything I have not to run to her and have my way with her. I want to drop to my knees behind her and worship her sweet pussy with my mouth until she screams for me, then I want to sink my cock into her, filling her with my cum. I stay silent, slowly moving closer like a predator stalking his prey. My wolf sends a shiver of delight through me at that thought.

    Axel moves to kneel on the couch in front of her. If he pulled down his shorts right now he would be in the perfect position to fill her mouth with his cock. She breathes heavily in anticipation, she can feel them moving near her, so close but not yet touching. Without her sight, her other senses will be heightened, this is going to feel so good for her. D gently trails a finger from the back of her head, between her shoulder des, following her spine all the way down, pulling a gasp from her sweet mouth. When he reaches her ass his finger slips between her cheeks and she parts her legs, giving him ess to where she wants him to touch her the most. He stops just short of her most sensitive flesh and delivers a short p to her perfect ass cheek. She cries out, not in pain but in pleasure. She likes this. Actually, no she loves this. Her desire spikes through the bond and D brings his hand down on the other cheek. The sound of the p echoed by her small whimper.

    "Green, green," she breathes, letting him know she is happy with this and wants more. We already know that through our connection but it''s good for her to verbalise it too.

    "Her pussy is dripping wet, I can see it from here," Deacon says to me and Axel through the mind link, purposely leaving Josie out of it so she can focus fully on sensations.

    "Spank her again, she loves it," Axel responds and Deacon obliges. Giving her two more ps before he begins to massage her reddened cheeks.

    "Feed her your cock, Axe," D says into the mind link.

    Axel pushes down his shorts, freeing his erection. He reaches out and brushes a thumb over Josie''s plump lips, Do you want me in your mouth?" he asks.

    "Yes, please," she answers with an enthusiastic nod.

    "Open up for me then, Beauty," he says softly. She opens her mouth for him eagerly and moans as he slowly feeds her is length with a hand on the back of her head. She''s so damn hot. His head falls back and he hisses in pleasure.

    "Let me make sure she''s ready to take you, Luke," D says into the mind link as he drops to his knees behind her.

    He trails his fingers up her thighs and over her ass but not touching her pussy. She writhes with need and I''m so close to breaking and shoving him out of the way to give her the touch she so desperately craves. His hands grip her ass as he brings his mouth to her lower lips. He kisses her there before using his hands to spread her open for him, then he feasts on her wet flesh. He''s wound her up so tightly that she detonates instantly, her screams muffled by Axel''s cock. She looks fucking stunning like this Axel shoots his load into her hot mouth and she

    drinks him down greedily.

    "Now, Luke," Deaconmands and I pull off my towel, tossing it to the floor whilst he moves out of the way. My dick is more than ready for her and I position it at her opening before sliding into her tight passage in one smooth motion. She moans in delight making my knees go weak and my spine tingle with a need to unload inside her as her inner walls stretch around me. Her heat is almost too much but I don''t want this to end too quickly. I grip her hips and hold her steady whilst I get control of myself.

    "Can I take you in my mouth now, Sir," she breathes.

    Deacon swaps ces with Axel and I draw my hips back, almosting out of herpletely. D releases his cock from his trousers and taps her lips with its head. The moment she opens for him we both slide into her in unison. I wait for Deacon to withdraw and as he pushes back into her mouth I pull my hips back, matching his rythmn until her core tightens around me. She cries out around Deacon''s length and tips him over the edge. She goes quiet whilst he feeds her his release. It takes a huge effort not to follow them into that bliss but I''ve waited too long to have her to let this be withdraw enough to gather some of her slickness on my digit and then I glide my cock and finger back into her together, stretching her further. She gasps and I pause, walling for her reaction.

    toer this quickly. I pause my thrusts as I bring my hand to where we are connected, I

    Green," she breathes and fuck if that one word doesn''t almost finish me off. I keep my finger hooked inside her whilst I thrust my hips. I don''t hold back this time as I chase both of our releases. As soon as her orgasm piques my balls tighten and I unload inside of her, filling her with every drop I have. Sparks fly behind my eyes and all thoughts of this being a hallucination disappear.

 Chapter 0161

    **Josie''s POV**

    Luke copses onto my back, both of uspletely spent. We breathe heavily in tandem as wee back down to earth. Once he''s recovered enough he begins cing kisses over my shoulder des. I hear Axel and Deacon leave the room, giving me and Luke a moment alone.

    "Fuck, I missed you, Goddess," he breathes between kisses

    "I missed you too," I respond with a contented hum.

    Whilst I have enjoyed some alone time with Deacon to catch up on missed time, I''ve realised I am far too greedy in the bedroom for just one lover. Despite my powers, I''ve never felt more like a Grey than I do at this moment. I was made to love and be loved by multiple men. I can''t believe was ever worried about this. That I thought it was so wrong. How could I not want five men who worship me, take care of me and love me like this? Emotion bubbles. within me until it spills over. Tears leak from my eyes, absorbed by the tie that still covers them and a sob escapes my mouth.

    "What''s wrong?" Luke asks, his tone full of concern as he helps me back upright and pulls me to his chest. I wrap my arms around him and just absorb the feel of him in my arms. He wraps one arm around me and uses the other to pull the tie from my eyes. I screw my eyes shut the room seeming far too bright.

    "I just love you so much, all of you," I cry and I feel Luke rx.

    "I love you too, Josie, we all do," he breathes.

    "I want us all together. I hate being separated like this,"

    "I know, and that''s why me and Axe are here. Let me get you cleaned up and then we will exin," he says, the nerves from him trickling through the bond making me worried and curious. Luke lifts me and I wrap my legs around his waist. He carries me to the bathroom and puts me down to turn on the water. I tie my hair up in a bun before stepping under the hot water with Luke. He picks up a sponge and squirts soap onto it before bringing it to my shoulder and working up ather with it all the way down to my toes.

    "You are so beautiful," he smiles as he admires my body once he''s done cleaning me. I take the sponge from him and return the favour. Washing the sweat and sex from his body.

    the jackpot in the hot bonds lottery," I hum in appreciation as I stop to take a good look at him.

    "You need to stop looking at me like that or I''ll get you all dirty again and we have things to discuss," he halfughs and I smirk.

    I''m not opposed to him ''dirtying'' me again, but he''s right. We have things to talk about. I turn off the water and Luke steps out, grabbing a towel to wrap around me. He wraps a towel around his waist and then pulls me in for another hug, inhaling deeply. His body suddenly tenses and I wait for what I know ising as he processes my scent. He steps back, his eyes searching mine, full of emotion. I smile at him and nod at his unspoken question. His eyes move to my t stomach and he ces a shaky hand there. He closes his eyes and inhales deeply through his nose. Excitement, joy, love and fear pulse through the bond and a lone tear rolls down his face.

    know it''s not ideal timing but..." I start.

    "It doesn''t matter. Fate decided it was time to bless us and Fate doesn''t make mistakes," he smiles and pulls me in, kissing the top of my head.

    "You can''t tell Mason and Theo, not yet," I urge.

    "Of course not, it would be cruel for them to know given our current situation," he agrees. "Oh I can''t wait to see Mason''s face when he finds out, he''s going to shit a brick," he throws his head back andughs. I chew nervously on my bottom lip.

    "That''s what I''m worried about," I admit.

    "Sorry, Sweetness. He will be fine once he gets over the inal shock. Don''t worry," he reassures. "We were all expecting this to happen soon, now that you have bonded with D, It''s just a shock that it was Mason who was the first to make it happen. The question is how it happened because he should still be firing nks, as you so eloquently put it,"

    "Deacon thinks it may have had something to do with the healing process," I tell him.

    "Possibly, that''s the only usible exination I can think of right now," Luke nods, "Does Axel know?"

    "Yes, he figured it out just after you got here,"

    ¡°I smelt Mason on you as soon as I woke up, but I thought was the void messing with me," he shakes his head andughs again.

    "You were a little disoriented, that''s why we didn''t tell you. I figured you''d work it out when you were ready,"

    "Everything makes sense now, the funky tea and the coffee aversion. Then the cheese and pancakes, I thought you were just a little weird," heughs and I smack his chest yfully.

    "Speaking of cheese, I need my fix," I say as my mouth waters at the mention of

    it.

    We get dressed and join Axel in the kitchen, he slides a cup of coffee towards Luke with a smile and hands me a ss of juice.

    "I can''t believe we are going to be fathers," Luke grabs Axe and hugs him.

    "I''m surprised it took you so long to figure out," Axel pats his back with augh and I smile as they share their

    joy.

    "Where is D?" I ask.

    "He went to pick up some clothes that actually fit me, and to buy more cheese," Axel says and I nod, making my way over to the fridge. I pull out the small block of cheese that''s left and cut a few slices off to nibble on.

    "You all feel happy," Theo''s voice enters my mind along with his sadness.

    "Good morning, Theo. I missed you. Did you sleep well?" ask, feeling guilty that he''s not here.

    "Not really, I did have a great sex dream though. I assume you brought that on," he says and I feel his humour.

    "You''re wee," 1 joke, "How are you?"

    "Pissed, hurt, losing hope," he admits and my heart breaks for him.

    "I''ming home to you, Theo, I promise. I''m going to find a way, and soon. I''m sure of it. I feel it in my gut," I tell him, and it''s the truth, I''ve never felt more sure about anything.

 Chapter 0162

    **Mason''s POV**

    I startle awake from what started off as a fantastic dream Ivolving Josie and Theo,

    that had been until my father had walked into the bedroom, his whipshing across my back. Iy in my bed breathing heavily, my body is wet with a fine sheen of sweat.

    "You''re fucking dead," I growl at my father in the empty room.

    "I may be dead but that doesn''t mean I''m gone. You''ll never be free of me. I''ll always be here to guide you and turn you into the son I deserved," I imagine his response.

    I throw my covers back and storm into the bathroom. Turning on the water before I push down my boxer shorts and step in. I put my hands on the cold tiles and let the water run down my back whilst I breathe, trying to calm myself.

    "Mace, are you okay?" Theo''s timid voice is barely audible over the sound of the water. I turn my head to see his concerned face looking at me from the bathroom door. He must have felt my emotions through the bord. I put my shields back up, they must have slipped whilst I was sleeping. I don''t like that our entire bond group can feel what I feel. I''d like to keep my feelings as my own and not have five other people sensing my private emotions whenever they feel like it.

    "I''m fine, go away," I snap, taking my issues out on him once again. He gives me a sad smile and I turn my back on him, grabbing the shower gel I wash myself aggressively Guilt creeps up on me and I wee it. It''s better than what I was feeling. Warm handsnd on my hips, making me flinch. I still as Theo presses his chest to my back and wraps his arms around me.

    ¡°Let me in, Mace," he says softly as his cheek rests between my shoulder des. I suck in a breath. I should tell him to fuck off and push him away, but I don''t want to hurt him any more than I already have. It also feels good to have him hold me. "I want all of you, all your love and all of your darkness. There''s nothing you can tell me that will make me love you any less because I do love you. I''m still here, Mason, despite everything. I''m still here waiting for you and I''ll always be here no matter how long it takes or how much you push me away,

    "Boys don''t love boys," my father''s words float into my head, but if he could feel the love that pours from Theo he''d realise how wrong he is. I take Theo''s hand in my trembling one, guiding his fingers to trace over the scars I carry there. I repeat my father''s words to him as we brush over each old whip and knife wound and Theo begins to tremble with me as I tell him my story. A story I swore I''d never share with anyone.

    "I thought now he was dead it would be over and I''d finally be free, but he haunts me. He interrupts my dreams, and he gues my thoughts when I''m awake. I''m broken Theo, and I''m not sure I can ever be fixed," I admit.

    "Your physical wounds may have healed but the emotional ones haven''t, and they won''t ever heal if you keep pushing everyone away. Don''t let that piece of crap take anything else from you. You are loved and epted by our bond group, that''s all that matters, Mace. Leave your dad in the past and live in the here and now," Theo says with a kiss on my back.

    "How can I leave him in the past when he''s still spitting his vile words in my head," I snarl.

    "You do what you are best at. You are Mason Marshall, the badass rebel. So rebel against him," he encourages. I turn to face him and see the fierce determination behind his eyes. My eyes move to his slightly parted lips.

    "Boys don''t kiss boys," I whisper, echoing my father''s words. Then I bring my mouth to his, kissing him until those words be irrelevant. His erection presses against my leg and I reach for it, gliding my hand up and down his length. His hand wraps around my own erection and I flinch at his touch breaking the kiss as I allow my

    focus to slip.

    "It''s okay," he whispers, sensing my struggle.

    I shake my head in frustration and look down at his hard length in my hand. Water still streams down over us from the shower and I use my telekinesis gift to turn it off. I look into Theo''s eyes, wanting to see the light he holds there. A light that''s been dimming ever since Josie was taken and I''d shut myself off from him. He deserves a better life than this. I keep eye contact with him whilst I lower myself onto my knees in front of him. I submit to him in every way possible, dropping my shields and letting dm inpletely for the first time. I watch as his eyes go wide and he ducks in a shaky breath at the realisation of what I''m doing. Gripping the base of his cock in my hand 1 lick my lips.

    "Mace, you don''t have to..." his words cut off with a groan as I suck his tip into my mouth. I hum at the vour that bursts on my tongue. I''d been craving the taste of him ever since I''d had that small sample of him in Josie''s mouth. "Fuck that feels so good," he breathes. I want him to take control, to take the reigns for a while. I have spent so long fighting to be the one in control since I''d broken free of my Dad''s grasp, but now I see that''s not what I need. I need someone else to take control and show me it is safe. Show me that I can trust again. His handes to the back of my head, his fingersced in my hair as he guides my movements until he finds his release in my mouth.

 Chapter 0163

    **Josie''s POV**

    I fan my flushed face at the desire flooding the bond from Theo and Mason. I''m so pleased for them and so freaking proud because Theo has somehow convinced Mason to drop his shieldspletely. I feel his raw emotions for the first time and it is both soul-crushing and heartwarming. The kitchen is silent whilst we all process what is happening.

    "This is what he needed. Now he can begin to heal," Deacon breaks the silence, his voice thick with emotion.

    "Do you think he knows we can all feel this?" Luke asks.

    "He has to, he understands the empath gift more than any of us. He''s not just letting Theo in, he''s letting us all in," D nods and my emotions leak from my eyes.

    I want to go to him, to hug him and tell him that I love him. That I''m so proud of him, but even if it was possible I know he''d probably hate that. I also wouldn''t interrupt such an intimate and emotional mornent between him and Theo.

    Axel leaves the room to go and change into the new clothes had brought back from him and Deacon busies himself making me more tea and setting out the vitamins he insists I need. Luke wraps his arms around me from behind, letting me lean against him whilst he tenderly ces a hand over my abdomen.

    "What''s the n for today?" Luke asks.

    "We need to discuss what you and Axel did and why. Mason and Theo deserve an exination at the very least. Then Josie needs to rest. It''s been an emotional 24 hours for her. Tomorrow she has an appointment with the doctor to check on hers and the little bean''s well-being," Deacon exins.

    "Little Bean is adorable," Lukeughs. "But that''s not seriously going to be his name is it?"

    "He? How do you know it''s not a she?" I tease.

    "Statically it''s more probable to be a boy..." he starts.

    "I know, I''m messing with you," Iugh. "But statistics rarely apply to me so it could be a girl," I added with a shrug.

    "True, statistically you don''t tend to fit most statistics," he hums in thought.

    "Now you are hurting my brain," I sigh dramatically.

    "Sorry, Sweetness,e on, let''s get youfortable on the couch. Today is a Josle pamper day,¡± he deres, scooping me off of my feet and carrying me to the living room. He gets me set up on the sofa with a cosy nket, some terrible tea and the TV remote. Deacon brings the pamper box that Freya had brought me and hands it to Luke, who studies each item before deciding on a face mask first.

    "I have a few phone calls to make and then I''ll be back," Deacon leans down to kiss me before leaving the n

    room.

    Axel joins us as Iy back with a pink sheet mask on my face and Luke knelt on the floor massaging my feet with a lotion from the pamper box.

    "Pick something out of the box and use it where it says," Luke motions to the box and Axel picks up a small box. He studies it a moment before his eyes go wide and he quickly drops it back in the box, picking up another product.

    "What was that?" I ask, curious about his reaction.

    "Not needed yet," he says clearing his throat whilst he studies arge white bottle.

    I lean over and pick up the small box, "reduces the likelihood of tears during childbirth," I read and reality suddenly dawns on me, because whilst I''ve epted that I''m going to have a baby Thadn''t actually considered. how I would be bringing it into the world. I mean I know how babies are born, of course I do. I''ve done biology in school and I''ve seen plenty of TV births, but I hadn''t stoppel to think I''d actually have to do that, and no TV shows I''ve watched ever mention tearing!

 Chapter 0164

    "What''s gotten your heart beating like that?" Luke asks, taking the box from me, "perineal massage oil," he reads the box," I volunteer," he adds eagerly.

    "It says to start using 8 weeks before the due date," Axel informs him.

    "I don''t think Lcan do this," I breathe, panic creeping tip on me.

    "You can do it. It''s okay to be scared, it''s normal. You will have 5 of us with you though and we will get you through it," Deacon says from the doorway, obviously alerted by my heart rate spiking

    "And we are going to make sure you''re ready for it, don''t worry about any of that," Luke reassures.

    "What''s wrong?" Theo and Mason ask in unison through the mind link. My mind scrambles for a usible excuse for what I''m feeling right now.

    ''Nothing, I''m okay. Axe was just telling me about his experience in the void and it scared me," I blurt and then repeat my excuse to Luke, Axel and Deacon

    ''If it scares you that much I don''t think you should attempt it," Theo says sadly making me feel awful and wracked with guilt. "Hey, don''t feel guilty about it. We will work out a way to get to you," he soothes.

    "Ugh, I hate this," I say out loud.

    "I know, but it''s kinder than the alternative. Are they ready to talk?" Deacon asks.

    "Are you two free to talk with us?" I ask into the mind link

    "Yes," Mason confirms. I nod to the others and they all join the mind link.

    "Before you start shouting at us please give me a chance to exin," Luke says when he joins.

    "Go ahead," Mason huffs.

    "When Josie opened the portal I had the idea that we could speed up this whole portal-fixing process if we had her on the other side. I thought if we brought her into the void she could fix them quickly from there and give us ess back home. I didn''t bring this idea to any of you because I knew you would all immediately dismiss it. After all, you wouldn''t want to risk it. I thought if I could port through to this side and prove that I can do it and that Deacon getting through wasn''t just luck then you''d be more willing to consider the idea. Axel worked out what I was going to do and demanded I bring him along. Of course, I declined at first, but he made a very valid point. That if I was able to bring him through then it was more proof it was possible," Luke exins.

    "Porting through this way is easier than it will be to get back. You haven''t proved it''s safe to attempt it with Josie," Deacon snaps.

    "That''s why he''s going to attempt to take me back through," Axel says.

    "No way," I shout.

    "Absolutely not," Deacon protests.

    "Then what? We can''t wait for all the portals to be fixed. It will take years. I''d rather be used as a test subject to see if it''s possible than risk taking Josie through," Axel exins.

    "No, Axe, you''re not risking yourself for me like that,¡± I tell him and I expect the others to agree with me but they remain silent. "You can''t be considering this," I say to them.

    "He makes a good argument," Deacon admits and gives me a sad smile. I look at Axel and he nods. I drop from the

    Chapter 616A

    mind link and get to my feet, storming into the bathroom a

    even discussing this as an option. How dare they think it''s of safety? I don''t want to see or hear any of them right now.

    mind link and get to my feet, storming into the bathroom and locking the door behind me. I''m furious at them for even discussing this as an option. How dare they think it''s okay to sacrifice one of my bonds to test it for my safety? I don''t want to see or hear any of them right now.

 Chapter 0165

    Chapter 0165.

    **Axel''s POV**

    Josle jumps up from the couch, stomping out of the room.

    "I''ve got it," I say, dropping from the mind link and following closely behind her, ready to catch her if she slips because her feet are still covered in lotion. When she gets to the bathroom she ms the door in my face. I hear the lock click into ce and shake my head. It''s cute that she thinks that tiny lock could keep any of us out but if it makes her feel better then I won''t prove a point and break. I lower myself to the floor and sit leaning against the bathroom door. I''ll wait here until she is ready to talk, however long that takes.

    "Go away," she shouts from the other side of the door. I don''t respond, making it clear I''m not here to bother her but that I am here if she needs me. I hear the water turn on but I know she isn''t in the shower because the stream of water flows uninterrupted. I suspect she is crying and doesn''t want me to hear her. I resist the urge to break the door down and go in there to hold her. My bond is angry and upset and I can''t do anything to help. I know she will understand why I have made the choice to be the guinea pig and if she gives me more time to exin then I know she will eventually ept that this is the best idea. The only other option is that we stay here until the portals are repaired. Which we know is going to take years, if it''s even possible. We can''t hide the little bean from Theo and Mason for much longer. If they don''t sense it soon they''ll definitely sense it when it''s time for her to give birth. There''s no way we can hide such a huge event from them. The baby changes everything. It makes reuniting our bond group more urgent and also means we have to be more cautious. Not only with Josie''s role in our return but with our actions too. Any distress we cause her is a risk to the baby.

    An hour passes before she finally cries herself to sleep, I can sense through the bond the moment she drifts off.

    "Can you port in there and unlock the door? She should sleep in a bed and I don''t want to wake her by breaking the door," I ask Deacon through the mind link. My legs are stiff as I push myself up off of the hard floor. Secondster I hear the lock click and Deacon opens the door to let me in Steam swirls around the small room and D turns off the water. Josie is curled up on the cold floor, a towel under her head as a makeshift pillow. I crouch down and brush some hair from her tear- stained face. I hate that I caused this. I work an arm under her legs and another around her shoulders and then lift her from the floor.

    "Axe," she hums softly, rubbing her cheek against my chest, clearly forgetting she is angry at me in a sleep-induced haze.

    "Shhh, sleep a while. I''ll stay with you," I whisper.

    Luke is already in the bedroom and he pulls back the bed covers for me toy her down. I climb in next to her and cover us both. She turns onto her side, resting her head on me and I wrap an arm around her. I''m not sure how much time passes whilst she sleeps and I get lost in thought. She eventually startles awake with a gasp and I hold her a little tighter against me.

    "I can''t lose you, Axe," she says with a soft whisper.

    "I can''t lose you either, I think I''ve already proven that," Isigh. Remembering the awful weeks I''d spent trapped as my wolf.

    "If you go back into the void you could be lost, and then you''ll die slowly. I can''t bear it," she says with a sob.

    "What''s the alternative? We stay here and leave Mason and Theo trapped there? How long are we going to be safe here? There''s a reason that the rogues cut the realms off from each other and when they find out we are here they''re going to hunt us. We are strong Josie, but not that strong. There are only three of us here to protect you and the bean, and try to stop whatever is happening in this realm," I try to make her see reason.

    "I don''t need protection. I did just fine on my own," she huffs. "I can go into the void, I''ve ported between realms on my own before, and I can fix the portals for everyone to follow me,"

    "I know you did, you are amazing, but it is still our job to protect you and our children. You just need to focus on growing a healthy baby and let us take care of the rest,¡± I tell her and instantly regret my words. Josie sits up in the bed, pushing away from me.

    "Don''t you dare sideline me because I''m pregnant. I am still capable of everything I was before. I''m not just here as a broodmare for the five of you!" she snaps and I flinch.

    "I''m sorry, that sounded much better in my head than it did out loud. I''m not sidelining you because you are pregnant. This was the n before I knew about the little ban. The facts are, that if you go into the void and die, we all die. If I go in and die then only I die, but I won''t because I have too much to live for,"

    "I have just as much to live for," she says stubbornly.

    "Sorry to interrupt but you two need toe and see this," Deacon says from the open bedroom doorway. Josie gets up quickly and follows D out of the room. I sigh at myself for how much I just messed that up. Words really aren''t my strong point. I''ve always seemed to say the wrong thing to people, that''s one of the reasons I don''t talk very much. I get up and join the others in the living room. The three of them are focused on the TV. A banner runs across the bottom of the screen that reads ''Breaking news. Prime Minister to address the nation in an unscheduled. announcement.''

    Author

 Chapter 0166

    **Josie''s POV**

    I''m not done talking with Axel and I''m still pissed at all of my bonds but something big is happening

    "Freya called. She said this all over the news and she saw the Inte that other countries are reporting they''re also on standby to receive an announcement from their leaders. Rumours are going wild with people saying it is aliens or a meteor,¡± Deacon exins, gesturing to the TV. The camera is a live feed of a wooden lectern with a microphone on the top and the United Kingdom''s coat of arms disyed on a que on the front. I''ve not seen anything like this since the coronavirus outbreak. Axel walle in behind me and we all wait in silence for the Prime Minister to address the nation. I have a bad feeling about this. The Prime Minister finally walks into the camera shot, he walks with his head held high and an air of authority about him as he approaches the lectern.

    "My fellow citizens of the United Kingdom," he begins, his voice is steady and eerily calm, his eyes lock on the camera as if he''s staring right at me. "Today, I stand before you as a humble servant of a greater truth, one that we have all been blind to for far too long. For centuries, we have relied on fractured ideologies, outdated beliefs, and the selfish pursuit of power. Now the time hase to unite under one true purpose and cast aside the divisions that have gued the world. We must embrace the spiritual path of a new order."

    The camera zooms out, showing the Prime Minister in arge hall. Behind him is a massive symbol. One that. looks very familiar as I take it the four coloured stones. Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire and Amber.

    "Shit," Luke curses.

    "This new path is not a political movement, nor is it a social experiment. It is a divine revtion. We are no longer Individuals, but part of a collective, bound together by a higher power. The world as we know it is not all ck and white because hidden away for far too long there are many shades of grey. The Grey Path is the truth. The truth is that we have been chosen to spread across this world, to heal it, and to guide it toward enlightenment. This is not a choice, it is a calling. Each and every one of us has been chosen to step into the light of the Grey Path and bring peace to the realm. We will no longer struggle with the chads of the world, for the Grey Path will cleanse us of fear, doubt, and division. We are all part of the whole, and in this unity, we will find our true strength."

    The Prime Minister pauses, looking to his right before giving a subtle nod to someone off-camera before looking back down the lens.

    "I know many of you will have questions. You may wonder why this is necessary, why this change is so sudden. But I assure you, the path we''ve been on is leading us to destruction. Our previous ways, our divided ideologies, have only brought suffering. The Grey Path is the key to a brighter future. A future where peace reigns and resources are shared. But it requires yourmitment. It requires your faith. I would now like to introduce you to Cornelius Grey. Cornelius and his team will be working closely with our government and other leaders from around the world. What you are about to see is not trickery, assure you no special effects are being used," the Prime Minister look to his right again and the camera pans around in the same direction. I gasp when a huge ck wolf saunters forward, his blue eyes look into the camera with too much knowledge to mistake him for anything but a Grey.

    "Holy fuck," Luke says.

    More wolves move to stand behind the first one and then, on live TV, for the whole world to see he shifts into his human form.

    "There''s no fixing this," Deacon shakes his head and begins pacing the room.

    "I feel sick," I cover my mouth and run to the bathroom as vomit begins to rise from my stomach. I make it to the toilet just in time. I sense Axele up behind me and gather my hair to keep it out of the line of fire. I try to shoo

    #

    him away but he ignores me, rubbing soothing circles on my back. I don''t want him to see me like this. He already thinks I''m too weak to be a part of this fight..

    "I''m here to support you, through the good and the bad. You are not in this alone," he says softly.

    I want to tell him he won''t be here to support me if he gets lost in the void but I''m too busy losing the contents of my stomach. When the sickness finally stops I lean back against him whilst I catch my breath. Luke walks in with a ss of water and hands it to me. I take it with a shaky hand and bring it to my mouth taking a sip. Axel ces a hand on the bottom of the ss, helping me hold it.

    "What are we going to do?" I ask when I finally catch my breath.

    "Deacon is working on it. He''s feeding information back to our realm via Mason and Theo. The good thing is that the Greys here have no idea we are also here or that the other realm knows anything about what they are doing here. We have the element of surprise on our side. The bad thing is that we need to make sure we stay hidden for now. That Cornelius guy just told the world that our realm has been locked down to protect the humans. He basically said we are the bad guys and that he and his followers are here to protect them," Luke exins with an eye roll. "Freya called again, she said to call her back as soon as you stop vomming. Is that even a real word?" he adds, holding my phone out to me.

    "She used it in a sentence so yes, it is," I take the phone from him and Axel helps me get to my feet.

    "Should I make you some of that awful tea?" Luke asks.

    "Yes please," I nod before flushing the toilet and going to the sink to rinse my mouth out and clean my teeth before I call Freya.

 Chapter 0167

    **Josie''s POV **

    I walk back to the living room with Axel following close behind me like my shadow.

    I unlock my phone and hit call on Freya''s contact information. The phone rings once before her frantic voice answers.

    "Shit, Jo, this is bad, real bad," she breathes down the phone.

    "I know, I don''t know how we are going to fix this. It''s not just the rouge Greys we are against now, it''s the whole damn world," I sigh.

    "Not the whole world. I know the truth, and Deacon has contacts, right?" she says.

    "Yes, but a handful of humans and four Greys are powerless against that number,"

    ¡°Then we better get to work. I''m on my way to your old ce. Have your mane pick me up," she sounds far too chipper for the situation. I nce over at Deacon who looks lost in thought. A small frown marring his face. I suspect he''s stillmunicating with the other realm via Mason and Theo.

    "He''s a little busy at the moment," I tell her, leaving the room so I don''t distract D. I head into the kitchen where Luke is removing the teabag from a steaming cup.

    "Okay, I''ll wait at yours, just have hime for me as soon as possible,"

    "I can go and pick her up," Luke volunteers, obviously overhearing our conversation.

    "Luke says he cane for you," I say down the phone.

    "Okay, cool. Give me twenty minutes. I''m stopping off at the shop to get a few supplies. Do you need anything?" she asks.

    ¡°Not unless they stock time machines,¡± I sigh.

    "Doubt it, but I''ll check. See you soon," she says before the line goes dead. I have no idea what her master n could be. The damage is already done. Cornelius just outed our kind to the entire world and made us the enemy but I trust my bestie and if she has a n then I''m all ears. What''s the worst that could happen?

    I text Frank and ask how my mum is. I''m not sure if she has seen the news yet but there''s no doubt she will see it eventually, and a story this big will be impossible to hide from her. I just hope it doesn''t trigger anything for her. Frank responds quickly, letting me know she seems fine, just shocked as expected. I blow out a relieved breath. and tell him to contact me or Deacon if anything changes. Luke leaves to collect Freya and returns momentster with an arm wrapped around my best friend and arge suitcase and bag in another. I rush towards them, grabbing Freya''s wrist to help the nausea pass whilst Luke helps her stay on her feet.

    "Are you moving in?" I ask nervously, eyeing her luggage.

    "Move into the sex den?... hell no," she responds once she can support her own weight. Luke and Axel chuckle and I shoot them both annoyed looks.

    "It''s not a sex den," I roll my eyes..

    "Why not? Girl, you should be at it like rabbits. All these men ready to please you whenever you like. Are you insane? Plus you should get it as much as you can before the Little Bean arrives because I doubt you''ll have much time after that," sheughs, crouching down to unzip her suitcase.

    "I agree," Luke grins.

    +26 BONUS

    "Me too," Axel nods.

    "You two are getting nothing. I''m still pissed at you," I huf

    "Uh oh, trouble in paradise already? Well done boys, you spend weeks apart and then manage to piss her off in less than 24 hours," Freya ps mockingly.

    "Not purposely. We are trying to keep her safe and get our bond group back together. If she wants to be pissed about it then so be it, but her being alive and angry is better than risking her dying," Luke shrugs and crosses his arms over his chest stubbornly.

 Chapter 0168

    Freya gives him an assessing gaze and then looks to me before speaking, "Sorry girl, but I have to agree with him on this one," she smiles apologetically.

    "Whatever. Can we just forget about that for now and you show us what is in the case and tell us your grand n?¡± I scowl, not liking the feeling of being ganged up on by not only my bonds but now my bestie too. I''m sure Dot would take my side if she was here. On second thoughts she probably wouldn''t, especially if she knew I was carrying her niece or nephew. I can''t wait to tell her.

    Freya finally flips open the lid of her suitcase and we all step closer to get a better look. There is what looks like a ring light, a phone stand, face paints, various masks and costumes and tins of coloured hair spray.

    "It''s al

    ''s a bitte for Halloween," I frown at her in confusion.

    "It''s the best I coulde up with at short notice at this time of year," she rolls her eyes, "wee to the opposition campaign," she grins proudly.

    Deacon walks into the kitchen before I can ask for further exination. He looks stressed but his curious when he takes in Freya and the case of random items she has.

    "Oh, hey boss man, just in time," she grins.

    "In time for what?" he frowns.

    eyes be

    "To hear my n. We need to act fast. You four are going to make a video, countering Comelius the creeps im. Then we are going to flood every social media tform with it and give the world a chance to pick a side. They may not believe you but it will cause doubts at the very least," she exins.

    "It''s a good idea, but we don''t want to draw attention to ourselves and let the rogues know we are here," Deacon shakes his head.

    "This could actually work. We could make it seem like we recorded it in the past. We could say we have suspicions that something like this is being nned and that we are leaving this video with trusted humans, o only to be released if our suspicions are proven to be right," Luke begins pacing, a telltale sign his brain is going into

    overdrive.

    "But then we will be recognised wherever we go," Deacon counters.

    "That''s why I brought disguises," Freya grins.

    I lean down and pick up one of the masks, it''s from The Purge movie. I toss it to the side, it''s probably not the best one to wear in this situation. I take a bva that has a skall printed on it and hand it to Axel. He pulls in over his head and I almost swoon. The mask covers most of his face apart from his eyes, which look even more piercing in the mask, and damn if he doesn''t look dangerous and sexy as hell.

    "Perfect, just some ck paint around his eyes and he will look so badass, andpletely unrecognisable," Freya beams.

    "It looks good but I''m not sure this is the look we should be going for," I say.

    ''s either this or a minion. 1 doubt anyone is going to take you seriously, besides, this is like that ghost guy from that military game. Women will go mad for it and men respect it," she shrugs.

    "Fair point," I sigh. "What are the rest of us going to wear? Because there''s only one of these"

    "Only one of us needs to talk, the rest can shift into wolves, Deacon says and Axel takes off the mask, handing it to D. It looks like we are doing this then, and we don''t even heed to discuss which one of us will do the talking

    because we all know Deacon is the best for the job.

 Chapter 0169

    Chamer 0169

    xel hang arge ck bedsheet over the wall in the living room whilst Freya puts ck face paint across Deacon''s eyes to try and disguise them as much as possible. He removes his shirt and swaps it for a in ck T-shirt and then puts the mask on

    ¡°It''s a shame I''m still mad at you, otherwise I''d suggest you wear that and chase me through the woods, if you catch me then, well, you can imagine the rest," 1 purr at Deacon through the mind link. His eyes snap to me and the sight steals my breath. His eyes are even more intense surrounded by the jet-ck paint. He looks fierce and so damn hot. Freya was right, the women were going to go had for him.

    "I''ve heard angry sex is good," he responds and although can''t see his mouth I know he is smirking behind that mask

    "Enough of that," Freya snaps and I look at her in question. "Don''t look all innocent at me now, Missy, I saw the sex eyes you were both making," she huffs.

    "I have no idea what you mean," I smile sweetly at her.

    "Mm-hmm," she rolls her eyes, "let''s get to work, we need to strike whilst the iron is hot,"

    "What iron?" Axel asks.

    "Never mind. It''s a human expression. Okay, D-Man you stand in the middle there," she points to a spot in front of the camera she has set up on a stand, "you three need to wolf out and stand beside him," she instructs.

    Fet

    I feel Axel''s nervousness through the bond and wonder if he''s shifted into his wolf since he managed to p control back. I open my mouth to ask him, ready to offer him some support but he shifts into his massive wolf right in front of me. I smile at him with pride before shifting too. Luke shifts next and we all move into position.

    "Holy shit, you are huge," she says to Axe, "I can''t get you all in the shot like this," she adjusts her camera and instructs D to move back and the three of us to sit in front of him. I sit in the centre with Luke and Axe on either side of me. Deacon ces a hand on the back of my neck and sinks his fingers into my wolf''s fur and she practically melts for him. "Jo, put your tongue in your mouth, you look goofy,"

    15

    My wolf hips at her in annoyance but does as she asks.

    "Perfect, okay go for it. Don''t worry if you mess up, I can cut bits out so just keep going." Freya instructs before tapping her phone and giving Deacon a thumbs up.

    was

    "Hello, my brothers and sisters of the human realm. If you are watching this video it means our suspicions have proven urate and a rouge faction among my kind is attempting to gain dominance over your world. I identify a Grey, a superhuman. I am human but with enhanced abilities. For centuries we have coexisted peacefully with humans, residing in our own realm to ensure the safety of both of ourmunities. We have established strict protocols to maintain the security of both our kind and yours. Today, we have received distressing intelligence suggesting that a group of rouge Greys intends to invade the human realm and iste the remainder of our kind from providing assistance. We are actively working to thwart this potential threat. Should this group prevail in their nefarious ns, I have entrusted this message to a select few human allies, to be released only if we find ourselves confined in our own realm. I wish to reassure you that we aremitted to aiding you. Our capabilities include mind influence, and I fear that your world leaders may be targets for this maniption if a takeover urs. Furthermore, we possess the ability to transform between human and wolf forms amongst other abilities. Here with me today are members of my bond group, we have been chosen by fate to confront this threat and restore harmony to both realms. For that reason, we must safeguard our identities for the time being. We have

    recently uncovered that the rogue Greys have used mind control to uwfully conceive with human women, attempting to create their own faction within your society. We have sessfully rescued three human-born Greys from indoctrination, but we are uncertain about the number of others that may exist. Our kind can typically be recognized by our blue eyes, which often reveal the powers we possess by shing a brighter, unnatural blue. As I demonstrate these abilities, I urge you to use this knowledge to ensure the safety of yourselves and your loved ones as you await our assistance. Please remember, that you are not alone in this fight. We are your allies and aremitted to standing with you during this challenging time." Deacon says into the camera and Freya''s face lights up with excitement.

    "That was great. The shing eyes thing was a good touch. Maybe to end it you should wolf out too," she suggests. Deacon nods and Freya gives him another thumbs up. He shifts into his wolf and immediately squeezes between me and Luke to nuzzle his cheek against mine.

    "Yes, perfect, showing affection will win over some hearts oo," she smiles and ends the recording. "Give me about 15 minutes to get this edited and then we need to push it out to everyone we can,

    21

    "Let''s go for a quick run whilst she does that. Our wolves need it," Deacon says through the mind link and heads. to the front door. We follow behind him and he attempts to open the door but struggles with the deadbolt. I yip at Freya to get her attention and she looks up from her phone

    "Not so great without fingers are you," she snorts,ing over and opening the door. We all bolt through it without a backwards nce, our wolves desperate to stretch their legs and y. "Be back in 15 minutes," Freya calls after us as we speed away.

 Chapter 0170

    **Theo''s POV

    "We really need to work on our porting skills," I say breathlessly as I jog to keep up with Mason''s long, determined strides. We have relied on Deacon and Luke to port us around and now both of them are gone we are running around like headless chickens. We reach Deacon''s eld office and Mason pushes the door open without knocking.

    "We need to speak with the elders, urgently," he says, forgoing any kind of greeting.

    "Good afternoon, Mason. You know I can''t set that up easily," Toby, one of Deacon''s fathers responds from behind the desk. It''s odd to see him there rather than Deacon.

    "Someone calling himself Comelius Grey has just shifted on live television in the human realin and announced himself as their new God, and us as the enemy. I''m sure that warrants a visit," Mason retorts and Toby''s eyes go wide.

    "Oh dear, let me see what I can do," Toby picks up his phone and presses a button. "Hello, Sweetheart,

    try and put me through to the council? We need an urgent meeting with the elders... yes, thank you, bring Ronnie too," he says before looking back to Mason. "Olive is patching me through. Her and Ronnie will be here shortly,"

    We wait in silence as he holds the phone to his ear impatiently until someone answers. "Good afternoon, my name is Tobias Gregory, acting headmaster of Greys Academy. I have some vital information regarding crimesmitted in the human realm. I need to request an urgent meeting with the elders," he says into the phone. He goes quiet and nods as he listens to someone speak on the other end of the line. A look of determination crosses over his face and I know they''re not making it easy. "With all due respect, that just isn''t good enough. What part of urgent did you not understand? One of our kind has just revealed our existence to the human world on live television and dered us the enemy... yes, my source is very reliable. My son is a part of The Spark bond, he is in the human realm and is able tomunicate with his bond group telepathically. Two of his group are with me now. Yes, I''ll await your call, thank you," he hangs up the phone and sits back in his chair with a sigh.

    "I guess we

    we will just wait here then, Mason says and takes a seat on the couch. I sit down beside him and momentster Olive and Ronnie join us.

    "Oh boys, it''s lovely to see you. How are you? How is Deacon and Josie?" she asks with a friendly smile.

    "We are all as good as we can be," I smile back.

    "So what''s happening?" Ronnie asks and Mason reiterates what Deacon had told

    us.

    "That is not good. Are Deacon and Josie somewhere safe at least?" Olive asks, her voice full of concern.

    "They are, Luke and Axel are with them too," Mason reassures her.

    "Oh, I''ve missed so much. When did this happen? How did they get there?"

    "Just yesterday, it wasn''t something we nned. Luke and Axe decided to test it and by some miracle, they made it through," I tell her.

    "I''m d they made it. You two must be feeling disappointed you couldn''t go too. Neither of you have experience in porting between realms do you?" she asks.

    "Unfortunately not. Only Luke and Deacon are experienced enough to even attempt it. So now we are stuck here until they find a way back," I sigh. Olive looks like she''s about to say something else when the office phone starts ringing.

    Chapter 01 20

    Tobias Gregory speaking," Toby answers. He listens for a few seconds before he looks at Mason and nods. "Here in the academy? Would it not be more suitable If we... Of course, I understand. We would be honoured to host them, thank you," he says and then puts the phone down.

    "They areing here, apparently they nned to visit the academy soon anyway. They''ll be here in two hours. I''ll have the grand hall set up for a meeting. You two should probably go and get some lunch whilst the dining hall is open. It will be good for the students to see you are still around, and still fighting to fix the realm because there have been some wild rumours spreading through the academy," Toby smiles.

    "I don''t give a..." Mason starts.

    "Of course, thank you. We will see you in a few hours," I cu Mason off quickly, grinning widely.

    "See you soon boys, and if you need anything please let me know," Olive smiles warmly as I practically push Mason out of the office door.

    "Let''s go eat, we could both do with a decent meal," I suggest and Mason just grunts.

    When we enter the bustling dining hall and join the queue the room seems to quieten down.

    "I told you, I think she is dead and Mr Collins did it because she was a traitor. He caught her breaking the portals and killed her and now he''s in jail,¡± I hear someone whisper.

    ''No, she can''t be dead, the Spark bond would have killed them all. I think she has rejected her bonds because she was having an affair with Mr Collins," someone responds.

    "Ignore them," Mason grunts, his body tense as we listen to all the gossip about

    us.

    "It''s Theo I feel the most sorry for, he has spent all that time being rejected by Mason, and now his bond has left him too so he''s back to following Mason around again like a rejected little puppy that nobody wants," another voice says in a hushed tone. Ouch. Is that really how they all see me?

    "He doesn''t deserve your sympathy. He''s stupid if he hasn''t learnt by this point that nobody wants him. He''s such a sap. He needs to realise that Mason is not interested in him like that."

    "Fuck it," Mason growls turning towards me. His hand grips the back of my head and he pulls my face towards him, nting his lips on mine for a brief kiss. Then heces his fingers in mine and holds his head high as shocked gasps and whispers sound around the room. I could cry with how proud I am of him right

    now.

    N.O Darling Author

    Thank you for all those who have supported me with gems so far. A big shoutout to Galway Girl, Suzanne Stone, Shellion Mcintosh and Christina for being in my top 5 supporters! If you are enjoying this story and have any gems then please consider using them to

    5

 Chapter 0171

    **Mason''s POV **

    I don''t give a shit about what people say about me, they can all go fuck themselves for all I care, but I''m not having them talk about Theo like that. Despite how much of a brave face he puts on I know he takes theirments to heart. He''s a sensitive soul in many ways. I wanted to punch a few of them or unleash some of my best aggressive tricks with my abilities but I''m supposed to be a leader now, someone they can look up to. So I did the mature thing and shut them all up without any violence I''m sure Headmaster Collins would have been proud of me for it a few months ago. I''m not one for public disys of affection, in fact, I''m not really one for private affection. The only touching I like is fucking, but I tolerate Josie''s touch when she needs me, and maybe I''m starting to like it because I''ve just realised how much I miss it. I miss her needing my contact. When her warm skin is pressed against mine I feel a little more alive. Theo''s warm hand squeezes mine and maybe I like that too. That thought scares me and I release his hand, using the excuse to pick up two trays and pass one to him.

    "Thanks," he smiles, the light behind his eyes the brightest I''ve seen it in weeks. Did I cause that?

    "Mace," I hear Dot and turn towards the sound of her just in time for her to throw her arms around me in a hug. I''m definitely at my limit of affectionate touches now and I pat her back awkwardly. "I can''t believe you just did that, but it''s about damn time," she grins at me.

    "Um... thanks," I say, unsure how to respond.

    "Where have you been hiding? It feels like weeks since I saw you,"

    "It has been weeks, we''ve been camping," I shrug.

    "Why haven''t you been answering my calls?" she frowns at me looking just like our mother.

    ''Because I know what you are going to say and I''m not interested," I turn away from her as the line moves forward.

    "I wasn''t calling for Mum, she asked me to pass on a message to you and I did that. I was calling to see how you are and if I could help in any way. You don''t look great, Mace, you''ve lost weight and you look exhausted," she says as she moves in front of me, cutting ahead of me in the queue.

    "I''m fine," I brush her off. "Please, cut in front of me," I gesture mockingly.

    "Thanks, and no, you''re not fine, of course, you''re not. How could you be given the circumstances? But you need to look after yourself and keep your strength up," she says quietly.

    "You''re starting to sound like Theo. I''m not talking about this here. I slept in my own bedst night and I''m about to eat so take somefort in that if you need to,"

    "Fine. Where are Luke and Axel?" she asks.

    "I''m not talking about that here either," I say under my breath. What is it about the dining hall that makes everyone forget they''re in a room of people with enhanced hearing, there''s always someone listening in this damn ce.

    "Later then?"

    "Later," I nod and begin to load up my tray with food. I snatch thest slice of pizza before Dot can get it and then I put it on Theo''s tray before he starts to sulk "Thank you," he smiles.

    "Hey, bro''s before hoe''s," Dot ponts.

    "Don''t call yourself a hoe, Hunny, you''re bonds wouldn''t like it," Theo quips back. "Oh, they would like that, especially..."

    "Enough, I don''t want to hear it," 1 cut her off before she gives me Information I will never be able to unhear. "Do I need to remind you about what I had to hear in the infirmary? Because I still need therapy after that," she huffs.

    "No reminder needed, I think about it multiple times a day. I tease. She turns and sticks out her tongue, reminding me of the yful sister she was when we were children before everything changed. I put my hand on the top of her head and mess up her hair the way I used to and she grins at me.

    We eat lunch at our usual table but even with Dot and her bonds with us, the table seems too quiet without Josie, Luke and Axe. Coner catches my eye as heughs with his bond group and instead of the usual anger I feel when I see him I only feel an emptiness. I remember how Josie looked when she had danced with him. She was unreal, the way her body had moved was mesmerising. I hope I get to see it again. Not with Coner though, she should teach Theo, I think he''d enjoy it.

    "You''re thinking about her aren''t you?" Theo speaks in my head.

    "How do you know?"

    "Because you were smiling," he responds and I quickly wipe the smile from my face. I hadn''t even realised I was doing it.

    "Not just her, I was thinking about you too," I confess, surprised by my own honesty. Why am I sharing this with him? It''s as if he has some sort of hold over me that urges me to make his eyes light up with happiness, an urge to please him and see his smile. I don''t feel like this with Josie, though, we have a different dynamic. With her, I want to test her boundaries, to provoke her just enough to spark that fiery reaction. I get a thrill in watching her eyes sh with a challenge, and I feel a rush at knowing I''m the one who incites it. And when she finally surrenders to me, it makes her submission even more sweeter and so intoxicating. Maybe it''s because Josie is surrounded by her other bonds who strive to make her happy at every turn, so she doesn''t need my affection. She needs more than justfort from me. She needs the thrill of uncertainty, the excitement of being kept on her toes just as much as I do. I want to make sure she never bes too soft orcent, because strength doesn''t juste fromfort but from challenge. I want to give her the strength she gives me.

 Chapter 0172

    **Josie''s POV **

    Our wolves are bursting with energy, enjoying, every moment they can to stretch their legs in the forest. My wolf is thrilled as she flies through the dense trees, with three of her mates hot on her tall. She pushes her limits, dodging their yful attacks with Incredible agility for an exciting five minutes, her heart pounds with the thrill of the chase. Just when it seems she might escape undefeated, Deacon''s wolf manages to pounce, sending them both tumbling in a yfull roll across the ground. Luke''s wolf joins the tussle with an excited growl. Meanwhile, poor Axel isgging behind, his massive and powerful wolf straining to keep up. It takes him a solid 30 seconds to catch

    to the action and join the fun. Once they''re all done ying they spend some time rubbing against each other affectionately before heading back home at a slower pace.

    "That was fun," I beam when I shift back into my own body My wolf''s joy and excitement is contagious.

    "I can''t wait to see our whole pack rum together when we get home," Luke grins. "Break time is over, get in here," Freya calls from the open doorway.

    "Is it ready?" I ask, walking into the house and straight to the kitchen. I need a cheese fix before I do anything else.

    Yes, and I need all hands on deck now," she says as she follows me.

    "What do you need us to do?" Deacon asks.

    "I need email ounts set up under false names, then I need social media ounts made with those emails. We can use a VPN to hide our location but it might be wise to do this from another location, just in case," she exins.

    "I know a ce, get what you need," Deacon nods and pulls out his phone. His fingers fly over the screen as he types quickly, secondster it pings and he smiles. "All set

    Freya picks up the smaller bag she had brought and Deacon ports all of us to another property. It''s dark and smells

    new.

    "What is this ce?" I ask once the nausea passes.

    ''A new office building, it only openedst week and most of the new tenants haven''t moved in yet," D responds, flicking on the lights to reveal an empty workspace.

    "What country?"

    "America, I invested in a friend of my father''s neww firm, this will be his office. They don''t start moving in until tomorrow so we have some time,"

    "This is perfect, it could havee from anyone in the building. Let''s get to work," Freya says, handing herptop to Luke and a tablet to Axel. She gives me and Da sim card each and tells us to put them in our phones, she really isn''t taking any chances. Axel and Deacon need some help learning how to set up the email and social media ounts but we quickly get five new ounts set up across multiple tforms then we begin to upload our video to all the sites with the simple title "The truth shall set you free''.

    "Now what?" I ask once we are done,

    "Now we wait for the people to do their thing," Freya grins.

    "You are amazing! Thank you for doing this," I tell her, wrapping my arms around her.

    Are you kidding? This isn''t just for you, it''s for the whole damn world too, plus, this is kind of exciting. If this

    "Are you

    +26 BONUS

    works I''m going to be the mastermind behind saving the world. I can''t walt to put that on my C.V. You''ll give me a good reference, won''t you Mr D?" sheughs.

    "Of course," Deacon agrees, his amusement evident in his voice.

    "Perfect, now let''s get out of here. Can someone take me home? I want to make sure I''m seen on CCTV in my hometown so there''s no possibility of anyone suspecting I was in America spreading propaganda for the opposition if this backfires. I also need to destroy myptop, tablet and the sim cards,

    "Give me the stuff you want destroying," "I say.

    "I''ll take you, I also want to reimburse you for your lost tech," Deacon insists.

    Freya hands me the tech and I put it all in a pile on the floor in front of me. I think back to what Mason had taught me, imagining the items as particles of sand and then I separate the particles, leaving a pile of dust on the floor.

    "You are freaking awesome!" Freya ps and hugs me onest time before Deacon takes her home and Luke ports us back to the cotta

    That night 1 sleep like the dead between Axel and Deacon with Luke by my feet. When I wake up I''m excited to find out how our video is doing. I grab my phone and see I already have a text message from Freya, our video has gone viral. The people are listening.

    "You look happy," Axel says beside

    1. me.

    "I am, the video is working. People believe us," I beam.

    "That''s great, but also strange to know that so many humans have seen our wolves now," Axel chuckles.

    "I know right? Where are D and Luke?" I sit up when I notice that both have left the bed.

    "Luke is showering and Deacon has gone topel the doctor before your appointment,"

    "Why does the doctor needpelling?" I frown.

    "Because he wants to make sure everything is fine with the little bean, he wants us to be able to talk freely with the doctor without fear they will tell anyone. He''s exining how a Grey pregnancy works and that three of us will be apanying you today. He''s also making sure the whole appointment is recorded on video for Mason and Theo and that no official records will be held about you, Axel exins.

    "He really does think of everything doesnt he?" I smile and Axe agrees. Deacon is not only smart but also thoughtful when ites to our bond group. I think he enjoys caring for us all too. He''s always cooking or buying what we need. I need to make sure he knows how much I appreciate him.

    I shower after Luke is finished and Deacon returns with pastries for breakfast. I''m equally nervous and excited about this appointment. It''s all starting to feel a little more real now and after today I should have a picture of our little bean. When it is almost time for my appointment we port to Frank''s ce. We had decided to see a doctor in my mum''s town so that I could see her afterwards and share my news with her. Today will be a good day, I can feel it. I just wish Mason and Theo were here to share it with us.

 Chapter 0173

    Josie''s POV**

    The doctor''s clinic is small and once I check in with the receptionist we all take a seat in the waiting room. Luckily there is no one else here walting as our group of four take up half of the space. Momentster a door opens and a small child runs out, followed by a stressed-looking, pregant mother trying to keep up.

    "I''m getting a baby brother!" the little girl exims to the receptionist who talks with her excitedly.

    An olderdy appears at the door and her eyesnd on Deacon. She gives him a small nod and then looks at me, her face turning friendly as she smiles at me.

    "Good Morning, would you all like toe through?" she asks. I nod and smile as I stand up. I don''t miss the curious nce the pregnant mother casts our way as my three bonds follow me towards the doctor''s door. "Thank you for agreeing to see me," I say as I enter the room. There''s a medical examination bed in the centre of the room, with what seems like a lot of technical equipment dotted around.

    "My name is Linda, I must say after yesterday''s news I feel quite honoured to be overseeing my first Grey pregnancy already. This is quite exciting, isn''t it? After over 30 years in this job, I thought I''d seen all there was to see in this line of work, but here you are. Pleasey on the bed and we can get started," she rubs her hands together and I''m not sure if it is in excitement or she is trying to warm them.

    Axel helps me up onto the bed and Linda iristructs me to lift my top and push down my leggings a little so she can fully ess my lower abdomen. Her hands press down over my tummy and she nods.

    "Perfect, shall we take a peek at the little one and see what''s going on in there?" she grins and I nod enthusiastically.

    Linda instructs me to remove my pants and underwear whilst she sets up the ultrasound machine and turns down the lights. She exins that an internal ultrasound is better in early pregnancy and gets me set up. She turns on her small screen and begins the scan. The room is silent whilst we all wait with bated breath for Linda to speak.

    "Ah, there it is," she smiles and turns her screen towards us. A small white blob moves on the dark screen and my eyes fill with tears of joy. My little bean looks just like a little bean.

    "He''s a jumping bean," Lukeughs.

    "It''s a very active little one," Linda chuckles. "Let me take a few measurements and then you can have a proper look," she turns the screen back towards her and looks at it with an intense focus, she clicks her mouse a few times and nods to herself.

    "It''s measuring at roughly 10 weeks, I understand your pregnancies are shorter by half than a regr human so that means you would have conceived about 5 weeks ago, does that seem about right?" she asks.

    "Yes," I confirm, although it feels like so much longer since Ist saw Mason and Theo. I wish they were here too. Axel takes my hand in his, clearly sensing my longing for the rest of my bonds.

    "Everything looks great, the little one is healthy and the heartbeat is strong," she says, turning the screen back towards us. "That small fluttering there is the heart," she clicks something else on her machine and suddenly the room is filled with the rapid sound of our baby''s heartbeat, Love pours from my bonds as we watch our tiny little bean on the screen and Linda points out his tiny arms and legs as he moves.

    "He''s perfect," Axel breathes.

    "Just like his mother," Deacon says.

    I leave the doctor''s office with 7 pictures of the little bean clutched in my hands. I could have stayed there all day just watching it move. Linda had exined a lot about what to expect in the next few weeks. She said week 10 was usually the worst for sickness as hormones are high at that point, which exins why I''ve been so emotional too. She said I could expect a bump to start showing in the next week or two and that I should make sure I have a healthy diet to ensure my body can keep up with the rapid growth. We had declined blood testing for obvious

    blood reasons. We may trust Linda but with the revtion of Greys yesterday we decide it''s not wise to send my off to ab right now. We agreed to have another checkup in a week to see the progress of Little Bean''s development. Linda is very excited to oversee my pregnancy. I snap a picture of the prints and send them to Freya before heading towards the bookshop to visit my mum and Frank.

 Chapter 0174

    1 push open the door of the bookshop, the bell announcing my arrival and my mum lifts her head from the book. she was lost in.

    "Josie, how lovely to see you," she smiles warmly, standing from her seat. I introduce her to Axel and Luke, telling her they are my college friends and she makes a round of coffee for them. Frankes down to sit with us for a while before asking Deacon to talk privately and the two of them head upstairs to his apartment.

    "I have some news," I announce once she has caught me up on the town gossip and given us her opinion on the Greys revtion. Which is surprisingly positive. She looks at me expectently and I hand her one of the pictures of Little Bean.

    "Oh this is wonderful news, congrattions, Dear," she beams, pretending she had no idea.

    "It was quite a shock but I''m excited, and a little scared," admit.

    "You are going to be a wonderful mother. Your parents would be so proud of you," she smiles.

    "Thank you, Penny, I hope they would be," I choke up. I had told her I''d lost my parents a few years ago, she hadn''t asked for any further exination and I hadn''t offered her it. She had just epted my story and moved on without trying to pry.

    "We need to talk," Mason says in the mind link and I panic for a split second. Does he somehow know about the little bean?

    "Is it urgent?" Deacon asks.

    "Not urgent, but important," Mason says..

    "Okay, give us a few minutes, we are with my mum," I respond to him, shutting down the mind link to talk to my

    mum.

    "I''m sorry, I''m suddenly feeling a little sick," I lie.

    "Oh that''s a shame, but perfectly understandable in your condition," Mum smiles sympathetically.

    I get to my feet as Deacones back into the main shop followed by Frank.

    "Perfect timing, Josie is feeling unwell. I think she needs to go home a rest," Luke says.

    We say

    your goodbyes and promise to return soon. It''s at this point I realise the huge mistake I have made. I won''t be able to visit very much once this baby starts showing. She will certainly notice it''s growing faster than it should. My heart sinks. I had been so excited to share this with her that I hadn''t thought of the long-term logistics.

    We leave through the front of the bookshop, circling around it where Frank waits to let us in through the back door to sneak upstairs to his apartment so we can port out unseen.

    "We are back home now. What''s up?" I ask Mason as I fight off the nausea from porting.

    "We met with the elders yesterday. The real ones, not the representatives you met with. You were all sleeping by the time we got done. They may have a way to fix the portals," Mason tells us and my heart skips a beat.

    "How? If they have a way then why haven''t they used it already?" Deacon demands with a pulse of anger.

    "Because it would most likelye at a great cost to them. Mason says.

    "I don''t think any cost is too much given the situation," Deacon snaps.

    "Whilst I almost agree. I also don''t. They asked me if we would be willing to let Josie kill herself, and in turn, the

    rest of us to fix the portals. I obviously said no. They said that is the price they would have to pay. Their bond is frail, she is almost 130 years old. If she was to expel that amount of power in her weakened state she likely wouldn''t survive it." Mason exins.

    "Are you saying they are Spark bonded?" Luke asks.

    "Yes, but they asked that we don''t share that information With anyone else," Theo responds.

    "I''m not trying to be disrespectful when I say this, but they ve had their time. Now it''s our turn and we need their help to do what we were brought back here to do, besides, low long do they really have left? I would like to think that if this was us 100 years from now, we''d make the sacrifice as ourst act as the Spark bond in this life cycle," I say. All the guys go quiet as they process my words.

    N.O Darling Author

    I wasn''t going to upload a chapter today as I haven''t had a single day off since the 29th of September and it''s my birthday today. Then I decided not to leave my readers waiting, so here it is. It''s just one today but it''s a longer one than usual.

    13

 Chapter 0175

    **Luke''s POV **

    It''s been two weeks since we found out the Elders are Spark-bonded and have the ability to open the portals to get us home. Tension here in the human realm is building and if we don''t do something soon this realm may be beyond repair. Multiple ces of worship across all faiths have been targeted by vandals. People have emptied shops of food and other essential items in fear supplies will stop. They are scared and divided, unsure of who or what they should believe in. Some factions support Cornellis'' word, then there are those that support us and await our intervention, and then there is a group that believes all Greys should be eliminated. I feel the is closing in on us. We can''t leave the safety of this cottage without constantly watching over our shoulders. Josie''s small bump is growing rapidly, as expected, which just adds another element of concern to our situation. It''s not safe for our child to be born here. As things are he would been born into a life of solitude, unable to mingle in the human realm for fear of people discovering what he is. His mother is growing more despondent with each day that passes without all her bonds in her life, and I fear what kind of mental state she will be in by the time he arrives.

    "Again," Josie calls, startling me from my thoughts. I press restart on the song ying on her phone and she begins the dance she had beenposing for thest week again. Her movements are slow, sad and dramatic, matching the harrowing song perfectly. Even without the bond, it would be easy to sense Josie''s mood by the music she listens to and dances to.

    "She is going to wear herself out," Deacon sighs as hees outside to join me on the patio. I nod and he takes the seat beside me, watching our girl move gracefully. She has her headphones in so we can''t hear her music unless we really focus on it, she also can''t hear us and is too lost in her music and movements to notice Deacon is home.

    "We can''t O§± like this much longer. She is not doing well I think it''s time me and Axe attempt to port back," I say through the mind link to Deacon.

    "I have been thinking about that too, but I think it should be me. I have more experience, and if I make it back I may have more sway with the elders, I think I could convince them to make the sacrifice," he responds.

    "No, Josie needs you here. You have the means to support her and Little Bean better than any of us if the worst happens and they''re stuck here, but if I go and make it through with Axel then you can make it through with her," I argue.

    "I won''t do it, Luke, I won''t risk bringing her through until all the portals are fixed," he shakes his head. "You are just as well equipped to care for them as I am, everything I have here is yours anyway. You will be financially secure and she needs the two of you here. Axel can stay with her whilst you gather supplies so she never has to be alone. Plus, once she gives birth and her heat starts up again, the two of you are more capable of sating her than I alone. This is the best option for her and the baby, and they are the most important," he exins and I sigh in defeat. He is right, I know he is, but guilt eats at me. I didn''te here to take his ce and have him risk himself, but two bonds with her are better than one and he does have a better chance of sess than me.

    "When do you want to go?" I ask.

    "Soon. The sooner we get her home the better. If I can get everything in order here today then I''ll leave tomorrow, I do have a couple of requests though," he says.

    "What is it?"

    "Don''t tell her yet. I don''t want her angry with me today if it''s going to be myst with her. I''d also like to have her to myself tonight,"

    12

    "Consider it done, Axe will no doubt agree," I nod. It''s the least I can do.

    "Thank you, I will go and make the preparations," he says

    I expect him to port out immediately but he doesn''t. He sits and watches our girl dance with a longing look on his face. He''s spent so long watching her from afar, holding himself back from her that I think he sometimes forgets he can go over there and im what is his whenever he feels like It. She certainly wouldn''t be mad if he did. Her

    eyes

    "You''re back," she says as she removes her headphones.

    "I am," he smiles back at her, "I still have some things to do but I wanted toe back to show you something," he stands and walks to meet her as she approaches us.

    "What is it?" she asks.

    "Come inside and you''ll see," he takes her hand a leads her towards the house.

    She looks at me in question and I shrug, I have no idea what he has brought her. I pick her phone up and follow them inside, just as intrigued as she is. Axel walks into the kitchen from the hall, his hair still damp from the shower. Deacon picks up a small gift bag from the kitchen counter and hands it to Josie who opens it eagerly. She reaches into the bag and pulls out a small Grey nket..

    ¡°It''s beautiful, thank you," she beams, holding it up to take in the small ck wolf that''s been embroidered into the corner, underneath the wolf are the words ''Little Bean She brings the nket to her face as if testing the softness against her cheek. "Daddy Deacon has brought you the softest little nket, Bean," she smiles down at her small bump, rubbing it gently. The scene in front of me should be a happy one but it feels tainted by what may happen tomorrow. I pray that this isn''t the only gift he will ever be able to give our child.

 Chapter 0176

    **Josie''s POV**

    The guys are acting a little off. I know they''re hiding something. I just can''t put my finger on what it is. Deacon had been out most of the day, meeting with his trusted contacts across the world whilst Axel and Luke had spent the day following me around. I''d barely had a moment alone which wasn''t unusual but they just seemed a little extra clingy today. They''re almost acting like they do when I''m in heat. Someone always with me, always ready tofort me through my mood swings. I hadn''t missed the worried nces that had passed between them when they had thought 1 wasn''t looking and they were giving off some nervous energy. Even now, whilst I rx in the bath Axel is here, helping me wash my hair. Maybe I''m giving off some wierd pheromones or something that''s making them act this way. The bathroom door opens and Deacon walks in with a hungry look in his eyes. Axel leans over and kisses the top of my head before getting up and leaving the bathroom, he pats Deacon''s shoulder as he passes and closes the door behind him. I give Da questioning look because they are definitely up to something. He smirks back at me and begins to unbutton the cuff of his shirt, slowly rolling up his sleeve to reveal his strong arm and all suspicious thoughts fly out of the window, reced with unpure thoughts of how I want to watch those arms flex as they grip my thighs. I bite my bottom ligas he repeats the same action on his other sleeve.

    "Are you done with your bath, Miss Banks?" he asks in a low husky tone that sends warmth straight to

    "Yes, Sir, "I respond breathlessly.

    .core.

    Deacon holds out a towel for me and I pull the plug before getting up and stepping out of the bath. Our eyes hold each other''s gaze as he helps dry me off and then he leads me into the bedroom. Candles are lit on every avable surface giving the room a warm and romantic vibe. I expect Luke and Axel to be waiting in here for us but they''re nowhere to be seen.

    "It''s just us tonight, is that okay?" he asks when he sees me looking for the guys. "Yes, but what''s the asion?

    ???

    Do we need an asion for some alone time?" he raises a brow in question and I shake my head. "Good,ey on the bed. Let me take care of you,

    I climb up onto the bed still wrapped in my towel whilst Deacon takes a bottle of lotion from the nightstand. He squirts some into his hand, sitting beside me on the bed he begins to rub the lotion into my arm, slowly working his way up to my shoulder, across my cor bone and down my opposite arm. I watch the muscles in his forearms working in the soft glow of the candles, getting my fix of Deacon''s arm p**n. His hands move the my towel, where it''s tucked in above my breasts and he tugs it open, leaving me fully naked under his seductive gaze.

    of my

    "You are so beautiful," he whispers as he trails a finger between my breasts, stopping when he reaches the swell

    stomach, he leans over, kissing me there before taking more lotion and working it into my skin over my breasts and tummy. Then he moves to my feet, slowly working his way up to my thighs. His fingers work so close to my aching core and I struggle to stay still under his touch. He continues to tease me, touching me everywhere apart from where I need him the most.

    He crawls up the bed, hisrge body hovering just inches above mine. He brings his mouth to mine taking my bottom lip gently between his teeth before enveloping my mouth in a deep dominant kiss. His hand travels up my inner thigh until it finally reaches the spot I want him most I moan into his mouth,pletely lost to my desire as his tongue moves against mine and his fingers tease my clit until Ie apart under hismand.

    "Good Girl, I love how easily you give me your pleasure," he praises. "You have no idea how intoxicating it is to see you like this,"

    He gives me another chaste kiss before rolling over to lie beside me on the bed and I instantly miss his nearness. I

    roll onto my side, watching as he unfastens the top button of his shirt. My eyes roam down the length of him, fixating on the bulge in his trousers. Getting to my knees of the bed beside him I get to work on the button on his suit pants, popping it open before pulling the zipper down his hard cock strains against his boxer shorts and he lifts his hips allowing me to push them down to release his prection. I lean over and suck his tip into my mouth and he sucks in a breath between his teeth.

    "So impatient," he teases as I suck him deeper whilst he tries to finish unbuttoning his shirt. "Fuck it," he growls, sitting up and ripping off his shirt the buttons flying across the room with a ping. He grabs a fistful of my hair and gently pulls my head up and off of him before grabbing my hips and shifting me as if I weigh nothing. He flops back on the bed and pulls me to sit on top of his chest. He drags me up his body, positioning my knees on either side of his head so that my pussy meets his waiting mouth. His fingers dig into my thighs and he begins to lick and suck at my most sensitive flesh. I clutch the headboard behind his head for support and I cry out incoherently as he brings me to another more intense release with his tongue.

    By the time the night is over we are both utterly exhausted "I love you, Josie Banks," Deacons whispers in my ear, making my heart skip a beat.

    "I love you too, Deacon Collins," I smile as I fall asleep, a sweaty mess in his

    warm arms.

    217

 Chapter 0177

    **Josie''s POV **

    I wake up alone, which is odd and not something that happens often. My stomach rumbles with hunger and my dder screams for release. I get up with a groan, I wouldn''t have minded a few extra hours of sleep. My legs are still a little unsteady afterst night''s antics with Deacon. He''d really gone to town to make sure I was fully satisfied. I had lost count of how many orgasms he''d given me and how many different positions he''d had me in. It had been a perfect night with him and had ended with him telling me he loved me. I smile at the memory as I head to the bathroom. I''m in desperate need of a shower so I spend a good 30 minutes washing after using the facilities and cleaning my teeth. By the time I''m done, I feel much better, my body no longer aches and I feel clean once again.

    I go

    in search of my bonds with a smile on my face, I feel lighter today, like today is going to be a good day and we finally get some good news. That is until I walk into the kitchen and see the worried faces of Axel and Luke. How had they hidden their emotions from me? I check my connection to all my bonds and find each one of them feel dulled. I can still sense them all but not their emotions. Either something is wrong with our bond or they have all learnt how to shield themselves, and are all blocking me, which would be highly suspicious. "What''s going on?" I demand, eyeing them both suspiciously.

    "You should eat first," Luke smiles but I can see how forced the smile is.

    "I don''t want to eat until you tell me what is happening. Where is Deacon?"

    "Josic, sit down," Axel says softly, moving towards me with a hand outstretched. I shake my head and step back,

    out of his reach.

    "Deacon has gone home," Luke sighs.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I ask because surely I heard him wrong and he didn''t just say Deacon has gone home.

    "He is in the void, trying to get back to our home realm," Axel says softly.

    My heart feels as though it jumps into my throat, restricting my airway. Deacon left me! He said he wouldn''t leave me, even if it meant he had to stay here with me forever, and he''s just fucking left me! I''m angry, hurt, scared and heartbroken. Why would he do this?

    "Why?" is all I manage to choke out.

    "Because he''s going to get the portals open so we can all go home," Luke offers. "What happened to it being too dangerous?" I demand.

    "It''s not exactly safe here anymore, Josie. Do you really want to bring a child into this world right now when he might be targeted just because of what he is? Do you want us all to have to stay hidden in this cottage forever? What kind of life can we give him here?" he reasons. His emotions slip through his shield and I feel his fear. He''s genuinely scared for our future and I can''t me him. Each day that passes seems to get worse and our future bes more bleak.

    "I''m not saying we didn''t need to do something, I know how dire the situation is, but why the secrecy? Why didn''t we all sit down and talk about this like the team we are supposed to be?"

    "We didn''t want to worry you. The stress is not good for you or Little Bean," Axel tries.

    "Well congrattions, because now I''m even more stressed!" I shout, hitting my limit with them. Why do they

    think I need to be protected from everything? I clench my fists so hard that my fingernails dig painfully into my palm.

    "Calm..."

    "Don''t you fucking dare tell me to calm down," I snap, cutting Luke off. "Didn''t they teach you in your bond care sses that telling a highly stressed, emotional, pregnant woman to calm down has the opposite effect?"

    "No," he whispers, his gaze lowering to the ground and I feel a twinge of guilt. Shouting at my bonds is not helping the situation, so with that in mind, I blow out a long breath. I need to think logically about this,

    "How long has he been gone?" I ask, keeping my tone calmand my breathing steady. Panicking is not going to help either, especially if Deacon is fighting for his life and gets distracted by my fear.

    "6 hours," Axel says nervously.

    "Crap. I assume Theo and Mason are in on this n as they have shut themselves off to me too," I raise a brow.

    "Yes, they''re waiting for him and will update us as soon as he arrives," Luke nods.

    "IF he arrives," I correct. "How do I shut down our connection? Thest thing I want to do is distract him in the void,"

    "Don''t shut it down. He needs to feel you. He needs the reminder of what he is fighting for. It''s the only reason I made it out. I felt your fear and desperation and I knew you needed me out of there and safe before you''d feel better. You''re his biggest motivation, Josie, use it. Let him know how much you need him," Luke urges. I think his words over and he''s right. If he doesn''t feel me and how much I need him, how much I love him, then he may forget what he''s fighting for.

    "Okay," I nod. I sit at the kitchen table and close my eyes, concentrating on my connection to Deacon. It''s faint but it is there. I expect to feel it blink in and out as he teleports but it doesn''t, and that''s bad. He''s giving up. I suck in a pained breath as I feel how deste he is. The void has sucked all the hope from him. "Deacon," I call to him but there''s not even a flicker of a response. I try over and over again, fear building with every passing second. Until I admit to myself what I know I''m feeling from him. Death. Deacon doesn''t have a shield up to block me, he is fading away and these idiots were too busy locking their emotions away from me that they didn''t notice.

    ¡°Luke, take me in there. Now!" I demand, jumping to my feet.

    "Josie, no, we can''t. We would never find him," Luke shakes his head.

    "You either take me in or I''ll go in alone. We both know I can do it," I shout. I won''t take no for an answer on this.

    "Just give him some time, he will get out," he pleads.

    "Drop your shield and feel him, he is fucking dying!" I scream, and my body trembles with fear and rage. "She''s right, Luke, we are losing him," Axel agrees, "Take me in," he jumps to his feet and grips Luke''s arm.

    "Fuck. Okay. I''ll go, you two stay here," Luke finally agrees.

    "No, we are a team and from now on we do this as one. Don''t you see? We are stronger together, this is how it''s supposed to be, Luke, and if one of us falls then we all fall, I tell him and I know my words are the truth. I''ve never been more sure of anything in my life.

 Chapter 0178

    Luke and Axe make quick work of tying us together, despite the tremble I notice in both of their hands. It''s obvious neither of them wants to do this. They''re fighting their every instinct to protect me but I haven''t left them much choice. We either do this together or I''ll attempt it alone. I won''t sit back and wait whilst I can feel my bonds life leaving his body. I ce a hand over my small bump. ''Hold on Little Bean,'' I think to my unborn child. 1 guess this might be my first failure as a mother.

    "Ready?" Luke asks, he looks as though he''s about to vom

    "Yes, let''s go," I nod. I take Luke''s hand in my own and squeeze it.

    "Remember, what you see in there isn''t real. Don''t react to it," Luke reminds us and Axel and I both nod. Luke takes a breath and closes his eyes, "On five," he breathes and begins counting. I take onest look at Axel and Luke and then

    close my eyes.

    "Mason, Theo, I love you. Please don''t be angry," I say into the mind link just before we port, not giving them a chance to respond to try and talk me out of this.

    I probably shouldn''t have alerted them like this, but I couldn''t bear doing this without telling them I loved them.

    Coldness brushes over my skin and I open my eyes. It makes no difference. The void has no light, there is nothing to see here. There''s nothing to smell or hear. There is simply nothing.

    "Deacon!" I call out, but I don''t hear my own voice, the void absorbs it. "Can we shift in here?" I ask into the mind

    link

    "I have never tried. The goal has always been to get out, not search around and no one volunteers toe here and test these things. If we shift though our bindings will fall off and we might lose each other," Luke responds.

    "What the fuck is going on!" Mason roars in my head.

    "Not now, Mace, we need to focus, you can shout at me when we get out of here," I snap at him.

    "Fuck! Get out of there now!" he shouts.

    "Babe, what are you doing?" Theo pleads.

    "Guys, I will exin, but right now I need to concentrate, I''m sorry," I tell them.

    "You have ten minutes to get out of there before I find someone to bring me in,¡± Mason threatens before dropping from the mind link.

    "Be safe, please," Theo says.

    "Deacon, can you hear me?" I ask through the link. There''s not even a flicker of recognition from him; he''s fading faster now and panic grips at my chest. I don''t have time for a panic attack. I suck in a breath.

    "Deacon Collins, you answer me right now!" I scream into the mind link in desperation. "I need you, you can''t leave me... Please, don''t leave me!"

    Rain begins to pour down on us and it takes a second for me to register that it burns, I brush the scalding water from my skin desperately but it''s useless as more falls on me.

    "Josie, it''s not real, whatever is happening is not real, ignore it," Luke pleads as I fight against the pain.

    "It''s not real, it''s not real," I chant to myself and the burn ases, bing warm. I sigh in relief and a spotlight lights up the space. I look down at my arms and I see it is no longer rain, it''s blood! My eyes shoot up and I scream at the sight above me. Deacon''s broken body hangs above us, his blood soaking my skin. My knees give out and Luke holds me up.

    "It''s not real, Josie!" he screams in my head as my heart shatters into a million pieces.

    "What do you see?" Axel asks, his tone is soft and not fitting the scene above us. "Deacon," I whisper.

    "Do you

    want to know what I see? I see shadows, they have reached out and taken you from us twice already, but you are still here. It didn''t happen, Josie," he says and I blink my eyes a few times. The spotlight disappears and is reced by the pitch- ck of the void. It wasn''t real.

    I am so done with this ce! Anger fuels me as I straighten up, no longer needing Luke''s support. I''ll be damned if I''m going to be defeated by a damn hallway. This is nothing more than a passage from one realm to another. It has no right to be this scary or dangerous.

    "You are not having my bond!" I scream into the void, "Do you hear me? You can''t have him. You can''t have any of us! I will tear this ce apart before I let that happen!" draw on my bonds. I channel their energies andbine them with my own as I reimagine this ce as the corridor between realms that Deacon had once described. It has doors on each side and there is nothing scary here. It is just a in, boring corridor. Nothing more than a passage.

 Chapter 0179

    "I hear you, with my cars. How do I hear you?" Luke gasps.

    "Because I''m destroying this forsaken ce," I tell him through clenched teeth as I push the darkness away. I ce lights on the ceiling and suddenly my visiones to light as a nondescript hallway reveals itself around us. It''s the most beautiful boring sight I ever did see.

    "Holy fuck! Do you see this or am I hallucinating again?" Axel exims.

    "I see it. Josie, you absolute legend!" Luke cries. "You created another realm!"

    I almost copse from exhaustion as thest of the darkness seeps away but I''m not done yet. I dissolve the binds that tie me to Luke and turn quickly to scan the corridor. That''s when I see him. My brave, selfless bond. He''s curled in the fetal position on the floor and he looks spent. run to him, dropping to my knees beside him.

    "Deacon, I''m here, I''ve got you," I gently push him onto his back and brush the hair from his face. His eyes flutter open and he blinks at me in confusion. "Hey," I smile at him as happy tears roll down my face.

    "Josie?" he croaks.

    "Yes, it''s me, I''m real," I take his hand and lift it to my chest, letting him feel my heart beating in sync with his.

    Axel and Lukee up behind me and his eyes flick to them before he scans his surroundings.

    "You gave us quite the scare," Luke halfughs.

    "Are we

    "Not

    e dead?" Deacon asks, pushing himself into a sitting position.

    "Not this time, but it was close," Axel breathes.

    "Where are we?" Dasks.

    "The new and improved void. Our girl wasn''t too keen on the decor so she made some minor adjustments," Luke

    snorts.

    "This is the void?" Deacon asks in disbelief, taking in our surroundings once again.

    "Yes," I nod and smile at the wonder in his eyes.

    He pulls me onto hisp. Holding me against him. "Thank you. I should probably be mad that you attempted toe for me, but I never should have doubted you. You are incredible," he says before stealing my breath with a searing kiss.

    "And I should be mad you left me but I''m just happy we found you in time. From now on we do everything as a team. No more secrets or hiding things from each other. It makes us weaker. Now let''s go home and let Theo and Mason know they''re going to be Dads," I smile. Excitement at the thought of finally being able to see them and touch them courses through me, pushing away my exhaustion. Luke helps me to my feet and Axel grabs Deacon, pulling him up and into a typical bro hug.

    "Thank you,

    all of you foring for me. Now let''s find a way out of here and go home," Deacon gives an exhausted smile and pulls open one of the doors, "It''s fixed," he grins.

    Ready?" Luke asks pulling me into his side and reaching out to grab a hold of D, who is still being slightly supported by Axe.

    "Yes," I nod and Luke ports us to our apartment.

    The nausea barely registers and I''m not sure if it''s because I''m so relieved to be home or because I''m just getting

    used to porting. The apartment is silent and I worry Theo and Mason aren''t here but then I hear someone moving In my bedroom.

    "There had better be some cheese in this ce, I''m starving," I call loudly, moving out of Luke''s hold to get a better view of my bedroom door. The door flies open and To''s shocked face looks at me. He stands frozen in the doorway, he looks at us as if he can''t quite believe what he is seeing.

    "Am I dreaming?" he asks and I run towards him. I throw myself at him and he catches me just in time wrapping his arms around me as my legs wrap around his waist.

    "Does this feel like a dream?" I ask before nting my mouth on his in a kiss that speaks a thousand words.

    N.O Darling Author

    I''m taking baby name suggestions for a future chapter if anyone would like to give me any ideas.

 Chapter 0180

    **Josie''s POV**

    "Baby Girl, you have no idea how much I missed you," The says breathlessly when our lips finally part, "I don''t ever want to let you go but damm, Girl, you got heavier, what have you been eating? Let me get a good look at you," he lowers me to my feet and steps back to look at me I''d probably be offended by his words if I wasn''t carrying an extra passenger. His eyes go wide when theynd on my small bump and he swallows audibly before looking over my shoulder at the guys. I assume they nod at his unspoken question because he looks back at me with a mix of fear and wonder written on his face. He reaches out a shaky hand, cing it over my pregnant stomach.

    ¡°This is, Little Bean," I smile as I ce a hand over his. His face lights up with joy as he fully absorbs the news.

    "I''m going to be a dad," heughs. "This is the best day ever," he pulls me in for another kiss and then he stills as if just realising something. "Have you already seen Mason?" he asks.

    "No, where is he?"

    "He went looking for someone willing to port us into the void, but you carry his scent, does that mean he fathered the little one?"

    "Yes, right before I left," I nod. I can''t stop looking at him and my eyes well up with unshead tears at just the sight of him.

    "I can''t wait to see his face when hees in and sees you all here and then when he sees this," he motions to my stomach andughs. "Let me lure him back," he says with a devilish grin before he zones out, mind linking Mason.

    Deacon moves over to us, he looks exhausted as he epts theo''s hug. Axel and Luke hug him next and I feel almostplete to see four of my bonds together and smiling.

    "I have something for you," Deacon says, reaching into his suit pocket he pulls out some of the ultrasound pictures and Theo''s ring that matches ours.

    "Oh wow," Theo gushes as he studies the pictures of Little Bean. I point out the small arms and legs in the pictures and Deacon tells him he has a video of the ultrasound that he will show him when Mason gets back. Theo keeps an arm around my waist whilst we catch up and I love the feel of him. I never want to be apart from him again.

    We hear the sound of a key in the apartment door and we all freeze as we wait for Mason to walk in. "Theo, I swear if this is not urgent I''m going to..." he stops in his tracks as his eyesnd on us. The world seems to narrow as our eyes meet and my breath catches in my throat. His face is so familiar and yet foreign as he has lost so much weight. His dark hair is longer and his jawline sharper but he is still one of the most stunning men I have ever seen. The way he is looking at me makes all the worry of thest weeks fade away. I finally have all five of my bonds together in one ce and it''s the most wonderful feeling.

    "Mason," my voice cracks with emotion.

    He takes a step forward, his eyes scanning all of us as if checking for injury. He does a double take when he sees my swollen stomach and his eyes harden before shifting to Deacon. His jaw tenses and his fists clench. Uh oh, I get the feeling he''s not happy about this.

    "Not guilty," Deacon says holding up his hands in surrender.

    Mason strides towards me, his eyes shing blue as he nears me and inhales deeply, then he staggers

    backwards,

    his eyes wide, "I''m sorry," he chokes.

    "For what? I know this is a shock but it''s going..." I start.

    "I did this to you. You didn''t want this," he motions to my bump.

    "Don''t you dare apologise," I shake my head and hold my bump protectivly, "I''m happy, Mason. I know I said I didn''t want this, but that was before I fell in love with you all, before I trusted you and knew what it would be like have you all supporting me. I know the timing is not great but there''s nothing I want more than to raise a child with the five of you," I step close to him and he stares down at me, breathing heavily as he reads my emotions and finds the truth in my words. He drops to his knees and ces his hands on either side of my round stomach, resting his forehead there gently.

    "I''ll try my best for you," he says in a barely audible whisper and I''m unsure if he is talking to me or his unborn child. My heart swells and I run my fingers through his hafe enjoying being able to finally touch him. He lifts his head to look up at me and I''m shocked to see a lone tear roll down his cheek. I take both of his hands in mine and lower myself to my knees, getting down to his level.

    "I missed you," I smile and ce my hand on his cheek, he leans into my touch rather than away from it like he

    once would have. He holds my wrist and turns his face, cing a kiss on my palm.

    "I missed you too," he whispers.

    "You two are killing me, just kiss her already damn it," The sighs causing Mason to smirk. His gaze shifts to my lips before he leans forward giving me a chaste kiss. It''s not enough, I pull him back to my mouth and our lips sh in a blissful reunion. I deepen the kiss further and his tongue wars with mine, painting a sexual picture in my mind.

    "Damn," Theo whispers as I moan into Mason''s mouth, "You three look real tired, why don''t you go rest whilst Mace and I have a catch-up with our bond," he suggests.

    "Deacon needs to rest, I guess me and Axe should go get some food, Josie hasn''t eaten today," Luke says and Mason pulls his lips from mine.

    "You haven''t eaten?" he asks.

    "Been a little busy," I tell him breathlessly. I look over and see Deacon is already half asleep on the couch. The exhaustion has finally taken over the adrenaline and excitement of being home. Mason helps me to my feet and I move to D, taking a nket from the back of the couch and covering him with it. "Rest," I tell him as his eyes flutter open. He smiles sleepily at me before his eyes close again.

    "Come on, Axe, let''s go find some cheese before she gets cranky," Lukeughs. "I do not get cranky," I huff, cing my hands on my hips and scowling at him.

    "You do, and it''s adorable," Luke smiles, leaning down to kiss me briefly before walking towards the door.

    "Have fun, Beauty," Axel says with a wink,ing over to kiss me before he follows Luke out of the apartment.

    I sigh as I watch them go. I''m kind of disappointed that I barely had five minutes of having all five bonds together before two left again. I know it''s necessary and I can''t be attached to all five of them 24/7 but a day together would have been nice. I look back at Deacon and wonder if he will go back to his busy work schedule when he wakes up. I''ve enjoyed having him around and although I''m happy to be home, I don''t want things to go back to how they were in this realm. I want Deacon here with our group, where he belongs.

    I look back at Mason and Theo and they are both watching me with hungry eyes, I can tell by the small smirk ying on Mason''s lips and the way Theo gives a small nod that they aremunicating telepathically, and I''m pretty sure whatever they''re discussing is filthy. The air in the room bes thick with sexual tension and I squeeze my thighs together. I am more than ready to get reacquainted with these two.

    "Are you just going to stand there discussing what you want to do or are you going to show me?" I ask. Theo breaks first, striding towards me and taking my mouth in a kiss so possessive that I almost forget how to breathe. Mason closes in behind me, sandwiching me between them his erection straining against my

    ass.

    "I can''t wait to be inside you," he whispers in my ear.

    "Do you think you can take us both at the same time, baby? Theo pulls his mouth from mine to ask. I suck in a shaky breath. Can I take them both?... I don''t know.

    Do I want to try?... hell, yes. The thought alone almost has meing undone. I nod and the sexual tension increases tenfold.

 Chapter 0182

    **Mason''s POV**

    Having Josie back here in front of me feels unreal. I have fought so hard to get her back for weeks and now she is here, and swollen with my child. She is even more beautiful than I remembered. I am so tempted to make her clothes disappear, right here and now. I want to see every toch of her body. I want to see every single change there has been since I saw herst. I can already see that her breasts have filled out and her ass is rounder. Something that Theo is no doubt thrilled about. I loved her body before but she is curvier now and it''s stunning, especially to know that it was me that did this to her. It was me that made her so unbelievably happy and excited for the new life she carries.

    "I want her ass, so bad," Theo says into the mind link as she bends over to cover Deacon with a nket.

    "Do you think she is ready to take us both together?" I ask im. I don''t think either of us wants to wait for the other to have their turn with her.

    "There is only one way to find out," he says as he eyes her hungrily.

    Josie watches Axel and Luke-leave before her gaze turns to us. I smirk at the look on her face as she takes us in and her desire spikes. She lets out a small sound of need as her luscious thighs squeeze together in anticipation.

    "Are you going to ask her then?" I ask Theo and he gives me a small nod. He seems almost in a trance as he looks at our girl.

    "Are you just going to stand there discussing what you want to do or are you going to show me?" Josie asks seductively, immediately snapping Theo from his trance.

    Theo strides towards her and then ims her mouth. I step up behind her, pressing my erection into her round ass.

    "I can''t wait to be inside you," I whisper into her car before inhaling her scent that''s already mixed with my own.

    you think you can take us both at the same time, baby?" Theo asks breaking the kiss. I feel her suck in a breath as she processes his words. Please say yes, please say yes.

    Josie nods and my cock throbs in anticipation of what is toe. Theo leads her to the bedroom and I follow, watching her beautiful ass sway as she walks, maybe ill take her there next time but right now I need to be in her pussy. I need to reim her. I close the bedroom door behind me and take a seat, watching as Theo slowly undresses her. It''s like watching my most precious gift slowly being unwrapped. When her top half ispletely naked I suck in a breath. Her rosy pink nipples are puckered and desperate for attention and I can no longer just sit back and watch. I move closer to her, intent on licking every inch of her beautiful breasts when I notice the scars across her chest. The sight of them feels as though I''m beingshed by my father''s whip again.

    "Hey, it''s okay," Josie soothes, sensing my distress. She reaches out and takes my hand, bringing my fingers to trace over the faint scars whilst she uses her other hand to Lace over my own. "We match," she smiles, "and I wear these with pride, they mark the end of your father''s torment, he can''t hurt any of us any more, Mace,"

    I suck in a shaky breath and nod. She is right, he can''t hurt us ever again and I won''t let him ruin this moment now. So with that in mind, I strip off my clothes and lie on the bed as Theo works her pants down her legs until Josie standspletely bare like the damn goddess she is.

    "Come here," I purr. She obliges eagerly, climbing up to straddle me. I sit up and knead her perfect breasts before drawing a pert nipple into my mouth. She gasps at the sensation and I use my fingers to tease her other nipple. Her wet pussy rubs along the length of my cock as she writhes with pleasure and I groan at the sensation.

    "I need you inside of me," she breathes.

    "Soon, "1 promise, I want to be inside her just as much as she wants me but we need to wait for Theo. She''s never: taken anyone in her ass before and If this is going to work needs to work her up to it before we go any further. Josie looks back over her

 Chapter 0183

    #

    "Lean down and kiss Mason for me," he says pressing gently on her back. I lie back on the bed and she follows me down. Her mouthnding on mine and her ass up in the air, presenting it to Theo.

    "Rx, babe," Theo soothes and Josie''s body shivers. I wish I could see what he''s doing to her. I work my hand between our bodies to tease her clit as Theo preps her ass and she moans into my mouth. By the time I work her to her first climax, Theo gives me a nod that she is ready.

    "Are you ready?" I ask as shees back down from the high of her orgasm.

    "Yes, I need you, both of you," she breathes.

    "Then take me," I hum.

    Josie wastes no time, lifting her hips and wrapping her hand around my cock, lining me up with her soaking entrance before sinking down and taking my full length into her greedy little pussy. I hiss in pleasure as her warm heat finally envelopes me. Theo moves in behind her, applying more lube before I feel her tense, her inner walls gripping my cock.

    "Fuck," I groan, "Don''t tense," I grip her hips.

    Josie releases a breath and her body rxes, then I feel the pressure as Theo begins working himself into her ass.

    "Green," Josie gasps. "More, Theo, fuck, that feels amazing,"

    I begin to move my hips, thrusting up in slow shallow movements as Theo feeds his length into her ass.

    "Fuck, baby girl, you feel so damn good," Theo groans once he''s fully in.

    "Move, I need you both to move," Josie whimpers and we both oblige eagerly. We work out a counter rythm and the feel of her and him together is intoxicating. It''s almost too much and I worry how long I''m going to be able tost like this. Theo intertwines his fingers with mine over losie''s hips and I meet his eyes over her shoulder. The light that shines behind them glows brighter than ever before as the three of us make love. This is not just fucking anymore, this is raw love and although I might not be able to say the words I know now that I am capable of love.

    I''m all in with these two.

    Josie breaks first, she screams and her body convulses, begging us to follow her over the edge into sweet release. Theo groans out his release next and three thrustster I join them in ecstasy. Releasing my seed into her waiting pussy. Momentster Theo pulls out and copses next to us. I roll onto my side so Josie slipsfortably between us and we sandwich her in. I drape my arm over both of them. I have never felt such peace as I do at this moment with the two of them. I move a hand to the small hemp and correct my thoughts, the three of them. I was devastated when I found I had done this to her. She had been so scared of bing a mother so soon and I felt like I''d failed her. Like I''d just ruined her life, but then I''d dropped my shields and felt her emotions. She was sopletely happy and overflowing with love the child I had nted in her womb, a child that carried half of my DNA. Contentment settles over me as I wonder how our child will turn out. Will it be a boy or a girl? Boy. I think. Will he have my looks or his mother''s?... Will he have my temperament or hers?... What will we call him?... Will I be a good father to him?

    "Theo, don''t let me be a bad father," I whisper into his mind as Josie snuggles against me with a satisfied sigh.

    "You won''t be a bad father, Mace, you''ll be the best," he reassures.

    "How can I be? I don''t know what a good father looks like, 1 admit.

    "Of course you do. Just because you had a bad one doesn''t mean you don''t know what a good one is like. You know better than anyone what not to do. Besides, there are five of us, and you''re not alone in this, between us all we will raise our child well. That baby will know nothing but love. promise," and I feel the truth in his words. Our son

    will be the most loved child in the realm. He will bring so much joy to us all and never know a day of suffering, I will make sure of that.

    +25 BOHUS

 Chapter 0184

    ** Luke''s POV **

    I walk with Axel to the dining hall in hopes we can find some food there. It''s past lunchtime but we might get lucky. Otherwise, we will have to go to a supermarket. The Hallways are quiet, most students now in ss. I hesitate as I pass my sister''s ss, should I let her know I am back? If I do I''ll not only disturb her ss but she will tell Mum and then my parents will be demanding to see us. I think Josie would benefit from a day at home with all of us before wee back to reality. We will soon be so busy that we will barely have time for each other and we really deserve some time as apletely bonded group. Something we haven''t been able to have until now.

    I suspect we will have to meet with the elders soon to discuss what we know about Cornelius and his ns in the human realm. They will probably want to know how we n to fix this mess and right now we don''t have a n. Just two hours ago we were stuck in the human realm trying to keep ourselves safe, we haven''t had a chance to n anything.

    Damn it," Axel groans and subtly adjusts himself in his pants.

    "This connection is great but it''s not always convenient is it?" I chuckle as desire and need pulse through the connection. Axe grunts in agreement and we both stop to build up our shields the way Mason had taught us because thest thing we need is to identally unload in our pants in reaction to Josie''s orgasm. Not that that has ever actually happened yet but it''s been close and rather not risk that kind of embarrassment.

    As 1

    we near the dining hall, the scent of food has my hopes building. I''d rather not have to go to the supermarket yet. I just want to be at home, not interacting with people. We find the dining room empty of not only people but of food too.

    "Looks like we are taking a shopping trip," I sigh.

    Great, did you bring money? Because I didn''

    "Shit, no," I curse.

    "So now what? If we go back there without cheese she is not going to be happy and I hate seeing her unhappy," Axel says.

    "How do you feel about a little theft?" I grin.

    "What kind of theft are we talking about here?" he frowns but a small smirk ys on his lips.

    "The kind where I port us into the academy kitchen and we raid the fridge," "I''m in, and technically it''s not theft anyway. The food is for us, plus we haven''t been here for weeks so they definitely owe us some," heughs.

    "You''re forgetting that our newest bond member is probably the one responsible for punishing us if we get caught anyway," I shrug before grabbing Axel''s arm and porting us into the kitchen.

    "What the hell!" a female curses from behind us when materialise in the kitchen. I spin around, ready to make an excuse when my eyesnd on Molly.

    "What are you doing here?" I demand.

    "I could ask you the same thing," she scowls, crossing her arms over her chest.

    "We have permission to be here," Axe says.

    "Who by?" she cocks a brow.

    "None of your business,"I snap, "you should leave,

    "I was just about to, I got what I came for anyway," she shrugs and ports out.

    +26 BONUS

    "That was wierd, right?" I ask, scanning the room for any evidence of what she had been up to. Everything looks neat, there''s no evidence she was even here and she hadn''t been carrying anything so why was she here?

    "Yeah, maybe she just came for a snack," Axel frownIS.

    We gather some supplies, making sure we have a good amount of cheese for our little cheese monster and enough food to make us all some sandwiches before we port directly back to our apartment.

    "Mission sessful,¡± I announce as we deposit our goodies in the kitchen.

    Josie rushes out of the bedroom, wearing nothing but Mason''s T-shirt and she looks breathtaking. The smile on her face is contagious and my heart swells to see her so happy and rxed for the first time in weeks.

    "Did you get cheese?" she asks hopefully.

    "Of course, do you think we would return without it?" Axelughs.

    "I''d have ported to the human realm and raided a cheese factory if needed," I smile.

    Josie gives me and Axel a brief kiss before making a beeline for the block of cheese. She opens it and cuts a chunk off, popping it into her mouth with a moan as she cuts another piece.

 Chapter 0185

    +25 BOHUS

    "Did you have any trouble whilst you were out? Did anyone bother you?" she asks. I share a look with Axe, I don''t want to bring Molly up and aggravate her but we promised no more secrets.

    "No trouble, everyone was in ss. We had to port into the academy kitchen to steal this," I motion to the food.

    "Youmitted a crime for me?" she gushes, "that''s so sweet,¡±

    "Technically it''s not a crime, but we''d do anything for you Axel grins.

    "Yeah, but something odd happened. Molly was there, in the kitchen," I tell her and she stills, her hand tightening around the knife in her hand.

    "So she is back?" she sneers.

    "Seems so, and she is clearly up to something. We didn''t see her take anything so I can''t understand what she was doing there," I exin.

    "That is odd, we should tell Deacon when he wakes up," she says ncing over to where he still sleeps on the couch.

    "What is odd?" Theo asks as he walks out of the bedroom wearing a towel and still wet from the shower. I tell him about Molly and he frowns as he thinks it over.

    "Definitely odd," he nods and leans over stealing a piece of josie''s cheese which earns him a scowl.

    "You''re a braver man than me," Axel chuckles.

    "She can''t eat that full block, she''ll be sick," Theo scoffs. He wraps his arms around Josie and her face softens as she looks into his eyes. "You feeling okay, baby?" he asks squeezing her ass under the T-shirt.

    "Mmhhmm," she hums.

    "We didn''t hurt you?"

    "Nope," she blushes.

    "Good, because I can''t wait to do that again," he purrs, grabbing her ass again. "You did so well and looked fucking stunning taking us both like that,"

    "At the same time?" I ask, my cock waking up at the thought.

    "Yes, and she was fucking perfect," Theo groans.

    "Fuck," Axe whispers and I share a conspiratory look with him. We are definitely trying that with her next. Axel nods at me, knowing exactly what I''m thinking.

    Mason walks out of the bedroom next, he wears pants but is shirtless and his hair is wet. He''s lost so much weight over thest few weeks, weight he really couldn''t afford to lose because his ribs are visible.

    "Mace,e eat something," Theo says, obviously concerned about his weight too.

    "Where did you get this?¡± he asks and I exin the academy kitchen story again. Mason stills and looks at the cheese Josie is eating.

    "Stop eating that," he moves the cheese away from her and pulls her to him. "Hey," she pouts.

    "Did none of you consider that Molly may have been in there poisoning stuff?" he snaps.

    "Shit," Axel curses and begins picking up the food to smelt.

    "Are you okay? How do you feel? Is the baby okay?" Mason asks, his hands brushing over her face and her swollen stomach.

    "I''m fine," she tries to calm him.

    "Wake him up, now!" Mason demands pointing at Deacon le pulls out his phone and brings it to his ear, "I need to you get to my ce now, it''s an emergency," he barks into the phone before shoving it back in his pocket. Everyone seems to be moving, all busy doing something to help but I can''t move. I stand frozen as I take it all in. How could I have been so stupid? Why didn''t I question Molly? Why had I let Josie eat the food that Molly had just been acting suspiciously around? Did I fail her again?

    "Will everyone please calm down, I feel fine. What reason would she have to poison a block of cheese?" Josie tries

    to reason.

    "Because she''s a crazy bitch, and we have no good exination for what else she was doing. I''m not taking a chance when ites to the safety of you and our child. Dob is on her way to check you over," Mason says, lifting Josie and carrying her to the couch where Theo has just wolden Deacon.

    "My legs are working just fine, I can walk," Josie huffs, "Can I at least have some underwear before we have visitors?"

    "Luke, get her some clothes," Mason calls and / blink at high.

    "Are you okay?" Axe asks me..

    "I think so," I shake my head, trying to clear it and move to get Josie''s clothes.

 Chapter 0186

    Josie''s POV**

    Luke brings me panties and some shorts, which I am grateful for. He looks pale and withdrawn.

    "Are you okay?" I ask him, reaching out to stroke his face whilst he helps me into my underwear. He nods but I don''t believe him.

    Deacon is busy on the phone barking orders for the kitchen to be shut down and a team to get in there to test for any kind of contamination. Mason is watching me like a hawk and Axel is by the door waiting to let Dot in. Theo is busy sniffing all the food the guys had brought and I''m about ready to scream. I feel overwhelmed and angry that we couldn''t get just a day of peace. Not a single day to be happy in thepany of all my bonds. I have waited so long for this moment and Molly had toe in and ruin it once again. The only plus side is that I get to see Dot. I have missed her so much! I also kind of like how protective the guys are being towards me and our baby but I think they are overreacting a little. Although, we can''t be too careful, not when ites to Molly''s involvement and the safety of our baby. I''m sure the cheese was fine. I feelpletely normal and the cheese was in a sealed package, besides, I''ve be quite the cheese expert over thest few weeks, and I''m sure I''d have noticed if it had been tampered with.

    Isit back on the couch now that mydy parts are fully covered and Mason kneels on the floor in front of me, his hands gently rub over my stomach and he whispers something so quiet I can''t hear it. I''m sure he is talking to Little Bean and that makes my heart swell. I pull Deacon''s suit jacket that has been draped over the back of the couch and route in the pocket, pulling out the stack of ultrasound pictures.

    "Mace, look," I say softly. He lifts his head, his concerned eyesnding on me before shifting to the photos in my hand. He takes them and his eyes light up as he studies each one.

    "When was this?" he asks, his voice full of awe. I tell him the weeks since each picture and he smiles.

    "It''s growing so fast,"

    "Yes, it''s doubled in size in thest few weeks, and it''s so active. D has videos on his phone to show you how much it moves," I smile and look at Deacon who is still talking to someone on his phone.

    "I can''t wait to see that," Mason grins, his mood lifting.

    "It''s going to be okay, Mace. Our little bean is just fine and so am I," I reassure him. "Deacon told me to trust my wolf when ites to the baby and I do trust her, she wouldn''t have let me eat anything that wasn''t safe,"

    "But if it was something she couldn''t detect then she wouldn''t know to stop you," he reasons and whilst I know he''s right I also feel in my gut that the cheese was fine.

    "Someone ising." Axel says, his hand on the doorknob. Mason pulls out his phone to check the cameras and nods.

    "It''s Dot, let her in," he says. Axel opens the door just as Dot begins to knock.

    "What is happening?" Dot asks, her eyesnd on Deacon and they go wide before she spots me and screeches in delight. She runs at me and Mason quickly stands to block her.

    "Don''t jump on her," he warns.

    "Why? Is she hurt?" Dot gasps.

    "No, but possibly poisoned," he sighs and steps aside to let Dot see me.

    I grin up at her and she gives me a worried look, her eyes sonning over me until they reach my small bump and he mouth drops open a little.

    "Shit the bed" Dot exims excitedly, "When you said poisoned, did you mean poisoned by Mr Collins''s baby gravy or..." she trails off.

    ¡°No,¡± Iugh. ¡°And besides, Deacon didn''t do this, your brother did," I pat my bump.

    "Wait, that can''t be right. Mason''s not capable, he''s not er... what I mean is, his poption paste is not quite ready for popting," she says awkwardly.

    "My poption paste, as you so scientifically put it, is clearly working just fine, now can you please check on them? We think she may have eaten some poisoned cheese Mason huffs.

    "Oh jeez, yes, of course. Josie, lie down please," she instructs, her face bing serious. I lie back on the couch and the room falls into a tense silence as Dot moves her hands over me with her eyes closed. When her hands reach my abdomen she stops, and a big smile spreads over her face. "Hey, little one, I feel you in there. I''m your A

    paste is not quite ready for popting," she says awkwardly.

    "My poption paste, as you so scientifically put it, is clearly working just fine, now can you please check on them? We think she may have eaten some poisoned cheese Mason huffs.

    "Oh jeez, yes, of course. Josie, lie down please," she instructs, her face bing serious. I lie back on the couch and the room falls into a tense silence as Dot moves her hands over me with her eyes closed. When her hands reach my abdomen she stops, and a big smile spreads over her face. "Hey, little one, I feel you in there. I''m your Auntie Dot and I love you already," she leans down and whispers to my bump.

 Chapter 0187

    "Are they okay?" Mason asks, impatiently.

    "They''re in perfect health," she says and the room let out collective sigh of relief. "If she has ingested polson it''s not had any negative effects so far. I would rmend taking her to the Infirmary for a blood test to double check though. Art can discuss if it is worth giving her a precautionary broad-spectrum antidote but thates with its own risks,"

    "Can''t we just test the cheese?" Axe asks..

    "Yes, if you still have some then get it down to theb," Dot nods.

    "I''ll take it," Deacon says, striding to the kitchen and bagging up my precious cheese.

    "We will get you some more, Baby," Theo tells me, obviously noticing my disappointment.

    "Let''s go," Mason says, leaning down and scooping me into his arms.

    "I can walk," I protest. Which he ignores.

    An hourter I''m in the infirmary, surrounded by four of my bonds, Dot and Art. Deacon hadn''t returned after he''d taken the cheese to theb. He''s busy trying to organise a food delivery to feed the whole academy and overseeing the testing in the academy kitchen. I miss him and I''m sad he''s about to miss the ultrasound. Theo holds my hand as Art squirts the cold jelly onto my stomach, and then he brings the wand to my skin.

    "Let''s take a peek at this little one," Art smiles before focussing on the screen. He is silent whilst he checks measurements and then he turns the screen towards us. Revealing the little bean to us. "A perfectly healthy baby," he smiles.

    "Oh look at that," Theo gasps.

    "Perfect,¡± Mason breathes and I look up at him. His eyes are focused on the screen and his expression is unreadable but he can''t contain the emotions that are slipping past his shields. Joy, excitment, pride and love. I almost giggle at the thought that Mason is seeing his child in the very same room we created them in and I want to mention it but I decide it''s not appropriate with Dot and Art present.

    "I can''t wait to be an auntie," Dot says excitedly.

    "Do you want to know the gender?" Art asks. I look at my bonds for their reaction and they all look back at me in question

    "I do want to know, but I don''t think it''s right to find out without Deacon here," I tell them.

    "You''re right, let''s wait," Axel nods.

    "Actually, there''s something that happens in the human realm that we could do. I''m not sure if you have them here though," I say as I look back at my little bean wiggling around on the screen.

    "What is it?" Theo asks.

    "A gender reveal party,"

    "I''m in, how do we do it?" Theo responds quickly.

    "Well, we would need Art to write down the gender and seal it in an envelope so none of us can see it," I say.

    "I can do that," he smiles.

    Mason records a video of the little bean on his phone before the ultrasound finishes and then Art leaves to check

    on another patient. Whilst we wait for my blood results toe back I exin the rest of the party, and ideas on how the reveal can happen, by the time I''m done Theo and Dot are almost bouncing off of the walls with excitement.

    "Do you think it''s possible to bring Freya here? I''d hate for her to miss it," I ask nervously.

    "Technically it''s not allowed but things are different now. Im sure D will sneak her in for a while, don''t worry, we will work it out and make sure she doesn''t miss out," Like says and I realise it''s the first time he''s spoken in a while. I smile at him, d to see some colour back on his face, he had me worried earlier.

    I wish there was some way to have my mum here too but I can''t think of any possible way for that to happen.

    "Good news, the results came back and your blood is clear," Art says as enters the room.

    Mason blows out a breath and everyone else makes various sounds of relief at the news.

    "I''m happy for you to leave," Art adds andes over to my bedside, handing me the envelope containing the baby''s gender.

    "Thank you, for everything," I smile.

    "Let''s go find our girl some safe cheese," Theo announces and helps me out of the bed just as his, Mason''s and Dot''s phones ding with an academy announcement.

    "Oh, now what?" Theo groans as we all wait for someone to read out the message.

    Author

    N.O Darling Aut

    Thank you for the lovely reviews that I have received over thest few days! You have no idea how happy it makes me to read them and see that people are enjoying my character''s stories.

    10 03

 Chapter 0188

    Ch

    **Josie''s POV **

    "Food is being served in the dining hall," Dot says as she checks the message filling us all with relief. I don''t think any of us can handle another crisis right now.

    "Oh good, I''m starving." I grin.

    "Are you sure you want to face everyone? There''s been some crazy rumours flying around since you disappeared," Theo says nervously.

    ¡°She should let them see her, that will put an end to most of the rumours, besides, the gossip mill has been more focused on you and Mace since you put on your little show, Dotughs.

    "What show?" I ask, intrigued.

    "Oh, they didn''t tell you?" she asks.

    "Dot," Mason warns.

    "What? She''s going to hear it anyway. It''s all everyone has been talking about. Mason was quite the hero. Some of the students were talking shit about Theo, so Mason turns around, grabs him and kisses him in front of the whole dining hall. It was amazing!" sheughs.

    "I''m sorry I missed that," I grin and look at Theo. He smiles at the memory and I am kind of devastated I missed such a big moment for them both.

    "I''m proud of you," I tell Mason privately through the ming link and he doesn''t respond but I see a slight twitch of a smile on his lips.

    "I wish I''d have been there to see their faces," Luke says, getting an arm around Theo''s shoulder.

    "They only gossip because they''re jealous. I''ve been watching and listening to them since I started this Academy. Whenever someone seems to be doing well it''s as if they see it as a threat to their reputation and they need to try and drag people back down. It''s pathetic. You''d think at this age they''d know better," Axel says with a sigh.

    "You''re right. I''m all for some juicy gossip, but it''s the fabricated stories I can''t stand," Dot responds as we make our way towards the dining hall.

    We see our first group of students and they look at me in surprise before shing friendly smiles, which I return. They don''t seem like the gossiping type and I feel a little more confident. At least not everyone here hates me. The next students we see are a mixed bag, some friendly, some uncaring and some intrigued. We almost make it all the way to the dining hall before we encounter our first gossip whores.

    "Oh my gosh, she''s back and she''s pregnant. I told you she was banging Mr Collins," I hear one whisper, loudly.

    "Nah, a man like him would reject a bond with the likes of her. She''s not even a real Grey. I bet she''s been screwing humans whilst she was away," another responds

    We all ignore the chatter but my guys close in around me, Theo slips his hand into mine and squeezes it. Lukees to my other side, taking my hand and I feel Axel''s presencee up behind me as Mason positions himself in front, mostly shielding me from view.

    "Where are you?" I ask Deacon through the mind link as my nerves begin to get the better of me. We hadn''t had a chance to discuss how we would act at the academy. I understand he might need to keep a professional front in front of the other students, even though I want them all to know he is mine.

    "Kitchen, where are you? Mason said your bloodwork came back clear, that''s a huge relief," he responds quickly.

    "Yes, the cheese was fine. We are on our way to the dining hall, I need to eat. I miss you,"

    "I miss you too. I''m happy to be home but I already miss having so much free time

    to be with you when we were trapped in the human realm," he admits.

    "I feel the same. You''ll be spending the night at the apartment with us won''t you?"

    "I''m

    not sure. We will discuss itter. Make sure you eat enough, you''ve barely eaten today and Little Bean needs you strong, headmasters orders,"

    "Yes, Sir," I tell him before closing down the connection. I don''t want him to feel how disappointed I am that he didn''t quickly agree he would be spending the night with our group. He has enough pressure on his shoulders without a needy bond adding to his stress too.

    The smell of food hits me and my stomach rumbles angrily. It''s been far too long since I ate anything substantial and my body is definitely suffering for it. More chattering sounds out as we enter the dining hall and I do my best to block it out.

    We join the queue for food and Mason pulls me in close to him, keeping an arm around my waist. I know this is more about his overriding urge to protect me and his child but I can''t help the thrill of excitement and pride at this public disy of affection. He''se so far in thest weeks.

 Chapter 0189

    "Look at them, pretending they''re not bothered that someone outside of their bond group knocked her up. How pathetic. I''d reject her and the sprog if that was me, there''s no way I''d be able to bring up a bastard child," thear someone say and I recognise the voice. It''s the same guy that had tried to shame me on my first day here, Matt I think his name was. Mason releases me, Theo quickly stepping in to take his ce.

    "Call my child a bastard again. I fucking dare you," Masonrowls with fury and I turn to see Matt fighting to breathe as Mason has his throat in a telekic grip. A wet patch spreads down the leg of Matt''s pants and a few peopleugh. Mason releases his grip with a disgusted sneer. Hissed whispers begin to spread across the hall and I spot Deacon striding towards us, anger written all over his face. He''s so damn hot.

    "What the hell is going on here?" Deacon demands and the room descends into a tense silence.

    "This piece of shit called my niece or nephew a bastard child and said the bond group should reject them both,¡± Dot spits with revulsion. Deacon''s eyes go wide and he looks down at Matt.

    "You know I can''t figure out if you have a death wish or are just incredibly stupid," Deacon says.

    "He assaulted me, and he used his gift against me," Matt whines, pointing a shaky finger at Mason.

    "Whilst that is against the academy rules I think his actions were warranted, in fact, I am impressed he kept so much control. Consider yourself lucky that the whole bond group didn''t react. Pack up your belongings, you are suspended for a week. I''ll call your parents to collect you," Deacon chatsises.

    "You can''t do that!" Anna, Matt''s bond wails.

    "I can, and I did," Deacon dismisses.

    "So you take the side of that whore and her misfit bonds over us? That''s unfair," Anna shouts jabbing a finger in my direction

    "You are also suspended, Miss Earl, and if you ever insult my bond or our group again I will make it permanent!" D says in a low, angered tone and gasps sound out around the hall. "That goes for anyone else too. The rumours and the disrespect stop now. My bond group are to be treated with the same respect you show me. You are all adults and it''s about time you acted like it. You are all aware that the Spark bond has been activated and should understand what that means. Now is a time to unite, not tear each other apart with vile words. I suggest you all have your dinner and spend the evening working on your attitudes," Deacon addresses the room and my heart swells with love for him. A few students p and shout out their congrattions to Deacon before the chatter starts up again and students go back to their dinners.

    "Pack up your belongings and get out of my sight," Deacon says as Anna helps Matt up off of the floor and they rush out of the dining hall with their heads hanging low.

    "Well, I guess the cats out of the bag now," Theo whispers in amusement.

    Deacon strides towards me and brushes the hair from my face. "Are you okay?" he asks, his eyes searching mine.

    "I''m fine," I smile reassuringly.

    He looks between our group and then around the hall as if making a decision. "Screw it, let''s get out of here," he sighs and takes my hand.

    "Where are we going?" I ask as he leads me out of the hall, my other four bonds following closely behind.

    "Home, I''ll have food delivered," he says,ing to a stop once we are out of the main hall. The guys huddle in and Deacon ports us out. I expect to arrive at the apartment but when the pool of Deacon''s mansiones into view I realise what he meant. His home.

    "Are we staying at your ce tonight?" I ask.

    "Josie, this is our ce, not mine. I know you like the apartinent but it''s D

    ce to raise a child. Do you want to see your bedroom?" he grins.

    "I have a bedroom already?" I raise my brows.

    this is

    not big enough and this is a much better

    "Of course, I started having it decorated and furnished the same day I met you,"

    "Do I have a bedroom too?" Theo asks.

    1000

    "Yes, Theo, you all have a bedroom. We are a group and we will live like one," he says and leads me into the massive, absolutely stunning house of my dreams. My house.

 Chapter 0190

    **Josie''s POV**

    The evening is spent exploring the house and our new rooms. My bedroom is huge and the bed is even bigger than the one at the apartment, which I didn''t even think was possible. It''s decorated in warm beige tones and feels fresh and peaceful with green nts scattered around and a swing chair that hangs on a rope from the ceiling. There is a bookshelf stocked with books of every genre and arge tv on the wall. It''s perfect. The bus rooms are a little smaller but each room is decorated to suit their individual personalities and interests. Deacon has put so much effort into this and I could cry with happiness. Pizza is delivered to the house and we watch a movie. It feels so good to be surrounded by all of my bonds, rxing andughing. This is exactly the life I want. This is the life that I want my children to grow up in. A solid, family unit and we are so close to achieving it. We just have one huge hurdle to deal with first. We just need to defeat a rogue faction of Greys and all their followers, repair the damage they''ve caused to the human realm and save the world before the baby arrives. No big deal, right?

    I wake up the next morning after the best night''s sleep in my huge,fortable bed, surrounded by all five of my bonds. I wish I could stay here and enjoy the moment but my dder has other ideas. I climb over the pile of bodies and creep silently into the bathroom, deciding to wash and test out my new shower while I''m in there. When I return Deacon is gone and Axel is sitting up in the bed whilst the others still sleep.

    ''Good morning, Beauty," he smiles sleepily.

    "Good morning handsome," I smile back, moving to straddle hisp and cuddle him.

    "How are you both feeling this morning?" he asks, his hands moving to my bump. "Good, happy," I tell him honestly.

    "Good. Deacon had a call. It sounded important," he sighs.

    "Now what?" I groan. Why can''t we have a single day of peace? Perhaps it''s because we are the Spark bond, destined to save the world. But what if I don''t want to be a part of this? Is there an opt-out option that doesn''t mean rejecting my bonds? If there were, would I take it? I think of the human realm and the people I love there, all the innocent lives that depend on us for their future. I couldn''t just sit back and abandon them for such selfish reasons. So no, even if I could ignore what I''m destined to do I wouldn''t. Besides, with these five men by my side. we can do this and get home in time to have a baby, because together we can do anything.

    "Let''s go and find out," he says, scooting to the end of the bed and standing up with me still wrapped around him. He carries me downstairs where Deacon has started cooking breakfast in the kitchen. His shoulders look tense as he works.

    "Is everything okay?" I ask when he doesn''t turn to acknowledge us. He sucks in a breath before turning to face us.

    "They found poison in the salt. If Molly hadn''t been caught in the kitchen the whole academy would likely be dead. We are unable to locate Molly and I''ve just had to close the academy. All students have been ordered to go home," he says and he looks like he''s about to vomit.

    "Hey, this is a good thing. She was stopped," I try to soothe wriggling out of Axel''s hold and wrapping my anns around Deacon. He rests his head on top of mine and inhales deeply, taking in my scent.

    "I know, but I can''t stop thinking of how close a call that was. If we had done one single thing differently we''d never have known, we''d probably all be dead. I also can''t work out Molly''s goal. I mean it''s clear she was working with the rogues, but at the time she didn''t know the portals had been repaired, for all she knew she was stuck here. Why would she still attempt such a thing?" he shakes his head in frustration.

    Chanter OTH

    "Maybe she knew she wasn''t stuck here. The rogues could know about," Axel offers

    "There''s something else," Deacon looks down at me nervo

    "What is it?"

    "I''ve had Coner detained. I don''t think he is involved but 1

    Chaos 0190.

    "Maybe she knew she wasn''t stuck here. The rogues could have had a way to

    port between realms that we didn''t know about," Axel offers.

    "There''s something else," Deacon looks down at me nervously.

    "What is it?"

    "I''ve had Coner detained. I don''t think he is involved but I can''t take the chance," he admits.

 Chapter 0191

    My heart skips a beat, concern for Coner and Sunny. It must have been scary for them, especially so out of the blue like this.

    "I understand, It''s better to overreact to this than underreact," I nod.

    "I''m d you agree, I thought you may be upset with me, given your history and what he''s already been through. He is being brought here. I am going topel him again to double-check that I didn''t miss anything because I clearly did with Molly," Deacon lowers his head.

    "Don''t you dare put any of the me for this on your own shoulders, you''ve done everything you can to protect the academy,"

    "I should have done more. I should have been more focused If I hadn''t put so much energy into fighting my pull towards you then I might not have missed Molly''s deception,"

    "Forget all that, what matters is she was found out before any real damage was done. Now what can we do to help?" I say.

    "What would really help right now would be to have you sprawled out naked beneath me so I can forget all my

    my ass beneath my towel, "but we don''t have time for all the things I want to do to you right now. I need you to eat and get dressed before they arrive with Coner," he sighs.

    responsibilities for a moment and get lost in the feel of you," he hums, his hand moving around to sq

    "How about apromise then," I smirk, and move my hands to the front of his trousers, unfastening them." Let''s call it a starter, then you can have the main course once we have dealt with Coner," I purr before dropping to my knees in front of him and looking up at him suggestively.

    "Josie," he groans as I release his erection from his pants. We don''t have time, you need to eat," he adds but makes no move to physically stop me.

    "Then you''d better feed me," I whisper before sucking his tip into my mouth and causing him to suck in a sharp breath. Need pulses between my legs and Axel is quick to react.

    "Spread your legs a little for me, Beauty," Axels whispers in my ear. I oblige, desperate for his touch. I let out a startled hum around Deacon''s cock when Axel''s fingers immediately find my clit. He reaches his other hand around and untucks my towel, pulling it from me and tossing it to the side so he has full ess to my breasts.

    "Well good fucking morning," Theo''s voicees from the kitchen door, he sounds slightly out of breath. "When I tell you I ran when your desire woke me up, I mean I''m lucky to have even made it. I''m sure I was halfway down the stairs before I even opened my eyes,"

    "Theo, please stop talking," Deacon groans as I suck him deeper.

    "Yep, stopping, just watching, and fuck it''s so damn hot," Theo breathes.

    Axel works me up into such a frenzy that I can barely think straight. Deacon takes pity on me and brings a hand to the back of my head, holding me in ce whilst he thrusts his hips, gliding his length in and out of my mouth. His other hand grips the base of his shaft, giving me a wonderful view of the strong forearm that always gives me dirty thoughts. An orgasm crashes through me and my cries are muffled by the cock fucking my mouth.

    "Such a good fucking girl," Deacon praises right before he spills his hot seed into my mouth and I drink him down, not wanting to waste a single drop.

    "Damn, Baby Girl," Theo groans.

    "Take her upstairs and don''t bring her back down until she has been fully rewarded," Deacon says as Axel scoops.

    me up.

    "Yes, Sir," Theo says with a salute as we pass and then follows us up to the bedroom where Mason and Luke are waiting. Mason is fresh out of the shower, a towel slung low on his hips and water droplets glistening over his tattooed chest. Luke kneels up on the bed and his toned body catches my attention, he could be an underwear model with a body like that. Axel ces me on the bed in front of Luke and then the four of them seem to stalk closer. Four sets of eyes roam over me hungrily like four predators closing in on their prey, and I know these men are about to take me to heaven.

    N.O Darling Author

    I will be taking a few days off to spend time with my family over christmas. I hope

    all those that celebrate it have a wonderful Christmas! ?

    13

 Chapter 0192

    **Josie''s POV**

    Yesterday Deacon had cleared Coner of all suspicion, which brought a huge wave of relief for everyone, especially Sunny. I didn''t get the chance to see Coner whilst he was here, as I was too busy being distracted by my men in the most pleasurable way. The afternoon that followed had bee promising, filled with brainstorming sessions to tackle the issues in the human realm. We''re gearing up for straightforward n, find Cornelius, arrest him, and bring him back here where he can be locked away for good. With him out of the way, rounding up the remaining rogues should be more manageable, allowing our human rtions team to step in and work on re-establishing a new treaty with the leaders of the human world. I discovered that these leaders have known about our existence for centuries, and we had an agreement that we would not cause harm and would assist them in times of need. Unfortunately, that pact had been shattered by the rogue faction, but Deacon still holds onto hope that we can repair the damage and establish a new, adapted treaty with them.

    Today, we are heading back to our cottage in the human realm to gather our belongings and check on Freya, who must be going insane with worry. We''re all going together, ust in case we encounter any unexpected challenges and somehow get stuck there. We are not leaving anything to chance. The uncertainty of what lies ahead is palpable, and I can''t shake the feeling that a key moment is approaching for all of us.

    The moment we arrive I rush to the bedroom in search of my phone, which is still plugged into the charger on the bedside table. I don''t miss the fact that I had ported without the after-effects of nausea again. I hope that means I''m finally getting used to it because that feeling sucks ass and I certainly won''t miss it.

    "I''ll make you some of that awful tea," Luke calls as I sit on the bed checking the messages I''d missed from Freya. Theo sits next to me, whilst Mason and Axel stand near the door. I can already hear Deacon making calls to his human contacts.

    "Thank you," I shout back to Luke, not especially looking forward to the taste of it but after the amount of vomiting I''d suffered this morning I wee the relief it might provide.

    I call Freya and she answers almost immediately.

    "Bitch, I swear there better be a damn good reason you have been ghosting me for over 24 hours, and being dicknotised doesn''t count!" she shouts into the phone making meugh.

    "Sorry, long story," I breathe.

    "Dicknotised? I like it," Theoughs.

    "Who said that?" Freya demands.

    "That was Theo," I grin.

    "Shut the front door!" she gasps, "They made it through? When did this happen?"

    I quickly exin what had happened and how we had been reunited and Freya listens intently.

    "This is great news! So are you all here to kick Cornelius McCreepy''s ass?" she asks excitedly.

    "Not quite, but we have been nning. We are here to pick up some stuff and to see you. Deacon has some business to deal with whilst we are here, including acquiring some tech to reconnect our realm with yours. If you are free Luke cane to pick you up," I say hopefully.

    ''Sure, but I need to be back by 7 as I''m working ate shift. Have him pick me up at the usual spot in 20 minutes," she agrees before ending the call.

    1 pass the time sipping the terrible tea whilst showing Masen and Theo around what had been my home for part of the time we had been separated. Luke arrives with Freya and once the nausea passes and she is able to focus she stares open-mouthed at Theo and Mason. I pull her into a hug

    "How is this even fair? There''s not even one slightly ugly one. When you said they were hot too I thought you must be looking through rose-tinted sses because there''s no way you not only have 5 boyfriends but all of them look like they walked out of the beautiful men section of the Cosmo mag! It''s a good job they''re all taken because otherwise, I think I''d turn straight after an hour in room with these 5. No wonder you got pregnant, your ovaries have been going into overdrive surrounded by these men!" she whispers as we hug

    "What are rose-tinted sses and Cosmo?" Theo asks and Freya stiffens.

    "You''ve really got to stopplimenting us so loudly," Lukeughs, making Axel chuckle too.

    "Shit, sorry, I forgot about the super hearing," she cringes as she releases me. She sters a smile on her face before she moves around me to greet Theo and Mason.

    "Rose-tinted sses is an analogy for someone seeing a person differently because they''re in love with them. Cosmo is a magazine full of beautiful people. Sorry, you heard that. It''s nice to finally meet you," she smiles. Theo holds out a hand to shake and she takes it, "I''m Theo, thank you for taking care of our girl when we couldn''t. I see now how she was able to get through those first weeks" hepliments.

    "No need to thank me, I''ll always be here for her and now the little bean too," Freya tells him before shifting her attention to Mason, who looks slightly amused.

    "I guess you must be Mason then? And it''s you I need to thank for making me an Auntie," she raises a brow at him. His eyes flick to my stomach before looking back at Freya with a small nod.

    "Yes," he confirms.

    "Was he this chatty the first time you met him?" Freya jokes, turning to look at

    me.

    ¡°Erm, our first meeting was... Intense,¡± I struggle to find the words to exin the first time I''d met him that won''t result in Freya attempting to kick him in the balls.

    "Oh, like one of those i***a-love moments?" she asks.

    ¡°Sparks were certainly flying that day,¡± Theoughs. ¡°Can you show me these videos of Cornelius and the counter video you directed?" he asks, quickly changing the subject.

    Freya talks excitedly with Theo about all the support our video has gotten as they walk towards the kitchen with Axel and Luke. Mason wraps his fingers around my wrist, stopping me from following them.

    "Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" he asks, his voice low. I nod and allow him to lead me to the bedroom, slightly nervous about what he''s going to say.

 Chapter 0193

    Josie''s POV**

    Mason closes the bedroom door behind him, closing me in the room with him. His eyes seem to focus on anything but me as he gathers the courage to say

    whatever it is he wants to talk to me about.

    "What''s wrong?" I ask, trying to encourage him to speak.

    "Nothing. Everything," he sighs.

    "Okay, have I done something wrong?" I ask.

    ¡°No, of course not, I have," he admits and dread begins to build within me.

    "What have you done?"

    "Everything. When ites to you I have done everything wrong, from the very start," he lowers his gaze to the floor and my heart aches for him.

    "No, you haven''t," I step up to him and ce a hand on his cheek, encouraging him to look at me, when his eyes meet mine I see his pain and regret shining through, "We may not have been perfect but I wouldn''t change a single thing about us. Things would have been different if we had and we might not have made it this far. Everything happened exactly how it was supposed to," I smile at him.

    Mason closes his eyes for a moment and brings his hand up to wrap around my wrist, he guides my hand to his mouth and kisses my palm before opening his eyes again.

    "I don''t deserve you," he whispers, his voice thick with emotion.

    "Yes, you do. We deserve each other. I love you, Mason," I tell him.

    "I''m thest person you should give your love to, and if I was a good man I''d tell you to run from me, but when ites to you I''m selfish and will take everything you have to give," he breathes.

    "Good, because I have a lot to give," I smile.

    ¡°There are some things I want to fix, though," he says and straightens up. ¡°Hi, I''m Mason Marshall," he holds out a hand to shake. I look down at his offered hand and grin before I take it in my own and shake it.

    "Hi, Mason, I''m Josie Banks, it''s nice to meet you," Iugh

    Mason wraps his arms around me and kisses me like it''s our first, he''s tender and shy and I realise he''s trying to recreate all our firsts. I love him even more for that, not that I''d want to forget a single second of my time with him, the good, the bad, and the ugly. It all mattered to me, it''s all a part of our story.

    "We should probably wait until your friend leaves before I fix the next part," he smirks, his eyes ncing towards the bed.

    "That''s probably a good idea, but I''m already looking forward to it," I breathe as desire pools in my core.

    "Hey, enough of that!" Theo shouts from the other room. "Seriously though, we don''t need awkward boners whilst we are with your friend," he adds in the mind link and I giggle.

    "Sorry," I respond to him.

    We should get back to the others," Mason says with a resigned sigh.

    "Later then?" I ask.

    "Later," he nods before giving me one more kiss, a kiss so passionate that it paints a sexual picture in my mind. We join the others in the kitchen and Deacon greets me with a smile as he holds out a te of cubed cheese.

    "I don''t think I''ve told you enough how much I love you," smile at him.

    ¡°I love you too, troublemaker,¡± he leans down and kisses my cheek, ¡°I need to meet with a few people and pick up the tech, I''ll be back as soon as I can,"

    "Be safe, if you need us then call," I tell him before he leaves.

    "Okay, team, what''s next? Tell me the battle n," Freya says as she sips her coffee.

    We fill her in on our strategy to try and capture Cornellus. We just need to find a way to get to him.

    "I might be able to help with that," she grins and pulls out her phone to show us an announcement, "He is holding a meet and greet two days from now. The location will only be announced on the day but we can assume he''ll have security, if we can find a way around them then you can get to him,"

    "Two days? If we can pull this off we should be home and free to live our lives by the end of the week," Luke says excitedly.

    "But how are we going to get to him?" I ask

    "With an army," Axel says.

    "I think they might notice us arriving if we bring an army," Theo hums.

    "It doesn''t matter, they''ll notice us whether we bring an army or not," Mason sighs.

    ¡°So what? We just mass port in? They''ll probably be prepared for that,¡± I say.

    "They''ll most likely have a shield up." Axe adds.

    "Not likely, shields are very rare, and the chances of them having more than one are very slim. rrisa was likely their only one and we don''t have to worry about her anymore. Unless there is a chance she survived?" Luke raises his brow at

    me.

    "No," I shake my head, "they were both dead, I made sure of it," I nce towards Mason and his fists are clenched.

    "Okay, I don''t understand half of what you said but let''s just pretend I did. So two days from now you will bring an army, kick Cornelius back to his own realm and everything will go back to normal?" Freya asks hopefully.

    "You make it sound so simple but yes, although there will be a new normal, Cornelius has outed us, we can''t take

    that back but we can work out a peaceful solution to coexisting," Luke nodsnelius has outed us, we can''t take

    "We need to run this by Deacon and then take it to the miltary. We will need their input on the nning but I think it''s doable," Axel says.

    "Is anyone else excited about this?" Theo grins and we all nod. Maybe we really are suited to this life. Or maybe it''s just the prospect of all this being over for good.

 Chapter 0194

    Mason''s POV

    Josie talks with her friend and she looks so carefree as they augh and make jokes and talk of things and people I don''t understand. I can tell by Theo''s face he doesn''t understand either and I''m sure Axel and Luke are struggling too. They begin to discuss gender reveal party ns and Jose hands Freya the sealed envelope that contains our baby''s gender.

    I pull all the guys into a mind link, barring Deacon as I know he''s busy.

    "I need some help," I tell them. They all cast nces my way, subtly letting me know they''re listening.

    "What''s up? Theo responds.

    "I need some alone time with Josie, and I want to make it special, like I should have from the start," I say, feeling a little vunerableing to them with this but I''m so lost when ites to romance and treating Josie how she deserves. "Are we talking about a date or just in the bedroom?" Luke asks.

    "I''m not sure, what would a date look like?" I ask.

    "Probably a fancy meal, good conversation, nice music, possibly dancing," Axel says.

    "No to the dancing, I don''t dance, and considering she''s almost eaten her own body weight in cheese and fruit in thest hour I doubt she wants a meal. Plus conversation is not my strong point either,"

    "Okay, let''s stick to the bedroom then. There are candles in the top drawer. Spread them around the room and light them all," Luke instructs.

    IL

    ''And don''t boss her around, or call her whore," Theo adds.

    "But she likes it," I frown.

    "She does, but if you want to make this romantic you need to use sweet words and gestures," Axel says.

    "Like what?" I ask.

    "Call her Beautiful, or Baby," Theo suggests but neither of those worse feels right.

    "I call her Goddess or Sweetness," Luke adds but I dismiss his words too and look at Axel.

    "I call her Beauty," he shrugs, "look at her and say what you think,"

    I do as he says and look at Josie whilst she throws her head back andughs at something Freya said. A feeling of possessiveness floods me.

    "Mine" I admit.

    "I mean, it''s not quite what we mean but it''s better than whore," Theo says with amusement.

    "Forget the words, let''s focus on the actions. You need to make it solely about her and her pleasure," Axel says.

    "Yes, you need to worship her body. Make her feel like the Goddess she is. Show her how amazing you think she is," Luke adds.

    "Just remember, if you start to feel ufortable with any of it then just be yourself, she loves you, Mace,

    exactly how you are. She doesn''t need you to change," The says and I feel the pressure lighten. I want to try to give her sweet and gentle, but if I can''t then she won''t hate me for it, she has already epted me for who I am. I ain almost tempted to ask Theo to join us, he makes a good buffer and can give her the words that Ick, but this should be about me and her, that is what will make this special.

    Whilst Josle says goodbye to her friend I slip into the bedroom to set it up. I find the candles and set them up on every avable surface that won''t get in our way, I light them and draw the curtains so the room is bathed in the warm flickering glow of the small mes. I take Luke''s phone from my pocket and press y on the ylist he''d shown me before setting the phone down on the bedside table. Then I sit on the bed and wait for Theo to send Josie in. Thirty seconds pass and 1 start to question this while n. Can I really pull this off? Can I be gentle? Should I take my clothes off? Or maybe just my shirt? My and reels with questions until I finally convince myself this is a bad idea, I stand up to blow out the candles when the door opens.

    Josie''s face glows in the soft light and she looks surprised as she takes in the

    scene.

    "You did all this for me?" she asks her eyes fluttering to me with a watery gaze. I nod, unable to speak and feeling awkward as hell but when she smiles at me all my doubts wash away. I move towards her, desperate to kiss those smiling lips and she meets me halfway. I pull her in close, capturing her chin possessively before branding my lips to hers. She tastes sweet, like the fruit she''d been eating and I deepen the kiss as my hands explore her body. I''m quickly realising I find nothing more satisfying than seeing and feeling her swollen with my child. I break the kiss to pull off her clothes, I need to see her, to see the changes I''ve made to her beautiful body.

    Once she is fully naked before me I step back to admire her. She watches me, those pretty blue eyes growing with intensity and transforming into a heated gaze until she moves in close. She grabs the hem of my T-shirt and pulls it up over my head before roaming her hands over my chest and down to my belt buckle. I lean down and kiss her again whilst she unfastened it, I don''t break the kiss until she has my jeans unfastened.

    "Get on the bed," I demand, "please," I quickly add, remembering Theo''s advice to not boss her around. Her eyes widen a little before she smiles and moves to the bed. I kick off my shoes, push down my jeans and pull off my socks before following her. Sheys on the bed her hair fanning about around her and she looks like an angel in the soft light.

    "Spread your legs for me, My Angel," I whisper, testing out the nickname, and the way her eyes light up makes me sure I picked a good one. She moves her legs and reveals her glistening pussy to me. She''s already so wet and I have to take a moment to calm myself, I want to im her, make her scream as I m my aching cock into her, but that''s not sweet or gentle. Instead, I crawl up the bed, holding myself above her and making sure to keep my weight off her stomach. I kiss her softly before trailing my kisses along her jawline and down her neck until I reach her swollen breasts. I flick her pebbled nipple with my tongue before sucking the rosy bud into my mouth making her gasp.

    N.O Darling Author

    I can''t believe we are at 150 chapters already! The next chapter will be up very soon!

 Chapter 0195

    **Josie''s POV**

    Just when I think Mason can''t surprise me anymore he shows me this gentle side of him that makes me melt for him. The room is lit by the warm glow of candles and sensual music ys softly in the background. Who knew he could be so tender and attentive? Don''t get me wrong, I adore his flerce and demanding side, it drives me wild, but this side of him is wee too. He takes his time exploring my body and winding me up to new heights. I ache for him. I need him more than I need my next breath, so by the time his tongue finds my clit I almost scream the cottage down.

    "I think I could easily be addicted to the taste of you, he breathes as he rises to his knees. He licks his lips and I almost orgasm again at the sight of him. His gaze moves to my bump and his eyes soften. He reaches out a hand and trails his fingers over the stretched skin. "You look so beautiful like this," he whispers so quietly that I''m not sure he meant for me to hear it.

    "I need you inside me, Mason," I whine, desperate to connect with him fully. He smirks at me before fisting his cock.

    ¡°Such a greedy little... Angel,¡± he smiles before positioning himself between my legs. He braces his weight over me and his intense eyes stare into mine as he slowly breaches my entrance.

    ?

    "Yes," I breathe at the pure ecstasy ofing together. Mason lets out a breath as I stretch to amodate him, and then he gently begins to thrust his hips in a slow rythm He captures my lips with his own, kissing me passionately as he gently coaxes another orgasm from me. It''s not the Intense rse it usually is with him, more of a slow simmer that gently bubbles over into a rxed bliss. I can sense how much he is struggling to hold himself back and appreciate his efforts but now I need more from him.

    "Fuck me, Mason," I demand.

    1

    "With pleasure," he groans as he withdraws from me. "On your hands and knees for me, I don''t to hurt the little one," he says, getting up to stand beside the bed.

    I roll onto my front and push up onto all fours eagarly. I feel him move in close and expect to feel his cock but when his tongue begins top at my pussy I gasp in delight. He licks and sucks until I detonate, then his cock slides into me before I have a chance to recover. He thrusts hard and fast, my orgasm rolling straight into another, more intense release. I feel as though I shatter into a million pieces around him, floating on a cloud of bliss as he lets out an earth-shattering roar and follows me to oblivion

    Mason copses onto his side on the bed beside me and pulls me down against him so my back is pressed against his chest. Our hearts pound in tandem as we both catch our breath. His hand moves to my baby bump, stroking it gently as we float back down to earth. I''m not sure how long wey there, listening to the music in contented silence before Mason finally speaks.

    "We should probably shower, I''m sure the guys are getting impatient to get home," he sighs. I hum in agreement. He scoots out of the bed and I roll onto my back, not quite ready to move. I watch as he walks into the ensuite, he really is stunning from all angles. I hear the water turn on and then hees back to the bed, gloriously naked and looking down at me expectently.

    "You can''t shower from the bed," he smirks.

    "Little Bean is not ready for me to get up yet," I say, resting a hand on my stomach.

    "Oh, so our little one is calling the shots already huh?" he raises a brow and I nod, doing my best innocent face. Mason kneels on the floor beside the bed and brings his lips to my bump and kisses it. He seems to have no

    qualms about showing affection when ites to Little Bean and I love that. "Hi. I''m your Daddy. Please can you let your Mummy get up, she needs to shower? Then I''ll feel her some cheese,¡± he whispers, talking to his child for the first time and my eyes well with emotion.

    Mason lifts me in his arms, carrying me bridal style to the bathroom before gently lowering me to my feet and guiding me to the shower. He helps me wash before he washes himself and then he dries me off. He gathers up my clothes that are scattered across the room and lets me dress myself whilst he dresses. We blow out the candles and Mason switches off the music before taking my hand in his and walking out to find the rest of my guys. Things feel different between us as if we have unlocked a new level in our rtionship. I''m proud of how far we havee since that first meeting and everything we have been through since.

    We find the guys in the kitchen, deep in discussion about ambushing Cornelius. Deacon is back and is taking charge of the ns, as expected. I often forget he is a trained warrior and has good miltary knowledge. Theo''s eyes meet mine across the room and he gives me a wink and a knowing grin. The guys stop talking to greet us, before catching us up on their ns so far. When we get hothe Deacon is going to arrange an urgent meeting with the militarymander whilst Luke installs the new tech to reconnect our realm to the human realm Inte. We quickly pack up everything we need here, including the awful tea, before we port back to our new home. The next time we travel to the human realm will probably be to face Cornelius. A thought that equally!

    fills me with

    excitement and nerves.

 Chapter 0196

    **Deacon''s POV**

    I deliver my bond group back home and fight off the urge to stay with them. I have so much to do when what I really want is to scoop Josie up and take her up to bed then watch her fall apart as all five of us show her exactly how much we love her. I hand Luke the tech he needs to gets reconnected to the inte and he kisses

    Josie before porting to meet with ourmunications engineers I pull Josie to me next, giving myself a moment to just enjoy the feel of her in my arms.

    "I''ve missed you today," 1 tell her.

    "I''ve missed you too," she sighs contentedly.

    "I''ll be back as soon as I can," I say before kissing her.

    "I''ll make us dinner, we can eat together before bed," she smiles up at me.

    "That will be nice. There should be fresh groceries stocked I nod and kiss her once more before porting to my office at the academy.

    The academy is eerily quiet now that all the students have left. I don''t like it. I flick on the smallmp on my desk and pick up my phone, dialling the contact number I have for the militarymander''s o

    office.

    The phone is answered by one of the sergeants and I quickly exin the situation. The sergeant agrees to request an urgent meeting for tomorrow morning with all the relevant parties and promises to call me back within the hour with a meeting time and ce. I put down the phone and lean back in my chair with a sigh. I can''t wait for all this to be over.

    I look around my office and begin mentally nning a remodel. I need to make enough space in here for Little Bean. He or she can spend time in my office whilst the others attend their sses. Josie cane here to feed between her sses and my mum can probably help out with childcare once Bean is up and about. It shouldn''t be long after that until Mason finishes his time as a student and then he can take over from my mum. Between us all, we shouldn''t need to outsource any childcare. A sh of light out of my window catches my attention and I quickly turn off mymp. I watch out the window for any sign of movement, it could be security doing a patrol but they usually work in pairs and I''d only seen one light. The light ashes again. It''sing from inside one of the sciencebs. Some of the tutors had stayed behind as they live on campus but I doubt they''d be in theb at this time, and if they were they''d turn on a light, not try to navigate with a torch.

    I port straight to theb and grin when I realise who it is creeping around in here. Moving silently I sneak up behind Molly and take a firm grip on her arm before she even realises I''m here. She yelps in surprise and turns her head to face me with wide, fearful eyes.

    "Do exactly as I say," Ipel before she has a chance to protest. The fear remains in her eyes as she nods at me with resignation. "What are you doing here?" I demand, letting mypulsion giftce my words.

    "Making a cocktail to put in the water supply," she admits.

    "Interesting. Have you poisoned anything apart from the salt?" I ask.

    "Not yet," she shakes her head.

    "Who asked you to poison us?"

    "My father," she sighs.

    Is your father?" I demand, squeezing her arm a little harder than I meant to.

    "Grey, he''s called Grey," she cries and my heart sinks. Josie''s mother had said she had been coerced by a man named Grey, he was Josie''s father. Could this be the same drey? Is Molly Josie''s sister? Does it change anything if

    she is?

    "Are you still in contact with him?" I ask barely keeping my emotions in check.

    "Not since I came here," she shakes her head.

    "Then how did he tell you to poison us?"

    "rrisa came to visit me before they closed the portals. She said my father would return for me once I had destroyed the Spark bond and as many other students as possible,

    "You''re an idiot. He''s noting for you. You''re just a pawn to him and now you will spend the rest of your life locked away for your misguided loyalty," I tell her before porting back to my office and calling for the authorities to collect her.

    "Sit on that couch and don''t move or speak until I tell you to," Imand. Molly sits down with a huff and I examine her again, looking for any resemnce between her and Josie. They do have simr eyes, but where Josie''s are kind and full of light, Molly''s are hard and full of hate. Maybe she has her mother''s looks. I take out my phone and click on the video of Cornelius, pausing it on a good shot of his face to study it. Then I turn it to show Molly, her eyes sh with recognition.

    "Who is this?" I ask her.

    "That''s Grey, my father," she says.

    I blow out a breath at the revtion. Have I really just discovered Josie''s father and sister? Or is Grey just a name that wasmonly used when seducing human women? There is a way I could find out but it''s not worth the risk. Josie''s mum was already in a very fragile mental state, if I were to remove thepulsion to ask her she may not have enough mental capacity left topel her again. I couldn''t do that to her or Josie. An even darker, more terrifying thought hits me then. I have never scanned Josie forpulsion, never questioned if she had previous knowledge of our kind. For all I know she could be an amazing actress.

 Chapter 0197

    ** Josie''s POV **

    Th

    helps me cooksagne whilst Mason and Axel sit at the kitchen table discussing more in-depth ns for our ambush of Cornelius. They go through various scenarios and backup ns until Lukees home.

    "We should be live," he announces excitedly, cing aptop down on the table and opening it.

    "You reconnected us to the human realm?" I ask.

    "Yes, well, I had help but I got the tech to the right people, he grins.

    "Can you put this into the oven? I ask Theo, motioning to therge oven dish.

    "Sure thing," he smiles and I hand him the oven gloves before setting a 45 minute timer.

    I move to watch Luke on theptop and wait with bated breath as he attempts to connect to the inte. I p my hands excitedly when the search engine loads up.

    "Nice work, Luke,"

    "Thanks, Sweetness, now over to you," he says, standing from his chair and offering it to me. I sit down and look up at him.

    "What am I supposed to be doing?"

    "Marking possible locations where this meet and greet might take ce. You know the human realm better than anyone in this realm. We know it''s in the capital city and it needs to be big enough in or around it to amodate arge crowd," he says.

    I nod and bring up a satellite map of London and then blow but a breath. This is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. The guys go silent as I study the map, clicking on buildings and searching each one to find out the owner and its purpose.

    "I''ll start with government-owned buildings but we can''t rule out privately-owned buildings as the owners could easily have beenpelled to allow him to use them. Then there are public spaces that could also be used. Ideally, we should be there, looking for activity. There will be signs of an event being set up, security being briefed and already securing the area. There are some essible traffic cams we can watch but what we really need is ess to council and private business camera feeds," I exin.

    "Our miltary should be able to ess them and they have enough men to monitor them," Deacon says from behind me, startling me.

    "You''re back," I turn to face him with a smile. Happy to have all five of my bonds back home.

    "I am," he says, but he doesnt return my smile, instead he looks at me suspiciously.

    "Is everything okay?" I ask, standing from my chair to face him. I do not like the vibe I''m getting from him right now. I cast nces at the rest of my guys and they also look confused about Deacon''s demeanour.

    "I don''t know, you tell me. I caught Molly tonight, we had an interesting conversation," he says in a low, steady

    tone.

    "That''s great, that''s one less thing for us to worry about," Luke says but D doesn''t acknowledge him, he just keeps his intense gaze focused on me. I feel as though he is measuring me up and studying my every reaction.

    "What did she say?" I ask. She must have said something to make him act this way but I have no clue what it could

    be

    Deacon steps towards me, his eyes shing blue and I sense what he is about to do. He is getting control of my mind. He''s about topel me and I''m powerless to stop it

    "Don''t you fucking dare," Mason growls,ing to stand in front of me and shielding me from Deacon. Axel moves to my side, taking my hand in his as if he''s about to him and take me with him.

    The room falls deathly silent and I realise they''re all talking through the mind link. Theo nces at me with worried eyes and Axel grips my hand tighter. Luke shakes is head and Mason clenches his fists.

 Chapter 0198

    "Can you just tell me what''s going on?" I finally ask, unable to take this any longer.

    ''Deacon wants to scan you forpulsion or deception," el says and my heart begins to pound in my chest.

    Deacon doesn''t trust me. After everything we have been through he still doubts me. Thepulsion I can understand, I wouldn''t know if that had happened to me but the deception part is what hurts. A tear rolls down my face.

    Mason turns to face me, his eyes hard as they study me. I look down at my feet. I can''t bear to see him look at me that way too. His fingers grip my chin, forcing my eyes up to his.

    "Is my father really dead?¡± he asks his eyes searching ming

    "Mace," Theo pleads.

    "Stay out of this, Theo" he warns. "Answer the question, Josie,"

    "Yes, I wouldn''t lie about that," I try to shake my head. Axel lets go of my hand and my heart breaks,

    "Then what would you lie about?" he demands. I open my mouth to answer but Axel''s strong hand grips Mason''s wrist, breaking his hold on me.

    "Get your hands off of her," Axel roars.

    ru to!

    Mason shifts his angry gaze to Axel and brings up his hand to use telekinisis on him. Luke quickly ports behind Mason and pushes him, breaking his focus. Deacon grips Luke by the back of his shirt and throws him across the kitchen. Chaos breaks out as four of my bonds begin to fight. I stand frozen in shock and horror. Theo grabs my hand and pulls me out of the way just as Mason flings Axel across the room with telekinisis, Axelnds right where I''d been standing seconds before.

    "Stop!" Theo shouts, but his demands fall on deaf ears as the fighting continues.

    "Get her out of here!" Axel shouts as he manages to pin Mason to the ground. Theo pulls my hand and drags me out the back door and towards the pool. He stops and turns to look at me, checking me over.

    "Are you okay?" he asks, his eyes full of concern.

    "Physically, yes," I nod. "What is happening?"

    "I have no idea but Deacon is not himself and now he has done something to Mason," Theo says, looking back towards the house.

    I hear the fierce growl of a wolf and look back at the house just in time to see two wolves smash through therge ss doors, barreling towards us. It''s Axel and Luke.

    "Shift and run!" Axel''s voice booms in my head.

    "Shift, Babe," Theo urges and I call up my wolf, letting her take control as Deacon''s wolf stalks through the broken door. Mason walks out behind him still in human form, his hand raised and ready to unleash his gifts on us.

    Deacon''s wolf snarls and snaps his jaws as he looks at Axel and Luke who have now turned to face him. Theo shifts beside me and then he lets out a strangled yelp, copsing beside me. My eyes shift to Mason, who is focused on Theo and my wolf snaps. She won''t run from this. She is in charge here. She growls angrily, standing in front of Theo''s limp body as she calls for her mate''s attention. Deacon lowers his head with a whine, quickly submitting to his Alpha. Luke and Axel follow him down, unable to resist her power. Mason, still in human form

    -

    scowls and then smirks. I need to somehow coax him to sh but the determined look on his face lets me know he is not going to make this easy.

    "Let me shift back, I can force his shift," Deacon''s strained voice floats into my mind.

    My wolf trusts his word and releases her hold over her pack allowing them all up. Deacon''s human form quickly reces his wolf and he staggers to his feet and towards Mason.

 Chapter 0199

    Deacon gets Mason''s attention, capturing his gaze. "Mason, rx, she didn''t betray us. Don''t hurt them," Deacon pleads, his words thick withpulsion. My wolf Its her head curiously as she watches them. Mason stills and then takes in the scene with a look of confusion.

    "What did you do to me?" he growls angrily, getting up in D''s face.

    "Ipelled you to believe a lie, a lie that was nted in my head," Deacon admits, his voice full of shame.

    Theo lets out a groan as he shifts back to his human form and Mason looks up at us. His eyes go wide before he looks down at his hands and then back to me and Theo. Axel shifts and kneels beside Theo.

    "Are you okay?" he asks.

    "I think so," Theo rasps. I look down at him and whine at the purple bruising that is beginning to bloom over his neck. I need to shift back and heal him but my wolf is still unsure, she is not fully convinced it''s safe to allow me to shift back yet.

    "Deacon you need to exin what just happened," Luke demands as hees to stand beside me, back in his human form.

    "They captured me today and basically turned me into a sleeper agent. They have a guy with an extremely strongpulsion gift. He told me that a member of my bond group was working against me and that I should take them out once I discovered who it was and then told me to forget I''d gotten that information from him. So when I captured Molly tonight and she gave me some information that could cast suspicion on Josie thepulsion kicked in. I''m so sorry. I should have been stronger, I failed you," he lowers his head again.

    "How did you break out of it?" Axel asks, not sounding fully convinced.

    "Josie''s wolf, there''s nothing that can jeopardise the rtionship between our wolves. As soon as she made me submit thepulsion broke and I remembered everything," he exins.

    "If they have someone capable ofpelling you then we are fucked," Axel grunts.

    "Not necessarily, we all just need to drop our shields, fully. I tried to channel your gift but I couldn''t do it in time because you have yourself locked up. I know it''s intense to constantly feel each other but we all need full ess to each other''s gifts," Deacon says to Axe.

    I listen to the guys talk but my wolf''s main focus is on Mason, who seems to be having an internal crisis as he sits on the floor, staring down at his hands. He is really putting my wolf on edge.

    "Theo, Mace needs us," I say through the mind link

    Theo is quick to react, rolling onto his front and pushing himself onto his hands and knees. He begins to crawl towards Mason as soon as he sees him and I wish my wolf would let me have my body back. She shadows Theo, walking slowly beside him. Axel seems to notice what is happening andes over, lifting Theo to his feet and helping him walk to Mason, who doesn''t even notice our approach. Theo drops back down to his knees beside Mason and puts his hands over his. Mason looks up at him, his eyes full of pain.

    "I wanted to kill you, I wanted to kill all of you," he whispers.

    "It wasn''t you, Mason, I made you like that. Just moments before that you were ready to protect them from me," Deacon says as hees over to us. "Let me remove all yourpulsion so you can think clearly. Right now you

    #

    have twopulsions that are trying to contradict each other. I acted quickly to calm you. I didn''t have time to remove the firstpulsion so things are a little messy in your head right now,"

    Mason nods and looks at Deacon with desperate eyes. I don hear any words but I feel D''s power as it reaches out to Mason''s mind and I know it''s worked when Mace visibly rxes. My wolf relinquishes her control, letting me shift back. She must have sensed that Mason was still a possible threat whilst the twopulsions warred in his head.

 Chapter 0200

    "Mace, hold him," I say, motioning to Theo and he quickly wraps his arms around Theo''s weak body, turning him to face me as he supports him from behind.

    Theo closes his eyes as I bring my hand to hover over his braised neck. I''m still not 100% sure what I''m doing but I let my insticts guide me and my hand begins to heat up as focus on fixing what is damaged.

    "Lasagne is ready he grins up at me.

    Theo says as an rm begins to ring from inside the house, his voice is no longer raspy and

    I burst intoughter. I don''t know how he always has this ability to bring humour to any situation but he seems to do it without even trying.

    "I hope we still have some tes to eat it off," Iugh.

    "I think the tes survived, but I hope you all like to eat standing up because I

    think the table is a goner," Deacon says, rubbing the back of his neck as he looks towards the house with a grimace.

    "Come on, I''m starving." Theo says, pushing himself up.

    "How can you even think about eating right now?" Mason sighs.

    "Because I''m healed, I''m hungry, I spent ages making that overplicated dish and we should be celebrating, Theo huffs.

    "Celebrating what? The impromptu kitchen remodel?" Luke snorts.

    "We won," Theo shrugs, "they tried to ruin us again and we came out just fine, "You''re right, we won," I nod.

    "I agree," Axel says, offering a hand out to Mason to help him up.

    "I''m d we all agree. Josic, Mason and Deacon, can you three start fixing, well, everything? Axel and Luke can help me serve dinner?" Theo says as he steps through the broken ss door, ignoring the ss crunching under

    his feet.

    "I''ll start fixing, I think Mason and Axe need some healing. Let''s talk over dinner," Deacon says before following Theo inside.

    "I''ll go

    find some tes," Luke shakes his head with an amused smile before joining the other two in the destroyed kitchen.

    "I don''t need any healing, my wolf took care of most of it already," Axel says before leaving me and Mason alone.

    "I don''t need healing either," Mason shrugs before reaching around to touch the back of his head. He winces and pulls his hand away, his fingers now smeared with blood.

    "Sure you don''t," I roll my eyes and walk behind him to inspect his head. He has a small cut, it''s nothing major but 1 ce my hand over it to heal it anyway.

    I''m

    sorry for what I said and did to you. I want to tell you I''d never willingly try to hurt you but my history would make that hard to believe," he says as my hand heats with the healing magic.

    "You wouldn''t try to hurt me, not now, and especially not when I''m carrying your child. I believe that. You only hurt me in the past because you didn''t know me and thought I was hurting Theo. I''d have done the same in your situation. I forgive you for that, Mason, it''s about time you did too,"

    "Thank you," he says softly.

    "You''re wee, it wasn''t too bad, you''ll need a shower to wash the blood away though," I smile as he turns to face me. His hands go straight to my stomach.

    ¡°Not just for that, for everything. You have no idea how much you have done for me, do you? How much meaning you have given my life," he breathes, his eyes fixed on any bump.

    "Yes, Mason, I do, because you have given the same to me, and I don''t just mean this little one," I ce my hands

    over his.

    "Are you two done out there because dinner is ready and Deacon is not great at fixing things," Theo calls from the house.

    "We should get in there, our boyfriend is getting grumpy,"ugh.

    "When did he turn into the house Mother?" Mason snorts, You fix the table, I''ll do

    the doors," he takes my hand and leads me inside the small warzone.

    DA

    N.O Darling Author

    Thank you all for your support. I love reading all yourments letting me know how much you enjoy this story. Thank you for the gems too, they help so much to keep my work in the rankings.

 Chapter 0201

    **Axel''s POV**

    Walking away from Josie and leaving her alone with Mason was difficult after what he had just done. I do trust him with her 100% but it''s hard to get over seeing him try to hurt her just minutes ago, even though I know it wasn''t him, not really. Compulsion like that is almost impossible to resist, especially when there''s already a very strong mental connection. Deacon had pulled us all into a mind link, we are lucky he was only able to turn Mason against Josie before the rest of us noticed something was wrong.

    I clear the kitchen side of debris as a way to distract myself from running back out there, scooping my bond up in my arms and taking off with her. I''d happily lock her away in a ce where she is safe and no one else can get to her. She would hate that though. She loves all her bonds and there''s no way she would hide away whilst the human realm needs her.

    I''m sure I''m not the only one feeling this way right now. Deacon looks like shit. I can see the guilt is eating at him, he could barely look at Josie after he had broken thepulsion and he was quick to put some distance between himself and her. I think he needs time to process what happened. It can''t be easy for someone as mentally strong as him to admit he''d beenpelled. He''s right about us all needing to drop our shields though. It''s difficult to function whilst feeling every emotion of five other people but the more we do it, the easier it will get. We are weaker like this, unable to fully ess each other''s gifts.

    "We should probably eat in the sitting room," Deacon sighs and I turn to look at him. The table is back in one piece although it looks a little wonky. Two of the chairs have survived unscathed but the others are still in pieces.

    "Mason can fix that, he''ll have it good as new in seconds," Theo says.

    "Theptop is dead, we will need to pick up a new one," Luke drops the battered tech onto the side I''d just cleared.

    "I have a spare upstairs," Deacon tells him.

    "Are you two done out there because dinner is ready and Deacon is not great at fixing things," Theo shouts out of

    the broken door.

    "Thanks, Theo," D huffs.

    Momentster Josie and Mason walk in hand in hand and the smile on her face puts me at ease. She doesn''t seem scared about what has happened. Even though she was the main target of the attack she seems to be the most at ease right now. She releases Mason''s hand and goes to stand beside Deacon. She makes quick work of assembling the chairs whilst the tinkling of ss sounds behind me as Mason repairs the doors. Within minutes everything is almost back to normal and Theo begins to bring tes of steamingsagna to the table with the help of Luke and I collect sses for everyone and arge jug of water.

    "I''m starving,¡± Josie hums, taking a seat and digging her fork into her food.

    We all take our seats and begin to eat in silence until Deacon clears his throat and puts down his fork.

    "Molly told me tonight that her father is called Grey," he says and Josie freezes with her fork halfway to her

    mouth.

    "Do you think it''s the same man who seduced my mum?" she asks. I don''t miss the fact she didn''t refer to him as

    her father.

    "It''s possible, but it''s also possible that Grey was just a name a lot of the rogues adopted when interacting with humans," D shrugs."

    It doesn''t matter. Over thest months, I''ve learnt that family is not blood, family is actions, love and loyalty. Molly may be biologically rted to me but that doesn''t make her my sister," she says before putting the fork full of food in her mouth.

 Chapter 0202

    "Cheers to that," Mason says, lifting his ss of water in a gesture Josie had taught us. Josie lifts her ss, clinking it against his before taking a drink.

    "She also identified Cornelius as her father," Deacon says and Josie shudders. "For the record, I see absolutely no resemnce between the two of you," he adds.

    "Thank god. Because I''d be so offended, that dude is ugly as hell," sheughs and we all join her. I''m so proud of how well she is taking this.

    "Yeah, no offence, Babe, but we''d have to put a bag over your head or something if you looked like him. He''s just too creepy-looking. We''d still love you though," Theo grinces.

    "I''d put the bag on my head myself," sheughs.

    "So are we to assume that the rogues know that the portals are fixed and that we n to crash the meet and greet?" Luke asks and Deacon shakes his head with a grin.

    "I was able to resist most of theirpulsion. Although I did y along. I told them I''d been trapped here when the portals had been destroyed. They must have deemed me not to be a threat alone and so released me with a backup n to destroy our bond group if I did somehow make it back," he exins.

    "It''s a good job you yed along, if you hadn''t they''d have reinterrogated you once they got you underplusion. You are lucky you got out of there," I say, impressed with his quick thinking.

    "Who was it that captured you?" Mason asks.

    "I have no idea, I''ve never seen them before. They were posing as police officers

    in the station where a couple of my contacts had gone missing," he says.

    "I''m so d you made it out. From now on we should make sure we never go anywhere alone, especially in the human realm," Josie suggests and we all agree.

    "There''s another precaution we need to take and I know it''s not going to be easy and it''s going to take some time to get used to, but we all need to drop our shields,pletely, and keep them down," Deacon says, making a point of looking directly at Mason.

    "It''s the only way we can always have ess to each other''s gifts and know if any of us are in trouble," I agree.

    "If I''d had my shields down today you''d have all known I''d been captured, but I was so busy trying to block thepulsion that I couldn''t risk dropping my shields or trying to mind link with any of you. I had to keep my full focus on resisting it," Deacon adds.

    "Then what are we waiting for? I''m in," Theo nods.

    "I''m in too," Luke agrees.

    ¡°This feels like a win-win for me, I love feeling you all and your emotions," Josie shrugs and then we all look at

    Mason.

    "Fine," he sighs, "for the sake of safety I''ll do it, but if I start going soft, just know it''s because of all your lovey feelings, not mine,"

    "You''re already going soft, Mace, but we like it," Theo smiles.

    "Let''s do this then. Do you want to do it all at once or one by one?" Luke asks.

    "All at once, let''s not this over with," Mason says and then a sudden rush of emotions floods me.

    Anger, happiness, fear, excitement, shame, doubt and hope are just a few of the feelings assaulting me, but what stands out above all the others is love. A love so fierce that almost suffocates me in the best way, and then desire starts to creep in. Josie gasps and we all respond to her need. No words are needed as we abandon our half-eaten meal to watch as Deacon picks Josie up and sits her on

    his p.

 Chapter 0203

    **Josie''s POV**

    Deacon gets to me first, lifting me off of my chair to sit on hisp facing the others. Four sets of heated eyes watch as Deacon''s hands roam over my body. He cups my breasts from behind, pinching my nipples between his thumbs and fingers through the fabric of my top and suck in a breath at the sensation.

    "Mace, I think she is wearing too many clothes," Theo hus,

    My eyes move to Mason''s and he smirks at me before his eyes sh blue and my T-shirt splits straight down the middle. Deacon pulls the remainder of it off me, exposing my breasts for them all to see. He teases my nipples again and the need of everyone around the table increases, flooding; me with an unbearable desire to be touched by them all.

    "Not yet, Little Temptress," Deacon whispers in my car and I whimper with need.

    His hand trails lower, over my stomach and then it dips into my waistband. His fingers find my core we both

    moan in unison.

    "She is so wet," Deacon hums.

    "Get rid of the pants, I need to see," Luke breathes.

    "With pleasure," Mason says seconds before I feel the cold air hit my pussy as my pants and underwear disappear.

    "That''s so fucking hot," Theo groans as Deacon pushes his chair back to give everyone a better view before he plunges two fingers inside of me.

    I cry out, my every nerve ending firing to life under Deacon''s touch and my other bonds gazes as I''m worked into a frenzy.

    "Cum for them, show them how much you want them," Deacon says as he continues to work his fingers inside me and his thumb applies the perfect amount of pressure to my clit, sending me toppling over the edge into bliss as I scream for them.

    "Time for dessert," Axel says as my bare back presses against the cold table. I''d been too lost in my pleasure to notice the table being cleared of tes or even that I''d been moved.

    his

    Axel grips my thighs and pulls me towards him as he sits in his chair, he leans forward, hooking my legs over broad shoulders and then his mouth is on me, devouring my pussy in the most glorious way. Theo leans over kisses me and then I getpletely lost in sensation. There are mouths and hands all over as they kiss, bite and stroke me everywhere until I have no idea who is doing what to me and where. I soar higher than ever before as I''m overloaded by sensation. I thought I''d known pleasure before but this is something else, it''s so good it should be illegal and I scream until my voice turns hoarse and I''m pretty sure I ck out for a second.

    I''m not sure how long passes but the next thing I know we are in the bedroom. I think we ported here but I could have been carried for all I know. I should probably be worried about that but when I feel this good I just can''t bring myself to care.

    "Drink some water, Baby, we are nowhere near done with you yet," Theo says and I take the ss of water from him with a shaky hand. I drink half the ss before he takes it from me with a smile. "You good?" He asks.

    "Better than good," I breathe.

    "Good Girl. Do you think you can get on your hands and knees for us?" Deacon asks and I nod eagerly, desperate to

    feel the stretch of a dick inside me.

    I feel so close to being in heat, even though that''s impossible because I''m pregnant. I just need them all so badly that I ache for them. Luke helps me into position and exped him to position himself bebind me on the bed but when the sting of a pnds on my ass I know It''s Deacon behind me. I groan at the warm sensation his hand leaves behind and then the head of his cock pushes at my entrance. I exhale in satisfaction as he slides finally giving me the fullness that I''d been craving.

    into me,

    "Baby, do you want a free-for-all or a train?" Theo asks and Deacon stills behind me giving me a chance to

    answer.

    "Exin," I pant.

    "Train is one at a time, free for all is anyone anywhere," he says quickly.

    At this point, I just want them all, now. "Free for all," I nod and then cry out as Deacon begins to move at the perfect pace.

    Mason stands up on the bed in front of me, his pierced erection at the perfect height for my mouth. I look up into his eyes and he smiles before gripping the base of his shaft and guiding it to my mouth. I open for him and suck him in greedily as Deacon roars out his release behind me, pushing me to another orgasm.

    feeling.

    Deacon pulls out and I almost cry at the loss but then another pressure soon reces the emptiness I was I can tell it''s Theo by the way Mason picks up his pace and an extra pressure teases my ass. Theo goes slow as he works his fingers into my ass whilst his cock fills my pussy. I groan around Mason''s length and he pumps his load into my mouth with a hiss of pleasure. I drink down every drop greedily and he starts a chain reaction, tipping Theo to his release and another wave of ecstasy crashes over me. I tremble with pure satisfaction but I know it''s not over yet, I still have two bonds to connect with and the thought fills me with another burst of excited energy. Axel lies on the bed and I crawl to him, straddling his hips and lining his thick cock up with my entrance. We moan in unison as I take him inside me. I try to move but Axel grips my hips, holding me still. I look at him in question but he only grins as I feel the bed dip behind me. Gentle pressure between my shoulders pushes me forward giving Luke ess to my ass. He slowly works himself into my ass and the feeling of absolute fullness is the most wonderful thing. The three of us move as one in a beautiful symphony as we chase our pleasure to oblivion.

    "Best night ever," I mumble in utter exhaustion as I copse in pure satisfaction surrounded by all five of my

    bonds.

    N.O Darling Author

    Thank you for all the support this year! I thought Josie and the guys should end

    the year with a bang!

    Happy New Year to you all and best wishes for 2025!

    I have a few partiesing up over the next few days and some

 Chapter 0204

    **Josie''s POV **

    After the amazing night I had with my bonds, I am not best pleased when I''m woken up at 5 AM. Deacon says we are meeting with the militarymander and his team at 700. I begrudgingly make my way to the shower, almost falling asleep again under the soothing warm water. Luke steps in behind me, taking pity on me and helping me wash.

    By 6:00 I''m feeling a little more awake and I head downstairs to the delicious smell of Deacon''s fresh waffles. The kitchen ispletely back to normal after the events of yesterday and it''s nice to sit down and eat a calm meal with all of my bonds.

    We arrive at the academy by 6:45 and go straight to the grand hall. Deacon had offered to use the ce as our base whilst the students were all at home and the militarymander had agreed it was the best ce for an operation this big. We have a very short window of time so we need arge team working together to get as much done as possible.

    "Josie, oh goodness, just look at you!" an excited female voice calls and I look up in time to see Olive, Deacon''s mother, rushing towards me. She wraps her arms around me in a motherly hug and then pulls back to study me with a tear in her

    eve.

    "It''s good to see you again," I smile at her.

    "Deacon told us all about your time away and Little Bean, I''ve been desperate to see you but I know you needed time to reconnect with all your bonds. You''ve all had quite the ordeal," she says with a sympathetic smile.

    "It''s been a crazy few weeks, I''m just d to be back home,"

    "Well let''s get this rogue business dealt with and then we can prepare for our growing family. I can''t wait to finally be a grandma," she beams before rushing off to brewrge pots of tea and coffee.

    "Thank you," Deacon says in my mind from across the room.

    I look up

    at him and raise a brow, "For what?" I ask, noticing both of his fathers smiling at me too.

    "For putting a genuine smile back on my Mum''s face. It''s been too long since I''ve seen her smile that way," he

    says.

    "I''m d she is happy," I tell him.

    "She has already volunteered for babysitting duties. I think we may have to fight her to have any time with the little bean," he says, eying his mother suspiciously as she pushes in a trolley of snacks.

    "Well, I''m not going to say no to her babysitting, especially if it gives us time to have a repeat ofst night," I

    smirk.

    "Agreed," he hums.

    "Hey, whatever you two are talking about, stop. I''m trying to have a serious conversation with amanding officer here, I do not need an awkward boner right now," Theo says as he joins the mind link.

    I look over in his direction and watch him shift ufortably in his seat as he nods to whatever the stern- looking guy is saying and Iugh

    Sorry, Theo," I say.

    "If everyo

    "If everyone is here we should get started," a tall man with broad shoulders and shaved head calls out to the room.

    Chapter 020-1

    I can tell from his posture and air of authority that he is in charge here. The way everyone quickly moves to sit down at the tables, which are set out in arge ''U'' shape is even more evidence of his importance.

    I take a seat with my bonds and listen as the guy, that I find out is the Command Sergeant Major and prefers to be called Raff, and Deacon discuss what we know and what we need to do. The room quickly bes a hive of activity as everyone gets to work. ns are being made, research is underway and I feel a little useless and overwhelmed.

    "Are you okay?" Mason asks,ing to sit with me.

    "Yes, I just feel a little lost. I''m not sure what to do or how to help here," I admit..

    "I feel the same. I''ve been in military training for years but this is a lot," he sighs. "Let''s take a walk," he holds out a hand to me and I take it.

    Mason leads me outside but we stay close to the hall, not wanting to venture too far in case we are needed. There''s also a chance that rogues are back in this realm and even with the strong military presence here and increased security, it''s not wise to be out of earshot of help should we need it.

 Chapter 0205

    "I need you to promise me something," Mason says, his gaze off in the distance.

    "What?" Lask

    "If things start to seem like they''re not going in our favour tomorrow, I want you and Theo to get out of there. Go to the cottage and we will meet back there if we get separated. I just can''t bear the thought of either of you or our baby getting hurt. I''d rather the three of you stay home, but know better than to ask you to do that," he says.

    I was expecting this from at least one of them so it doesn''te as a surprise to hear his request.

    "Mace, if things start going bad I want us all to leave. We can regroup and try again another time. I can''t leave if any of you are in danger,¡± 1 sigh.

    "Mason!" I hear Dot call before he can respond and we turn to see Dot with her bonds, followed by Mason''s

    parents.

    "Perfect," Mason grunts, turning his back to them, "Go away, we are busy," he calls over his shoulder.

    "Mace, look," I gasp as more people walk around the corner.

    "What is going on?" Mason says, watching as more and more people swarm into the hall and I feel the surprise of the rest of my bonds..

    "The Calvery has arrived," Dot grins as she gets close to us. Her bonds and Mason''s parents stand back, giving us

    some space.

    "Why is everyone here?" I ask.

    ¡°Because the Spark bonded group need us, word travels fast and every able- bodied person hase to offer their assistance," she ps excitedly.

    "They''re all here to help?" I ask in awe at the sheer amount of people here, they can''t even fit in the hall and are flooding all the outside space.

    "Yep, well most of them, no doubt some are just here to be nosey," she grins, "But the rest are here, ready to follow our fearless leaders into battle,"

    "How did they know?" Mason asks.

    "It''s been all over the TV since yesterday evening. It said anyone willing to assist should be here at 9:00, and here

    we are,"

    "And them?" Mason nods towards his parents with his jaw clenched.

    "They want to help too. Just give them five minutes to exin, Mace. I''m not saying you need to forgive them but you should at least hear what they have to say," she says softly.

    Mason looks at me for guidance and I study his parents. His Mum looks broken as her bonds both keep a supportive hand on her. She looks back at me with eyes full of pain and when her gaze moves to my stomach she covers her mouth with a gasp. I''m guessing Dot didn''t tell her I''m pregnant. I wonder what she will think of me when she finds out I killed one of her bonds.

    Theo works his way through the crowd of people to stand beside us, obviously sensing what is happening out here through the bond. Luke, Deacon and Axel all check in on us through the mind link and I tell them to continue with what they''re doing, promising to let them know if we need them.

    "I think it''s worth listening to what they have to say, if they say anything you don''t like then we leave and never

    speak to them again," I say into the mind link.

    "Okay, let''s go inside," Mason says out loud, nodding to Do.

    He takes my hand and we walk to Ruby house, sitting in themunal area downstairs. Momentster his parents walk in and Dot pops her head through the door to let us know she is waiting outside with her bonds. The room grows tense as we all wait for someone to talk.

    "Cash is dead," I blurt, deciding to rip the band-aid off quickly.

    "We guessed as much when he didn''t return," Mason''s mum nods.

    "I killed him," I say, studying their reactions.

    I detect some sadness there, but mostly I think they''re disappointed and maybe relieved.

    "Thank you," one of his fathers says and my eyes widen. Mason''s hand grips mine a little tighter.

    "You wanted him dead?" I ask.

    "Yes, if that''s the only way we could be free of him," he nods.

    "You have five minutes to exin before we leave here. We have a lot to do today," Mason huffs, impatient.

    Mason''s mum sucks in a breath and her bonds give her nods of encouragement.

 Chapter 0206

    **Mason''s POV

    Theo is unusually quiet and I don''t like it. He''s not said a word, just remains a silent support, which is very out of

    character for him.

    My mother moves closer to us, taking the seat opposite the couch we are sitting on. My fathers stand behind her. Each of them cing a hand on her shoulders in support.

    "Cash was never my bond," my mum says and I feel like the world stops spinning.

    "What do you mean? You never bonded with film?" I ask.

    "No, I couldn''t bond with him because he wasn''t one of my bonds. Hepelled us all to believe he was but we worked out he wasn''t whilst he was away with you. We tried to confront him about it when he returned but he threatened to leave and take you and your sister with him. We had no idea what he''d done to you or how much control he had over you. You were so different when you returned that we thought you were under hispulsion too, so the only way we could protect you both was to go along with it," she exins.

    My heart begins to pound in my chest and my head buzzes, realise then that it must be Josie''s heart that is frantic, she is furious.

    But why? He neverpelled me, he tortured me for years and beat me into submission. Why didn''t he justpel me to do what he wanted?" I ask. I have so many questions and I don''t know what to ask first so theye out in a jumbled

    mess.

    "He was a sadistic pig, that''s why!" Josie growls. "When he took me to the human realm rrisa told him to kill me, he refused and told her he wanted to keep me as his new project. I think he enjoys breaking people,"

    "I don''t think hispulsion was very strong. I think he drugged us to get into our minds and eventually, it wore off. You always did have a strong mind, Mason, I doubt that even when you were a child he would have been strong enough to get control of you that way," my mum says with a sad smile.

    I don''t know how to feel about her anymore. I have spent so long hating her for not helping me, for letting Cash get away with everything he did. Can really just forgive her now, after all this time? Are my parents just as much victims in Cash''s cruel games as I am?

    "What are y your views on intimate rtionships between people of the same sex?" Theo asks, finally finding his

    voice.

    My mother smiles before looking up at her bonds, who smile back down at her and nod.

    "I fully support it. It''s actually verymon within bond groups I think," she says.

    I study my fathers and the way they look at each other and almostugh when I realise what my mother is saying Her bonds are also in a romantic rtionship with each other. Could this be why Cash was so angry about me questioning my sexuality?

    "Why did Cash pretend to be in your bond group? What was his end goal?" Josie asks.

    "That I still don''t know. He never actually seemed interested in me. I can only assume it was a cover for something. Now that I know he was working with this rogue faction I''m guessing it was a way to keep suspicion off of him,"

    We spend the next half an hour firing questions at my parents and their answers are consistent with being victims in all this. It''s still hard to wrap my head around. In a way, I''m so relieved that they weren''t just standing by and letting Cash try to destroy me, but I still feel they could have done more to help me. If they''d have told me to take

    Dot and nun whilst they got rid of him I would have. They could have saved me years of his threats and maniption. Deacon calls us back to themand base, they have an update and they also want to go through some basic training. "We have to go,¡± I say, ending our conversation for now.

    My mother stands and moves in close as if she is going to hug Josie and I put a hand out to stop her. I am notfortable enough to let her near my bond and unborn child. Hurt shes across her face and I feel a little guilty.

    "We are not there yet. There''s still a lot to discuss and a lot to unpack, but we have time. Just not today," I say and her sad eyes fill with hope.

 Chapter 0207

    "I just wanted to congratte you all on the baby, you will take wonderful parents,

    I''m sure," she says.

    "Any time you need to talk, just call us. It doesn''t matter the time. We will do anything to repair our rtionship with you, Son," my biological father says and I manage to d but my anger builds.

    1

    It''s going to take a lot more for me to forgive my fathers. They should have been able to protect us all and they failed. Josie ces a hand on my arm and Theo touches my back, the both of them instantly calming me.

    "Hey, remember when you werepelled to hate me yesterday? It''s not too different to what they have been through. When we have dealt with the rogues, we should have D check their minds forpulsion. He can find out how much was done to them and how much of it was their own actions," Josie says into the mind link. I nod in agreement.

    "Once things calm down would you be willing to have one of my bond group scan you forpulsion? He is very skilled at it and will be able to tell what was done to you and remove anysting effects if there are any," I ask, watching my parent''s reactions for any nervousness or reluctance.

    "Yes, of course. That would be great,¡± my mum grins and my fathers agree eagerly.

    "Then we will talk then, for now, we have a lot to do," I say before motioning towards the door.

    My parents walk ahead and I follow them out with Josie''s hand in mine. Once we get out the door, Theo takes her other hand and Dot and her bond group walk beside us. We get back to the grand hall and Deacon rushes towards

    Us.

    "We have the meet and greet narrowed down to two locations based on an algorithm that Luke helpede up with," he says as he hands a file each to me, Josie and Theo.

    We take a seat and study the files. The first one is a public park, this one is marked as the most likely location. Still shots of security camera footage show an increase in police presence in the area and vendors setting up with refreshment stands. A stage is also being erected and I agree, this looks like a good lead.

    The second location is a religious building, it''s apparently used for Royal ceremonies and security is usually tight. There is increased security on site and it fits all the other requirements.

    "Can someone get me aputer?" Josie asks as she studies the files.

    Luke rushes over, cing aptop in front of her. She quickly starts typing and clicks through a few web pages.

    "There''s apparently a concert happening in this park tomorrow," she hums.

    "So we can rule the park out?" Luke asks, sounding disappointed.

    "Give me a minute," she says as she focuses on the screen.

    We all watch as she quickly navigates through page after page. More people crowd around us as she works, curious about what she is doing. Then she sits back in her chair with a triumphant grin.

    "Got va

    ya," she smirks. "It''s in the park,"

    "How do you know?" someone asks.

    "Because there are posters advising the park is closed to the public for a concert tomorrow, but there has been no talk of this concert online until thest few days. People are asking who is ying and no one is able to answer. There are also no tickets avable and no one has admitted to having a ticket. That tells me there is no concert, it is a ruse," she exins.

    +29 BONUS

    "That''s good enough for me," Raff says, "We n our main ambush on the park. Have a backup n made for the Cathedral but our main focus is the park," he barks out orders.

    "Where did everyone go?" Josie asks, looking around the room and noticing there are only military here now.

    "The civilian volunteers are all out on the fields going through some basic training. The six of you need toe with me. I need you to show me what we are working with so we cane up with a n of action based on your skills," Raff says.

    Our bond group stands up and Raff calls a small team to apany us to their training grounds. They port us all there and I am less than impressed to find we are standing in the middle of a barren field. Apart from a few old tyres, there seems to be nothing around us for miles. Considering we are with the highest and most talented military team I expected a little more than a field as their training grounds.

    N.O Darling Author

    I wrote this chapter yesterday, and when I woke up this morning I convinced myself there was a huge plot hole I needed to fix before I publish it. Now I can''t find the plot hole or remember what it was. At this point, I''m starting to think that I may have been dreamin

 Chapter 0208

    **Josie''s POV **

    The next two hours are gruelling. Raff tests our gifts to the limit. He started small, having us pick up tyres using telekinesis and making small cracks in the ground using molecr maniption. Then it quickly progressed to opening uprge caverns in the ground and working as a team to trap a rolling tyre in the cavern whilst using our telepathy tomunicate, all whilst shielding ourselves from foam darts that Raff''s team fired at us. It had been quite fun at first but once we had got the hang of it, it had be repetitive and seemed like a waste of energy.

    "Good. Again," Raff calls and I groan.

    "I''m so tired," Iin.

    "Do you think your enemy is going to agree to take a break because you''re tired?" Raff shouts and I have to bite my tongue.

    I am not one of his damn soldiers, and I''d like to see him do this whilst pregnant and after not enough sleep.

    "We should take a break, Josie needs to eat," Mason says.

    "She can eat when we are done here," Raff dismisses.

    "With all due respect, our bond is currently growing an entire person and needs to rest and eat regrly. Otherwise, we will have to start sharing our energy with her, leaving us all needing extra recovery time. Something we don''t have time for. I think we can all agree that that energy is better saved for tomorrow," Deacon exins.

    I''m about to sit on the dirty floor when Axel lifts me into his arms, my arms around his neck and legs wrapping around his waist. I rest my head on his shoulder, weing his strong arms taking the weight off my poor, throbbing feet for a while.

    "Fine, we can take a thirty-minute lunch break, but there''s onest thing I need to see you do here, the rest is less physical and can be done back at the academy," Raff sighs.

    "Make it an hour," Deacon says.

    Raff huffs and teleports out without another word.

    "Do you think that was a yes or..." Theo says but his words cut off when the soldiers he was asking disappear too, "oh, okay, see youter then," he rolls his eyes.

    "Let''s get out of here. There should be food being served in the dining hall, and I''m sure we can find some cheese. there too," Deacon says and I perk up at the mention of cheese, lifting my head to smile at him.

    "Ah crap, this may have been a bad idea," Theo says quietly when we arrive in the dining hall.

    "Why? What''s wrong?" ask, lifting my head from Axel''s shoulder to take a look around.

    The dining hall is filled with people but they''re not the usual students. A lot are much older. These must be some

    of the volunteers.

    "My parents and siblings are here, they are going to start fussing, especially when they notice you''re pregnant,¡± Theo grimaces.

    "Mine too," Luke nods towards a group in line for the food. I notice that Alice is there with them.

    "Mine are here, they probably won''t care though," Axel says. His eyes hard and focused on a group eating at the table next to our usual one.

    "Okay, let''s try to leave without being noticed, otherwise we aren''t going to get much of a lunch break," Theo whispers and everyone nods in agreement.

    "Theo!" a voice shouts excitedly and Theo turns away from the voice and closes his eyes muttering something before he sters a smile on his face and turns back to face his unum as she approaches with one of her bonds, Wesley. ¡°Mum, Dad, how nice to see you here, at my school,¡± Theo says, trying to act cheerful but his forced smile is giving away his annoyance.

    "Oh, we are so proud of you. When we heard your group needed assistance we dropped everything to be here, even your brothers came. Sophie wanted toe but she has the little ones to care for," Maria exins as she pulls Theo into a hug.

    Wesley hugs him next, repeating how proud he is to have him as his son and then their attention shifts to me. "You are looking much better since thest time I saw you," Maria smiles at me.

    "Thank you. It''s lovely to see you again," I smile and try to wriggle out of Axel''s arms but he tightens his grip. "They can''t see you''re pregnant like this," Axel says into the mind link and I rx in his hold. If we can somehow hide my pregnancy for now then we might get five minutes of peace so we can eat. I don''t like hiding this from them but there are so many parents and siblings that will no doubt be excited and it feels unfair for them to find out this way and then be told to leave us alone whilst we rest.

    "I''m sorry Mum, but Josie has hurt her ankle, we were just headed to the healer," Theo lies.

    "Oh no, I''m sure there''s plenty of healers in the room," she says sympathetically and turns to call out for help. Theounches at her, his hand quickly covering her mouth.

    "I lied, she is fine, please don''t draw attention to us right now," he pleads. "Toote, iing," Mason grumbles.

    "Luke," Alice squeals excitedly as she runs at her brother. Sheunches herself into his arms and he hugs her. I can''t help but smile at the reunion, even if the timing is not ideal.

 Chapter 0209

    The attention of the whole room seems to focus on us now and I sigh in defeat. There goes our lunch break. I guess it''s time to meet the rest of the parents. "Mason and I will grab us all some food whilst you guys deal with the families," Deacon says.

    "Thank you, don''t forget the cheese," I tell him.

    "Of course," he smiles before he and Mason skip to the front of the line for food.

    "Luke Weston, why do I have to find out you are back by seeing it on the TV? And why have I still not been introduced to your bond group yet," a stern looking woman asks as she approaches.

    "Sorry Mum, we''ve just been so busy since we got back," Lake says apologetically.

    His Mum''s stern expression transforms into a loving smile as she hugs him.

    ¡°I understand, but next time, please just call,¡± she says.

    "Of course, Mum, this is Josie, Axel and Theo," he points at each of us, "That is Mason, and you already know Deacon," he gestures to my bonds that are loading up trays of food.

    Your bond group is so big, and it''s quite a shock to see Mr Collins is in your group," sheughs before her focus shifts to me. "It''s wonderful to finally meet you, Josie, Alice has told me all about you," she smiles.

    "It''s nice to meet you, I''m sorry we haven''t been able to visit yet. Once things calm down we will be sure to join you for family dinner, that''s if you can fit us all in," Iugh

    "Oh, we can always make rogm," she grins and it is clear to see where Luke gets his personality from.

    "Axel,¡± a male calls from the seating area, he motions to the empty seats at his table and Axel sighs.

    "Go sit down, we will join you all once we have some food, Luke''s Mum says.

    We make our way to the table with two of Theo''s parents following whilst Alice and Luke''s Murn go back to join their family in the food line. Axel bes more tense and guarded with every step we take towards his family.

    "Axel, it''s good to see you, son," the man that had motioned us over says and there''s no doubt in my mind that this man is his biological father. They have the same copper tint to their hair and their facial structures are very simr, Axel''s build is much bigger than his father''s though.

    "You''ve certainly filled out since west saw you," a woman, I assume is his mother says.

    "Is this your bond group? You never mentioned you had bonded," another man says.

    "You never asked, in fact, you haven''t called me for months," Axel grumbles.

    "Is your bond hurt? Can''t she walk?" his mother asks as she studies me.

    "I can walk, I just prefer to be in Axe''s arms," I answer, not bothering to introduce myself.

    "He''s not a damn horse," she huffs and I ignore her.

    "No, he''s not a horse, he''s a badass warrior, but our bond is exhausted after the training we just did so if he wants to carry her and she wants to be carried then it''s none of your business," Theo says with the fakest smile ever and

    feel Axel rx a little.

    "That training was tough, I didn''t notice you

    out there," Axel''s father says, pulling out a seat for Axel.

    "That''s because we weren''t training with you," Axe says as he takes the seat, keeping me held close against him so I''m now straddling hisp.

    "Oh, did you train with the Spark bonded group?" his mumasks excitedly.

    "We did, they''re amazing, so hot too," Theo fans himself and Mariaughs at his antics.

    "Their parents must be so proud," Maria says with a glint of mischief in her eye.

    "I bet," Axel''s mother nods as she continues to pick at lier food. "I was disappointed they didn''t give away their identities on the TV appeal for volunteer

    Luke kneels beside my chair and pulls off my trainers before beginning to massage one of my sore feet. Theo takes note and takes my other foot, rubbing it gently.

    "Damn, Babe, your ankles are like balloons," Theo exims.

    "Thanks, I feel much better now," I roll my eyes andugh.

    "Oh dear, they are swollen, mine used to get like that when I was..." Theo''s mum begins and then stops herself, her eyes going wide as she moves around to study

    me.

    I give her a subtle shake of my head and her eyes fill with unshed tears of happiness as her hand covers her mouth. "Your mum knows," I say to Theo through the mind link and he goes still, looking up at his mum.

    "Mum, let''s go and see where your food is," Theo says, quickly standing to link his arm through his mother''s and lead her away from the table. She motions for his father to follow and the three of them walk off, talking quietly. When they reach a more private corner of the room, Maria and Wesley throw their arms around their son, the sight making my heart swell.

 Chapter 0210

    **Axel''s POV**

    My biological father seems to be making a little more effort with me than usual, although it''s still minimal. My mother and two other fathers are still as disinterested as ever. They''re all only here to be a part of something. They don''t care about saving the human realm, they just want to be able to say they were there. They think it will bring them some respect.

    I could put them out of their misery and tell them I am a part of the Spark bond, that their son they thought was such a disappointment for having strength-based gifts is who they are now here to see, who they are excited to meet, but it feels like a little revenge to have them sitting a the table with the Spark bonded group and have no idea for a while. I hope they feel stupid when they realise.

    "I heard a rumour that your headmaster is a part of the Spark bonded group, is that true?" my mum asks, her eyes searching out Deacon in the crowd.

    "Yes, he is," I nod.

    ¡°He''s a fine man, his bond is a very lucky woman," she says dreamily and my father rolls his eyes.

    ''Oh, she is, you should see all her bonds, she really hit the jackpot," Josie smiles up at me.

    "I heard she is pregnant already," my mum says and it''s at this moment that I realise my mum was probably one of the academy gossips in her time here.

    ¡°She is, they''re all very happy about it," Luke says as he moves to massage Josie''s other foot.

    "It looks like Mr Collins ising over to our table, you''re not in trouble are you Axel," my father asks.

    I don''t respond, just shoot him a deadpan look. I have never been in trouble at the academy, why would he think 1 would be now?

    "We have pasta, garlic bread and we even managed to get a full bowl of grated cheese,¡± Deacon says as he approaches.

    He is carrying trays piled high with food and Mason is close behind with simr- looking trays.

    "Thank you, I''m starving," Josie whines most adorably and Deacon ces down his trays before handing the bowl of cheese to Josie.

    "I''m going to go tell my parents about the pregnancy before theye to the table, hopefully, they''ll have gotten over the shock by the time they get their food and won''t fuss as much," Luke says into the mind link to is all.

    "Okay, hurry back though, you need to eat too," Josie responds.

    I look up to see my mum staring at us open-mouthed, with wide eyes, as Mason and Deacon arrange our tes, and when Josie shifts on myp, turning to face the table I can''t contain myugh as my mum looks like she is about to pass out.

    "Axel, why didn''t you tell us you were in the Spark bond?" one of my fathers asks, and for the first time his tone is filled with pride.

    "You never asked," I shrug.

    "We shouldn''t have to ask," my mother huffs.

    "Maybe if you''d called, or responded to any of my texts then you''d know. You''d also know that my bond spent six weeks in aa, we''ve been targeted by people trying to kill us multiple times, I got stuck in my wolf form for a month, I almost got lost in the void, twice, and then I was trapped in the human realm for weeks and only got back a few days ago," I snap, finally hitting my limit with them.

    "Axel, I''m sorry we weren''t there. I really wish we''d have been there. We are so proud of you, and we will be here to support you from now on," my father says and I study him.

    I believe his words hold some genuine guilt but it''s too little, toote. After today I don''t want to spend any more time with these people. I don''t hate them, but they are not my family, not really.

    "Want me to make their chair legs disappear?" Mason asks into the mind link and Iugh out loud.

    "I''m going to pretend I didn''t hear that," Deacon grumbles

    "Ooo, let me do it, I think I''m overdue for some of Mr Collins'' punishment," Josie wiggles in myp excitedly.

    "Calm it, I''m trying to talk with my parents here," Luke says ufortably.

    "Yeah, I''m getting sick of these awkward, unsatisfied boners, people are going to start thinking I''m weird," Theo quips.

    I continue tough along with Josie, we probably look a little crazy but I don''t care. This bond group is my family. I have everything I could possibly need with them, everyone else opinions are irrelevant.

    "What''s wrong with you?" my mum asks.

    "Private conversation," I shake my head in amusement.

    "I apologise for my son''s behaviour, Mr Collins, it must be difficult for you to be bonded to such an immature group," my mum says sympathetically.

    "In thest months, this group have been through more than you have ever probably been through in your lifetime, so seeing themugh is a blessing, it shows their strength, not immaturity,¡± Deacon says, shutting my mum up instantly.

    Half of the table falls into an awkward silence whilst my band group eat and chats like nothing happened, and when Luke approaches with his family and tries to squeeze onto the table with us I ask my parents to leave. They without another word or backwards nce and I feel as though a weight lifts from my shoulders. I finally made my parents proud, but it cost them our rtionship, something I''m not going to miss because it was never really there to begin with.

    Luke''s family manage to keep their excitement under control and not overwhelm Josie. Theo''s familye to join us too and then Deacon''s parents stand beside us, joining the conversation. Josie invites them all to the gender reveal party that she and Freya are nning, and soon the conversation falls into people offering to prepare food for the party and discussing who will make what. In the end, they all swap numbers before we need to leave for our next training session. Chapter 0211

 Chapter 0211

    **Luke''s POV

    We arrive back at the training ground with a few minutes to spare. Josie sits on a dusty old tyre whilst eating a banana that Theo''s mum insists will help with the swelling in her feet and ankles. We also all agreed that will will take her to the infirmary for a check-up once we are done here. Not just because of the swelling but to give us all a little peace of mind that she is fit toe with us tomorrow.

    My family was overjoyed when I told them about the Little Bean. My mum had even cried with joy and told me how proud she was, which I find an odd thing to be proud of. I didn''t actually do anything.

    "Does anyone think it''s odd that my mum is proud of me for Josie being pregnant?" I ask the others, unable to get the thought from my head.

    "I think she probably means she is proud you are growing maybe?" Josie shrugs.

    ¡°But I''m not, I''m no different than I would be if you weren''t pregnant,¡± I shrug. ¡°And even if it was me that biologically fathered the baby it''s still such an odd thing to be proud of. It''s like saying I''m so proud that your body functions normally and your testicles work,"

    §±

    Josie almost chokes on her banana as sheughs and Axel rubs her back.

    "Aww, Mace, did you hear that? Luke''s mum is proud of your balls," Theo waffles his eyebrows with a grin.

    "I''m proud of them too," Mason smirks, his gaze locked on Josie''s rapidly growing stomach. I swear it gets bigger by the day.

    "I think you are reading far too much into this," Josieughs.

    She is right, I know she is. I have an unhealthy habit of over-analyzing everything, especially when I''m stressed or nervous about something, but with what we are about to do tomorrow I think my reaction is warranted. I am absolutely terrified about what might happen. What if I can''t protect Josie and the baby and they get hurt or we lose thempletely? I try to push away my morbid thoughts before I infect everyone else with them and change the topic.

    "Has anyone thought about baby names? We can''t call them Bean forever, it might be cute now but imagine being our age and named Bean, he or she will hate us for it," I snort.

    "I like Sam or Sammy," Axel says.

    "Micheal or Penny," Theo shrugs and Josie''s eyes fill with emotion.

    "Ellie or Elija," Deacon smiles.

    "Luna or Isabelle for a girl, Theodore or Joe for a boy," Mason says, making Theo and Josie smile.

    "I like Harper for a girl, and As for a boy," I smile as imagine our baby.

    We all look to Josie for her-answer and she cringes, "Is it bad I didn''t think of any yet? Besides, you all have great suggestions already,"

    "My parents used to put all the name suggestions in a bucket and then pick one out at random, they kept the bucket of names and pulled one out whenever my mum gave birth, and as long as no one hated it, that would be the name the baby would be given. She said it saved so many arguments," Theo says.

    "That''s a great idea, we could have a girl bucket and a boy one and then we can pick out the name after the gender

    reveal," Josie says excitedly.

    "I like that idea," Mason nods and we all agree.

    Quiet falls over our group and I''m sure we are all thinking of names for the bucket. Raff arrives and our breakes to an end. I''m d Josle is looking a lot better.

    The training exercise is much the same as thest one, we have a moving target to capture, but this time there are multiple moving tyres and we have to identify which one to capture, and which ones to save.

    Our target is the one marked with a red circle, and when a group of tyres begin to roll in a scattered pattern we all search desperately for the marked one, whilst Mason and Josie deflect the foam darts that are being fired at us.

    "Back left, hiding in a group of four," I say into the mind lik as I catch the sh of red.

    "We need to separate it from the group," Deacon says.

    Axel leads the charge as we move as a group towards the target. Once we get closer Axe uses his strength, and Theo his speed, to block any other tyres from approaching whilst Deacon and I port to the group, grabbing the non

    marked tyres and porting them back to our group. Josie quickly opens up a small pit directly in the red tyre''s path and then closes it around it so only the top is pocking cut of the ground.

    Well

    done," Raff ps, "you are working well as a team and utilizing your individual gifts well. Let''s get back to the academy to go over the ns for tomorrow," he says before porting out with his team.

    "He seems in a better mood," Theo snorts, once we are alone.

    "He

    was probably hangry earlier, I understand that feeling Josie shrugs.

    "What''s hangry?" Axel frowns.

    "When you''re so hungry that it makes you angry, once you eat you feel better," she exins and we all nod in understanding.

    "Let''s not test that theory and get back before he gets irritable with us again," Deacon sighs.

    When we get back to the academy the grand hall is a hive of activity. White boards have been erected around the room and small groups huddle around each one, drawing out interesting diagrams. The next hours are spent listening to each group as they take us through ns of action for each possible scenario. In every n our goal remains the same, capture Cornelius whilst protecting the humans. Our group''s main focus will be Cornelius, the rest of the military will try to keep us protected and capture any other rogues. The civilian volunteers will not engage in any kind ofbat, instead, they will try to get as many humans to safety as possible.

    That evening we go home utterly exhausted. I can sense how disappointed everyone is feeling that if things don''t go to n tomorrow, this is potentially ourst night together, but we are all too tired to make it a special night. Instead, we all go to bed and sleep, praying that this time tomorrow we will all be back in this bed, bas

 Chapter 0212

    **Josie''s POV*

    By the time we port into the human realm, I have already been made to make what feels like a thousand promises to get out if I''m in danger. The guys are on edge, which is almost crippling me through the bond.

    Mason is pacing my small childhood living room as we walk for Freya to arrive and I fear the cheap carpet is not going to survive much longer. I sit down on the couch with a sigh as Luke makes me some tea. Deacon, Theo and Axel have gone on a little scouting mission, checking security near the park where the meet- and-greet is. The location had been released less than an hour ago and people are already gathering in the area. Theo told me people are holding up makeshift signs calling for us to save them, which gives me hope that we will face little resistance from the humans.

    A sudden flutter in my abdomen has my breath catching in my throat and Mason is kneeling in front of me in a sh.

    "What''s wrong?" he asks, gripping my knees.

    The mind link bes a flood of jumbled words as everyone asks what is happening and why Mason is panicking. Luke ports to my side from the kitchen. I ce a hand on my stomach and look at Mason, his eyes are full of

    "I''m not sure, everything is fine, but I think I just felt Little Bean move," I say into the mind link with a smile as my eyes fill with unshed tears.

    Mason pushes up my top and leans forward, cing a soft kiss on my exposed tummy before resting a hand there, Luke puts a hand on my bump too and we all wait with bated breath. Seconds pass before I feel a stronger pulse there.

    "I feel it," Lukeughs.

    "When did it get this strong?" Mason asks, his voice full of awe.

    "Now Ie to think about it, I''ve been feeling flutters for about a week now, I didn''t realise what it was until just now, it''s much stronger today,"

    Deacon, Axe and Theo port into the room and soon I''m surrounded by all my men as they all try to fit a hand on my bump. As if Little Bean can sense they''re all here, waiting to feel it move, it gives another, stronger kick. Our bond link shifts from nervousness to joy. Each of my bonds are filled with hope and excitement at feeling our little one move and the emotions spill over, Rolling down my face in big happy tears.

    "This all feels so much more real now," Theoughs.

    "In a few short weeks, we are going to be parents, it''s insane," Luke adds.

    "I can''t wait," Axel grins.

    ¡°This is going to be the most loved baby there ever was,¡± Deacon leans down and kisses the top of my head.

    "Josie, I really need you to stay here. I can''t protect you out there," Mason says so quietly I almost miss his words.

    "I can''t, Mace, we need to do this together," I shake my head. "I''ll keep the baby safe, don''t forget I can port out as soon as I need to," >

    "Then let me at least get you checked over before we go. You agreed to go to the infirmary for a check-up yesterday and didn''t, we have no idea if you are even well enough to do this," he pleads, and seeing him so

    desperate almost has me agreeing to stay back.

    "I didn''t go because we ran out of time, and we don''t have time now, there are less than two hours before we need to get into position. I am fine. I know I am. My wolf is content and if there was anything wrong she would let me know, I trust her," I reassure.

    "She''s strong, Mace, stronger than any of us, it''s going to be fine," Theo says, squeezing Mason''s shoulder.

    "I just can''t stand the thought..." Mason begins but stops mmself with a shake of his head.

    "We''re feeling a few pregame nerves

    but that''spletely normal. We''ve handled everything thrown at us so far, and today is just one more challenge we''re prepared to conquer. This is our final test, and once we pass it, we''ll receive the greatest reward... each other, forever. We won''t fall at the final hurdle. We''ve got this!" I try to

    encourage.

    "We have so got this! Then we can go home and celebrate with a train," Theo says excitedly.

    "I''m in," Axel agrees.

    "Onest challenge," Deacon nods.

    "And we are all together for this one, not separated by realms or inas. We are

    all fit, healthy and a team," Luke grins.

    "Okay," Mason sighs, "let''s get this over with."

    ¡°Don''t tell him I said this because I''ll deny it for the rest of my life, but I think fatherhood is making him soft," Theo says to me in the mind link and I nod subtly. Chapter 0213

 Chapter 0213

    "Or this is just him, how he should have been before Cash visted him into something else," I respond to Theo.

    "Maybe, we love him either way though, right?" he asks.

    "Of course," I roll my eyes as if he even needs to ask.

    "Freya is here," Deacon says as we hear the car engine pull into the driveway.

    I get up and follow the guys to the door to greet Freya. Deacon and Axel help her

    bring in her supplies and set them down on the kitchen table.

    "Holy bejesus, did your bump double in size?" Freya grapes at me.

    "Hello, it''s lovely to see you too," Iugh.

    "Sorry, it just shocked me is all, you look damn hot though, pregnancy suits you," she says, hugging me.

    "Oh yeah, tell that to my swollen feet," I huff.

    "Her toes turn into fat little sausages if she stands up too long," Theo mock whispers and I shoot him a scowl, even though he''s right.

    "Well let''s get to work and then you can focus on putting your feet up for the rest of the pregnancy," Freya ps her hands before unzipping her bag. "I have pin badges with hidden cameras for you all so I''ll be able to see everything as it happens, I also have arge group of protesters gathering outside the park as we speak, they should keep a lot of the security busy," she exins as she hands us all a small rainbow pin badge. There''s a small line of gems running down the centre of the badge and if you look really closely you can just about make out that one of them is actually a small camera lens.

    "Where the hell did you get these?" I ask.

    "Ask no questions and I shall give you no lies," she taps her nose.

    "You know we canpel the information out of you, right?" I tease.

    "Fine, ruin my

    fun why don''t you? I was trying to act mysterious and well-connected, but the truth is I ordered them on eBay," she sighs.

    "Why do we need these? And why does it have to be so colourful?" Mason grumbles.

    "Because, I''m nosey, and if you won''t let mee then I need to see what is happening, and they''re rainbows, they''re supposed to be colourful. It''s a symbol that shows pride and support for the LGBTQ+munity," she grins.

    "The what?" Theo frowns.

    "Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and everything in between. It''s a very big thing here so your badges won''t look suspect," she exins.

    "Oh, cool. We don''t have that in our realm," he shrugs.

    "Well now you know that if someone is wearing one of these then they fully support you and Mason fucking each other," she teases.

    "That''s very kind of them, I guess," Theo says looking a little puzzled by the whole idea.

    "Okay, we are wasting time on this nonsense. We need to get moving," Mason says.

    +25 BOHUS

    "Right, I have one more thing for you all," Freya pulls out paper-wrapped package and tips the contents onto the table. Six boxes of coloured contact lenses spill out and grin.

    "Nice thinking," I nod and grab a brown set.

    "What the hell are these?" Axel asks.

    "Watch," I say before rushing into the bathroom

    I quickly put the contacts in and blink a few times, then I look at myself in the mirror, feeling a little odd staring

    at my now brown-eyed reflection. I''ve worn contacts a few times before for Halloween but I''ve always gone with a crazy design with makeup to match so it''s strange to see myself with in brown eyes. I walk back into the kitchen and the guys all stare at me.

    "That is creepy as hell," Theo says as he studies me.

    "It''s so strange to see you with dark eyes," Axel frowns.

    "I don''t like it," Mason shakes his head.

    "You don''t need to like it, they''re a disguise," I shrug.

    Freya and I help the guys put the contacts in with a lot ofining and it takes me a while to adjust to their new appearance. They''re all still just as hot with brown and green eyes but I definitely prefer their natural blue- ones. We add our pin badges and then Freya makes sure she is receiving a live feed from all the cameras. Then we port back to the academy to meet with everyone who is following us to the human realm.

    One of Raff''s men fit the six of us with a small earpiece that will allow us tomunicate with Raff, and then I spend ourst few minutes of safety hugging each of my guys before we split into two groups and port into the human realm again, this time close to the park.

 Chapter 0214

    Deacon and I port into an empty apartment in a building that overlooks the park, whilst Luke, Axe, Mason and Theo port to a disused train line in the underground station cross the street. Some of Raff''s team are already here and some have even managed topel themselves onto the security team.

    We know Cornelius will have informed his team to be on the lookout for bonded groups so it''s important that as a female I am only seen with one male, otherwise we may draw suspicion. This theory is confirmed when a single female with a group of three males is stopped at the gate and pulled to one side. We can''t see what is done to them from here as they are led into arge white tent. I hold my breath as we wait, only releasing it when they exit the tent unharmed.

    Probably usingpulsion to question them. If we get pulled in, remember to draw on Axel''s blocking gift and make your gaze look vacant. Imagine you are in a daydream and answer their questions quickly and almost robotically," Deacon says.

    "We should have practised this," I sigh.

    "We have time now if you want to try?" he asks.

    "Yes, do it," I nod and he smirks. "Nothing weird," I warn, pointing to my ear and

    my pin badge to remind him we are being listened to and watched.

    "Okay, look at me," he says.

    My eyes meet his and I pull on my connection to Axel as I see the intent in Deacon''s eyes.

    "Are you a Grey?" he asks and I let my face rx, unfocusing my eyes as I feel themand for the truth brush against my mind, I almost smile when his power doesn''t work.

    "No," I say without emotion.

    "Perfect," he grins before leaning in and giving me a chaste kiss.

    "Train has juste in, we are moving out with the first crowd," Mason says into the mind link.

    Deacon tells him what we just witnessed at the gate and to be prepared to block thepulsion.

    We watch as Mason and Theo exit the station and cross the road, before joining the queue to get into the park.

    "You look too grumpy, you need to look excited to be there, like you can''t wait to meet this guy, he''s your hero," I Say to Mason.

    "This is just how I look," he grumbles.

    "Uncross your arms and imagine holding your child for the first time, imagine teaching them to walk and talk," I say and watch as he drops his arms and a small smile ys on his lips. "Much better, Good Boy," I tease and he shakes his head with a smirk.

    "You are going to pay for thatter," he responds.

    "Don''t try to threaten me with a good time," Iugh.

    Theo takes over, talking animatedly as they make it past security and through the gates without a hitch.

    "They''re in, Axel and Luke, you''re up," Deacon says into the mind link beforemunicating it all to Raff.

    Raff responds that Cornelius has not been sighted and they believe he has not arrived yet. Luke and Axel leave the station and join the queue. Axel is very noticeable in the crowd, hisrge frame draws attention and I watch as security points him out.

    "Security is going to pull you in," I warn.

    "Let them try," Axel grunts.

    "They won''t get past your gift, just remember to actpelled," Deacon says.

    f you need a distraction, just say the word and that tent will copse, Luke can port you both out in the chaos," Mason says.

    "Will do," Axel says.

    Axel and Luke are called into the tent and the air feels thick with tension as we all wait for them to emerge. The seconds tick by so slowly and when they walk back out and are ushered through the gate I almost sag in relief.

    "All good, they tried topel us. It was strong," Axel says.

    "I think it might be the same one that tried topel you, D., I don''t think we can risk youing through there, if you get pulled in he will recognise you," Luke says.

    "You''re right, okay, look for a ce we can port in unnoticed," Deacon says into the mind link beforemunicating the issue to Raff.

    "I have men working to secure an area for you to port in," Raff says through the

    "Tell them to close a bathroom, that is probably our best shot at getting in," I say.

    Twenty minutester Deacon receives a photo of the inside of a disabled bathroom, he studies it before nodding and thenmunicating to everyone that we are about to port in.

    "Ready?" he asks.

    "Let''s do it," I nod.

    Deacon pulls me flush against him and closes his eyes, the smell of the bathroom hits me before the sight does and I wrinkle my nose,

    "Did they choose the worst one on purpose?" I ask, fighting off the urge to gag.

    "Is it safe toe out?" Deacon asks as a cheer can be heard from outside.

    "Yes, you''re good, and you better hurry because Cornelius just made his grand entrance. He teleported onto the stage," Theo says.

    Deacon pushes open the door and pops his head out before motioning for me to follow, I take his hand and we walk out to join the crowd that''s focused on the stage.

 Chapter 0215

    **Josie''s POV**

    Cornelius stands in the centre, dressed in ck and wearing a bulletproof vest. He looks as arrogant as hell whilst heps up the attention of his worshipers. People cheer and p, drowning out the booing from outside the park fence. I look around at all the people, there are a full range from babies to elderly and I hate that they have no idea. who this guy is and that they are just unwitting pawns in a game they never chose. We have to free them, we are theirst line of defence. We swore we would save this realm and we are about to prove it, no matter the cost.

    1 spot Mason and Theo moving into position and I nce over to where I know Axel and Luke should be. Once we see them we begin to move too, weaving our way through the crowd. I recognise a few of the faces along the way and feel a little more at ease when I see them shadowing the more vulnerable members of the audience, ready to protect them. When I am happy with my position I stop, letting my guys know through the mind link that I''m ready they respond quickly that they''re ready too.

    "Did you remember to lock the back door?" Deacon asks, using the chosen phrase that tells Raff we are all in position and ready to go on hismand.

    "Okay, move on five," Raff says and begins to count

    I send a pulse of love to my guys and say a silent prayer that this works exactly how we hoped and that we all make. it out unharmed. The moment Raff says five, I act. The metal fences surrounding the park crumple in a high-pitched shriek of metal on metal as I manipte them to copse. Screaming and shouting sound out from everywhere as people begin to run. Axel and Luke port to my side to protect me as I cause mayhem everywhere I can without harming innocent civilians. Deacon ports out with Axel on Mason''smand and I cast a nce towards the stage where Corfielius is being held in ce by Mason''s telekinesis. A group of men are desperately trying to move Comelius and a shiver runs down my spine when I see his cold eyes locked directly on me with a smile that will no doubt haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life. I stick my middle finger up childishly before I fling one of his protectors across the stage with a flick of my wrist. Deacon and Axel fight the group of Greys protecting Cornelius on the stage but they''re severely outnumbered.

    "They need help on the stage!" I scream as Deacon takes a beavy blow to the face.

    Fury fills me and I grip the offender by the throat using telekinesis, the man struggles as he fights for air and Deacon quicklypels him to sleep. I release him and feel a sense of satisfaction as he crumples to the floor. I grip the next one, giving Deacon a chance to get into his mind whilst Axel fights off the others. Someone is flung from the stage as Axel roars and then people begin shifting. Crap. This is bad. Axel shifts too and does his best to keep the wolves from reaching Deacon. Some of Raff''s men finally reach the stage and hold off the that are trying to protect their leader.

    "Come to us, Mace needs help," Theo says through the mind link and I look over towards them.

    tra rogues

    Theo is desperately trying to shield Mason as he mentally holds Cornelius in ce. Mason is swaying slightly under the strain as Cornelius battles to break free.

    "Let''s go," I say to Luke as he kicks a wolf in the head as itunches towards him. He quickly turns and grabs my hand before porting us to Mason and Theo.

    "I think he''s Spark bonded, he shouldn''t be this strong," Mason says through clenched teeth as sweat drips down

    his face.

    I slip my hand into Mason''s and turn my focus onto Cornelius, using telekinesis to hold him frozen in ce. I feel Cornelius react to my power. I have no idea what kind of gift this is but it hits me like a static charge, radiating from my mind.

    "Fuck!" Mason grunts, dropping to his knees.

    The air seems to shift, the world slowing as Cornelius grins My knees give out and I drop onto them painfully. I struggle against the weight of his power as it grips my mind, and paralyses my body. My muscles flex with effort but it is useless. I feel as though I''m slowly being encased in electrically charged ss. I gather thest of my energy and push it out to my bonds, hoping they can use it to escape as my world turns ck.

    N.O Darling Author

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    10

 Chapter 0216

    **Theo''s POV**

    I move to intercept a wolf running towards Josie. I step in part in time for the ethit to up and

    lentchtch painfully onto my arm, dragging me down with it. The wildly disappears from on top of me, seconds

    wolf

    before it was about to chomp down on my face. I sit op arvok around in confusion Jose Jets on a pained cry from behind me and I jump to my feet, turning just in time to see her dog to her knees. I roth formed with a burst of energy, catching her before she falls forward and goes limp in my arms. I look at Mason in a panic, which only increases when I see he is on the floor, twitching and growing Lake is nowhere to be seen

    he

    "What the fuck is going on? I need help here! I scream into the mind link

    Iy Josie down next to Mason, ready to protect them both when Luke appears.

    "I''ll get them out of here. Go help Deacon and Axel," Lakesys before leaning down and touching lose and Mason before porting out with them.

    I turn and look towards the stage. Axe is in full beast mode He''s vicious, wild and glorious as he rips through the flood of wolves trying to protect Comelius, who is now attempting to escape via the front of the stage. I run at at full speed

    "Oh no you don''t, Fucker," I shout as I barrel into him.

    The momentum of my speed ms him into the wall of the stage, wood splinters and metal screeches as I push through the structure, using his body. Pain radiates from my wrists and I''m pretty sure I''ve broken them but I continue to push until I''ve nearly ripped a path through the middle of the stage. Warm liquid stters over my face, blinding me as it covers my eyes. I wipe my face with the sleeve of my jacket and blink until I can see again My sleeve is smeared with red and I look up to see a horrifying yet highly pleasing sight

    "Oops, my bad," I say as Cornelius'' wide eyes stare at me.

    He opens his mouth to say something but chokes on his own blood. The sharp and broken metal beam of the stage structure pokes out from the centre of his chest and his arms il uselessly as he attempts to grab it. A creak above me has me stepping back. I''m pretty sure the whole stage is about to copse.

    "Get everyone off the stage," I shout and then take onest look at Comellus.

    "I''m sorry to cut this victorious moment short but it''s not safe down here, I suggest you make a run for it too, but oh, you can''t. See you in hell, Asshole," I smile at him before running out from under the stage.

    "Where is he?" Deacon asks breathlessly as he rushes towards me.

    "He''s currently impaled on a huge shard of metal. He''s not going anywhere," I tell him as I start to feel a little Woozy.

    "Are you okay?" Deacon asks, gripping my shoulder to steady me.

    My arm got torn up by a wolf and I''m pretty sure I''ve broken both arms," I groan as the adrenaline wears off and the pain bes increasingly more intense. "Okay, I got you," Deacon says, lifting me into his arms and if I didn''t feel like my arms were about to fall off and my head wasn''t spinning from the pain I''d make a joke about understanding Josie''s obsession with his big strong arms now that I''m in them.

    "Okay, they''re stabilizing! Someone get me the ultrasound scanner, now!" I hear a panicked voice shout as

    Deacon ports us to the infirmary.

    Deacon''s arms tense around me and I lift my head to see healers and nurses rushing around in a panic but my gaze focuses on Mason and Josie lying in beds. Both of them are deathly pale and unconscious, their bodies twitch and my blood runs cold.

    "Go get Axel," I whisper, too weak to find my full voice.

    "Luke, get Axe, now," Deacon shouts as if suddenlying to his senses. He moves towards a nearby empty bed. andys me on it before rushing to Josie''s side.

    Luke ports in with Axel, who is still in his wolf form. He growls and spins, looking for a threat and when he notices Josie he whimpers. He runs to her bedside before he shifts and takes her free hand in his.

    "What''s wrong with her?" he asks.

    "We are not sure, they both started convulsing but from what we''ve been able to check, their stats are fine. Whatever it is seems to have been a mental attack. Someone got into both of their minds. We are going to check the baby now," Dot exins with a tremble in her voice.

 Chapter 0217

    Mason lets out a groan and begins to wake up.

    "Keep still, Mace, you''re safe," Dol says, grabbing his hand

    "Josic," he breathes, attempting to sit up.

    "She''s here, just rx, everyone is here," she soothes.

    Mason flops back on the bed with a relieved sigh and 1 scoot off the bed. I need to be closer to him and Josie. Luke notices my movement andes over to help me with an arm around my shoulders.

    "Christ, Theo, what the fuck happened to you?" Dot gasps when she sees me and Mason''s eyes snap open to look at me. Which is good because if he sees Josie right now he''s going to flip out.

    "You should see the other guy," I grin, as I almost fall backwards and Luke holds me upright. "He should be dead by now, most of this is his blood,"

    "Who was the other guy?" Mason asks.

    "Comelius," I grin proudly.

    "You are fucking amazing, Theo," Mason breathes.

    "I know, but my arms are not," I grimace as I hold them close to my chest.

    "Let me see," Dot says as she moves arourid Mason''s bed towards me.

    Luke supports one of my arms, holding it out for her and she hovers her hand above it. I feel the warmth of her healing as Mason begins cursing and trying to get out of bed. He''s seen Josie. Deacon supports him towards her.

    "She''s

    ''s okay, whatever happened to you happened to her too. She hasn''t woken up yet. They''re going to check the baby in a moment, they''re going to be okay," Deacon says.

    Mason brushes a a hand over Josie''s forehead and his other hand moves to her stomach.

    "Please be okay," I hear him whisper and I almost shed a tear at the vulnerability in his voice.

    I know for a certainty that both realms will burn to ashes if any harm hase to Josie or his child and I will be right there beside him, lighting the matches for him. I look at the rest of my bond group and I''m pretty sure they are thinking the same thing.

    "Target is confirmed dead. Where are you all? We need all of you here to help with clean up," Raff says through thems.

    "With all due respect, fuck your clean up," Deacon says and pulls the device from his ear, tossing it across the

    TOOM

    Raff begins shouting in my ear and I watch as everyone removes the earbuds. Luke helps remove mine and I thank him. Dot finishes up the healing on one arm and I flex it, testing it works.

    need to take a break before I do the next one," she sighs

    "Thank you, I feel so much better already," I smile.

    Shut up," Josie mumbles and it''s the best sound I''ve heard since we got here.

    Mason quickly pulls the earbud from her ear and I cringe at the thought of her having to wake up to Raff''s ranting

    "How do you feel?" Axel asks.

    Tired. What happened?" she groans.

    We all begin to talk at once and she holds up a shaky hand.

    "Cliff notes, my head hurts," she says with a wince.

    "You and Mason copsed, Cornelius almost escaped and then Theo killed him

    and broke his arms," Deacon says.

    "Well done, Theo," she smiles sleepily.

    A nurse wheels in the ultrasound machine and Art follows her in: He nces around us all and smiles.

    "I''m d to see everyone has regained consciousness, let''s check out this baby," he says.

    Josie''s eyes go wide with worry and her hand moves to her bump.

    "Don''t panic. Physically you are fine, there was nothing for us to heal so I''m quite positive the baby should be okay. I''d rather we just double-check though, for everyone''s peace of mind," Art exins.

    The room falls into a tense silence as Art sets up the equipment and then moves the wand over Josie''s stomach. He frowns as he looks at the screen and he moves in to take a closer look.

    "I think it''s sleeping, it''s quite still but the heart is beating well. It is strong and I can''t see anything concerning," he finally says and there''s a collective sigh of relief.

    Cornelius is dead and we are all here, a little worse for wear but we will recover.

 Chapter 0218

    **Josie''s POV **

    It had taken almost a week to fully recover from the psychle attack from Cornellus.

    I had spent most of that time in bed with Mason. We watched movies and slept a lot for the first few days. On day three Mason felt back to normal, but due to my pregnancy and that I had depleted my energy to fuel the rest of my bonds I''d needed longer.

    The rest of my bonds have been navigating the aftermath and keeping the and Mason Informed. We recently learned that Cornelius was confirmed as spark bonded, which adds anotheryer of betrayal to his entire scheme. When Cornelius died, one of the females captured by Raff'' team became distraught, screaming in anguish over her loss. Three other males tried to console her in the holding cell, revealing their identities in the process. I chose not to find out what happened to them afterwards, I can''t imagine the depth of her pain in losing one of her bonds, even if he hadmitted terrible acts. The thought of her dealing with that loss and the separation from her other bonds weighs heavily on my heart. I hope, for her sake, that she found some measure of peace, even if that meant execution. I know that''s the fate I would hope for in her situation.

    The best news had been that by some miracle there had been no fatalities in the fight, well, apart from Cornelius. Some humans had suffered minor injuries and there had been more severe injuries on both sides of the fighting Greys, but everyone is expected to make a full recovery.

    I''m told the human realm is recovering and that we have a team working to establish a new treaty between our realm and theirs. Freya told me that most of the humans believe we are heroes and are supporting an open door policy for Greys to be weed to visit there. There is a small faction that doesn''t trust us after Cornelius'' actions though, which is understandable. More teens like me have been identified and are being integrated into our society this week.

    I''m so d all this is almost over and we can start to live our lives, although I''m still pissed that I missed the end of the fight and didn''t get to see Cornelius fall. I''m so proud of Theo for being the one to put an end to the rogue''s takeover.

    Axel has stayed home with me today as Mason was going a little stir-crazy and wanted to be involved in the investigation into the rogues. After a bath this morning and some TV in bed I decided it was time to get up and do something. We have the gender reveal party nned for two days from now and there is a lot

    to do. Starting with finding names I like to add to the name buckets.

    "How many names have you added to the buckets?" I ask Axel.

    "Five, three for a boy and two for a girl. Have you added any yet?" he asks.

    "Not yet but I''m about to look. Do you do middle names here? Also, how does the surname work?" I frownL

    "What do you mean by middle name?"

    "Like two names. For example, I''m Josie Jade Banks," I exin.

    "Oh, yes I have heard of people with two names like that," he nods. "For the surname, most children carry their biological father''s name, but I guess it is a personal choice and something we should discuss with the others,"

    "Okay, let''s just assume it will be Marshall for now,"

    "Does the surname affect your choice of first name?" he asks.

    "Well yes,

    the two names have to go well together. For example, if the surname is going to

    be Collins then 1 wouldn''t choose a name like Colin because Colin Collins doesn''t sound right," I exin.

    "Yeah, that makes sense, but if the names don''t fit we can just choose another," he shrugs and pulls me to sit on hisp on the couch.

    I lean back against him and begin to scroll through a list of pames on a baby name website on my phone. I soon give up with a huff and move to online shopping. Axel and spend the next few hours picking out baby clothes and making lists of equipment we will need and by the time the rest of our bond group gets home we have a shopping list that amounts to the price of a decent car in the human realin.

    "Order it," Deacon shrugs, handing me a credit card.

 Chapter 0219

    "No, thank you,

    but we don''t need all of this. Let''s wait to nd out the gender first. There''s no point buying all these dresses if it''s a boy, besides, I want us all to choose together," I smile.

    "Babe, I''m sure we will all approve of whatever you want to choose. You''re the one that has to give birth, I think that gives you the right to dress the baby however you like, Theo says,ing over to kiss me.

    I look up to see if Mason has anything to say about it but he''s still not joined us in the living room yet, which seems odd. I check my connection to him and realise he''s got his shields up again.

    "What''s going on?" I ask, looking at Luke, Theo, and Deacon suspiciously.

    The three of them look at each other and then Theo sighs.

    "Mace just needs a little time alone. Deacon scanned his parents today and he needs some time to deal with it. There''s also something else, but it''s for him to tell you, and he will when he''s ready," Theo exins.

    "Fuck that," I scowl, getting up to find Mason.

    I should have been with him for this. Why didn''t they wait for me ore pick me up? I head to the kitchen first, looking for him out the window and when I don''t see him I turn around and go upstairs. I go straight to his room, which he rarely spends time in, and knock on the door before pushing it open. The room is dark, the curtains closed and Mason sits silently on the edge of his bed. 1 step in and close the door behind me before moving to stand in front of him.

    "We missed you today," I tell him softly, picking up one of his hands and cing it on my bump.

    He is still for a moment before he moves his hand to my hip and pulls me in close to stand between his legs. He rests his head on my stomach and lets out a breath. I rest a hand on his shoulder and run the other one over his hair. I''m dying to question him, to find out what he learnt that has made him feel this way, but I keep my mouth shut. Supporting him silently until he''s ready to talk.

    A few minutes pass before he kisses my stomach tenderly and then his fingers grip my hips. I don''t need his shields to be down to know what he needs now, he needs to get out of his own head and lost in sensation. He needs to take a mental break and let someone else take control for a while. This is not our usual dynamic, but I''ve learnt from the best. I can take control, although may need some backup. I tell Theo to get up here through the mind link and then I grip Mason''s chin, forcing him to look up at me in the dim light.

    "Stand up and undress me with your hands, not your gift, demand, stepping back to give him some space.

    I hear Theo''s frantic footsteps on the stairs as Mason gets to his feet and grips the hem of my top before pulling it up over my head. Theo bursts through the door as gracefully as a bull and stops to watch us. The light from the hall spills in through the door as if a spotlight is on us. Mason reaches around to unfasten my bra, letting it drop to the floor. He pushes down my leggings and underwear in one move and then he crouches. I rest my hands on his shoulders whilst he helps me step out of my clothes and pull off my socks.

    "Now you two undress each other," I say as Mason stands.

    "With pleasure,¡± Theo grins before closing the door and cloaking the room in darkness once again.

    I move to the bedside table, flicking on the smallmp there beforeying back on the bed to watch as Mason and Theo begin to undress each other slowly. The way they''re looking at each other makes my desire skyrocket. I feel like I''m getting my own private show of two of the most desirable men I''ve ever met.

    "Kiss, whilst you do it," I tell them once they''re both shirtless.

    The two kiss as they unfasten each others pants and my breath catches in my throat at the sight. This is an image

    free going the Sagent

    NO Darling

    Do you want the spicy scene between Josie, Mason and Theo? Or should I leave

    it to your imagination and move on to the next part of the story?

 Chapter 0220

    ** Josie''s POV **

    Once both my men are gloriously naked 1 watch them for a while as they explore each other''s mouths. It''s clear Mason is letting Theo take the lead here, which confirms what I thought Mason needed from us.

    "Take charge of him, Theo, he needs it," I say into the min link.

    Theo breaks the kiss and looks over at me with a subtle nod

    hur girl is looking lonely on that bed, don''t you think?" he asks. Mason turns his head and his eyesnd on me before he nods.

    "Get

    Get on the bed and crawl to her, Mace," Theo whispers.

    Mason steps up to the bottom of the bed and casts a nce at Theo behind him before getting on the bed and crawling up to kneel between my legs. I sit up to meet him and pull his head towards mine kissing him briefly before I lie back. Theoes to kneel on the bed beside us and his hand moves straight to my

    sex.

    "Look how wet she is for you," Theo hums, spreading me for Mason to see just how much I want him, plunging two fingers inside me.

    before

    I gasp as he pumps his fingers inside me before withdrawing and bringing his soaked digits to Mason''s mouth. Mason sucks them in greedily and I moan at the sight.

    "That''s so fucking hot," I breathe.

    "Do you want more?" Theo asks, pulling his fingers away and Mason nods.

    Theo guides Mason''s head down between my legs with a hand on the back of his neck.

    "Make her feel good, Mace, don''t stop until she is screaming." Theo whispers into his ear and Mason doesn''t hesitate, his mouth licking and sucking at my sensitive flesh.

    I sense Theo moving around the room but I''m too lost in sensation to realise what he''s up to, that is until Mason lets out a small humn of surprise against my clit, which almost sends me over the edge. I open my eyes to see Theo kneeling behind Mason and I can only imagine what his hand is doing to him back there.

    The added vibration of Mason''s moans against me and the thought of what Theo is doing to him to coax these noises from him sends me soaring into bliss. I scream out my pleasure, gripping the back of Mason''s head and holding him to me until my orgasm ebbs.

    "Grab a pillow and put it under your ass," Theo says to me through the mind link.

    I quickly do as he says, and wonder what he''s up to now as he moves back to my side.

    "Fuck," he groans, "look how much she wants you. Fuck her, Mace, let me watch her pussy stretch around you,"

    Mason moves forward, lining himself up at my entrance and slowly pushes into me. We both moan as he fills me. His hips begin to thrust slowly and Theo moves behind him again. Mason shifts suddenly his body leaning forward over mine but being careful to keep his weight off the. Heces his fingers into mine, pinning them to the bed beside my head. His hips still and he buries his face into my chest, gripping my hands tighter as he and Theo groan in unison.

    "Move, Mace," Theo breathes.

    Mason lifts his head and begins to move with slow, shallow thrusts. He looks a little unsure.

    "Look at me," I tell him and his eyes move to mine, "give me your colour," "Green," he breathes, "It''s just so much,"

    "Just rx, this is about you, let us make you feel good," he says and begins to thrust behind Mason, which in turn makes Mason push into me as I lift my hips to meet him.

    It takes a moment for us to work out a rhythm but soon the three of us are moving together in perfect sync, increasing our pace as we be more confident. Mason''s whole body trembles as he grunts out his release, dropping his shields to pull me and Theo over the edge with him, The orgasm is amazing but the connection between the three of us is even better. I''m not sure how long we stay there just enjoying the union of our minds, bodies and souls. At some point, Mason rolls onto his back beside me and I turn onto my side. Mason wraps an arm around me and I rest my head on his chest, my eyes meet Theo''s, who is mirroring my position on Mason''s other side and we smile at each other as we feel nothing but peace and contentmenting from Mason. Mission aplished. Chapter 0221

 Chapter 0221

    "Sorry to disturb you, but the food is ready if anyone is hungry," Deacon''s voicees through the mind link, startling me awake.

    ¡°Nah, I just had a Mason sandwich, I''m good," Theo responds, making meugh and Mason growl.

    "Thanks for that visual, Theo. Josie, you should eat," Deacon responds.

    "Give me five minutes to shower," I say and groan as I push myself into a sitting position with Mason''s help, moving is starting to be difficult with this baby bump.

    I go to my room and tie up my hair before quickly showering, when I leave my en- suite I find Mason, fully dressed and sitting on my bed with a tray of food.

    "Thanks," I smile and sit on the bed, picking up the burrito and taking a bite.

    "My parents were telling the truth," Mason says. I get the sense he had waited for me to take a bite so I couldn''t respond. He doesn''t want to talk, he just wants me to listen, and if that''s what he needs then I''m happy to do that for him.

    Mason tells me what Deacon had discovered when he''d checked his parents, Cash hadpelled them a lot. Hispulsion was weak and he''d had to continually redo it until it had messed with their minds so much that it had taken them years to work out the truth. By the time they had made sense of it all and asked a friend for help, Cash, had returned with Mason. He hadpelled them again but it had been less effective. They''d questioned him and so he''d used Mason and Dot as a threat to keep them quiet. The friend they had gone to for help had turned out to be one of the rogue Greys so hadn''t done anything to help them.

    about Cash.

    "I went to the prison straight after to question this friend they had confided in. I wanted to know more a There are so many unanswered questions, most of which I''ll probably never find the truth of. I did learn that Cash was unbonded and had been travelling to the human realm to father as marty children as possible, as had all the unbonded Greys that Cornelius had recruited. He admitted He knew Cash had me locked away and had warned him that my parents were working out he wasn''t in their bond group. That''s why Cash had returned with me when he did. Then as I was questioning him I realised I recognised something familiar in him. It was just small things, like the way his nose tips up very slightlyat the end, and the defiant look in his eyes when I tried to get information from him he didn''t want to give. He''s your biological father Josie, and I was so close to keeping my promise to you. I almost killed him right there, and I would have, but I''d most likely have been punished for it. I''m sorry I failed you," he admits, lowering his gaze as shame pours through the bond and my heart pounds in my chest.

    "You did the right thing, Mace. Let him rot in jail. Don''t do anything that could risk you being taken away from us," I tell him, reaching out and taking his hand before bringing it to my bump, "we need you here. He is irrelevant. I don''t even want to know his name. Just promise me two things,"

    "What?"

    "That you''ll never see him or mention him again, he doesn''t get to be a part of our lives in any way, and if any of the names in the naming bucket are even simr to his you will take them out. I don''t want our baby carrying his name," I tell him.

    "I can do that," he nods.

    "Good. Have you decided what to do about your parents?" I ask, wanting to move on from any talk of the piece of shit that took advantage of my mum to father me. He doesn''t deserve even a second more of our time.

    "Not yet, there''s still a lot to talk about, but I''d like to invite them to the gender reveal if that''s okay with you,"

    "Of course, whatever you want to do, I''m with you 100% if you want to have them in your life then I''ll do

    everything I can to make that happen," I smile.

    Mason picks up my empty tray and puts it on the floor before lying on the bed and pulling me to him. "I don''t know what I ever did to deserve you," he breathes as he strokeszy circles on my back.

 Chapter 0222

    **Josie''s POV

    "Babe, calm down, it''s going to be perfect," Theo says as attempt to rearrange the tables by the pool again.

    "What if everyone hates it and never wants to go to a gender reveal party ever again?" I ask, covering my face with my hands in an attempt to calm myself.

    "Why would they hate it? Everyone will be here because they love us and our baby and they''re excited to find out the gender. I don''t think they care if the tableyout is up to standard," Luke says.

    "You''re right," I nod. "I just feel this pressure to make it perfect, I need to prove to your families I''m capable of doing this, I want to prove I''m worthy of being in this bond group and that I''ll be a good mother to their grandchildren," I admit.

    "They already know that, and more importantly, we know that. You have nothing to prove, Babe. This is supposed to be a fun day for us all to be together with everyone we care about, so rx and enjoy it," Theo pulls me to him and Luke steps up to my back, both of them wrapping me in their love.

    I want to mention that not everyone I care about will be here because my mum won''t, and that bothers me.

    "Where should we put all this?" Axel asks and I look over to see him carrying food tters with Deacon''s parents following behind with even more food.

    "On these tables," I point to the long line of six tables we had borrowed from the academy.

    "Josie, you look wonderful, Dear," Olive grins.

    "Thank you, so do you," I say, stering a smile on my face.

    ¡°Let''s take a tea break, you look like you need a rest," she says and motions to the chairs set out on the patio. I nod and make my way over to sit with Olive.

    "Where is Deacon?" she asks.

    "He''s gone to pick up my friend with Mason, they should be back by now," I frown and check on him through our bond. He has his shields up.

    What is he up to? I check Mason and he also has his shields up. A trickle of fear runs down my spine and I''m about to question them through the mind link when I hear Freya''s voice inside the house. They''re here.

    Mason walks out and ces arge cake on the table beforeing over to me. Luke, Theo and Axele to join him until they''re all standing in front of me and I look at them suspiciously. They''re definitely up to something.

    "What''s going on?" I ask, turning to look for Freya and Deacon.

    Deacon walks out of the house andes to join the others.

    "We have a surprise for you," Deacon smiles and reaches out a hand to help me up. I take it, my mind going nk at what it could possibly be.

    "Turn around," Mason says.

    1 turn and then gasp when I see Freya standing in the doorway, a huge beaming smile on her face and her arm linked with my mum''s. I try topose myself, I can''t show too much emotion, but my mum runs at me, throwing her arms around

    me.

    "Oh, Josie Bean, my sweet girl," she cries and 1 freeze.

    My mum called me that before she waspelled to forget ne. Has thepulsion broken? Is she ill again? "It''s okay, she''s okay," Deacon reassures through the mind link, "I''ll exinter but she knows who you are, she has most of her memories back, and she knows what we are,

    "Mum, I have missed you so much," I squeeze her and the floodgates of my emotions oper

    My mum holds me as I cry and it''s the best feeling. I have my mum back and she knows who I am.

    "How about you two go inside and catch up whilst we get this party set up," Freya suggests and I nod. The next hour with my mum is full of happiness and plenty of tears as I tell her everything I''ve been through. I show her my ultrasound pictures and she is overjoyed that she is going to be a grandmother. She tells me how proud she is of me, and that she had seen clips of me on the TV. She says I''m a famous superhero in the human realm. I don''t question her on what she remembers, or mention her mental illness because I''m not sure what she knows and I''m scared I might trigger her if I say the wrong thing.

    "Everyone is here," Deacon says as he pops his head through the door.

    "Then we''d better not leave them waiting. Let''s go find out what this baby is," my mum says excitedly.

 Chapter 0223

    1 dash into the bathroom to wash my face and I''m happy to my eyes are not too puffy from crying. Then I step out to find all my bonds waiting for me in the hallway Masen takes my hand and we walk outside to the cheers of all the people we love. The ce looks amazing. There are pink and blor decorations everywhere and enough food to feed a small army. Even the pool has pink and bloe balloon floating in it. I spend time talking with everyone and Freya rushes around asking people to pass the geodeshe gives them a pink or blue sticker depending on their guess and I''m not surprised to see almost everyone has a blue sticker, including me and my entire bood

    group.

    When Freya calls everyone''s attention for the reveal I have a sudden change of heart. I''m not sure if it''s my wolf or just my intuition but I swap my blue sticker for a pink one tason looks at my new sticker with narrowed eyes and then smiles before changing his sticker too.

    Freya has me and Mason take a ss and stand in front of therge rectangle cake that is white with pink and blue footprints on it. She hands confetti cannons to Deacon, Axel, Luke and Theo and gets them to stand behind us. She tells us to push our sses into the cake and then hold them up on the count of three, to reveal the colour of the cake inside whilst the others set off the cannons. We push our sses in and my heart skips a beat as she begins the countdowTL

    "Three_two_one!" she shouts. I pull my ss from the cake andugh as I hold up the pink cake for everyone to see and pink confetti rains down on us.

    Cheers and shouts of congrattions sound all around us, and Mason pulls me in for a kiss, the sounds fading away as I get lost in him and my bonds that surround us. Deacon kisses me next, followed by Axel, Luke and then

    *Should we pick the name now?" Theo asks and I nod

    "Mum and dads, we have adopted your naming method and added our chosen names to a bucket. We are going to choose one now," Theo says loudly enough for everyone to hear, silence quickly spreads and Axel pulls the small pink bucket from under the table and holds it out towards me.

    I take a breath and put my hand In. "Let''s see what your name will be baby girl," I say before pulling out a folded piece of paper and handing it to Deacon

    Deacon unfolds the paper and smiles. His eyesnd on Luke as he reads out the name Luke had chosen.

    "Our little girl will be named Harper," he announces.

    "I can''t wait to meet you Harper," I whisper as I smile down at my bump.

    The rest of the day is spent celebrating with our families and eating all the amazing food everyone has brought. I sneak off upstairs to use the bathroom and have five minutes of peace from all the chatter just to process my emotions. In a few short weeks, I''m going to have a baby girl and it''s s hard to imagine how much everything is about to change.

    I move to the bedroom window and look at my bonds and our family. Every single person is smiling. Mason is sitting with his parents and heughs at something his father says. He looks so carefree and it warms my heart. Axel is chatting with my mum and my heart swells with love. Freya is with Dot and her bond group and I frown as I look at them closer. Are Dot and Freya flirting? I know Freya had broken up with her girlfriendst week and is eager to move on, but Dot has four, very male bonds. I watch as Freya moves over to Deacon, she says something to him and points towards Dot, who waves. Deacon raises his brows and nods before Freya gives him a brief hug and rushes back to Dot''s group who look like they''re leaving, and Freya is going with them. Iugh and shake my head, I can''t wait to hear this story tomorrow.

    My eyes shift again andnd on Theo, who is looking up at me. He grins and then rushes inside. I''ve been caught. I

    sigh and move to the bedroom door and when I open it Theg is there. He drops to his knees in front of me and leans in close to my bump.

    "Well hello there, new girl," he says to my bump, repeating his first words to me after my eyes had met his through the window when I''d first arrived at the academy.

    N.O Darling Author

    FYI, I did put the names in a pot and pick one out because I just couldn''t choose

    Thank you so much for all your support so far. Everyment, gem and review help to get this story promoted.

    10

 Chapter 0224

    **Axel''s POV**

    The gender reveal had been a huge sess. Seeing everyone that my bond group cares about alle together to celebrate our baby was something that will stay with me forever. I hadn''t even felt my family''s absence because with my bond group and their loved ones, I''ve found a better, even more supportive family. I don''t need anyone else to feelplete, well, apart from more children.

    Josie ising to the end of her pregnancy, and I''m going to miss seeing her like this. Even with her swollen ankles and sickness, she is still the most beautiful thing I''ve everid my eyes on. She seems to glow with an otherworldly beauty that grows brighter every day and keeping my hand off of her is bing more and more difficult. If I could, I''d pick her up and carry her with me everywhere.

    As I watch her now my fingers twitch with a need to touch her, to scoop her up and hear the contented little hum she always lets out when I wrap her in my arms. I''m addicted to that sound. I know the four men standing beside me are all fighting the urge to touch her too, but Josie is attempting to swim, and if we try to intervene she growls at us. I don''t think she realises it''s the cutest little growl and more of a temptation than a deterrent. She is keen to keep fit and stay in shape through this pregnancy though, so I am respecting her wishes and letting her swim.

    Josiepletes anotherp and she clings to the side of the pool, catching her breath. The guys all shift slightly, impatiently waiting to see if she is done. As the uing birth approaches, we''ve all be a little more desperate to squeeze out every moment with her.

    We all know we don''t have much time left as just us. At some point in the next few days, we will be parents. Our dynamic will shift massively and none of us know how that will look. With our unique bond, I know we are all feeling the same. We are equally excited and nervous about the change that ising

    I know we all have every faith in Josie, she is a warrior and has proved that over and over, but we also have some small doubts that this is too much, too fast, for her. We have all taken the sses, and we all know that no matter how much we prepare for this, there are still the very real possibilities of birthplications, postnatal depression and several other potential issues.

    "Okay, I''m done," Josie says breathlessly and the five of us move as one, wading through the water towards her.

    Theo reaches her first, he''s faster than any of us. Her arms wrap around his neck as he takes her lips in a kiss. Mason presses into her back, a tumbler of water in his hand

    "She needs to drink, Theo," Mason grumbles.

    Theo pulls his mouth from hers and Mason reaches around holding the straw to her mouth. She sucks on the straw and gulps down the water greedily, and I know I''m not the only one here wishing that my cock was that straw. Josie''s eyes go wide as she feels the desire pulse through the bond.

    "Seriously guys? What has been with you alltely?" sheughs.

    "What do you expect? We are men, and our girl is hot and naked," Theo grins.

    "I''m not, I''m wearing... oh," she stops herself as her bikini dissolves in a puff of pink dust that sinks to the bottom of the pool.

    Josie''s desire joins ours, flooding the bondadesperate need that almost takes my breath away.

    "Choo choo!" Theo calls triumphantly in response.

    "Let''s take this inside," Deacon hums.

    Luke ces a hand on my shoulder and ports us to the bedroom whilst Deacon ports Theo, Josie and Mason. I''m

    so d I''ve finally be tolerant of teleporting because there''s nothing like trying to hold onto the contents of my stomach to kill a boner.

    Theoys our girl out on the bed and she looks like a feast. Icould spend hours licking every inch of her wless skin. Her dusky pink nipples pucker under our attention and Luke wastes no time crawling up on the bed and leaning over to suck one of the buds into her mouth. Deacon gets on her other side, giving her other nipple the same attention.

    I love to watch her. To stand back and observe her every reaction to what is happening to her. The way she parts her plump lips to suck in a breath and how her back arches off the bed in pleasure has me almost going feral. It''s almost like going into battle, my beast dances so close to the surface, threatening to take over and unleash all his depraved desires on his mate. Josie is the only person who can calm my beast, she is also the one who can wake him so quickly. Either to protect her or ravish her. He craves her in a way that used to scare me but now

    I know he would never hurt her, ever, because he and I are one.

 Chapter 0225

    Then parts Josie''s knees exposing her pretty pink pussy and a low growl rumbles in my chest at the sight. She is stunning. Mason is there too, his fingers tracing over sex, then he parts her folds with two fingers, revealing her

    small clitoris.

    "Taste her, Theo," hemands in a deep husky tone.

    I watch as Theo eagerly covers her pussy with his mouth, making our girl cry out. Then I am moving, unable to stand back and watch any longer. I want to catch her moans, I crawl up onto the bed by her head and take her mouth in a greedy kiss, tasting each one of her moans as we all work together to coax her orgasm from her.

    "Good Girl," Deacon praises

    She loves being called a good girl, she definitely has a palse kink, and a degradation one too. I''m sure as the years To by we will all unlock each other''s kinks. I nce over at theo and Mason, who are now kissing each other and sharing her taste. Josie loves to watch them together. Would she like to watch me too? I can''t deny that the pair have me curious but I''m not there yet. I''m not ready to explore that side of myself right now. Maybe I never will.

    Deacon takes her first, his firm hands gripping her hips as he thrusts into her from behind. We have found this position is the mostfortable for her whilst she is so heavily pregnant and none of us areining about it. Hell, I doubt we wouldin if we had to stand on our heads to make herfortable.

    Luke takes her mouth and the three of them quickly find their release together. Every orgasm is wonderful but also difficult to get through. I feel it through the bond and it takes a gargantuan effort not to shoot my load without even being touched. I know the others struggle with it too and I doubt it will be long before one of us has an unfortunate, badly timed release. My money is on Mason, as an empath he feels everything much stronger.

    When it''s my turn to please our girl I''m already so keyed up that this isn''t going tost long at all, one small squeeze of her warm pussy around my cock and I''ll be gone

    "Fuck, Axe, you feel so good," she moans as I sink into her

    "You feel so good too, Beauty," I groan, my beast taking the lead now, "You take me so fucking well."

    I love the way her heat envelopes me. Connecting with her like this feels likeing home. This is not just about sex, or pleasure. This is a joining of our souls, a strengthening of our bond, but most of all, this is love. Her pussy clenches around me as she cries out and I throw my head back with a roar. Pulse after pulse of pleasure runs from her to me, and back again as we detonate together most gloriously.

    Once everyone is fully satisfied and recovered we all go into bond-caring mode. We have been treating her like she has been in heat recently, making sure she is always fed, rested and clean, just in case she goes intobour.

    "Russian roulette," Josie says, sounding delirious as I carry her to the bathroom where Theo has prepared her a bath.

    "What does that mean?" Theo asks.

    "That''s what this feels like. Sooner orter, one of you is going to shoot the loaded gun that triggersbour," she breathes.

    "Does anyone understand a word she just said or is she dickematized again?" Theo asks.

    "I''ll exinter," Lukeughs as he sinks into the bath, ready to take Josie from me and wash her.

    I lower her gently into Luke''s waiting arms and she sighs in contentment as the warm water rxes her. Luke washes her hair whilst Theo and I focus on her body. Cleaning and massaging her everywhere. Deacones into the bathroom with a te of cheese and Mason holds therge tumbler of water to her mouth again. She drinks

    some water and eats the cheese Deacon feeds her then she looks at us all with tear-filled eyes.

    "What''s wrong, Baby?" Theo asks.

    "Nothing, I just love you all so much," she hups a sob.

    "We all love you too, so much," Theo leans down and kisses her head.

    "Are you

    ready to get out? The sheets are clean," Mason asks.

    She nods and sits forward to get out when her face suddenly turns shocked, her eyes wide, her lips pale, and her fear spikes as she looks up at us.

    "I think my waters just broke," her voice treifibles.

    N.O Darling Author

    Sorry for the dy. If you haven''t seen myments on my previous chapter... I have been trying to decide where to go next with this story. I was preparing for the end in the next few chapters, but my editor suggested make the story longer. I am

    :

    102

 Chapter 0226

    **

    Josie''s POV **

    I sit forward in the bath, ready to get out and curl up in bed with my guys, but as I move I feel an odd pop in my lower back. It takes me a second to realise what it is as a sudden gush of warm water moves between my legs.

    "I think my waters just broke," I tell the guys.

    The room falls deadly still and silent for a second before everyone moves at once. Mason lifts me from the water and carries me into the bedroom with Theo running ahead of us to pull back the bed sheets.

    "Everyone stay calm, no one panic," Theo calls, sounding anything but calm.

    "Someone call Dot and Art," Mason says as heys me on the bed with such tenderness that I want to cry again.

    Axel rushes in with a towel, getting to work on drying me off whilst I hear Deacon on the phone talking. I''m a little dazed and shocked that this is happening, and the guys are all in a frenzied state of panic. Lukees in with a towel wrapped around his waist and puts on the calmingbour ylist I''d put together in thest week. Then they all go quiet as they look down at me expectantly.

    "Well?" Theo asks.

    "Well, what?" I ask.

    "Aren''t you supposed to be like, screaming and pushing and stuff?" he frowns.

    "I don''t think it happens that fast," Iugh, and attempt to move, feeling a little on show right now.

    ¡°Someone get me a torch, let me see what''s happening,¡± Theo says attempting to push open my legs.

    "Let''s wait for an actual doctor," Iugh, batting his hands away, "can someone get me a long T-shirt or something, I''d rather not bepletely naked when Art gets here,"

    Someone lets out a small growl and I roll my eyes. Deacon helps me sit up and Axel pulls off his T-shirt, before pulling it over my head and I immediately feel less vulnerable.

    "I''m going to be sick," Mason

    rumbles and rushes to the bathroom with Theo close on his heel.

    I scoot off of the bed to go and check on him but as I stand up more water leaks

    from me and this time ites with a dull pain low in my abdomen.

    "Oh," I breathe, gripping Deacon''s arm that is around me.

    "Sit back on the bed," Deacon says softly.

    "No, I''m okay, it''s easing off," I smile and walk towards the bathroom.

    "I''m terrified, Theo, what if something bad happens to them? What if I''m a terrible father?" I hear Mason say and my heart clenches.

    "I''ve already told you, you are going to be a great father, now get your shit together and get back in there because our girl needs you right now," Theo tells him.

    "We are all worried, Mace, it''s normal," Deacon says as we reach the bathroom door.

    Mason''s wide eyes move to me and I see the fear there. He has his shields up tight but I don''t need them to know how terrified he is. 1

    "Come here," I say softly, holding a hand out to him.

    Mason takes my hand and steps closer to me. I ce his hand over my bump and smile at him.

    "I''m scared too, but between us all, I know we are going to get through this just fine. I just need you to be with us right now. Let''s take this one step at a time, okay?" I smile,

    "Okay," he nods.

    I rest my head on his chest and screw my eyes closed, gripping his upper arms as another cramping pain begins.

    "I''m sorry," Mason whispers, his arms moving around me. He rests his head on

    top of mine, supporting me the only way he can.

    "The Calvery has arrived, where is she?" I hear Dot''s cheerful voice call.

    "In here," Luke shouts.

    "Aww, that''s a beautiful sight. I hope someone got a picture," Dot says and I lift my head to look at her with scowl. This is not the time for pictures. "How are we doing, Sweetie? Can we get a look at you?" she asks.

    I nod and walk slowly back to the bed with Mason and Deacon supporting me.

    "Tell us what happened?" Art says with a friendly smile as he puts on some gloves.

    "I felt a pop in my back and then a gush of water. I''ve had two contractions since then," I exin.

    "Any pain before that?" he asks.

    "Yes," I admit, "but nothing major,"

    "What? Why didn''t you tell us?" Luke asks.

    "Because I wasn''t sure what it was, it wasn''t bad,"

    Art examines me and says I''m only four centimetres dted. He leaves soon after, promising to be back as soon as Dot calls him. Dot advises me to keep moving as much as possible to speed things along and then she goes downstairs to make everyone some tea and give us some privacy. Deacon calls Freya and my mum to let them know and then the guys start informing their families whilst Axel holds me against him. We sway softly to the music as he murmurs how much he loves me and how well I''m doing.

    Soon all my guys take turns swaying with me and whispering words of encouragement through every contraction. The room is peaceful and so full of love. It''s perfect. When the contractions be too intense for me to stay standing unsupported Dot encourages me to get into whatever position feels right for me, which is on my hands and knees right now. Someone rubs my lower back as I tremble through another intense contraction.

    "Does anyone else have a horribly confusing boner right now?" Theo whispers. "Come near me with that thing and I will bite it," I growl.

    "Damn, Babe, that is not helping," he groans.

    I had asked for minimal medical intervention, with just Art and Dot on standby if I needed them but as soon as the

    wolf alerting urge to pushes over me I find myself calling out for them to help. Something feels wrong, my me to an issue.

    Dot and Arte rushing in and somehow I end up on my back on the bed. I have no idea who moved me or who''s hands are on me but Art is shouting something that I can''t understand.

    "Listen to me, Josie, you are having a panic attack, you need to breathe through it and listen to what Art is

    saying.¡± Deacon insists and 1 nod in understanding. Did he justpet me? I don''t care if he did, I obetensly needed it.

    "Josie, the baby is a little stressed so we need to get her o quickly as possible, okay?" Art says and Ind

    There''s amotion somewhere in the room but I ignore, focussing on Art

    "You are doing great, Josie, on your next contraction you are going to push with everything you have, don''t stop until I tell you," Art says.

    "You''ve got this, Beauty," Axel says, leaning down to kiss thy sweaty head before holding my leg up how Art shows him.

    Deacon takes my other leg and Theo and Luke each take one of my hands. My heart sinks when I don''t see Mason, but then I feel him move behind me, helping me sit up slightly and I lean against his chest. His hands are on my shoulders and he squeezes them gently.

    N.O Darling Author

    The next chapter will be up in a few minutes.

 Chapter 0227

    **Mason''s POV**

    As the hours pass I feel calmer. Soft music ys in the room and Josie is so rxed. Even through her pain, she smiles and there''s excitement in the room. This beautiful, amazing and strong woman is bringing our daughter into the world and as I rub her back I am filled with pride that she is mine.

    Then with a groan and a sudden call for help, the room shifts into chaos. Dot and Art had been waiting outside in the hall to let us have this moment alone but

    w they are bursting in with urgency.

    "Get her on the bed," Dot says.

    I pick Josie up without much thought and ce her on the bed, stepping back to let Dot and Art get to her. Dot is pressing something to Josie''s stomach before saying something about the heart rate. I can barely make sense of what is happening as my ears begin to ring. Josie is fighting for breath and I stand there, utterly frozen in fear, because I knew something was going to go wrong and this is my fault. I did this to her. Cash had told me I''d kill my bond, and he was right, this is it. This is how I kill her.

    I can''t watch this happen. My legs move without any thought as I turn and walk towards the door.

    ''Mason Marshall! Get your ass back over here right now and support your bond. She needs you! This is not the time to run away!" Dot shouts.

    I stop and turn back to face the scene. Dot is right. I can''t walk away now. I have to fight for her, for them. I can''t leave when they need me the most, it doesn''t matter how scared I am, everything I do should be for them, not me.

    Deacon is talking to Josie and her breathing slows as she rxes. She is okay. Of course she is, she is a damn warrior.

    "Josie, the baby is a little stressed so we need to get her out as quickly as possible, okay?" Art exins and I see Josie nod.

    "Snap out of it, Mace, get behind her and support her so we can get this baby out," Dot grabs my arm and drags me back towards the bed.

    "You are doing great, Josie, on your next contraction you are going to push with everything you have, don''t stop until I tell you," Art says to Josie and Dot rushes around, telling all the guys what to do.

    Axel says something to Josie before leaning down to kiss her head and then he holds her leg up with Art''s guidance. Deacon takes her other leg mirroring Axel, and Theo and Luke hold her hands. I feel determined as I climb on the bed behind her, I put my legs on either side of her, acting as a back support for her.

    "Mace,¡± she whimpers as I squeeze her shoulders.

    "I''m here," I breathe.

    "I''m scared," she whispers.

    "Me too," I admit, "but you can do this, I believe in you, Josie,

    }}

    THE

    "Okay, push, push, push," Art chants and Josie''s body tenses as she pushes. I drop my shields, feeding my strength into her through the bond.

    "Good Girl, you are doing so well. I''m so proud of you, Angel," I whisper to her.

    "Stop pushing. The head is out," Art says and Josie pants. I can''t see much from this position but Theo looks at

    me with tear-filled eyes and a smile.

    "Oh, she has so much hair," Dot says with a sob.

    "Cords free, she''s going to be okay," Art says with a relieved sigh, "when you are ready you can push again,"

    "Are you ready to meet your daughter, Mace?" Josie asks breathlessly.

    "Yes," I nod and then Josie pushes again.

    The world falls still as the most beautiful, dark-haired little baby is ced on Josie''s chest and when a small cryes from her tiny little mouth it hits me like a lightning bolt to my chest. It''s a surreal blend of raw emotion and disbelief. This is my daughter. I created this tiny being with Josie. She is ours to care for, forever. My heart swells with awe and a love so overwhelming it steals my breath. Nothing else matters more in the world than this gift we have just been given. I wipe the tears from my eyes and Harper''s tiny handse into focus. She is so fragile, yet so fierce as she cries angrily. She blinks open her big blue eyes and I feel an instantaneous connection to this tiny person, it''s unlike anything I''ve ever experienced before. My hand shakes as I take her tiny clenched fist in mine. "Thank you, Josie, she is perfect," I choke out as tears stream down my face.

    I look up and there is not a dry eye in the room. Theo has an arm around Dot as she sobs happy tears into his chest, and our whole bond group are wiping tears from their face, their smiles a sight I''ll never forget as they look down at our daughter in awe.

    Art dries Harper off and Axel cuts the cord before my daughter is wrapped in a towel and handed to me. I hold the precious bundle in one arm and stare into her captivating eyes whilst Josie lies next to her on my chest.

    "She is beautiful, isn''t she?" Josie says softly.

    "Just like her mother," I smile.

    ¡°Okay, stop hogging the baby, Mace,¡± Theo says, holding out his hand to take her.

    I kiss Harper''s head and then let Theo take her. I watch them with more tears in my eyes as he talks softly to her. Deacon, Axel and Luke crowd in, all desperate to meet their daughter. I am overflowing with a love I never expected to feel and I never want this feeling to go away.

    "I love you, Josie, so fucking much," I say, finally speaking the words I know I should have said months ago. "I love you too, Mason," she cries.

    A few hourster, Josie has delivered the centa and we have all helped to clean her up. The bed is also clean with a little molecr maniption needed to save the bed Art and Dot have left and we have video-called our families, including Freya to let them see Harper briefly, but now it''s our time to be a family. I am lying on the bed with Josie resting against me as she feeds Harper. The guys are with us as we all lock ourselves away in this happy little bubble. From this moment on I just know everything is going to be okay, as long as I have this family we have created. None of my past matters anymore, because this is my future. Every single thing that''s happened in my life has been worth it to have this now. I''d never change a thing if this is the oue. I do it all over and over again for the people in this room with me now.

    This right here is our happy ending, this is the first day of the rest of our lives and I look forward to the journey ahead with these people by my side.

    N.O Darling Author

    I got far too emotional writing this chapter! Thank you so much for reading and for

    all your support. Wee to the story, Baby Harper

    3

 Chapter 0228

    3

    **Josie''s POV**

    6 Years Later.

    "Are you almost ready to go, Babe?" Theo asks as he walks into the bathroom.

    "Yes, have the kids finished their breakfast?" I ask as I apply the finishing touches to my makeup.

    "Harper and As have, Mason is currently trying to convince little Joel to try pancakes. I''ve never known such a fussy eater," heughs.

    "Well, he doesn''t get it from me," I snort.

    "I bet he gets it from his father, Luke does seem the type that was a fussy child,¡± Theo nods.

    "I heard that!" Luke calls from the bedroom.

    "And yet you are not denying it," Theo calls back with a grin as he moves in behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning in to kiss my neck.

    The familiar pulse of desire that all my guys are experts in causing makes me shiver as he inhales deeply against my neck.

    "Hmm, you smell so good today, Baby Girl," he hums.

    "Enough of that, or I''ll bete for work," Iugh.

    ”µ:

    "Kids iing," Deacon says into the mind link and Theo steps back, putting some space between us.

    "We havee to say goodbye," Harper says as she enters the bedroom. "Have a great day at school, Princess," Luke says.

    I leave the bathroom and see Harper hugging Luke. Deacon walks in, herding As in with him. The likeness between them is scarily simr. It''s as if the fates just pressed duplicate on Deacon when they were deciding how my second child would look.

    "Bye, Mummy!" As says loudly as he runs at me with outstretched arms.

    I crouch down to catch him and wrap him in a tight hug.

    "Have a good day, Little Man," I tell him, kissing his head.

    Harper runs at us and wraps her arms around my neck, knocking me off bnce and the three of us end up on the floorughing.

    "Mummy fell over," As chuckles.

    "Oh, you think that''s funny, huh?" I tease, tickling him with one hand and Harper with the other as they both giggle loudly.

    Before I can catch my breath, a shriek of excitement fills the room and I look up just in time to see Joel running at us with a look of glee. He flops down on top of me, wanting to join our pile.

    "Oh, you want some too do you?" I ask, tickling his tummy until Lukees and scoops him up.

    "Don''t worry Little Dude, Daddy will save you from the tickle monster," he says before lifting him high and blowing a raspberry onto his tummy, making him screech withughter.

    Theo grabs As and gives him the same, filling the room with the most adorable giggles. When I sit up

    I notice that everyone is now in the bedroom. Axel and Masen must have followed Deacon in at some point and they are both smiling at the kid''s antics. I pull Harper onto my knees and hug her.

    ¡°Have a wonderful day at school," I say, kissing her head.

    "Have a good day at work, Mum, Grand

    Olive said we can go to her house for a sleepover tonight," she says.

    "I''m sure she is excited for you all to stay ov

    I smile and avoid eye contact with all my guys because I know exactly what

    nning they are doing right now at the thought of a child-free night.

    and As to school before he starts work at the academy. Theo Deacon kisses me goodbye before taking Har and Mason are staying home with Joel today whilst Luke, Axel and I meet with the human rtions team.

    I move to Mason, wrapping my arms around him and humming in satisfaction when he holds me close.

    "Ready to go?" Luke asks, handing Joel to Theo.

    "One more minute," I say, not willing to let him go just yet.

    Heel Mason''s body tense and the atmosphere in the room shifts suddenly as a

    familiar feeling washes over me.

    "Luke, you better cancel that meeting," Theo says.

    "On it," he says quickly and leaves the room.

    "Mace, can you take Joel downstairs, please?" Theo asks.

    "No, let Axe take him," Mason grumbles.

    "Not a chance, it''s my turn," Axel says.

    "He''s right, Mace, me and Axe have waited over 6 years for our chance, this is between us," Theo tells him and I feel as if they''re closing in on me like predators.

    "It''s not just about knocking her up, you''re letting her heat get to your heads already, show her some respect,'' Mason argues.

    "Sorry," Axel and Theo say and I sh them both a smile.

    "}

    I understand how they feel. The urge to mate is strong when my heat kicks in, especially when it hits fast like this. I had been expecting it would happen soon. After Harper had been born, it had been almost two years before I went into heat again. Apparently, that''s how long my wolf decided I needed to recover before I was ready to have another baby. Then two years after As was born, I''d gone into heat again, just as Luke had be of breedin age. We just celebrated Joel''s second birthdayst week, and this year both Axel and Theo turned of age. I''m no worried about having another baby. I love being a mum, and I adore watching the guys with our kids. I couldn''t have asked for better fathers for my babies. We have great support from our families too. Everyone is always willing to help out with the kids, in fact, we had to make a schedule because we didn''t feel like we were getting enough time with the kids as they were with our families so much.

 Chapter 0229

    "Do you want me toe home?" Deacon asks through the mind link, obviously feeling what is happening through the bond.

    "No, I''m okay for now," I respond, not needing another one of my guys here right

    now.

    "Okay, I''m going to put my shields up. I''lle home at lunch," he responds.

    Lukees back in and says the meeting has been rearranged for next week, and then he gives me a moment to say goodbye before he takes Joel, saying he will take him to see his family for a few hours. Leaving me alone with Mason, Axel and Theo. I hate that I can''t see the kids for a few days, but it''s for the best when I''m in heat. This will be my first one since Joel came along, it will be the longest I''ve been away from him since he was born.

    "How are you feeling?" Axel asks.

    "I''m okay. I want to get the kid''s stuff packed for their sleepover before things get intense," I say, finally releasing my grip on Mason.

    "Tell us what to pack, let us help," Theo says.

    "Okay, Theo, pack Harper some clothes and pyjamas, don''t forget her ''Little Bean'' nket," I say. Harper loves the nket that Deacon had bought for her before she was born, she can''t sleep without it.

    "Got it," Theo says before rushing off.

    "Axe, can you pack As'' stuff? Make sure you put his teddy in or he''ll cry all night," I tell him. He nods and heads to As'' room.

    "Are we packing Joel''s stuff?" Mason asks pulling off his T-shirt and exposing his inked skin to me.

    I can''t stop myself from reaching out to touch him and I feel instantly more rxed at the contact.

    "Yes, and can you call Coner for me and tell him I won''t be able to teach the dance ss tonight? He should be able to manage alone, if he can''t, ask him to let everyone know it''s cancelled," I say.

    "Theo can call him," he grumbles and I fight off a smirk. The guys are all fine with Coner now, except Mason. He tolerates him for my sake but he won''t talk to him unless it''s absolutely necessary.

    Mason follows me to Joel''s room, the room looks so much different now that Joel has moved into it. The dark grey walls are now painted green and are adorned with jungle animals. After Harper was born we had decided that the father of each child would give up their bedroom for them and decorate it how they liked. My guys barely use their own rooms anyway, so we didn''t feel the need to move to a bigger house to amodate our growing family. Mason''s old room is now painted in pink and cream with arge crown mural for our little princess. Deacon''s old room is now ocean-themed. We had taken Harper and As to the aquarium in the human realm when he was one, and he had been fascinated by it. So much so that Deacon had painted his room to match it the very next day.

    Once the kid''s stuff is all packed up, I spend the next few hours moving between Axel, Theo and Mason. All three are shirtless, and can''t stop touching them. I cling to them like a chimp, and they let me know how much they love it. I''m straddling Axel, my chest pressed to his as we watch TV when the first wave of desire grips me. I whimper with need, and my guys jump straight into action.

 Chapter 0230

    **Theo''s POV**

    Josie''s heat res, drawing me to her like a moth to a me, but she is already on Axel''sp, his hand already dipping in her underwear. Mason grips my wrist, holding the back with a shake of his head.

    "Let me go, Mace, it''s my turn, I''m older than Axel," I protest.

    "It doesn''t matter, fate will decide who fathers the next baby, just like it did with Harper. Trust that fate knows what it''s doing," he urges.

    I sigh but rx, he''s right, I know he is. I just want to have my moment with her to create life. I want to see how a mix of the two of us will turn out. I also want to see the same for Axel. No matter the next baby father is, I will love it just as much as I love our other kids.

    Josie throws her head back and moans in pleasure as Axel uses his fingers to coax her first orgasm from her. She looks stunning, her mouth open in ecstasy, making my hard cock twitch with need.

    Mason pulls me closer to him, his hand finding my crotch and stroking me through my shorts, making me groan. I close my eyes and enjoy his touch whilst listening to the small intakes of breath and moans from Josie.

    "Theo," Josie whimpers and my eyes snap open to look at her.

    Her eyes tell me everything, she needs me and wants me just as much as I want her. Mason releases me as Josie stands up from Axel''sp. I go to her, and she kisses me with desperation as Axel pulls off her underwear.

    "Tell them what you want, Angel," Mason says.

    "I want you both at the same time," she says breathlessly.

    "Damn, I''m in," I agree, pushing down my shorts without a moment''s hesitation.

    I look at Axel, who is looking a little nervous. We both know what she wants from us, and it''s not something Axel has ever done. It''s crossing a line that he''s been walking so close to the edge of. With both of us in her pussy, there is no way to avoid contact, there will be no barrier between us, and our cocks will be rubbing together inside our girl''s pussy. Mace and I have done this many times and with enough prep, it''s an amazing thing to share, but I''m not sure Axe is ready to take this step.

    "What do you say, Axe? Do you want to do this together or one at a time?" I ask because we need a clear answer before we take this any further.

    Axel looks between me, Mason and Josie as if waiting for one of us to decide for him, but this is not our decision, it is his and his alone to make. Mason pulls Josie in close in front of him so her back is pressed against his chest and his hand snakes around her front and between her legs. She sucks in a breath as he plunges two fingers into her, keeping her satisfied whilst Axel decides what will happen next.

    Axel lifts his hips, pushing down his shorts and letting his cock spring free. Seeing how hard he is, tells me he is not opposed to the idea. In fact, he looks pretty damn excited.

    "Come sit on me, Beauty," Axel says and Mason pulls his hand from her, turning her to face away from Axel. He lifts her and carries her to Axe, lowering her onto his waiting cock.

    Josie and Axel groan in unison as his length disappears inside of her. She straddles him backwards, her back to his

    front giving us a wonderful view of how well she takes him

    "You''re so fucking beautiful, Baby," I praise.

    Axel''s eyes meet mine over her shoulder as he widens his legs and tips her upper body back against him, giving me ess. He nods once, and I don''t hesitate, stepping between both their legs. Mason holds out a bottle of lube and I hold out my hand, he pumps some onto my fingers and I bring them to her pussy, holding Axel''s gaze as I work one finger in to join his cock. Josie hums her pleasure and I withdraw beforeing back with a second finger. I know my girl can take this, she is amazing at stretching out for us, she knows I need to take this slow, and she needs to stay rxed for this to work.

    "What''s your colour, Axe?" Mason asks.

    "Green," he grunts as I work a third finger in.

    "Please, Theo, I need you," Josie whimpers.

    "You heard her. Fill her up, Theo, her greedy pussy needs both of you," Mason says as he strokes my cock, making me feel good as he covers it in lube ready for our girl.

 Chapter 0231

    1 withdraw my fingers and step forward. The angle is a little awkward, but I''m determined to make it work as I bend my knees and line my tip up against the base of Axel''s cock.

    "Rx for me, Baby, breathe," I say as, very slowly, I work my way in, sliding along Axel''s length.

    Josie trembles as she stretches around us and Axel curses as slowly, but surely I slide all the way in. It''s so damn tight that I can barely move.

    "Green," Josie breathes.

    "Move, Theo, do something, I need some movement," Axel groans.

    "This is not going tost very long," I say through gritted teeth whilst trying to picture horrible images to stop myself from exploding already. It''s barely working though, the pressure is insane, it''s too good.

    I begin to move, ever so slowly at first, and with each stroke it bes easier until I can gain ¨¤ little more momentum. I feel like a damn god having both Axe and Josie moaning for me. Maybe next time Mace can take my ass at the same time and I can have all three of them surrender their pleasure to me. Then I''d definitely hold the king of the bedroom'' title forever. I can feel how much Mason wants to get involved, but he''s holding himself back in case our girl needs more after this. The least I can do is give him a good show. I move a hand between Josie''s body and mine and brush over her clit with my thumb.

    Josie goes off as if I''ve just pressed a detonation button and her pussy mps impossibly tighter. I swear my eyes cross with immense pleasure as Josie screams, Axel grunts and I have no idea what kind of sound I make because I''m too high on pure bliss to have any control over anything I''m doing.

    19

    Mason has to help me off Josie. I''m too blissed out and my legs are weak from the brutal workout I''ve just given them. I think I must doze off for a moment because Ie around to Deacon''s amusedugh. I nce around to see Mason and Josie are gone and Axe and I are sprawled on the couches, butt-naked and half-dead.

    "You two look tapped already," Deacon chuckles and shakes his head.

    "I''m not ashamed to admit it. You would be too if you just experienced what we did," I mumble.

    "Well, it''s lucky I''ve taken the rest of the day off, isn''t it? I make some lunch and then meet up with Luke to pick up the kids and take all three to my parents. Are their bags ready?" he asks.

    "Yes, they''re in the kitchen," Axe answers.

    "Great, I''ll leave you two to clean up in here," D says before leaving the room. "Yes, Sir," I snort.

    Later that evening we eat pizza and watch movies, enjoying a child-free night. Josie doesn''t have any more waves of heat, which means she is most likely pregnant, which means we need to celebrate. We celebrate in the best way, all six of us in the bedroom worshiping our Goddess.

    Three weekster, we can now confirm that the baby Josie is carrying is biologically mine, a realization that fills me with immense joy. I feel so fortunate to be part of this incredible bond group, surrounded by amazing people, and now we''re about to wee our fourth child into this beautiful life we''re creating together.

    From the very first moment Iid eyes on Josie through that window in the academy, I knew she had captured my heart entirely. She means everything to me; my love for her is indescribable. Josie has united us all, filling our lives with love and happiness. She has blessed us with beautiful children and transformed us into a true family. More than that, she has taught Mason what it means to love and to be loved, not just by her but also by me. Josie

    has been a guiding light for him, showing him the way to embrace love and ept he is worthy of it. I can never find the words or actions to convey how deeply grateful I am to her. No matter what I do, it feels like it will never be enough to express the depth of my appreciation for everything she has done for us.

    Josie Banks is our Queen in every possible way and I will spend the rest of my life worshiping her.

    (

 Chapter 0232

    Chapter 0232 Chapter 0232

    **Deacon''s POV**

    1 yearter.

    "Sir, I swear I''ll behave if you just give me one more chance," Craig, a first-year student pleads as he sits across from me in my office.

    "Mr Maddon, you have been caught three times this week Having sex with your bond in the toilets. I know this is all new to you, and those hormones can be overwhelming, but I''m sure you can control your urges until sses are over and you are in the privacy of your own apartment, that we have provided for you," I say, pinching the bridge of my nose.

    "You don''t understand. I can''t stop thinking about her. I just want her all the time, and I have to share her with three others when we are in the apartment," Craig whines.

    "Do not tell me I don''t understand," I snap, mming my hand down on the wooden desk, "try having a group of six and a connection that means you can feel every damn emotion of your entire bond group. Try being here, having to deal with little shits like you, who can''t keep their dicks in their pants for a mere six hours a day, whilst your bond is at home in heat!"

    "Oh, well, when you put it like that, I guess I could try to wait until sses finish," he says sheepishly and I realise I''ve massively overshared and beenpletely unprofessional.

    "This is yourst chance," I sigh, "if you are caught again, will suspend you for a month. Are we clear?"

    "Yes, Sir, thank you, and... erm... I hope you can get home to your bond soon," Craig says awkwardly and I want to bang my head on the desk.

    "Thank you, now get out of my office," I say, forcing a smile that I''m sure looks more like a grimace..

    "Should I send my bond in to see you next?" Craig asks.

    "No, I will email her with the same warning I''ve given you. Goodbye, Mr Maddon," I tell him, focusing on myputer and pulling up his bond''s details to email her.

    When I hear my office door close I lean back in my chair with a sigh, rubbing my hand over my face. I want to go home and check on Josie. I want to be with her and tell her everything will be okay. I want to drop my shields to check how she is dealing with this, but I have a meeting in twenty minutes with the academy finance department and I can''t do that with an erection.

    Josie''s heat had taken us allpletely by surprise this time. Her previous cycles had been like clockwork,ing almost exactly two years after each baby, but baby Samuel has only just turned eight months old and her heat started this morning. I hope she knows we can handle this, having two babies a year apart seems daunting but between us, we will manage. I might even take some time off work. Maybe we should all take some time off? This will most likely be ourst pregnancy, we should make a big deal of it and have a year off together to enjoy thisst baby. I''ll suggest it to the otherster.

    "Have we sorted childcare?" I ask Mason in the mind link.

    "Yes, Dot is taking Harper, Theo''s parents have taken little Sammy and Luke''s parents are taking the boys," he exins.

    "Good. How is Josie taking it?" I ask.

    "Axel in the front and Luke in the back right now," he says and my dick springs to life at the mental image of that.

    "Damn it, Mace, that is not what I meant! I swear you are bing more and more like Theo with every passing year," I groan.

    "Sorry, would you like me to revert back to my moody asshole phase?" he teases.

    "No, just... never mind. How is Josie coping withing into heat so soon?" I ask.

    "As you''d expect, we''ve had a few tears; she is worried about how we will cope but we have reassured her the best we can,"

    "Okay, good. I''ll be home as soon as I''m done with this meeting but if I''m needed sooner then let me know. I have an idea to discuss with you allter," I tell him before closing down the link.

 Chapter 0233

    The meeting seems to drag on forever. My mum does most of the talking as my mind is elsewhere. Luckily our finances are good and we have had a surge in funding front the elders since the new generation had taken over.

    We had been offered the role of Grey Elders, being the only living spark bond we had been offered the position first, but we wanted to focus on our family for the time being so had turned down the position.

    Over thest few years, we have had to expand the academy building more amodation and extra ssrooms. Since the whole ordeal with Cornelius, we had been overwhelmed with new Greysing from the human realm. We have had to set up permanent offices in the human real for teens to report to if they showed any signs of being superhuman when they turned 18. The rogues in the human realm had certainly been busy over there and we expect it will take another 10-12 years to find all the Greys born there.

    There has been a knock-on effect throughout this realm, with a lot of us having to work harder to y catch up. The seer has been having to make more visits than usual. Reading all our new arrivals when theye. Tutors are having to put in extra hours to catch up with the students arriving from the human realm and we are all working hard to trace their families so they don''t feel alone here. Josie has been facilitating family visits between here and the human realm, it was a cause that was very important to her and she was perfect for the role.

    After the meeting is done and everyone is happy with the current financial ns I begin to pack up my stuff to leave. I can work from home for the rest of the day.

    "Mum, do you jacket.

    think you and my dads would be up for running the academy for a while?" I ask as I put on my suit

    "Of course, go and be with Josie through her heat, we can cover things here," she nods.

    "No, I mean a little more long-term. This is probably going to be ourst baby and it''s only been eight months since Sammy was born. We are all going to have to help out more. I was thinking of taking a year off to be with them," I admit, realising how selfish it sounds as I speak.

    It''s not fair for me to put this burden on my parents. They haven''t had it easy either, they should be winding down, ready for retirement now, not taking on more work.

    "Deacon, I''m so proud of you, you have worked so hard since we lost your father. You''ve had so much to deal with too. It''s about time you put yourself and your family first. If you need a year off then we will figure it out," she smiles.

    "Maybe we could hire someone else to run the academy. I don''t want to add more work to you," I say.

    "This academy was your father''s pride and joy and it should be run by our family, but you know what was even more important to him than this ce?... You. He would want you to put yourself first and let us take over here for a while. I don''t even need to ask your other fathers, I already know they will agree. Now go home and discuss it with your bond group, work out a time to all take a year together and let us know when we should start," she says in that chastising but loving way that only a mother can.

    "Thank you, Mum. I love you, I don''t tell you that enough, I say, pulling her into a hug.

    "I love you too, My Boy, now go," she sniffles releasing me

    I lean down and kiss her cheek before grabbing my bag and porting home to be with my bond group, where I belong.

    N.O Darling Author

    You may not have seen myment on my previous chapter... After discussing with my editor I have decided to extend the story in preparation for a second book. I''ve now worked out the plot and updates will be more frequent from now. Thank you for your

 Chapter 0234

    **Josie''s POV **

    The next few weeks pass in a blur. I knew I''d fallen pregnant on the second day of my heat because of how abruptly it had stopped, and I''m pretty sure the baby is Axel''s, which means it''s very unlikely I''ll ever go into heat again. It''s a bittersweet thought. I am pleased I won''t have to be forced into another heat, and we are free to be intimate when we want and not when my wolf demands it. I also means that this baby will be ourst, and whilst five children is more than enough, I''m still a little sad that''ll never get to experience this with my guys again. There''s nothing more beautiful than watching our family grow and watching the men that I adore be fathers. I''d spend the rest of my life giving them children and watching them hold their babies for the first time if my body and sanity could take it.

    Being a mum is the most difficult but most rewarding job in the world and I wouldn''t change a single thing about it. My children are my world and I love them so much it hurts. I hate being away from them to work and when they have to go to school. If I could, I''d lock them and my bonds away and live in a tiny bubble with them forever.

    I had watched four of my guys transform as they held their tiny bundle of joy in their arms for the first time, and it was kind of addictive.

    Mason had practically be a whole different person in front of my eyes when he had held Harper. My tiny baby had shattered what was left of his defenses and left a new man who was so full of love in his ce.

    Deacon had cried unashamedly when As had been ced in his arms. He had been reluctant to put him down for that first week as if he was afraid he''d lose him if he didn''t keep hold of him.

    Luke had held Joel as if he''d just been handed the most precious gem in both realms. He had sworn to protect him and never let anything happen to him or our family. Joel had been quite a difficult baby from the start, but Luke had neverined or seemed frustrated with him. He had just loved him harder.

    Theo had dropped to his knees and sobbed as Samuel had been born, and Mason had had to help him hold him for the first time because he was so afraid he''d pass out from the rush of emotions.

    I can''t wait to see how my big and strong Axel reacts to meeting his baby. I think he will be a cryer too. I can''t me him, it is a powerful rush of love to see that baby you created for the first time. To hear their cry and know you are now responsible for their life from this point forward.

    "Good morning, Beauty," Axel says as I walk out of the bathroom, freshly showered and ready for a day of work. "Where is everyone?" I ask, noticing there is only Axel still left in the bedroom.

    When I''d gone to shower, everyone was still sleeping apart from Luke, who had taken Samuel downstairs for breakfast.

    "As woke everyone up, they''re downstairs making breakfast," heughs, getting up from bed with a groan. He wraps his arms around me and kisses my neck before heading into the bathroom. Then he suddenly stops in the bathroom doorway and turns back to look at me with an unreadable look on his face.

    "What''s wrong?" I ask.

    Axel doesn''t answer straight away, instead, he strides back towards me and inhales my scent deeply before looking at me with a beaming grin.

    "You carry my scent," he says, his voice thick with emotion

    "I knew it," Iugh.

    "We are going to be fine. We just need to get through the next couple of months, and then we have a whole year together to enjoy our family. It''s going to be the best year ever," Axel says, his hand resting protectively on my abdomen.

    "A year together to wee the new baby sounds perfect," I smile, feeling more at ease about having two babies so close together now that I know we can all take time off.

    "I hope you know how amazing you are and how much we all appreciate you. We couldn''t have asked for a better bond, or to mother to our children. We are blessed to have you in our lives, Josie," he

    says.

 Chapter 0235

    "P''m just as blessed to have you guys as my bonds and fathers of my children. Now, hurry up in the bathroom, at we can go and tell everyone our news," I grin.

    The guys already know what we have just discovered. I can feel them reacting through the bond, but they don''t say anything. They wait and let Axel and I deliver the news to them and the kids in person over badde

    Two weekster we arrive at the academy infirmary for an ultrasound. We technically should we the mas hospital now that I''m no longer an academy student, but Art and Dot have dealt with all our previous prepades here, and we don''t want to change now.

    "How are you feeling?" Art grins as he wees us into our usual room.

    "Awful," I admit. "Everything feels more intense this time around, and I''m so tired all the time and voiding daily."

    "Hmm, every pregnancy is different, as you well know. Maybe it''s because it''s less than a year since yourst one. Let''s take a look at the little one and make sure everything is looking well in there," he says, patting the bed for

    me to get on.

    Luke helps me onto the bed and Dotes rushing in, making a beeline for Samuel, who is in Mason''s arms pulling his hair with a chuckle. Dot had just returned to work after having a baby a month older than Sammy, She is a wonderful mother to him, and she is convinced her son, Micheal, and Sammy will be the best of friends growing up together.

    Iy back on the bed and Art palpates my abdomen.

    "How long did you say it was since your heat ended?" he asks.

    "Just over a month," Axel answers for me.

    Art checks my stomach again and frowns.

    "What''s wrong?" Deacon asks.

    "I''m not sure, it may be Polyhydramnios, which is an excess of amniotic fluid, but let''s not worry until we have had a look," Art reassures, and I notice Dot go still, her giddy demeanour suddenly turning serious as she stops ying with Sam andes to assist Art.

    The tension through the bond is almost suffocating, everyone silently waiting for Art to speak again. Luke holds one of my hands and Axel holds the other. I look up at Axel and his jaw is clenched, his eyes full of concern as he watches Art and Dot set up the ultrasound equipment.

    "It''s going to be okay. Whatever it is, we will deal with it, right?" I ask into the mind link, desperate to hear my guy''s reassurance.

    "Of course, there''s nothing we can''t handle," Deacon speaks first.

    "We''ve got this, Babe, no matter what it is," Theo says with a nod.

    "Everything is going to be fine," Luke reassures.

    Axel and Mason don''t speak, but I feel their love through the bond.

    After what feels like hourster, Art begins the ultrasound and I think the whole room collectively holds their breath.

    "Ah, well, that will exin it," Artughs and turns the screen to face us.

    I frown as I look at the small blobs on the screen, trying to work out what it is I am seeing.

    "I don''t understand," I say, and I can tell from the bond that none of my guys do either.

    "You see this flicker here?" Art asks, pointing to a fluttering on the screen, and I nod.

    "That''s the heart beating," he exins.

    "Holy shitballs," Theoughs, and we all turn to look at him in question.

    "What is it?" Axel demands.

    "There are two!" he grins.

    "Twins?" I gasp, looking at the screen again, and he''s right, there are two distinct blobs, each with a fluttering

    heartbeat.

    Axel''s hand goes ck in mine and there''s a bit of amotion as Deacon struggles to hold up a passed-out Axel. He wakes up quickly and D helps him sit down on the bed beside me. I take his hand again, squeezing it.

    "Congrattions!" Dot says excitedly as we all try to process this news.

    "I can''t tell yet if they''re identical, but we should be able to see more in a few weeks. This will exin why you are feeling so tired, and I''m afraid it is only going

    to get worse. I suggest you rest as much as possible," Art exins, and my mind spins as I realise we are going to have three children within a year.

 Chapter 0236

    **Axel''s POV**

    we''ve learned anything, it''s tha

    Twins! That''s two babies, my two babies. I can''t keep the grin from my face. Multiples are rare for our kind, but if

    rare doesn''t mean much when ites to our bond group. I like the fact that I was an extra baby for my parents, and now I''ve fathered an extra baby too.

    After the initial shock of finding

    out Josie was carrying twins, we had all been overjoyed about it. Six children is a huge thing for any bond group. We are truly blessed. Freya Has nned the gender reveal party again, and I''m buzzing with excitement. We know the twins are identical now, which means we have either two boys or two girls. Harper desperately wants girls and As wants boys. The rest of the kids don''t have a preference.

    As parents, we all know it would be easier for the twins if they were boys. Identical twins are usually in the same bond group, and two girls in one group could beplicated and upset the bnce.

    Freya had truly outdone herself with her creative reveals of our baby''s genders. Each reveal had been as thrilling as thest, and I can''t wait to see how she''ll reveal it this time. For As, she had us each pull handheld smoke cannons that erupted in a vibrant blue. Joel''s reveal was a delicious adventure. We all took turns sinking our teeth into cupcakes, the suspense building until someone discovered the blue surprise hidden inside. Sammy''s grand reveal had been by mixing up a magical potion that resulted in a mesmerizing cloud of thick blue fog.

    It''s early evening when guests start to arrive for the party and I help Josie dress in a loose-fitting pink dress. Harper had helped her to paint her fingers and toenails blue and both mother and daughter wear matching outfits and nails. Josie''s stomach is huge, and she looks ready to give birth, despite her only being halfway through the pregnancy. Of course, I don''t tell her that. She looks as beautiful as ever, even with her exhaustion she glows, and knowing that it''s my children she carries just makes her even more stunning.

    Freya instructs us to stand at the edge of our candle-lit garden and look out towards the field behind our property, When the fireworks shoot up into the sky and begin a stunning disy, I understand why we had to wait for it to get dark for the party. The kids squeal with delight as they watch the mesmerizing show of vibrant colours in the sky. When the show seeminglyes to an end, a drumroll ys through a speaker and then two huge rockets shoot up into the sky before exploding in a spectacr shower of blue.

    Cheers sound out from our guests and I hold Josie around her waist.

    "Two more little boys," sheughs as I kiss her shoulder.

    "We are so outnumbered, Mum," Harperins, making us allugh.

    "Get used to it, kid, that''s just how it goes in this realm," Dot teases.

    I pick the first name out of the naming bucket and grin when I open the folded paper. I look at Deacon when I read out the name, knowing he chose this name in honour of his father.

    "The first one is Elijah," I say loudly enough for everyone to hear.

    Thear a sobe from Deacon''s mum and D''s eyes well with tears as he nods at me.

    Josie reaches in and swirls her hand around the bucket before pulling one out and opening it.

    "And ourst baby will be called Jensen," She announces.

    "They are perfect names," I say, leaning in to kiss her.

    The next few weeks pass quickly and Josie goes intobour two weeks before her due date, which Art and Dot are impressed about. They had been preparing for a much earlier delivery. We had all agreed to have this birth at the infirmary. All our other children had been born at home with minimalplications but with this being twins and

    a more risky delivery, we had opted to be here, where there were plenty of trained professionals ready to step in and help Josie and the babies if needed.

    Luke''s parents have been on standby toe and look after the kids as soon as Josie goes intobour, so when they get the phone call at 3 AM they arrive within 5 minutes, looking sleepy but excited as they wish us all luck.

    Dot had been preparing a delivery room for the past month, trying to make it as homely as possible for Josie and she had outdone herself. The room is lit softly, with gentle music ying, and extra beds pushed into one corner for us if we need them, two basss are set up with blue nkets, hats and tiny sleepsuits, and I almost burst into tears at the sight. My babies will be in there soon, and I''m struggling to contain my emotions. I can''t wait to see their little faces and hear their first cries.

 Chapter 0237

    Josie kneels on the floor, Deacon sitting in front of her so she can wrap her arms around his shoulders for support as she sways her hips gently, and I rub her lower back. This has been a favouritebouring position for her with the others, and it seems thisbour is no different. We switch ces asionally, each of us taking turns to support her the only way we know how.

    When Josie makes an almost growling sound we all share a look, we know that sound and know what it means. Luke presses the call button on the wall, letting Art know Josie is ready to push. Dot and Art slip into the room silently and stand by the door. As usual, Josie had been adamant that they don''t get involved unless we need them, and they respect her wishes, observing and ready to step in if needed.

    "I am so proud of you," Deacon says softly as Josie grips his shoulders and pushes with a groan.

    "You are amazing, Beauty," I tell her, rubbing her back again once her contraction passes.

    Mason takes my ce at her back, so I can get in position to catch the baby and lift him between her legs when he

    After a few more contractions, the first baby''s head is out and the whole world seems to slow as her next contraction hits and I hold my son as he slides from her body. Josie lifts him to her chest with a relieved sob and the room falls into silence as we all wait for that first cry whiches secondster.

    Elijah has hair as dark as Josie''s, but his features are all mine. It''s strange to see such a small version of myself, and even stranger to know there is another oneing that looks just like him.

    "6:31, congrattions guys," Dot calls out, giving us the time of birth as shees over to quickly check the baby and mp the cord.

    I cut it with trembling hands, and then I wrap my arms around Josie and our son.

    "Thank you," I whisper to her, "he''s absolutely perfect."

    "Wee to the world, Elijah," Deacon says.

    "He''s the tiniest and most adorable baby I''ve ever seen," Theo sniffles.

    "Well done, Angel, another perfect baby for us to love," Mason says.

    "You truly are a Goddess," Luke praises.

    "Can I check him over?" Dot asks once we''ve all had a few moments to admire the baby.

    Josie nods and reluctantly hands Elijah over to Dot.

    "I''ll be as quick as I can," she reassures as she takes the baby away to a table at the other side of the room.

    "Can I check the progress of the second twin?" Art asks, but Josie cries out in pain before she can answer.

    "Is it supposed to happen this fast?" Theo asks.

    "It can, yes, this is fine," Art reassures.

    The second baby is delivered quickly, and he is perfect but silent. Art rushes forward with a towel, rubbing Jensen vigorously until he lets out a garbled, angry cry. The whole room sighs in relief.

    "He''s okay, just a little shocked because of how quickly he came out," Art says as he mps the cord and I cut it before he whisks the baby away.

    "Go with him," Josie pleads and I nod, letting Luke take my ce beside her as I follow Art.

    Artys Jensen down on a table and clears his nose and mouth with a small suction device, then he holds a small oxygen mask near his face before listening to his chest with a stethoscope.

    I watch as Jensen slowly turns a healthy pink colour and Art wraps him in a towel before handing him to me.

    "He''s fine," he reassures.

    "He''s great," I call over to Josie, who sags against Luke in relief.

    I kiss his tiny wrinkled head and Dot ces Elijah in my other arm whilst she goes to assist Josie with the

    centa. I look down at the two identical babies in my arms and tears roll down my face as an intense rush of love hits me.

 Chapter 0238

    *Josie''s POV **

    Being a mum to six kids is tough. Especially when three of those kids had been born so close together, and another has some obvious social and sensory issues, but I wouldn''t have had it any other way.

    Harper was an amazing big sister, helping me and the guys with her younger brothers. At just seven years old she was very mature in ways I never expected. She loved mothering Sammy and the twins and often said she couldn''t wait to have her own babies, which almost caused Mason to have a stroke. Now, as she approaches 17, she has a very different attitude towards them. They annoy her, and she can''t wait to get away from them, and us. Preferring to be out with her friends or locked away in her bedroom.

    We had taken a year off together when the twins were born and it had been a wonderful year, and so we had decided we were well overdue some time away again. This will most likely be ourst family getaway with all of us together, and I''m determined to make the most of it, despite having two moody teenagers who hate the idea. In just over a year, Harper will move out of our house and into the academy. She will meet her bonds and I can''t stop feeling like that is the moment we will lose her. Our baby girl is growing up, and I don''t think any of us are ready for it.

    Deacon has rented a huge house in the human realm for an entire month and I have so many ns for whilst we are there, starting with a family day at the beach. We arrive at the mansion and the kids all run to choose their rooms. Two minutes of excited squeals, followed by arguments and scuffles ensue.

    "The biggest room is ours!" Theo calls up the stairs to them and is met with a disappointed groan from Sam. "Joel, do you want me to help you choose a bedroom?" Axel asks, and Joel gives him a nk look, blinking slowly before shaking his head and walking up the stairs, clutching hisptop to his chest.

    "There''s no bedroom for us," Jensen whines as he appears at the top of the stairs.

    "There are ten bedrooms in this house, how can there be none left for you?" Deacon asks.

    "They all only have one bed," he says, his bottom lip pushed out in a pout.

    "Don''t you want to have your own room?" Mason asks him and he shakes his head.

    Elijahes to stand beside Jensen now, looking just as upset about the idea of sleeping in a separate bedroom from his brother. At 9 years old, we expected them to want their own space by now, but the twins are still as close as the day they were born.

    "Don''t worry, we can move some beds around," Luke says, running up the stairs to assist them.

    "I''ll go set up our room," Deacon smiles, leaning in to kiss my cheek before heading up the huge staircase. "I''ll give them a hand," Axe says, following the others.

    I walk through the house, towards therge kitchen at the back. I''ve been here before. We came without the kids to check the ce out before wemitted to paying for a month''s rental. The games room and cinema in the basement were what sold it for us. The kids are going to freak out when they see it, which is why we are keeping i a secret until after our afternoon on the beach, otherwise, they won''t want to leave.

    I open the fridge and smile when I see the contents. We had sent quite an extensive list of groceries we required to the housekeeper and, from what I can see, she got every item that we requested. I pull out the ingredients we need to make sandwiches and Mason and Theo quickly get to work helping me prepare a pic to take to the beach. "My phone is not working," Harper huffs as she walks into the kitchen with a scowl that rivals her father''s.

    "Let me see it," Mason says, wiping his hands on a teatowel before holding a hand out to her.

    She ces the phone in his hand, and he looks at it in confusion.

    "It looks fine to me," he frowns when the screen lights up

    "I can''t send any messages to my friends, it''s saying nowork avable," sheins.

    "That''s because we are in a different realm, your friends will still be there when we get home," Mason shrugs and hands the phone back.

 Chapter 0239

    "Are you kidding me? A whole month of being cut off from my friends! This sucks. I want to go home. NOW!" she shouts, her temper ring and her eyes shing with the blue glow of a Grey.

    "Well, shit, things are about to get real interesting around here," Theo says into the mind link as we all stare at Harper.

    "Who the hell do you think you are talking to like that? I''m your Dad, not your friend. Go up to your room until it is time to go to the beach," Mason snaps.

    "This is the worst holiday ever," Harper says with a growl of frustration, before turning and storming out of the

    room.

    "Is this normal? For her powers to start ring already?" ask.

    "Yes, this is how it starts, plus, you''re a boost, so it makes sense she would get

    her gifts early with you around," Mason sighs.

    "Wow, you made that sound so sweet," I deadpan.

    "Sorry, Angel, I didn''t mean it like that," he says, leaning over to kiss me.

    "That girl is going to be a force of nature with you two as parents, that''s for sure," Theo snorts.

    "That girl is going to be a force of nature with you

    "I should go talk to her," I hand the block of cheese to Theo to finish the sandwiches and head upstairs to find my hormonal teenage daughter.

    "Let us know if you need backup," Theo calls after me.

    I find Harper''s room easily. It''s the only one with the door closed. I knock on it gently before pushing the door open and seeing her lying face down on the bed, her shoulders shaking as she cries silently into her pillow.

    "Hey, Sweetie, I know this might feel like the end of the world to be cut off from your friends, but it''s just a few weeks. I promise it will pass in no time, especially with everything I have nned for us. Nana Penny and Auntie Freya will be here soon, and I know they are really excited to see you," I tell her softly as I sit on the edge of the bed.

    "But it''s Archie''s birthday tomorrow and I won''t get to wish him a Happy Birthday," she says, her words muffled by the pillow.

    "If Archie is that important to you, then you can use my phone to call him tomorrow."

    "Thanks, Mum, he is important to me, very important. He is going to be my bond. I know he is," she insists.

    "You can''t know that yet, not until you turn 18 and the seeres to visit you, until then, just enjoy being a teenage girl," I smile.

    "He is, Mum, I feel it."

    "Have you told him that?" I ask.

    "No, of course not. He will think I''m stupid," she scoffs, "and why do you get a phone that works in both realms and I don''t?" she asks, turning over to look at me now with a makeup-streaked face.

    "Because it''s my job tomunicate with both realms, the technology to make that work is very expensive and something very few people have permission to have. You know, when I was just a year older than you. I was taken from this realm, without warning, and I had no way to contact any of my friends or my mum. I didn''t know anyone there, and I waspletely alone, it was horrible," I tell her.

    "How did you get through it?" she asks, sitting up now and looking interested.

    "I met your fathers," I smile.

    "And they let you use their phones?" she asks.

    "No," Iugh, "their phones didn''t connect to this realm, apart from Deacon''s, and he wouldn''t let me use his, not at first anyway."

    "Why not?"

    "That''s a story for another day when you are a little older. This holiday here is important to me. I grew up in this realm and I want you to experience it the way I did. Next year you will join the academy and all your time will be taken by your studies, friends and bonds, so just give me these next few weeks to show you this realm and everything it has to offer, please," I say.

    "Okay, but can I have one phone call a day with my friends?" she asks hopefully.

    "How about one phone call a week, and only if you go downstairs and apologise to your father for the way you spoke to him?" I reason.

    "Fine," she sighs, and I take the win..

    "That''s my girl, now go clean your face and then speak to your father," I smile, pulling her into a hug before heading back downstairs to finish the pic prep.

 Chapter 0240

    **Josie''s POV **

    Deacon picks up my mum and Freya, and we head to the beach for our pic. My mum has made cupcakes and the kids go mad for them, the twins begging for seconds with chocte frosting smeared around their faces. The weather is as perfect as the day, with even Harper and As smiling as I teach them to wave jump in the sea. Joel even paddles in the sea after we bought him some water shoes that someone was selling on a beachfront stand. Sammy, Elijah and Jensen shriek with excitement as they y in the salty water.

    I go back to spend some time with my mum and Freya whilst the guys venture further out to sea with the kids, letting them swim as I watch from the nket we have set up on the beach.

    "Damn, girl, those men only seem to get hotter with age," Freyaughs, fanning herself as my tribe makes their way back towards us.

    My mum hums her agreement and I smile appreciatively at my guys. They are hot, especially shirtless with the sun giving their skin a warm glow and highlighting their toned bodies. What I find even hotter though, is watching them with our kids. Each of them are wonderful fathers.

    "The kids are all blessed too. As is turning into a handsome young man and Harper is stunning. I bet she already has the boys lining up, hoping to be matched to her." Freya says with the smile of a proud Auntie.

    "She thinks she already knows one of her bonds. I''m not sure how the guys are going to take it, none of us are ready for her to grow up yet," I sigh.

    "Of course, you''re not; no parent ever is. I remember when you brought that Coner boy home to meet me, iming you were in love, you were younger than Harper then, and you couldn''t understand why I was so upset," my mum shakes her head with augh.

    I think back to that time with a grimace. She was right. At Harper''s age, I was already in a rtionship. My mum had started to be really unwell then, and I''d thought that was why she had cried when I brought Coner home, not because she saw her little girl growing up. Now I see things differently.

    "How is Coner, by the way?" Freya a?ks.

    "He''s great, his bond group has three kids now, two boys and a girl, and he''s taken a full-time position as a dance teacher at the academy," I say, routing in my bag to pull out my phone and find a picture of Sunny and Coner with the rest of their bond group and their kids to show my mum and Freya.

    In thest ten years, we have gotten our own social media tform in the Grey realm, and it''s proven as much of a hit as it was when it was introduced in the human realm. Luke designed it, with my help, as well as our own coffee machine franchise. The Greys realm has progressed massively since so many of us human-raised Greys arrived, which is a funny turn of events. Cornelius had nned to cut off our realm from the human one, but all he''d done was make it thrive. Greys like me have brought in new ideas and technology to improve the realm for everyone.

    I notice a message request on my GreyPage social media from someone called Emma Barnes. I don''t recognise the name, so I dismiss it and toss my phone back into my bag. It can wait until another time.

    The rest of the afternoon is spent building a giant sand castle city, with every one of us getting involved in the construction. Freya takes pictures of us all standing proudly behind our creation and when she shows me the picture I instantly know I''m having it blown up onto a canvas whilst we are here. I want to hang it in my house when we get home.

    When the sun begins to set and the air gets a chill, we head back to the mansion and wrap in nkets whilst Deacon cooks us all burgers on the BBQ out back. The day was perfect and exactly what I had hoped for.

    **Josie''s POV **

    Deacon picks up my mum and Freya, and we head to the beach for our pic. My mum has made cupcakes and the kids go mad for them, the twins begging for seconds with chocte frosting smeared around their faces. The weather is as perfect as the day, with even Harper and As smiling as I teach them to wave jump in the sea. Joel even paddles in the sea after we bought him some water shoes that someone was selling on a beachfront stand. Sammy, Elijah and Jensen shriek with excitement as they y in the salty water.

    I go back to spend some time with my mum and Freya whilst the guys venture further out to sea with the kids, letting them swim as I watch from the nket we have set up on the beach.

    "Damn, girl, those men only seem to get hotter with age," Freyaughs, fanning herself as my tribe makes their way back towards us.

    My mum hums her agreement and I smile appreciatively at my guys. They are hot, especially shirtless with the sun giving their skin a warm glow and highlighting their toned bodies. What I find even hotter though, is watching them with our kids. Each of them are wonderful fathers.

    "The kids are all blessed too. As is turning into a handsome young man and Harper is stunning. I bet she already has the boys lining up, hoping to be matched to her." Freya says with the smile of a proud Auntie.

    "She thinks she already knows one of her bonds. I''m not sure how the guys are going to take it, none of us are ready for her to grow up yet," I sigh.

    "Of course, you''re not; no parent ever is. I remember when you brought that Coner boy home to meet me, iming you were in love, you were younger than Harper then, and you couldn''t understand why I was so upset," my mum shakes her head with augh.

    I think back to that time with a grimace. She was right. At Harper''s age, I was already in a rtionship. My mum had started to be really unwell then, and I''d thought that was why she had cried when I brought Coner home, not because she saw her little girl growing up. Now I see things differently.

    "How is Coner, by the way?" Freya a?ks.

    "He''s great, his bond group has three kids now, two boys and a girl, and he''s taken a full-time position as a dance teacher at the academy," I say, routing in my bag to pull out my phone and find a picture of Sunny and Coner with the rest of their bond group and their kids to show my mum and Freya.

    In thest ten years, we have gotten our own social media tform in the Grey realm, and it''s proven as much of a hit as it was when it was introduced in the human realm. Luke designed it, with my help, as well as our own coffee machine franchise. The Greys realm has progressed massively since so many of us human-raised Greys arrived, which is a funny turn of events. Cornelius had nned to cut off our realm from the human one, but all he''d done was make it thrive. Greys like me have brought in new ideas and technology to improve the realm for everyone.

    I notice a message request on my GreyPage social media from someone called Emma Barnes. I don''t recognise the name, so I dismiss it and toss my phone back into my bag. It can wait until another time.

    The rest of the afternoon is spent building a giant sand castle city, with every one of us getting involved in the construction. Freya takes pictures of us all standing proudly behind our creation and when she shows me the picture I instantly know I''m having it blown up onto a canvas whilst we are here. I want to hang it in my house when we get home.

    When the sun begins to set and the air gets a chill, we head back to the mansion and wrap in nkets whilst Deacon cooks us all burgers on the BBQ out back. The day was perfect and exactly what I had hoped for.

    The following day, I stick to my promise and allow Harper to use my phone before we spend the day exploring a castle with a museum. In the evening, we finally show the kids the basement, and we watch a movie together in the cinema room whilst eating popcorn and ice cream.

    The week passes too quickly with quality family time spent at the aquarium, Legond, nature walks and another beach day. On day seven, we visit a water park, which I think Theo is enjoying even more than the kids. The guys take the kids on all the slides whilst Joel and Harper stay with me in the rxing pool. Joel is content to just float around, watching the other kids y and ssh in the other pool, and Harper takes a keen interest in one of the trainee lifeguards, who keeps shooting her nces and shy smiles as he works.

    The following day, I stick to my promise and allow Harper to use my phone before we spend the day exploring a castle with a museum. In the evening, we finally show the kids the basement, and we watch a movie together in the cinema room whilst eating popcorn and ice cream.

    The week passes too quickly with quality family time spent at the aquarium, Legond, nature walks and another beach day. On day seven, we visit a water park, which I think Theo is enjoying even more than the kids. The guys take the kids on all the slides whilst Joel and Harper stay with me in the rxing pool. Joel is content to just float around, watching the other kids y and ssh in the other pool, and Harper takes a keen interest in one of the trainee lifeguards, who keeps shooting her nces and shy smiles as he works.

 Chapter 0241

    "Don''t let your dads see you checking him out like that,¡± I teased, and her face flushes red.

    "I''m not checking him out," she huffs.

    "I don''t me you, he''s cute, and seems to be interested in you," I shrug.

    "Eww, Mum, you''re old, you can''t say boys my age are cute" she scoffs.

    "Hey, less of the old, I''m only 35, plus, I didn''t mean it like that. He''s a good- looking boy," I defend.

    "Well, he''s human, and I''m not interested in anyone apart from my bonds anyway," she says, but her eyes wander to the boy again.

    "Mmhm, I think you forget I was your age once," Iugh before leaning back in my floating ring and closing my eyes to rx.

    A sudden ssh beside me has me opening my eyes quickly again, and I look just in time to see Harper emerge from the water, looking flustered.

    "What happened?" Iugh as her floating ring floats away.

    Harper turns to face me, giving her back to the lifeguard and her expression is serious.

    "Mum, he''s a Grey," she whispers and my eyes dart to the teen boy, studying him.

    His eyes are blue but otherwise, there''s nothing else to suggest what she is saying is true.

    "How do you know?" I ask.

    "Because when his eyes met mine, they shed with a blue glow. I''m serious, Mum, I know what I saw," she says, ncing back towards him.

    "Okay," I nod, and then I open the mind link with my guys.

    "We have a potential Grey here. He looks around 17 or 18, wearing a red and yellow lifeguard uniform with trainee written across the front. He has reddish brown hair and is watching the rxation pool," I tell them.

    "On my way," Deacon responds.

    "How do you know?" Luke asks.

    "Harper said his eyes glowed blue when they made eye contact," I say.

    "Oh, I bet they did. Wait for me D, I''ming," Mason grumbles, and I suddenly fear for the boy''s safety.

    "Your dads areing to check him out," I reassure Harper.

    "Tell them not to scare him," she says quickly, giving me a worried look.

    "They won''t."

    "Really? Because they look pretty scary to me," she says, pointing behind me.

    I turn to look and watch as Deacon and Mason walk with purpose. Deacon''s face

    is his serious headmaster one, and Mason''s jaw is set tight, his eyes narrowed, and his dark tattoos make him look even more intimidating. Crap.

    "Go easy guys, he''s just a kid," I say into the mind link and Mason''s eyes find

    mine. He looks over me and then Harper before his fists clench.

    "I know what kids his age think," Mason grunts.

    ¡°You''ll embarrass Harper, just be nice, he''s not done anything wrong," I try.

    "He looked at our daughter," Mace snaps.

    "That''s his job, he''s supposed to watch everyone," I argue

    "Don''t be starting any drama without me there to see it. We are trying to round up the kids, but they''re all swimming in different directions," Theoins.

    "See, they scared him, he''s running," Harper whines, and sure enough the boy has seen D and Mason approaching and has taken off in the other direction.

    He nces back over his shoulder, looking worried before he swipes a card over an electronic lock and darts through a door, pushing it closed behind him.

    "Well done," I say sarcastically into the mind link when Deacon tries to follow through the locked door. "Round the kids up, we will find him," Mason says, and I sigh as they look for a way to get to the boy.

    Almost a whole week without any Grey drama, I should have known it wouldn''tst.

    An hourter all the kids are dry and dressed, and we sit in the poolside caf¨¦, having a drink whilst we wait for Mason and Deacon to return. Harper seems on edge as she constantly checks our surroundings, chewing on her bottom lip and bouncing her leg.

    "He''s gone, none of the staff know where he went. We have a name and address for him though, and I''m going to send a team to check it out," Deacon says, approaching the table.

    "What''s his name?" Harper asks.

    "Dillon Metcalfe, well spotted, Harper," Deacon smiles at her proudly.

 Chapter 0242

    **Josie''s POV**

    After dinner and some time in the games room, we send the younger kids up to bed and settle in to watch a movie with Harper and As. We let As choose the movie and, of course, It''s an action one, filled with fast-paced fighting and a dramatic plot line. We are almost at the end when Deacon excuses himself to take a phone call. When he returns, the movie has finished and As is talking excitedly with Axel about one of the fight scenes. They are discussing a particr move one of the heroes had done and Theo, Mason and Axe promise to show him how to do it tomorrow.

    "The team didn''t find Dillon. The address the employers had on file for him was an empty house that looks like it''s been abandoned for years," Deacon says..

    "That''s not suspicious at all," Mason sighs.

    "What are we going to do about it? Luke asks.

    "For now... nothing. We are on holiday, let''s let someone else deal with it," D shrugs and I sh him a grateful smile.

    Harper gets up and leaves without a word and Deacon shoots me a questioning look. I shrug and look at Mason.

    "I''ll go check on her," he says, following her out of the room.

    The next morning, Sammy wakes us up at 8:00 requesting Deacon''s pancakes. The smell of the sweet cakes cooking soon brings down the twins, and As and Joel follow shortly after. Breakfast is a noisy event as usual and when the boys have all finished eating and Harper still hasn''te down, I go up to check on her.

    I knock lightly on the door before opening it and peeking inside. Her bed is empty. I check the bathroom next and when I don''t find her there, I check all the other bedrooms. Maybe she got up early and is down in the basement?

    I head to the basement, fully expecting to hear a movie ying, but she is not there either. My heart picks up a little as fear trickles down my spine. I''m sure she is fine, and I''m just overreacting. This house is huge, and maybe I just missed her.

    "What''s wrong?" Axel asks into the mind link.

    "I can''t find Harper. Has anyone seen her this morning?" I ask.

    Everyone responds with a no and I feel their concern begin to rise as we all search the house, growing more frantic with every minute we don''t find her.

    "Harper!" I call as I search each room again.

    I head back down into the basement where the boys are now ying and ask if any of them have seen her.

    "Not this morning, but I did see hertest night. I got up to go to the bathroom, and she was justing out of her room," As says.

    "Did she say anything?" I ask.

    "No, I was half asleep, I barely even looked at her," he shrugs.

    I ry the information to the guys through the mind link and head up to the

    kitchen to meet them.

    "Maybe she just went for a walk?" Theo suggests.

    "Without telling us or leaving a note? No." Mason shakes his head, dismissing the idea.

    "We have to find her. She is all alone in a realm she doesn''t know," I say, tears welling in my eyes as I think of my sweet girl out there and vulnerable.

    "She''s a smart girl, she can take care of herself. Let''s not worry too much yet, she will probably walk through that door any minute and wonder what all the fuss is about," Deacon reasons.

    "This is all my fault. I failed her, just like I knew I would," Mason growls, storming from the room.

    I know I should go after him and reassure him, but I''m just as worried and mad at myself. She didn''t want to be here and I forced her. Theo goes after Mason and Axel wraps his arms around me.

    "I''ll go see if there is anything in her room that might give us a clue about where she has gone," Luke says before leaving.

 Chapter 0243

    Deacon is on the phone, presumably calling in for some help.

    "My phone, I need my phone," I tell Axe, pushing out of his arms to find my bag.

    I could call Archie, she might have said something to him, and he might know if she was nning to leave. I search through my bag, but my phone is gone.

    "Axel, call my phone, I think she has it."

    Axe runs off to get his phone, returning with it pressed to his ear.

    "It''s off," He shakes his head.

    "Damn it, Harper!" I shout, so angry at her, but so scared too.

    I hear shouting from outside and know it''s Mason and Theo arguing. I don''t have the mental capacity to deal with them right now, so I ignore it. Theo can handle Mason just fine without me.

    "I need to track down a kid from her school. She might have contacted him. She called him from my phone the other day. She thinks he''s her bond, so if she told anyone where she is going, it would be him," I say.

    "What''s his name?" Axel asks.

    "Archie, he''s just turned 17, that''s all I know."

    Axel nods and then taps the screen of his phone a few times before bringing it to his ear with a scowl.

    "Bonnie, it''s Axel. I need your help," he says when a groggy female voice

    answers.

    I should have known he would call his sister. He doesn''t talk to her often, avoiding her whenever we have to visit the junior school because she tries to convince him to repair the rtionship with his parents, but for Harper, he will speak to her. Of course, he will.

    "Axe, do you know what time it is?" She groans.

    "No, and I don''t really care right now. Harper is missing, and we need to contact a

    boy from her ss. He''s called Archie, and he''s just turned 17," he says.

    "Archibald Price. I''ll need some time to pull up his file," she says, her tone suddenly alert now she knows the seriousness of the situation.

    "Thanks, text it to me as soon as you have it."

    "I will. Is there anything else I can do to help? Mum and our dads will help too if I ask," she says.

    "No. I don''t want them involved. Besides, we are in the human realm. Just get me Archie''s contact details please, he sighs before ending the call.

    "I''ve got teams preparing toe out. They will search the immediate area and the water park," Deacon says, " I''m going to visit the police station and see what they can find out about this Dillon Metcalfe boy."

    "Do you think that''s where she went? To find the boy?" Axe asks.

    "That''s the only thing I can think of, but you should contact your mother and Freya

    in case she turns up there,'' Deacon says to me and I nod.

    "There''s nothing in her room to suggest anything," Luke says as he runs down the stairs.

    46

    426 BONUS

    "Luke, can you take me to the water park? I know there is team headed there, but

    I want to check for myself," I ask.

    "Of course," he nods.

    "I''lle too," Axe says.

    "I''ming," Mason says, appearing behind me.

    "I guess I''ll stay here and watch the kids and wait to see if shees back then," Theo mutters, pushing past Mason.

    "Yeah, you do that," Mace snaps.

    I call my mum and Freya and ask them to stay home in case she turns up there and then Deacon goes to speak with the police whilst Mason, Luke, Axel and I go to the water park and Theo stays home with the boys. It takes so much effort to hold myself together when all I want to do is scream and cry, but that isn''t going to help me find my daughter.

 Chapter 0244

    This is all my fault. Harper is missing and it''s because of me. I''m the one person in the world who should be able to protect her above everyone else, and I messed up, massively. Theo had promised me I''d be a good father, and that he wouldn''t let me mess this up, and he''d failed too. I guess we are both as useless as each other.

    If I hadn''t scared that boy off yesterday then I doubt any of this would have happened. I had thought I was protecting her. I had worn my anger on my face, wanting him to see how pissed I was that he was looking at my daughter whilst she was wearing a bathing suit and that it''s not okay to look at my little girl like that, despite her age, she is still my baby girl and always will be. I should have waited until I had hold of him before I let him see my fury. I should have waited until Deacon was close enough to usepulsion on him.

    If we hadn''t been so on disy in such a public area, I could have used my telekinesis to stop him, or D could have ported us through the door. Still, we are trying to build trust in this realm and using our gifts so openly to capture a teenage boy would have probably caused some tension at the very least.

    The water park opened almost two hours ago, and we had a quick chat with the staff inside. We found out Dillon didn''t turn in for work today. Which either means I scared him enough that he won''t return or Harper somehow intercepted him before he clocked in for his shift. A bus pulls up outside the park and excited teens pour out, running towards the park entrance.

    "How far of a walk is this ce from where we are staying?" I ask as I watch the bus pull away. We had driven here in the minivan that D had rented, but Harper had made her own way here.

    "It''s about 30 minutes I think. She must have used the maps on my phone to find it if this is where she went,'' Josie says.

    "Did she have any money?" I ask.

    "A little. I gave all the kids some pocket money to spend in this realm and I don''t think she has spent any, so she has ¡ê50, which won''tst her long," Josie says nervously as she scans the face of every teen that fits Dillon''s description.

    "Why would shee after the boy though?" Luke asks, "It seems so risky for her to venture out into a realm she is not familiar with for a boy she never even spoke to. Why would she care that much?"

    "If she thinks he''s her bond she would," Josie says quietly, and we all turn to look at her.

    "Why would she think he''s her bond?" I ask, my fists clenching at the thought of my daughter having bonds.

    "I think she might have a seer ability awakening. She is pretty confident that a boy

    in her ss is her bond, and she was very drawn in by Dillon," Josie admits.

    "And you didn''t think to tell us this?" I ask.

    "She told me in confidence. I didn''t think it was important until we actually knew for sure," Josie says, ar gives her an understanding smile and wraps an arm around her, trying tofort her.

    vel.

    "Our daughter thinks she has identified one of her bonds, and you didn''t think it was fucking important?" I snap, anger taking over.

    Luke moves in closer to Josie. He and Axe are tense and ready to protect her. Which just pisses me off more. After all this time, do they really think I''d hurt her?

    ¡°Arguing isn''t going to help right now. I''m sure Josie and Harper decided to keep this from you because of your tendency to overreact," Luke says, and his words hit me like a punch to the gut.

    Am I really that bad that my bonded life partner and my daughter feel they have to hide things from me?

    "Luke is right, we can discuss this when we have Harper hone and safe," Josie sighs.

    She is right, of course, she is, but I won''t let this drop. We will be discussing this when we have Harper back. I push the anger from my mind and focus back on finding my daughter.

    "Fine. If she was here she would have left a scent, but we can''t shift here, plus it would be almost impossible to distinguish her scent from how many people have been in the area since," I say.

    "They''re teenagers, their brains are not fully developed, and they''re full of hormones. We need to think like them. What would you guys have done if I

    approached you at that age and said I thought you were like me and that we are bonds?" Josie asks, and we all go quiet whilst we think.

 Chapter 0245

    "I''d have told you to fuck off and walked away," I growl, angry at the thought of Dillon doing that to my daughte "I''d have followed and tried to convince you, what would you do then?" Josie asks.

    "You are doing this the wrong way," Luke interrupts. "He was not raised like us. He probably knows about Greys, but he may not know about bonds. Josie, what would you have done if I''d approached you at 17 and said you were like me, and I was destined to be bonded to you for life?"

    ¡°I''d have been scared and gone into the most public ce could find,¡± she says, scanning our surroundings.¡± Let''s assume most of these ces were not open yet," she adds, and then her eyes narrow on a fast food ce across the road. "There, it''s open 24/7, I''d have gone in there to talk," she points.

    "Then let''s start there," Luke nods and we follow him.

    Harper is not there, but after showing the staff a picture of her, a few of them think they remember hering in with a boy early this morning. The manager refuses to let us view the CCTV without the police, and it takes all ty self-control not to threaten her or just use my gifts to hold her in ce whilst we take a look. I contact Deacon and tell him to get here as soon as possible, and we take a seat at one of the tables whilst we wait.

    Axel''s phone starts ringing, and he looks at the screen with a frown before answering

    "Hello," he says before pausing to listen.

    "Yes it is. Thank you for calling, let me put you on speaker so we can all hear you," he says and then ces the phone in the middle of the table. "It''s Archie."

    I want to ask who the fuck Archie is, but Josie pulls the phone closer to her, eager to talk to him.

    "Archie, thank you for calling. I''m Harper''s mum. She used my phone to call you on your birthday. Have you heard from her since?" Josie asks.

    "No, I haven''t, but she promised to call me again tomorrow. My teacher said Harper is missing in the human realm. I cane and help look for her if someone can pick me up," he says, and I notice a few people on the table next to us start to watch us curiously: I give them a stare, and they quickly look away.

    "Thank you, but I''m not sure that there''s much you can do right now. If she contacts you, can you call this number right away?" Josie asks.

    "Yes, I will. I hope she is okay. If there is anything else I can do, then just give me

    a call," he says, and Josie thanks him before ending the call with a sigh.

    "Is that the boy she thinks is her bond?" I ask, working hard to keep my tone calm.

    ¡°Yes, but she hasn''t told him, so don''t mention anything. Can someone try my phone again?" Josie asks.

    Axel tries to call it, but it goes straight to voicemail. Deacon arrives shortly after and within a minute we are all huddled in an office in the back of the restaurant watching on a small screen. It is filled with multiple sma videos, each one from a different angle of the restaurant and kitchen.

    "There," Luke says, pointing to one of the small squares on the screen and the security guy makes the small square full-size on the screen.

    My heart squeezes as I watch my beautiful daughter take a seat with the boy from the water park. She talks animatedly and he nods.

    "Is there any sound?" I ask, desperate to know what she is saying.

    ¡°Unfortunately not," the security guy shakes his head.

    We watch in silence as Harper takes a phone from her pocket and Dillon reaches over, cing a hand on the phone and shaking his head as if stopping her. My blood begins to boil. He stopped her from calling us! The boy says something and Harper seems to give a reluctant nod before the pair stand up and leave the restaurant.

    "Can you pull up the outside camera to see which direction they went?" Luke asks.

    The security guy nods and the image on the screen flicks to a feed from outside the restaurant and I watch as my baby girl follows a stranger down the street and out of view.

    ??????? ?????

 Chapter 0246

    Theo''s POV**

    I finally get the kids to settle down and watch a movie in the cinema room. Trying to act like everything is fine in front of the kids whilst one of them is missing is damn near impossible. When Sammy and Jensen begin to argue over seats, it takes everything in me not topletely lose my temper over something so minor. I force a smile on my face and talk to them calmly, trying to reason with the that there are plenty of seats to choose from when inside I''m screaming. I want to shake the pair of them and II them there are much bigger issues to worry about than a seat right now.

    I creep from the room and quietly close the door behind m before leaning against the wall and sinking to the floor, allowing myself a few moments to process everything. Harper is missing, in a realm she does not know and Mason is in self-destruct mode, ming himself for being bad father. I had tried the soft approach with him, assuring him this wasn''t his fault and teenagers are just stupid sometimes, but that hadn''t helped. So I''d gone for the harsh approach, reminding him that his pity party wasn''t what we needed right now and that we had to support each other and find Harper. That had backfired, and he had turned the me on me.

    He had used me of breaking my promise that I''d make sure he was a good father. I hadn''t. He is a good father, and I''d had no input in making him one. He''d done that all on his own. I''m not hurt that he thinks I failed him. I''m hurt that even after all this time, he still doubts himself I thought we were past all this.

    I want to mind link with my bond group and ask for updates, but it has barely been 5 minutes since Josie updated me that they had spotted Harper on CCTV near the water park with Dillon. They know which direction they went and are trying to track them via CCTV of businesses along the route.

    Now we know for sure that Harper left of her own free will and wasn''t taken. I''m more confident she will be okay. I''m almost sure of it. She is so resilient like her mother and has Mason''s unwavering determination and independence. She will probably turn up back here, dragging that boy along with her. My biggest worry is that the boy, Dillon, turned 18 a few months ago, ording to his employment record. This means he has his gifts and knows this realm, but Harper doesn''t, making her more vulnerable if he is not a good person. I just hope the boy realises who''s daughter he is with and doesn''t try anything

    I hear a bang from upstairs and instantly go on high alert. All the kids are down here, there should be no one upstairs. From down here I can just about make out multiple sets of footsteps.

    "Is that you guys upstairs?" I ask into the mind link as I push up to my feet.

    "No, but it might be the team I sent, or Harper," Deacon responds.

    "Unless Harper brought a group back with her, it''s not her. I''ll go check it out," I

    say as I move to the stairs, pausing at the bottom to listen.

    "Clear," I hear a male voice call out and I walk up the stairs This must be Deacon''s team.

    I''m not sure why they are searching the house though. Don''t they think we have done that multiple times already?

    "The girl said there are more kids here, they have to be somewhere, check the gardens." I hear someone bark out an order and I freeze on the stairs.

    This is not Deacon''s team, they wouldn''t be looking for the rest of the kids. I look back down the stairs to where the kids are watching a movie. If I go up there and give myself away, I''ll leave the kids vulnerable, but if I wait here, and they find me, I''m dead, and they''ll take the kids anyway. I wish I had Mason and Josie''s skill at molecr maniption. I''d simply seal the door closed until help arrives, but I''m more likely to just dissolve the door than seal it.

    "SOS. There''s a group here looking for the kids. We are hiding in the basement. I think they have Harper," I say

    Chapter 0246-

    into the mind ink.

    "On our way," they respond as one, pante and anger flooding our bond.

    "Fuck, they have a wand. We can''t port in," Lake curses.

    "Get as close as you can and run. We are in the basement b if they find us I can''t hold them back alone," I say, trying not to break under the crushing weight of fear.

    I creep the rest of the way up the stairs, praying they dismiss the door to the basement as a pantry, which is exactly what it looks like from the kitchen. It''s painted to catch the kitchen cupboards. If I can sneak out of it, I could cause a distraction and then run, and hopefully lead them away from the kids. I put my hand on the door and press my ear to it, listening for sounds of movement in the kitchen.

    A ss smashes very close to the door and I hold my breathe tightening my grip on the door handle.

    "You''re so fucking clumsy," a male voice grunts.

    "Fuck off, it''s just a ss, I''m sure it won''t be missed," another voice says.

    "You had better clean it up. We need to make it look like no one was here if we are going to catch them when theye back."

    "With what?" Clumsy asks.

    "I don''t know, check the fucking cupboards, there has to be a dustpan and brush in one of them."

    I hear the doors in the kitchen open and close and pray they open the right one before they get to the door I''m currently holding closed. The handle I''m holding moves as someone attempts to open it and I pull on the handle, stopping it from opening.

    "Huh, this one is locked," Clumsy says.

    "It can''t be locked from this side because there is no keyhole, which means it is locked from the inside, which means someone is behind it," the man says and my heart drops.

    "They''ve found us," I say into the mind link a split second before I''m knocked back from the door as it''s kicked with such force that the door frame splinters and two huge men grin down at me menacingly.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0247

    C** Josie''s POV **

    We had been viewing some CCTV from an ice cream shop''s exterior camera

    when Theo ...ani Sos.

    "Forget we were here," Deacon says to the older gentleman showing us the video feed, his power washing over

    us him easily.

    "Shit," Luke curses.

    "They must have a ward with them," Deacon scowls.

    "Get us as close as possible," Axe growls, his beast dancing in his eyes at the thought of our kids being in danger. Mason fumes silently whilst I fight off the panic attack building in my chest. My kids need me, I can''t waste time panicking.

    We manage to port to the end of the road that the mansion is on, and we take off running without a moment''s hesitation. It takes a lot of effort not to draw on my bond''s energy to make myself faster. It would only slow them down, and if there is a group to fight, I''m going to need all my bonds with me. My wolf pushes at me, trying to take control and I give her the reins, she can move much faster than me.

    Fourrge wolves run beside me, and we push ourselves to the limit to get to our mate and pups. I hear a shriek from one of the neighbours, but I don''t even spare them a nce. A wolf pack running down the road is going to be the least of their worries if any of my pups are taken. I''ll tear the town apart until I find them.

    "They''ve found us," Theo''s voice says frantically into the mind link, and I let out a growl of fury.

    My paws pound the pavement and when the mansiones into view and I see the front door hanging open, I see red. The overwhelming need to defend my pack pushes me forward. We tear through the house, feet slipping on the marble floor as we race towards the kitchen where pained grunts can be heard. The scent of my mate''s blood permeates the air and I vow to kill whoever dared to harm him.

    As the fastest, I get to the basement door first, and I leap through its shattered remains and straight onto the back of the man, raining punches down on my mate. I sink my teeth into the back of his neck before he can even react to my arrival, shaking him furiously until I hear a crunch and his body goes limp. Mason''s wolf fights beside me, quickly dispatching a second attacker, whilst Luke''s wolf heads straight towards the kids.

    "Kids are safe," he quickly says into the mind link and I shift, dropping to my knees beside Theo''s battered body as he finally gives up the fight and goes limp.

    "Theo, shit," I say as I take in his injuries.

    "Heal him," Mason demands, brushing the bloodied hair from Theo''s forehead.

    "I don''t know where to start," I cry, my hands trembling as I hover them over his body. He looks so small like this.

    "His head, please, Josie, you have to fix him," Mason urges.

    Sounds of a strugglee from upstairs and I can sense Axel and Deacon fighting. I try to push my worry for them from my mind to focus on healing Theo. Closing my eyes, I draw on that warm healing energy that resides deep within me and I pour it into Theo, my hands hovering over the ces the energy is drawn to. His skull is first, I think it''s fractured, then I move to his eyes. The socket of his right one is definitely broken, his nose too. His mouth is next, then his ribs and his hands. I heal every broken bone, knit together every cut and scratch until I copse with exhaustion. He fought so hard to protect our babies, he gave everything he had to keep them safe,

    and I''ll give everything I have to fix him.

    Mason supports me, pulling both me and Theo to rest on him as he sits on the floor.

    "You did it, Angel, he''s going to be okay," Mason soothes.

    "Did I win?" Theo asks, his groggy voice a wonderful sound that makes meugh and cry at the same time.

    "Yes, Theo, you won, the kids arepletely fine. You did good, rest now," Mason says softly.

    "We have one captured. I''m going to question him as soon as Axel finishes checking outside. Is everyone okay?" Deacon asks into the mind link.

    "Theo is healed, he and Josie need a little recovery time. The kids are fine. As heard themotion and had them all hide under the seats. He did so well," Luke responds proudly.

    "Good, keep them down there. I don''t want them to see the mess up here. When Axe gets back, we will gather their stuff and take them home. Can you arrange for someone to watch them," Dasks Luke.

    "Yes, I''ll call my parents," Luke agrees.

    I listen to the sounds of my bonds making ns to keep us safe and find Harper as I drift off. I just need a small nap to recover some energy, and then I am going after whoever tried to take my kids and hurt Theo. I willhunt everyst one of them down until I have my daughter back, and they have paid for trying to hurt my family. They will be sorry for trying to mess with what is mine.

    Chapter

 Chapter 0248

    **Luke''s POV**

    Seeing Theo so broken had scared me. There was no need for the level of violence they had inflicted on him. He was one man alone against a team of fighters. They could have easily subdued him with minimal violence. If these people could do that to him, then what did they do to Harper to get the information from her? She''s just a kid, she doesn''t even have her gifts yet. I hope she gave them the information easily and didn''t try to resist, because I hate to think what state she might be in if she tried to withstand their Interrogation.

    The kids were so brave. When I had pushed open the door to the cinema room, I had a split second of panic when the kids were nowhere to be seen, then I''d spotted Elljali''s small foot poking out from under the seat.

    "It''s okay, you''re safe," I''d told them, and at once 5 little heads popped up from between the seats at the sound of

    my voice.

    They looked scared butpletely unharmed, thanks to Theo holding them back as long as he did. The relief on their little faces when they saw me had brought a tear to my eye. They had run from their hiding spots and all hugged me in a giant huddle, even Joel, who doesn''t like physical contact, and As, who tells us he''s too old for cuddles. This is the first time they''ve felt threatened, and I pray it''s theirst

    I feel the moment that Theo is healed, the relief from Mason and Josie flowing freely through the bond, followed by Josie''s exhaustion. I push some energy her way, not wanting her to draw on Axe and Deacon whilst they deal with the threats upstairs. She will need to rest after such a power drain, but she will be fine in less than an hour.

    Deacon lets us all know the current threat is over, and we make ns to get the kids home and safe. I call my mum and exin the situation, and she quickly agrees to get to our house, ready to watch the kids when we arrive.

    Mason carries Josie into the cinema room andys her down on a recliner chair whilst assuring the kids she is fine and just sleeping. The kids huddle around her quietly. The walks in after them. He''s a bloody mess, but he looks so much better than he did a few moments ago. I stride towards him, intent on helping him to a seat, but when I reach him, gratefulness, pride and relief overwhelm me and I throw my arms around him in a hug.

    "I''m d you are okay. For such a skinny guy, you are one tough badass, you know," Iugh.

    "Thanks for finally noticing," he grins, and he looks terrifying grinning like that whilst covered in blood.

    I''m about to suggest he goes and cleans himself up so he doesn''t scare the kids, but it''s toote, the younger ones are already here, hugging him like the hero he is.

    "I''m okay, your Mum healed me," he reassures them as they cry at the sight of him.

    "Give him some space kids, let him sit down," Mace say softly.

    Sammy takes Theo''s hand and guides him to the chair next to Josie. Jensen hands him a drink and Elijah brings hin a half-eaten chocte bar. Theo smiles at them taking their offerings.

    "I''ll go help pack up their stuff, and then we can get them home," Mason says before leaving the room.

    "I want you to teach me how to fight," As says with a determined look on his face that breaks my heart.

    It''s obvious why he wants to learn. He''s scared and feels defenseless. I feel like we failed them today. We should never have left them like this. We should have taken them home as soon as we knew Harper was missing.

    "Me too," Joel says, his voice croaky from disuse and I almost break down.

    Joel doesn''t talk unless absolutely necessary. He is capable but rarely verbalises anything, so the fact he is talking

    now shows how affected he is by what has happened today

    I want to tell them that they don''t need to learn to fight ye that they are safe, and they''ll learn when they join the academy and their gifts awaken, but that is not what they need to hear right now.

    Of course, when we are all home we will work out a training schedule," I agree.

    Axel stalks into the room, still in his wolf form, and the twins run to him. He instantly turns from arge manacing wolf to a giant soft puppy as he muzzles them with his big head, making them giggle before he shifts back to his human form. He spends a moment with each of the kids, reassuring them and telling them we will be home just as soon as we find their sister before he heads back upstairs to watch our hostage, whilst Deacones down to say his goodbyes to the kids.

    Deacon tells the kids how proud he is of them and that they acted exactly the right way today. He apologises to them for what they had to experience and promises he will make sure the right people are punished for scaring

    them.

    Josie wakes up in time for a tearful goodbye. She holds each of the boys in a motherly hug, Joel and As epting her embrace without a fuss. When Mason returns with their bags, he says goodbye to them before Theo and I take them home.

    When we arrive at our house, it''s a hive of activity. Most of my family are here, as well as Deacon''s parents, half of Theo''s family, Dot and her bonds, and Axel''s brother. They all fuss over Theo and the kids before demanding to feturn with us to the human realm to help find Harper and eliminate the threat to our family. Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0249

    **Deacon''s POV**

    The man sitting in the chair in front of me grins at me with bloodied teeth as my knuckles throb. I had lost my temper and hit him. I''d let him get to me and he knows it.

    *Just

    tell me where you think she is?" I say again.

    "No idea. They made sure we didn''t know anything useful for this very situation. You canpel me all you like, you''ll not get information I don''t have," heughs.

    One of his eyes is swollen closed and blood trickles from his head. Axel had to take Mason out of the room before he killed this guy, especially after he had called Harper a pretty little thing. He is giving off some serious predator vibes, and it''s making it increasingly harder not to kill him myself, but he''s our only lead right

    now.

    "What''s your name?" I ask, deciding to try a different approach. If he can''t tell me where Harper is, he can at least expose himself and his faction.

    "John Morrison," he responds, sounding bored.

    "How long have you been in the human realm, John?"

    "All my life."

    "And how old are you?" I ask. He looks to be in his mid-thirties.

    26."

    "Wow, it looks like you had a tough paper round, John, I thought you were older than me,¡± Josie says as she enters the dining room where John is secured. She must have been listening to us from the kitchen. John''s eyes light up at the sight of Josie and I clench my fists, stopping myself from punching him again. "I see where the girl gets her good looks from," John says, leering at my bond as his eyes travel up and down her body appreciatively.

    "I know what you are trying to do here, John," Josie says with a knowing smile.

    "Oh... and what might that be?" John smiles back.

    "You are trying to goad my bonds into killing you, which either means you do have some useful information that you''d rather die than tell us, or you are scared and want to end this quickly," Josle says and the smile on John''s face drops, his expression going hard.

    "Which is it? Are you scared or is there something you don''t want us to find out?" I ask with a smirk.

    "Both," John says, unable to lie to me because of thepulsion I have him under.

    "Good, now let''s start again, shall we? What is it you don''t want us to know?" I ask and John begins to tell us everything he''d been holding back.

    Mason and Axee into the room to listen as John exins how he was only 16 when Cornellus came out to the humans. Both of John''s parents were Greys and loyal supporters of Cornelius. They had been captured on the day Cornelius died. John and a group of teen Greys that had yet to awaken their gifts had gone into hiding here in the human realm. In the recent years they have been seeking out Grey children born here, recruiting them to increase their numbers. Their n is to gather enough that they can storm the prison in our realm to rescue their parents.

    Chapter0249

    The news is notpletely unexpected, but it''s still an unpleasant revtion. We knew there were still Greys out there that supported Cornelius'' cause, but we had no idea had been an actively recruiting and growing group. As no other Spark bonded group has been activated since ours this is our issue to deal with again. I guess it''s still the same threat, which makes It our responsibility to eliminate it, but this still feels unfair. We have a family to focus on now. Our group should be free of all this and able to enjoy our lives. Haven''t we given enough already? If they didn''t have our daughter, I might have suggested we let the military take the lead on this one.

    "How did your group take our daughter?" I ask.

    "She and one of our newest recruits came to convince some of our younger members toe with them. They were trying to take our kids, so we took them and questioned the girl for your location. She forgot to mention that there would be so many of you," he grumbles and Mason sorts augh.

    "I bet she forgot to mention we are the Spark bonded group that took out Cornelius too, didn''t she?" Mason asks, pride flowing freely through the bond for Harper,

    "Yes," John sighs, "It seems we underestimated her."

    "You must have some idea where they are holding her. You might not know the exact location, but you know the usual ces, right?" ask.

    "No," John shakes his head, "We purposely keep information like that separate from the team on the streets for exactly this reason. We work as two separate units, live separately, and onlymunicate through phone calls and the asional meet-up at random disused buildings throughout the realm. You''ll never find them."

    "Where was the meet-up to interrogate our daughter?" Josie asks.

    "An old abandoned diplomatic hotel in the Philippines, but they moved her and her friend before my team left, he exins, and a pit of dread forms in my stomach. The human realm is massive, and we have absolutely no idea where to even start looking for our daughter.

    The room falls into silence as we process the news, all of us struggling to wrap our heads around the gravity of the task ahead of us. Luke and Theo port in, followed by over twenty of our closest family members, and more begin to follow. Our friends and military teams, all of them ready and willing to help us search for Harper. We are not alone in this mission, we have an array at our backs, ready to help us bring our baby girl back.

    Chapter 025)

 Chapter 0250

    **Josie''s POV**

    I don''t know how we are doing it, but somehow we are all ill holding ourselves together. I think it''s because we know if we break down now, we will never find Harper. If we have any chance of bringing her home, we need to be fully functioning and focused. We have already proven we can work well under pressure, but the pressure feels like it has been turned up to the max this!

    When Theo and Luke return to us with so many people willing to help, tam filled with hope. I knew my bond''s families would help if we asked. Harper is their family and ach and every one of them loves her, but when more and more people start to arrive, I''m speechless. I don''t know who spread the word, but when the Greymunity heard that one of their own was missing they came to help without hesitation and that makes me so proud to be a part of them..

    "What do we do now? It''s amazing that so many people are here to help, but we have no n. We have nothing we can ask them to do," I say to my guys in the mind link as I''m pulled into another hug from someone just arriving

    "Mmhhm, it''s great to have an army, but right now, we have nothing to point them at," Theo says.

    "Then let''s give them something to do. We could exin everything we know and then have everyone brainstorm. With this many people we should be able toe up with useful n of action," Luke suggests.

    "That''s a good start," Deacon agrees, "Raff has another teaming soon. Let''s wait for them, and then I''ll tell them everything we know."

    "We should be out there looking for her already," Masonins.

    "Look where? Do you realise how big this realm is? We need a starting point. If we just start walking around hoping to stumble across clues, then we are wasting time when we could be here,ing up with a real n," Deacon says.

    "Woul

    you be saying the same if it was As that was missing right now?" Mason snaps. "Yes. You may have biologically fathered Harper, but that doesn''t make her any less my child," Deacon growls, his anger trickling through the bond.

    "Mace, that was unfair. We are all Harper''s fathers just as much as you are," Theo says.

    "No, you are not," Mason grunts before closing down his connection to the mind link and throwing up his shields to block us all out.

    There''s a tense moment of silence before Axel speaks. "He doesn''t mean what he says, he''s just angry and worried."

    "We all are. Taking it out on each other won''t help though Does anyone know where he is?" I ask as I make my way through the house that is packed with people.

    "He was out the back thest time I saw him," Luke says.

    I move through the house, keeping my gaze trained low, so don''t make eye contact with people. I appreciate them all being here, but this is not a social gathering, and I''m not in the mood for small talk of to answer the same question over and over again. I''m about at my limit of people watching me and shing me sympathetic

    smiles.

    I finally push out of the back door and feel like I can breathe properly for the first time since our guests arrived. A

    +24 BOHUS

    few people are milling about out here too, but it is much le ustrophoble than Inside.

    1 spot Mason sitting by the pool, his hard gaze fixed on the appling water. I watch him for a moment, assessing what he might need from ine right now. His shoulders arense, his jaw clenched and his aura giving off some serious ''fuck off vibes. I never did let that aura stop me, and I''m not going to now.

    I stride straight over to him and wrap my arms around his shoulders from behind, burying my face in his neck to take in hisforting scent. He doesn''t react at first, but don''t back away.

    "Do you remember when we took her to daycare for the fir time? She screamed the ce down until we came back for her," I say and the tension in Mason''s shoulders begins to melt away. He brings up a hand to hold mine.

    "She used to take off her shoes and throw them at me when I tried to take her for a walk and she didn''t want to go," Theo says as hees to sit beside us.

    "She would blow raspberries at us and rum off when we said it was time for her bath," Lukeughs as he joins us

    too.

    "The way she would cross her arms and stamp her foot at us if we said no to anything was adorably frustrating." Axe says.

    "It was almost impossible to keep a straight face when she did that," Deacon chuckles.

    Trying to keep her strapped into her stroller was probably one of the hardest missions I''ve ever had to do," 1ugh.

    "She has always been a stubborn child," D sighs with fondness.

    "I bet she is giving her captors hell," Mason says.

    "Damn right, she is. They will be forever haunted by the name Harper Marshall," Theo grins proudly.

    "She will be their downfall. I just know it. We will get her back," Axe says with fierce determination..

    Mason pulls me around to his front and I sit on hisp. He wraps his arms around me and rests his forehead against my shoulder with a sigh.

    "I''m sorry. I''m just so terrified of what is happening to her," he says quietly.

    "We all are, but we have to stay focused on getting her back" I tell him, running my fingers through his dark hair.

    No one speaks for a while, we don''t need to. We are all in this together, and we

    might say some things we don''t mean when our emotions get the better of us, but we have each other''s backs, no matter what.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0251

    ** Josie''s POV

    Once the rest of Raff''s men arrive, Deacon calls everyone we have to go into such detail, exposing Harper''s possible slightest chance to bring her home, then it''s worth it.

    side to exiny averything we know so far. I hate that er gift to all these people, but if it has even the

    Raff''s team immediately start throwing out ideas and search ns. Teams are made, pairing gifts together in each small team, with at least one Grey with a porting ability, one with a useful amount ofpulsion and some muscle. Maps are drawn up with forced help from Johm, focussing on abandoned buildings that are big enough to hold a number of people. We may not find Harper in these ces, but we may find more rogues that have information..

    The chances of these teams finding anything are slim, but with this many people willing to help, it''s worth a shot. Plus, it feels like we are getting something done rather than sitting here doing nothing

    Once the teams are sent out and the house is a little calmer, Raff pulls us down to the basement with a "We have some ideas, but they''re not guaranteed," he says.

    small team.

    "I''m sure your ideas are safer than the one that I have, so let''s hear them," Mason nods for him to go ahead.

    "It involves bringing the unbonded over, and a few, if not all, of the seers" Raff exins.

    "That could work. If they have bonds in this realm that are with the rogues, then the seer could lead us right to them," Deacon says enthusiastically.

    *How many active seers do we have?" Axe asks.

    "Two with a strong ability, and four with a mild talent," one of Raff''s team says, looking down at a file.

    "How many unbonded?" Luke asks.

    "34, but 11 of those are young, and it may just be that their bond has note of age yet."

    "Let''s ask them all. "Surely some of them will be willing to help, especially if it means potentially finding their bond," Deacon nods.

    "Sorry to be the bubble buster, but are we expecting the Elders to allow us to take all the seers from the realm? They are rare and kind of important," Theo interrupts, and have to bite my tongue not to correct his term to'' burst your bubble'', because it''s really not important right now. Am I finally losing my mind?

    "They are, but if what you say is true and Harper is showing signs of having a seer ability, and we exin that to them, I think the seers will volunteer to help, they protect their own," Raff says.

    "Like a tiny little creepy cult," one of Raff''s team nods and all our eyes shoot to him. The guy looks like he''s about to pee his pants when Mason lets out a low growl.

    "Sorry, I didn''t mean that. I just get creeped out when their eyes do that... never mind, I''ll stop talking now," he adds before turning back to hisputer. "Good idea," Raff grunts.

    "My sister is one of the seers with a mild talent. She is already here, so we can count on her at the very least. I could go and ask some of the unbonded now and bring them to her to get started," Luke suggests.

    12

    "Great, yes, you do that," Raff nods and hands take a file with the details of all the unbonded.

    Lukees over to kiss my cheek before he leaves to find some unbonded people willing to help.

    "Our other idea is to set up surveince on all our Grey assessment offices here. We suspect the rogues have been watching the offices for potential Greysing to report to them and are intercepting them before they get to the check-in," Raff exins.

    "That would make sense. I should have been more careful with those, we should have had security posted outside," I shake my head at my own stupidity.

    How had I not thought they''d be a target for rogues trying to recruit Greys to their cause? How many teens just like me have tried toe to our office for help and been taken instead? I''d failed them all, and now this was my punishment because it could very well be one of those teens who have my daughter now.

    "Don''t beat yourself up about this, none of us thought about it," Axe says into the mind link, trying to reassure

    1. me.

    "What was your idea, Mace?" Theo asks.

    "No one is going to like it, but I think it''s worth it. First of all, ask yourselves how much you''d risk for your bond before you all tell me I can''t ask this of the kid. I think we should bring in Archie, have him report to one of the potential Grey assessment offices and let him get taken by the rogues. We can find some way to hide a tracker on him, he will lead us straight to them," Mason exins, and the whole room falls silent for a moment before it erupts into arguments for and against the idea..

    "We don''t even know if he is her bond, and she hasn''t told him she thinks he is," I say.

    "If Harper believes he is then so do I, I trust her. He said he was willing toe here and look for her. He said if there was any way he could help, then to let him know. We should at least have a conversation with him and give him the choice," Mason shrugs.

    "Fine, bring him and his parents as he is underage. Let''s have the conversation and see where we go from there," Raff sighs.

    "Can I use your phone to call him?" Task Axel, and he nods, handing the phone

    over.

    I don''t fully agree with the idea of using Archie this way, but if it means bringing my daughter home, I''m not sure if there''s much I wouldn''t risk to find her. If we

    can find a way topletely guarantee Archie''s safety, and he wants to do it, then

    I agree it is worth a discussion at the very least.

    I pull up the contact Axe has saved as Archie (Harper) then hit call, and wait nervously for him to answer.

 Chapter 0252

    **Josie''s POV *

    "Hello," Archte answers on the fourth ring and the room ses silent as they all listen in to the conversation.

    into

    "Hi Archie, it''s Josie, Harper''s mum. I was wondering if you would be willing toe and have a chat with us here in the human realm, with your parents'' permission, of course," I say, trying not to sound as desperate as 1 feel.

    "Yes. My parents will be fine with it. Lalready exined the situation, and they agreed I should help in any way i can. I also have some friends who want to help. Do you want me to call them?" he asks.

    ¡°That''s kind of them. We just need you for now though. Could wee and pick you up?"

    "Yes, I''ll text you my address," he agrees.

    "No need, we have it already. We will be there soon. Are your parents avable to talk to when we arrive?

    "One of my dads is here right now."

    "Perfect, we will be there in a few minutes," I say before ending the call.

    "Try and bring the dad back with him. I don''t feelfortable even having this conversation without having at least one of his parents here," Raff says, and I nod.

    Axel pulls up Archie''s address from the information his sister had sent over and he shows it to Deacon.

    "We will be back soon," I say before D ports us to a house that is simr to our own but on a smaller scale.

    We approach the house and the door opens before we reach it. A handsome young man with hair as dark as my own stands in the doorway. He is taller than me and already starting to fill out. I suspect he will grow to be built like Axel.

    "Archie?" I ask.

    "Yes, pleasee in. My dad will be down in a moment," he smiles, stepping back to allow us entry into his home. I can sense his nervousness and worry.

    Archie leads us to a sitting room that is filled with family photos. I look at the happy-looking family. Archie appears to have three fathers, an older brother and a younger sister.

    "I went to school with your parents. I think your mum was a year above me," Deacon says as he looks at the pictures.

    "That''s right, Deacon Collins, it''s good to see you again. How are things at the academy?" a male voice says from the doorway and I turn to see a man that I recognise from the pictures.

    "Charles, it''s good to see you. The academy is fine," Deacon says, taking Charles'' outstretched hand and shaking it. "This is Josie, my bond," he adds.

    "It''s nice to meet you, Charles. Thank you for agreeing to see us and allowing us to talk with Archie," I say, shaking his hand next.

    "Of course, I''m sorry to hear about your daughter. Archie said she is missing in

    the human realm, and you think he might be able to help,¡± Charles says, gesturing for us to sit on the couch.

    I sit down beside Deacon and Archie sits on the couch opposite us next to his father.

    Chanter 0252:

    "First I need to exin some things, and then we hoped both of you would be willing toe back to the human realm with us and go over some ideas with the military team we have assisting us," I say and Charles nods.

    "We wille. Our eldest son''s bond was one of the kids you recovered from the human realm. We owe you a debt for that," Charles smiles.

    "You don''t owe us anything," Deacon shakes his head, "B we really would appreciate you hearing us out."

    "Harper has recently confided in me that she believes she is started to develop one of her gifts. Although we can''t say with any certainty, Harper is quite sure that she possesses a seer ability, and she believes Archie is her future bond," I exin, hating taking this moment from her.

    Archie grins and his dad pats his shoulder proudly at the news, then, as if only just realising the issue, they both suddenly be serious.

    "We have to find her," Archie says, pushing to his feet and looking stressed as he paces to the window.

    "I''m sorry you are finding out this way, and again, we can''t be 100% sure you will be her bond, but we thought

    1 should know why we areing to you for help," Deacon says with a tight smile.

    "I believe it. Tell me what you need me to do. I''ll do whatever it takes," Archie deres, and his passion for my daughter warms me to him. I just hope Mason will feel the same.

    "If that is what your gut is telling you, Arch, then I''ll support you with whatever it is you feel you need to do. Let me make some calls, and then we will go to the human realm," Charles nods.

    "Thanks, Dad," Archie breathes, and Charles leaves the room to make his calls. "How did she go missing?" Archie asks, his eyes full of concern.

    I exin the circumstances of her disappearance, telling him about Dillon and the rogues that came to our holiday home. I also tell him about Cornelius and the history of the rogue Greys. Deacon tells him what we have been doing to find her so far and about all the people we have helping us.

    Charles returns, letting us know that he has exined the situation and the rest of his bond group has agreed that he and Archie shoulde with us. They both go to pack a bag with a change of clothes, and we leave Deacon''s phone number for the rest of Archie''s parents so they can contact us in the human realm. Then we return to the basement of our holiday home with two extra people willing to help bring our daughter home.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0253

    Lake''s POV**

    Every unbonded 1 talk with agrees toe to the human rem once I exin the situation. Some offer to directly help with the search for Harper and some are only interested ining to have the seer check If they have a bond in the realm, which is fine. Even if they''re onlying for selfish reasons, It still has the potential to help us find

    her.

    I bring back a group of seven that want to help with the search and arrange to contact the others when we have the seer. I just hope at least one of the highly gifted seers agree toe. If not, we will have to rely on my sister, Alice.

    Alice is not a bad seer. She can usually tell how many bond

    person has and can asionally follow the thread of

    the bond, but in the human realm, this is going to be more difficult because of the sheer size of the ce. Greys realm is like a small country inparison to the size of the human realm.

    "Does anyone have a location for a seer yet?" I ask Raff''s tech guy when I arrive back in the basement of our holiday home.

    "Yes, I have made contact with one. Her name is Sage, and she is willing to help," he says, handing me a small slip of paper with an address scrolled on it.

    "Perfect, is she ready now?"

    "Yep, she saide for her as soon as she is needed. I am still trying to make contact with the other. Do you want me to contact the less gifted ones?" he asks.

    "Not yet, when my sisteres back from her team search, we can test if the mild abilities are helpful or not. We can use Josie to boost her and see if that helps too,¡± I tell him before introducing the unbonded to Raff so he can catch them up on the searches, and then I leave to pick up the seer.

    When I arrive outside the address I''d been given, my knees almost give out on me and I have to steady myself on the garden wall. I''m exhausted after everything that''s happened today, plus the energy I had sent to Josie and all the teleporting between realms I have done with multiple people today.

    "Oh dear. I think someone needs to rest before we go anywhere," a female voice says softly.

    I look up to see the seer I recognise from the academy. She is the same one who revealed me as Josie''s bond and I remember the moment fondly.

    "I''m okay," I smile, "Just need a moment.¡±

    "Come in and have a break. I''m not travelling with you in this state, you might get us lost in the void," she tuts.

    "The void is no longer really a void, it hasn''t been for over 16 years now," I

    reassure.

    "Well, I''d rather not risk it. Come, let me make you some tea and a snack," she smiles.

    I follow her into the small cobblestone house that smells sweet, like freshly baked cookies. She directs me to a small plush couch with a wooly nket tossed over the back-

    "Rest a while. I''ll make us some tea," she smiles..

    I want to tell her no, that we don''t have time for tea, and we should get back, but she is right, I am in no fit state to attempt another teleport right now.

    "Thanks, I sigh as I take a seat.

    I close my eyes whilst she makes the tea and, what feels lil secondster she return carrying a tray filled with a pot of tea, two cups and a te of delicious- looking cooki

    "Feeling better?" she asks as she ces the tray on a small coffee table.

    "Yes, actually I do," I say, sitting up straighter. I feel so much more energised.

    Those 20-minute naps work wonders to reboot your body and brain in a pinch," She grins.

    20 minutes? I didn''t even realise I''d fallen asleep," I shake my head.

    "You clearly needed it. Now tell me about your daughter. The gentleman that called me said she has a possible seer ability," Sage says as she pours tea into the cups.

    I realise it''s toote to mention I only like human coffee as hot beverage and that I''m going to have to sip the tea and pretend I like it so as not to seem rude.

    "Yes, well, she thinks she does. She believes she has identified one of her bonds," I shrug and take the offered cup of tea from Sage.

    "How old is she?""

    "16,ing up to 17."

    "Hmm, that is the age I knew who my bonds were. That''s how it starts, so she could very well have the gift. Or she could just really like the boy. Our emotions are so big at that age," Sage sighs wistfully.

    Her words have me taken aback. I don''t know why, but I always assumed she was alone. I''ve never seen her with a bond.

    "What do you bonds do for a living?" I ask, sipping the tea and trying not to pull a face at the taste.

    "Jonah is in construction. Vinny is a healer and works in the hospital, and Tommy was a driver,¡± she smiles sadly in a way that shows her love and heartbreak.

    "What happened to Tommy?" I ask, unsure if it''s the right thing to ask or if I shouldn''t have said anything. "You were there when he died, you probably know more than 1," she says, and her words cause my gut to feel as though it''s twisting.

    "He was driving Deacon and Mason from the prison when the rogues attacked," I breathe, feeling so guilty that not only did we fail to save him, but with everything that happened that night and the months after, I''d never even taken the time to learn his name or his life story.

    "I''m so sorry, Sage, I didn''t get to him in time. He was already gone when we arrived. I helped recover him from the car that night, but I had no idea he was your bond. With everything that happened immediately afterward, I never had a chance to pay my respects to him," I admit, remembering vividly the state of his broken body as we pulled him from the wrecked car. It''s a sight that still haunts me and I''ll never forget it.

    "I know, I understand, and now I have the opportunity to get some kind of vengeance. I want to help you find your daughter, and take out each and every one of those rogue bastards for taking my bond from me," she says with determination.

    "Wee to the team, we won''t rest until we have found them all," I agree.

    chapter paga

    The basement has a somber atmosphere when we return,

    I have a split second of dread When Theo notices me though, he gives me a tight smile and I know I''d have felt the devastation through the bond if they''d been riven bad news.

    *Any updates?" I ask, needing to know before I start with introductions.

    "Nothing, not a single fucking thing!" Mason growls as he paces without even stopping to look at me

    "Who are the new guys?" I ask, nodding my head towards group of men I don''t recognise

    "Unbonded. Lake has gone to pick up a set," Axe says,

    "Okay, well, that''s something at least. Guys, this is Archie and his dad, Charles," I tell them, motioning to our new guests.

    Mason stops his pacing to study Archie with a less-than-friendly look.

    "Hi, I''m Theo," Theo says,ing over to shake both of their hands, "and that''s Mason. I''d like to tell you he''s usually more friendly, but that would be a lie," he adds with a forced smile, making Mace grunt.

    "I''m Axel. Thank you foring," Axe introduces next, shaking their hands.

    "It''s nice to meet you all. I hope we can be of some help," Charles says.

    "My other bond, Luke, should hopefully be back soon.

    "How much have they told you about Harper?" Mason asks.

    "That she may have a seer ability, and she thinks I''m her future bond," Archie says nervously, stepping a little closer to his father.

    "How do you feel about that?" Mace raises a brow.

    "Happy. I like Harper, she has been a good friend to me. If had to choose a bond right now, it would be her," Archie shrugs.

    "And you''d do anything for her?" Mason asks, and I know where he''s going with this.

    "Let''s wait for Raff and Luke," Deacon interrupts, "Let me show you both upstairs. We have plenty of bedrooms for you to choose from, you can leave your bags up there."

    "Not Harper''s room," Mason says as D leads the pair out of the room.

    I wait a few moments before following them up. I need a moment alone, but most of all, I need to feel closer to my daughter. I head up to Harper''s room and look around. Her make-up is scattered across the vanity table and clothes are strewn across the bed as if she had been throwing them around looking for the perfect outfit.

    I know from the CCTV we saw that she had worn a pair of ck jeans that were ripped at the knees and a ck hooded

    top with a red skull printed on the front. She was going through a bit of a dark phase with her clothing and she pulled it off well. She reminds me so much of a younger Mason. When I met him, he only wore ck unless he was forced into something else.

    I tidy up her make-up, putting it all into her bag. She will want it as soon as shees home. Then I start folding her clothes. I pick up the hoodie she had worn yesterday and bring it to my nose, inhaling her scent, and the dam

 Chapter 0254

    breaks.

    "Oh Harper, where are you, my sweet girl," lery, tears rolling down my face as I climb onto her bed and hold her hoodie close.

    I let all my fears and heartache out, not holding any of it back as I break down. I''m not alone long before my bonds. are drawn to me. Mason is the first to join me, silently climbing into the bed behind me and holding me.

    "We will get her back, no matter what it takes," he whispers.

    Deacon, Axel and Theoe into the room, all of them finding a ce to fit in the bed that is much too small for the five of us. I wish Luke was here too. I need all my bonds right now.

    "She is grounded for the rest of her life when we get her back," Theo sighs.

    "Agreed," Axe says.

    "I always thought the toddler stage would be the hardest part of parenting, but I was so wrong. This is it right here. When they find their independence, we can''t protect them from the world any longer. There is so much I wish we could protect them from, but we can''t keep them wrapped up in cotton wool forever," Deacon says.

    "We should have been doing more to prepare Harper for the adult world. We should have been training her to defend herself from a young age so she had a chance. We can''t make that mistake with the others. As soon this is over, we are making sure all our kids are capable of putting up a hell of a fight if anyone tries to take one of them from us again," Mason deres, and the guys all make sounds of agreement.

    He is right, we failed Harper. We didn''t prepare her for this kind of situation because we didn''t want it to happen. We didn''t admit to ourselves that our kid''s lives would be anything but perfect, that we wouldn''t always be there to protect them. We have to take some responsibility for this mess and learn from it. After everything our bond group had been through at such a young age, we should have known better.

    Luke stumbles into the room, looking drained. He looks at us on the bed, trying to find a ce to squeeze in. Mason, Deacon and Axel all move to make space for him, and he crawls in behind me.

    "I''ll go help out with the seer and the unbonded, you all need to rest," Deacon says, moving towards the door.

    "I don''t need rest," Axe shakes his head.

    "Me either," Mace agrees. "I want to speak with Archie."

    "Go easy on him, Mace, he''s just a kid," I say, my eyes heavy with a need to sleep.

    "Okay, then let''s split into two groups and take shifts. Josie, Theo and Luke, you''ve all expended massive amounts of energy today. Try and rest for a while whilst the three of us keep the searches going. Then we can swap in a few hours. That way we always have some out looking and some here in case she manages to find her way back here," Deacon suggests.

    "There''s something you should know about the seer. It''s Sage, the one who revealed us as Josie''s bonds. She was also bonded to the driver who drove D and Mace to the prison the night the rogues attacked. I know the two of you were very badly injured, so I don''t know how much you remember, but your driver, Tommy, didn''t survive the attack," Luke exins.

    "Shit," Mason curses.

    "I have spoken to her a few times since," Deacon nods. "She doesn''t ce any me on us.

    "Please let us know the moment you find out anything," I say, struggling to keep my eyes open.

    "Of course," Axel agrees and the three of them leave the room. Closing the door softly behind them.

    I don''t want to rest, especially not with my daughter missing, but I know I''m no good to her like this. After healing Theo today I still need to recuperate. Theo and Luke need to rest too, I can feel how exhausted they are. We Just need a few hours, and then we will be of more use.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0255

    **Axel''s POV**

    The fact our daughter is in danger and I have no visible target to fight is driving me insane. My beast itches under my skin, desperate to do something, he needs to take out the threat. I just have to find it for him first.

    "Sage, thank you foring, we really appreciate it," Deacon greets as we enter the cinema room, which has be a makeshiftmand centre.

    Sage has aged quite a lot since Ist saw her. I''ll never forget the moment she finally touched my shoulder, identifying me as Josie''s bond. I had been so shy back then, but I''d felt like the luckiest person alive to be chosen for Josie, and I still do to this day. Not just because of Josie, but our entire group. We are aplete mishmash of personalities, but it works well. We also have the most amazing kids.

    d to be here. I am ready to get started as soon as you are," Sage says, her eyes flicking over to the group of unbonded.

    "Do you sense any bonds for them?" Mason asks.

    "Yes, all of them," she nods and hope blooms in my chest.

    **Then

    I am ready when you are. Point me in a direction, and I''ll port you wherever we need to go," Deacon grins.

    "Perfect, I can trust you boys to keep me safe whilst I''m in the zone?" She asks. "Of course," Deacon nods.

    "I''ll stay here and talk with the boy," Mason nods towards Archie, who is sitting with his father and Raff chatting

    "Okay," D nods.

    "Do we have anyone who can identify targets on a map from a general direction, who is willing toe with us?" I call out, looking over at Raff''s tech guys.

    "I can," A guy who looks a lot like Theo says, standing from his seat and collecting some papers and a small device that looks like a phone.

    Hees over and introduces himself as Ben.

    "Great, it seems we are ready. I''ll start with the tall blonde one. I am sensing the strongest connection with him," Sage says, pointing to the tallest of the group of unbonded, who are watching us intensely.

    I gesture for him toe over, and he looks a mix of excited and nervous as he approaches us.

    "Hello, I am Sage. What is your name?" Sage asks.

    "It''s nice to meet you. I''m Myles," the blonde says, bowing his head respectfully.

    "Okay, Myles, I assume you know how this works,¡± Sage raises a brow in question.

    "Yes, Ma''am," Myles nods.

    "Obviously, things are going to be a little different, and we are going to have Deacon here to port us around. This may take some time to work out what we are doing, but please trust that I will try my best to locate your bond for you," Sage exins.

    "Thank you," Myles smiles.

    We fall silent as Sage takes Myles'' hands and closes her eyes. I watch as her eyes move rapidly behind her eyelids. before she snaps them open. They sh blue before slowly fading to white. I fight off the urge to shudder. If our daughter has this gift, then I''m going to have to get used tseeing the eyes of a seer.

    Sage slowly turns her head to her left, staring that way with her empty white eyes. Ben points his device in the direction that Sage is looking and swipes the screen a few times before showing a picture of what looks like an empty warehouse. Deacon nods and 1 step closer, bracing for the weird sensation of porting. With a whoosh the warehouse 1 had just seen in the picture now stands in froul of us.

    I wrinkle my nose at the smell. I don''t know what this warehouse was used for, but it smells like death. I listen intently and don''t hear any signs of life inside apart from the small squads and scratches of rodents. Sage turns her head again and Ben follows her gaze with his device. This time he pulls up a picture of what looks like houses.

    We quickly appear in front of a whole street of houses, most of the windows are boarded up and litter blows around, before getting caught in the overgrown grass. A house with the door hanging off catches my attention and my beast bes more alert. I focus my bearing on the house and hear hushed tones from inside. I look at Deacon, tapping my ear and indicating to the house. He narrows his eyes at it and then nods. Motioning for me to check it out.

 Chapter 0256

    Sage turns her head again, staring directly at the house and steps forward. She raises a hand pointing at it and hope fills me. This is it, Myles'' bond is here, which means Harper could be in there, or someone who can lead us to her. I creep forward: Making sure not to step on anything that could give my presence away. The scent of mildew and decay tills my nostrils as I near the open doorway. I pop my head into the entryway. The floor is littered with empty beer cans and drug paraphernalia.

    "Hey, Man, you selling?" a dishevelled-looking man asks, bis eyes struggling to focus on me.

    He looks to be in histe fifties and his clothes are torn. His face is gaunt, and his teeth are rotten.

    "No, I''m looking for someone," I say,

    "Are you a cop?" He asks with a look of disdain.

    "No. I''m just looking for... a friend, a female," I tell him.

    "Ah you''re here to save your woman, huh, there''s one in the back, but she''s got somepany if you know what I mean," he winks,

    "Thanks," I force a smile as I make my way through the filthy house.

    There''s another man passed out on the stairs, he snores heavily and holds an open can of beer in his hand, there''s a strong smell of urineing from him and the sight makes me sad. When Josie wakes up, I''m going to ask her how I can get these people the help they clearly need. No one should have to live like this.

    "I don''t think these are rogues, just some humans in a bad situation. There is a female in the back, apparently. I''ll bring her out to see if she is Myles bond, but judging by the rest of the upants of this house, she is not going to be in a good state," I tell Deacon through the mind link as I step over another sleeping male.

    Okay, I''ll warn Myles," D says.

    I work my way through to what looks like it was once, a kitchen, but all that remains is a sink that''s hanging off the wall at an angle and marks on the wall where the cupboards once were. In the corner of the room, there is a small tent set up, and I can hear breathing from inside. I stand there for a second wondering what to do next. It''s not like I can knock.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I call, leaning down and unzipping the tent door.

    "Who is it?" a female voice slurs.

    "Erm.. I''m Axel, and I''vee to help you," I say as the door falls away to reveal a girl who looks no older than 19.

    The girl looks dirty and has clearly not had an easy lifetely, but her eyes still hold a spark of life, unlike the man who I''d spoken to at the front of the house, his eyes had seemed defeated and dull.

    "Do I look like I need help from some random guy that I have never met before?" She says with a roll of her eyes.

    I look at the man passed out beside her, the filthy nkets under her and the empty ss bottles at the foot of the tent.

    "Yes," I nod with a frown, what a stupid question. It''s quite obvious she needs help.

    ¡°Fuck off, Dude, I''m not going anywhere with you, you are probably some pervert," she hisses, throwing one of the empty bottles at me.

    "I am going to need some help in here, she is being difficult." I say to Deacon

    through the mind link and another bottle hurtles towards my head.

    "Are you telling me you can''t handle one female?" Deaconughs.

    "She is small but feisty, like Penny''s tiny dog," I defend, backing away as she hurls a spoon at me and calls me a steroid Steve.

    "Are you finally admitting you are afraid of Penny''s Chihuahua?" D teases.

    "Yes, damn it. Just get in here already," I curse.

    Deacon walks in, looking at me with a shit-eating grin before making his way towards the tiny menace in the tent.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0257

    **Deacon''s POV **

    1 can''t help but grin at Axel as he hacks away from the woman with a gemine look of fear on hite face. The guy is huge, and he will fight pretty much anything that stands Female was attacking losie or one of the kids, he wouldn''t and that is what scares him. I think he is scared he will hurt but it''s still funny to see.

    de way, apart from women. I do not doubt if the sitate to deal with her, but she is in threat to anyone, her, rather than scared of what she could do to him,

    "Hello, my name is Deacon," I say, getting the woman''s antion as I approach the small tent in the corner.

    She looks up at me with wild blue eyes. Her hair is a mousy brown colour and is a tangled mess of knots. If she is indeed Myles''s bond, she is going to need some help to adapt to the new world she is about to find herself in

    "What do you want?" she snaps.

    "Calm down and do as I say," I tell her, infusing mypulsion gift into my words. Her body rxes instantly as she falls under my control.

    "What is your name?" 1 ask her.

    "Amelie, but people call me Lee," she says.

    "That''s a beautiful name," I smile. "How much do you know about Greys?" I ask.

    "They''re the superhero wannabes, right?"

    "Not exactly, but close enough. Do you think you could be one?" I ask her.

    "Do I look like one?" she snorts augh.

    "Well, you have the right eye colour, but I don''t sense any power from you. That could be due to whatever substances you have been subjecting your body to. Please follow me outside. I have some people I''d like you to meet," 1 instruct

    Amelie crawls out of the tent and gets to her feet. She is slightly shorter than Josie and even with her baggy clothes it''s obvious she is underweight. I walk back through the messy house with Amelie behind me and Axel behind her.

    "How old are you?" I ask her as we step over a sleeping man.

    "18, or maybe 19, I''m not sure. What month is it?"

    "It''s March the 2nd," Axel answers.

    "I wasn''t asking you, Steve," she huffs. "I''m 19 next week

    Myles is 20 and one of my highly gifted students, specialising in an empathetic gift with a strong affinity forbat. He will make a good match for Amelie, I think.

    "I told you my name is Axel, not Steve," Axe grumbles.

    "You look like a Steve to me," she teases, and I smile. This girl has some attitude that reminds me of a younger Josie.

    When we step out of the stale-smelling house, my eyesnd on Myles, but he only has eyes for Amelie. He doesn''t look at her in disgust or disappointment, he looks at her with fierce protectiveness and hope, like his whole world

    is right here in this small woman. Sage nods, confirming Amelle Is Myles'' bond and then her eyes bleed into their usual blue colour

    "Amelic, this is Myles," I say as 1 look back at Amelle. Her eyes are locked on Myles as if she can sense the connection between them.

    "HI, Amelie. I''m very pleased to meet you," Myles grins, stepping forward and holding out a hand to her.

    Amelie looks at me with caution and I nod at her, encouraging her to take Myles''s hand. She reaches out and ces her dainty hand in Myles'', a smile spreading over her face as they touch.

    "Do you have any possessions in the house that are of great importance to you?" I ask.

    ¡°No,¡± she shakes her head, unable to take her eyes off Myles.

    "Okay good, you are going to let Myles pick you up, and then you are going to go to sleep until I tell you to wake up," I say adding some extrapulsion to my words.

    Amelie nods and Myles gently scoops her up into his arms bridal style. She rests her head against his shoulder and her eyes flutter closed.

    "Thank you," Myles says, his voice full of emotion as he holds his bond safely in his arms, "I''m sorry we didn''t find your daughter.

    "Don''t apologise for that, it wasn''t a wasted journey, and we proved that it''s possible to locate bonds in this realm. Let''s get her back to our house for now and then I''ll get in touch with the right people at the academy to support you with her. She may need some extra help to limate to our realm and way of living," I exin before porting us all back to our holiday home."

    Axel takes Sage to the sitting room to rest for a while before we go out again and Ben returns to his team in the basement. I show Myles to one of the spare bedrooms, and heys Amelie down on the bed.

    "Amelie, wake up," I say softly, and her eyes blink open.

    She sits up quickly, taking in her new surroundings with a look of confusion.

    "Myles is going to take care of you, Lee. You can shower, and I''ll find you some fresh clothes. There is food in the kitchen downstairs. Please do not leave the house until Ie back for you," I tell her,pelling her to remain in the house. I don''t like to make her a prisoner here, but we really don''t have the time to chase her down if she manages to slip away.

    I leave Myles and Amelie to get acquainted and go downstairs to update Mason and Raff on our trip out. I hope the next unbonded we take can lead us to something that helps us locate Harper.

 Chapter 0258

    **Josie''s POV**

    I wake up with a gasp, the air feels thick and emotion clogs ny throat. I had the worst nightmare. Harper was chained up like a rabid animal, and they were torturing her for information, information she didn''t have about the prison and how to release the upants in it. It wasn''t real I know that, but it''s hard to shake the fear I felt.

    Theo reaches for me, his hand settling on my hip as he murmurs something incoherent in his sleep.

    "Are you okay?" Lake whispers behind me.

    "Yes, sorry, just a bad dream, go back to sleep," I whisper back, reassuring him.

    I wiggle my way out from between them and slip out of the room. There is no way I''ll be able to fall back asleep. now. I debate going downstairs, but I don''t want to talk to anyone. I can''t bear another look of pity right now."

    I push open the door of the room I was sharing with my guys before this holiday turned into a living hell and head to the shower. Hopefully, that will clear my head and wash away this feeling of dread and despair that threatening to suffocate me.

    The hot water runs down my body, but it does nothing to help. All I can think about is everything Harper might be missing. Can she shower where she is? Are they feeding her? Is she scared? Are they treating her well? Question after question bombards my mind until I break. A sob rips from me as I squeeze my eyes closed. I can''t help Harper in this state. I need to get myself together.

    I hear the shower door open and handsnd on my hips as a body presses against my back. I know it''s Luke without needing to look. I can sense him and his need to help me, even though he doesn''t know how.

    "Make me forget, Luke, make me feel anything but this fear," I beg

    "Okay, Goddess, put up your shields for me so we don''t distract the others," he says softly.

    I do as he says, building up my shields and blocking out my bonds, something I haven''t done for a long time. Luke''s hands move around me, oneing up to cup one of my breasts whilst another moves lower. I widen my stance to make room for his hand, and he wastes no time finding my clit and teasing it with his fingers. My body responds to him the way it always does.

    "More, Luke, please," I breathe, chasing the building sensations as he coaxes my orgasm to the surface.

    "Put your hands on the wall for me," he purrs in my ear, and I quicklyply.

    My hands press against the cold tiled wall, causing me to bend forward a little and Luke''s hand releases my breast. I feel the head of his shaft pressing at my opening as his fingers continue to work my clit expertly.

    "Luke," I gasp as he surges forward, breaching my entrance and filling me.

    He works his hips and fingers in unison until I shatter with my release.

    "I love when you cum for me, I love how your pussy flutters around my cock," he says breathlessly as he forces one orgasm into another, more intense one.

    Luke withdraws from me, leaving me feeling empty and wanting more. He turns me to face him and lifts me. My Jegs wrap around his hips as he lowers me onto his shaft, filling me once again. His mouth finds my breast, and he sucks my nipple into it, teasing the small bud with his tongue as he bounces me up and down on him. I throw my head back and cry out another orgasm and Luke grunts out his own release.

    He holds me to him for a while as we both absorb the feeling ofing together. When he lowers me back to my feet, he helps clean me up before shutting off the water and wrapping me in a towel. I don''t speak, feeling guilty for what we just did. How can I seek pleasure in a time like his? There must be something really wrong with me.

    "Hey, don''t do that,"uke says as he looks into my eyes.

    "Do what?" I ask.

    "Feel guilty. I don''t need your shields down to know what you are feeling, it''s written all over your face," he

    smiles.

    ¡°I just feel... I don''t know... like I shouldn''t..." I try, but I struggle to find the right words.

    "It''s perfectly normal to seekfort in the people you love during tough times. Sometimes the body craves it because it knows you need that rush of endorphins and oxytocin to get you through it. I think all of us will benefit from those feel-good hormones to stave off this crushing anxiety and depression," Luke says, and I smile at his exnation.

    "I love your smart brain. It''s not only full of useful information, but it knows what to say and when, to make me feel better.

    "Thanks, I love your brain too. Now let''s try and rest a little more," he says, picking me up and carrying me bed, where we find a sleeping Theo.

    "Did he sleepwalk in here?" I ask.

    to the

    **Josie''s POV**

    I wake up with a gasp, the air feels thick and emotion clogs ny throat. I had the worst nightmare. Harper was chained up like a rabid animal, and they were torturing her for information, information she didn''t have about the prison and how to release the upants in it. It wasn''t real I know that, but it''s hard to shake the fear I felt.

    Theo reaches for me, his hand settling on my hip as he murmurs something incoherent in his sleep.

    "Are you okay?" Lake whispers behind me.

    "Yes, sorry, just a bad dream, go back to sleep," I whisper back, reassuring him.

    I wiggle my way out from between them and slip out of the room. There is no way I''ll be able to fall back asleep. now. I debate going downstairs, but I don''t want to talk to anyone. I can''t bear another look of pity right now."

    I push open the door of the room I was sharing with my guys before this holiday turned into a living hell and head to the shower. Hopefully, that will clear my head and wash away this feeling of dread and despair that threatening to suffocate me.

    The hot water runs down my body, but it does nothing to help. All I can think about is everything Harper might be missing. Can she shower where she is? Are they feeding her? Is she scared? Are they treating her well? Question after question bombards my mind until I break. A sob rips from me as I squeeze my eyes closed.

    I can''t help Harper in this state. I need to get myself together.

    I hear the shower door open and handsnd on my hips as a body presses against my back. I know it''s Luke without needing to look. I can sense him and his need to help me, even though he doesn''t know how.

    "Make me forget, Luke, make me feel anything but this fear," I beg

    ¡°Okay, Goddess, put up your shields for me so we don''t distract the others," he says softly.

    I do as he says, building up my shields and blocking out my bonds, something I haven''t done for a long time. Luke''s hands move around me, oneing up to cup one of my breasts whilst another moves lower. I widen my stance to make room for his hand, and he wastes no time finding my clit and teasing it with his fingers. My body responds to him the way it always does.

    "More, Luke, please," I breathe, chasing the building sensations as he coaxes my orgasm to the surface.

    "Put your hands on the wall for me," he purrs in my ear, and I quicklyply. My hands press against the cold tiled wall, causing me to bend forward a little and Luke''s hand releases my breast. I feel the head of his shaft pressing at my opening as his fingers continue to work my clit expertly.

    "Luke," I gasp as he surges forward, breaching my entrance and filling me.

    He works his hips and fingers in unison until I shatter with my release.

    "I love when you cum for me, I love how your pussy flutters around my cock," he says breathlessly as he forces one orgasm into another, more intense one. Luke withdraws from me, leaving me feeling empty and wanting more. He turns me to face him and lifts me. My Jegs wrap around his hips as he lowers me onto his shaft, filling me once again. His mouth finds my breast, and he sucks my nipple into it, teasing the small bud with his tongue as he bounces me up and down on him. I throw my head back and cry out another orgasm and Luke grunts out his own release.

    He holds me to him for a while as we both absorb the feeling ofing together. When he lowers me back to my feet, he helps clean me up before shutting off the water and wrapping me in a towel. I don''t speak, feeling guilty for what we just did. How can I seek pleasure in a time like his? There must be something really wrong with me.

    "Hey, don''t do that,"uke says as he looks into my eyes.

    "Do what?" I ask.

    ¡°Feel guilty. I don''t need your shields down to know what you are feeling, it''s written all over your face," he

    smiles.

    "I just feel... I don''t know... like I shouldn''t..." I try, but I struggle to find the right words.

    "It''s perfectly normal to seekfort in the people you love during tough times. Sometimes the body craves it because it knows you need that rush of endorphins and oxytocin to get you through it. I think all of us will benefit from those feel-good hormones to stave off this crushing anxiety and depression," Luke says, and I smile at his exnation.

    "I love your smart brain. It''s not only full of useful information, but it knows what to say and when, to make me feel better.

    "Thanks, I love your brain too. Now let''s try and rest a little more," he says, picking

    me up and carrying me bed, where we find a sleeping Theo.

    "Did he sleepwalk in here?" I ask.

    to the

    "No, we both came to check on you when we felt your emotions going wild. He looked half dead, so I told him to get in bed, and that I''d bring you out. It looks like he fell straight back to sleep," Luke chuckles quietly.

    I climb into the bed, facing Theo and Luke climbs in behind me, wrapping his arms

    around me.

    "Thank you, Luke," I whisper.

    "Any time. You are not alone in this, Josie, I have got you, we all have. We are

    right here with you, and we won''t let you fall," he whispers, cing a kiss on my shoulder.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

    "No, we both came to check on you when we felt your emotions going wild. He looked half dead, so I told him to get in bed, and that I''d bring you out. It looks like he fell straight back to sleep," Luke chuckles quietly.

    I climb into the bed, facing Theo and Luke climbs in behind me, wrapping his arms around me.

    "Thank you, Luke," I whisper.

    "Any time. You are not alone in this, Josie, I have got you, we all have. We are

    right here with you, and we won''t let you fall,¡± he whispers, cing a kiss on my shoulder.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0259

    Chapter 0259.

    **Mason''s POV**

    4

    1 dag myself away from Josie, hoping she, Theo anduke manage to get some sleep. It would be so easy to shut myself away with them and drown in my own despair, but have work to do to find my daughter. Deacon''s idea of splitting into two groups was a good one. This way, we can always have at least three of us helping with the searching whilst three of us rest, although I doubt I''ll actually sleep when it''s my turn to rest.

    Back in the Cinema room, Archie sits with his father, talking to Raff. His leg bounces with nerves and frustration. I want to throw up my shields because there are just too many emotions flying around right now, and not just from my bonds.

    The unbonded are excited but also concerned, which is understandable, I imagine they are thinking of all the possible scenarios that they could find themselves in if they find their bond. She could be a dedicated rogue, and they will find her, only. For her to be transferred to our prison. Or she could be a victim and have been through some rough times. Either of those options are worrisome.

    Raff''s team are a mix of frustration, determination, excitement and disappointment. Then there are our family and friends who are regrly returning with information and a huge bag of mixed emotions. It is almost too much to bear, but I don''t block them out, because I want to feel everything Archie feels as I

    discuss my daughter

    with him.

    Deacon, Axe and one of Raff''s team leave with the seer and one of the unbonded and the tension in the room lifts a little. I hope they return with something useful. I sit in the row of seats in front of Archie and turn to face him. He continues listening to Raff, but his eyes keep flicking to me and I feel his anxiety increasing with every moment I remain silent.

    Raff exins the efforts to find Harper so far and then brings me into the conversation by telling them I have an idea that is a little more extreme and Archie and Charles look at me.

    "Forgive me if I get straight to the point, but I don''t have the patience to beat around the bush and ease you into this idea. I want you to pose as a human- raised Grey. We believe that the rogues are intercepting teens who are reporting to our assessment offices and recruiting them to their cause, either by force or maniption. If we can get them to take you, then you could lead us straight to Harper, or at least to someone who has information that can help us," I exin, keeping eye contact with Archie as I speak.

    The boy impresses me, there is a trickle of fear, but mostly he feels determined.

    "Is it safe? Do you know that they won''t harm him?" Charles asks.

    "No, and no," I say, keeping my eyes locked on Archie, who nods. "I''ll do it," he agrees.

    "Archie, just wait before you make such a decision. I understand your need to find Harper, but if there''s no guarantee you''lle back, then we need to think about this carefully," Charles protests.

    I canpletely understand Charles'' concerns. I''d be the same if someone was asking this of one of my kids, but ultimately the decision lies with Archie.

    "Dad, if she is my bond, then living a life without her won''t be worth it. Let me try, I have nothing to lose," Archie sighs, and my opinion of him grows more positive.

    "We would, of course, take every precaution we can. We currently have a team working with the highest performing undercover military team on an undetectable tracking device that we can nt on Archie, should you

    4

    both decide to go ahead with this," Raff adds,

    "And what if they discover he isn''t who he says he is? What will they do to him?¡± Charles asks.

    "We don''t know. We have very little intel on this group or what their morals are. What we can do is make sure Archie is prepared with a fully traceable backstory, including documentation such as school records, medical history, a human birth certificate and the like. We will ensife that he has everything in ce to pass any screening they do. We can even bring in a guide that will take him to spend a day in human college. I won''t allow him to do this until I believe he is fully prepared," Raff reassures

    "Then let''s get started. The longer we sit here talking about this, the longer my bond is in danger," Archie demands and 1 grin, 1 think I''m really going to like this

    be

    "If you are sure, then I can begin making the preparations, Raff nods.

    "Can we have a few moments alone to discuss this?" Charles asks.

    "Of course," Raff says, and we both stand; moving away to give them some privacy.

    I am not worried. The boy has already made his decision and nothing his father says is going to persuade him differently. I feel confident that this is the best n and the one that will find Harper.

    One of the search teams port in, all talking excitedly, and I give them my full attention as they exin they think they have found a previous residence of the rogues. They have found evidence of Greys living in an old abandoned hospital. Although there is no one there now, the ce could hold vital clues and Raff quickly mobilises an investigation team with forensic techs.

    N.O Darling Author

    Thank you for your continued support. Thepetition this story is in ends in 4 days and I don''t have enough views to be considered for judgement. I think my time without an editor didn''t help. If everyone could do me a huge favour and like this,ment, leav

    10 3

    benter Ba

    Chapter oa?o

 Chapter 0260

    Chapter oa?o

    **Josie''s IV**

    I managed to sleep for a solid six hous after my shower with Luke, I roll onto my side, expecting Luke or Theo to be next to me, but for the first time in years, I''ve woken upalone, and I don''t like it.

    I drops my shields that I''d kept up all night, I need to feel my bonds, need to know if I''ve missed anything

    "Morning, Babe, tanke is making coffee, and I''m malding you some feast. Don''t even try to tell me you don''t want it because you need to eat, otherwise you''ll tire yourself out too easily. Come downstairs and eat breakfast with us. The guys have some stuff to share about what happened whilst we slept," Then says into the mind link, obviously sensing the moment I dropped my shields.

    "Okay, I''ll get dressed and be down in a moment," 1 respond.

    "Yes, please get dressed. I have noints about you beg nalted. It was a wonderful sight to wake up to, but we have quite a few guests here and I fear Mason might met all their eyeballs if youe down naked," Theo rambles, and I shake my head with augh. He never falls to pull a smile from me, no matter the situation.

    1 throw on some jeans and one of Mason''s hoodies before making my way to the kitchen. All my guys are sitting around the table, a te of toast with pots of butter and jam in the centre. Luke smiles at me and slides a cup of coffee towards me.

    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to sleep so long. How was the night? Any progress?" I ask as I take the empty seat between Deacon and Axe.

    "Good morning, Beauty," Axe says, leaning over and kissing my cheek. He looks exhausted.

    "You look much better after a sleep," Deacon smiles, "Sage was able to locate one bond, but it didn''t help find Harper as the bond we found had no ties to the rogues and no idea she was a Grey. It does prove that our method of searching that way could work though. The second attempt to locate a bond didn''t go as smoothly though. Just when we thought we were getting close, the link moved in apletely different direction. Sage needed to rest after that,¡± he exins.

    "So not a total waste of time and definitely something we should continue with,¡± I nod.

    "Archie agreed to my idea and has gone to learn how to pass as human raised. He should be ready to start in the next couple of days," Mason says with a yawn.

    "Eat," Theo instructs, sliding a te of buttery toast with a thinyer of strawberry jam on it, exactly how I like it.

    I pick up the toast and take a small bite. I have zero appetite, but Theo is right. I need to keep my energy levels up, or I''ll be no use to the search.

    "Two of the teams out searching found potential buildings that were previously used by the rogues. There are signs that they have been there and Raff has teams searching both locations for any kind of clues," Axe says as I eat the toast. "Great, that could be really useful in narrowing down possible locations," I nod. "There is something else," Deacon says, sounding a little besitant.

    "What is it?" I ask, fighting the urge to shake the information from him.

    "Do you know someone called Emma Barnes?" He asks.

    "The name rings a bell, but I can''t ce her. Why?"

    She has been to our house and spoken with Luke''s mum he says she has heard about Harper and can help, but she won''t say how unless you go and visit her in person," exins.

    I frown, It seems odd that someone who thinks they can help will only do so if I speak to them myself. Ernma Barnes... where do I know that name from?

    "Do we think it''s legit, or just a waste of time?" I ask.

    "I think it''s worth checking out. We have an address for her if you want to go," Luke says.

    "It''s the middle of the night in our realm, we will goter things go quiet here," I nod, curious as to who this woman is and why I have to go in person.

    "My mum has been feeding everyone and she and my dads have gone to get more food to keep everyone fed. We have a newly found Grey that needs some help. She is almost 19 and has not had it easy. We found her in a run- down house that was littered with drug paraphernalia and alcohol cans and bottles. I have given her some of your clothes, and she is upstairs with her bond, Myles. I know you''re probably the best person to help her, but we have enough to deal with at the moment, so I was hoping you''d know who best to take her to in our realm for the time being," Deacon says.

    "Does she have an addiction?" I ask.

    "I''m not sure," he shrugs.

    "Okay, well, given we have a lot to deal with, I''m going to suggest youpel her not to want whatever it is she might be addicted to and then take her to the academy''s infirmary to be checked over and given medication for any physical withdrawal symptoms she might have for now."

    "What about the others that were in the house with her? They''re human, but they need our help too," Axel says, and it warms my heart. He is such a caring person.

    "We will go back and help them as soon as we can," I-smile at him..

    "Right, meeting adjourned, you three go get some sleep, and we will take it from here," Theo says with a p of his hands.

    "Yes, Dad," Mason huffs, standing from his chair.

    I get up to hug him and tell him how much I love him, then repeat the same with Axel and Deacon before watching them head upstairs with slow tired steps.

    I feel much more positive about today. Some good progress was madest night and I hope we will have an even better day.

    N.O Darling Author

 Chapter 0261

    Joules Pov

    So what''s the n? Sage is resting so we don''t have a sed but we have to do something, or I''ll go mad just sitting here and walling," I say to Luke and Theo.

    "We could go and check out some of the abandoned ces

    the maps. Maybe go over the ones that have already been checked? Deacon said the link Sage was following had moved, so it''s possible the whole faction changed location," Lake suggests.

    "Seems like it''s worth double-checking them until either age is ready to go again or It''s a more reasonable time. to check out this Emma Bames woman," Theo shrugs.

    ¡°Let me look her up on Greypage. Maybe she has a profile there with a picture that you''ll recognise," Luke says, pulling his phone from his pocket.

    "That''s it! That''s where I recognise her name from. The first day we got here, I received a message request from an Emma Barnes on Greypage, but that was before Harper even went missing," I frown.

    "What did the message say?" Theo asks.

    "I don''t know, I didn''t open it. I assumed it was work-rted, and we were on holiday, so I decided to wait until we got home to check it," I sigh.

    "Here, log into your ount and retrieve the message," Luke says, handing me his phone.

    Theo and Luke move into the seats beside me as I log out of Luke''s ount and enter the username and password for my ount. The small loading symbol seems to take forever before the wee back message finally shes on the screen. I see I now have over twenty new messages waiting for me and I quickly scroll through them.

    Most of the messages are well-wishes from friends and offers of help if we need extra people. I finally reach the message from Emma Barnes and click ept on the message. Luke and Theo lean in closer to read the message with me.

    ''Hello Josie, my name is Emma, and I was hoping to connect with you. We have a lot to discuss, and I''d love it if we could meet up.''

    The first message reads, which doesn''t help much at all. I scroll to the second message that was sent just yesterday.

    ''Josie, I have just heard your daughter has been taken by the rogue faction. I think I know someone who can help if you are open to meeting with him. Please get back to me as soon as you can.''

    The second one reads.

    "Who the hell is she? Why the mystery?" Theo sighs.

    "And who is the ''he'' she wants you to meet?" Luke ponders out loud.

    "I don''t know, but I think we need to go and find out," I sigh and hit reply before typing out my message.

    "Hi Emma, I have only just seen your messages. Let me know when you are awake, and I wille to the address you left at my house.'' I send, before handing Luke his phone back.

    "Okay, let''s get a map and check out a few of these ces whilst we wait," I say, pushing out of my chair and heading down to the basement with Luke and Theo following behind.

    In the basement, there are only two people still working. Most have either gone home or are somewhere in the house resting. A woman gives us a tired smile when we wall in, and 1 smile back, making my way over to her.

    The other person working has headphones in and seems hyper focused on whatever is on his screen.

    "Hi, sorry, I don''t know your name. Do you have one of the maps or locations to check out?" I ask her.

    "I''m Natalie, there are some devices over there on Ben''s sup," she points to a stic table that looks like it''s been brought down from outside. There are multiple handheld devices that look like bulky phones and Luke picks

    one up.

    "Thanks, Natalie. You should get some rest," I tell her.

    "I will as soon as someonees down to take over for me, thanks. The devices are up-to-date and they refresh every minute. If you click on the location you''ve searched, will give you an option to mark it as cleared, then there are options to add notes of anything you think is important. The information wille straight back to me, and I''ll review it and send out a team if necessary," Natalie exins.

 Chapter 0262

    "Great, thanks Have there been any updates recently?" ta

    "Yes, we just confirmed two of the locations have definitely housed Greys, and a team has just identified a third focation that I have a team on the way to," she nods and brige up a picture of what looks like a disused prison

    closer

    "Is that the third location?" Luke asks, leaning in to get a ser look.

    "Yes, the other two are a simr size to this. I think we are looking for something pretty big," Natalie says.

    "What evidence was left behind at these locations?" Theo

    "Let me show you," she says as she pulls up a series of photos and begins flicking through them.

    The first shows a small gas cooking stove, beside it are two gas canisters. The second picture shows pans, cups and tes. In the third, there are nkets, and

    pl

    "What makes you believe it was the rogues that left these things behind?" task.

    "These," she says before opening up another file.

    She shows us a picture of a wall and I frown. ¡°I don''t understand."

    This wall is perfect, it''spletely intact and there are no cracks in the ster. The other walls are in a bad state which leads us to believe someone was practicing a molecr maniption gift.

    Natalie flicks to the next picture, which shows four distinct gouges that are consistent with a wolf''s nails scraping across the wooden floor. The next photo is a clear wolf paw print in the mud, which Natalie tells us is right outside the building.

    "Have you checked for any reports of wolves being sighted in unusual ces?" I ask.

    "Yes, but there is nothing outside of what would be normal for the county they were spotted in," she sighs.

    "Okay, good work Natalie. Get some rest as soon as you can, I tell her before turning to Luke.

    "Ready?" He asks and I nod.

    "Do we know where we are going first?" Theo asks.

    "Yes, there''s a hotel in Croatia I want to check out," Luke nods.

    "Then let''s go."

    Luke ports us to what looks like was once a stunning hotel with beautiful views. It''s such a shame to see it like this and if this was just a sightseeing mission I''d be looking into the ce''s history and why it was left to crumble away slowly like this.

    "Remind me why we chose to holiday in Ennd when we could havee to a ce like this?" Theo asks as he takes in the crystal blue water of the bay we are in.

    "Because Ennd is where I grew up. I want the kids to experience it," I say as we make our way to what looks like was once the main entrance of the hotel.

    I examine the ground carefully as we walk, looking for any footprints in the dusty ground. Theo lets out a screech and practically jumps into Luke''s arms. I instantly go on high alert, looking for a threat, until I see some kind of small lizard scramble into a nearby bush.

    "Ennd was a good choice. What the hell was that?" Theo breathes and I roll my eyes.

    1/22

    Chapter 0262-

    You are a freaking superhuman, with incredible speed and strength that can turn into an actual wolf, and you are scared of a tiny, harmless lizard?" I shake my head in exasperation.

    "How was I supposed to know It was harmless? I''ve never seen one before," Theo huffs.

    We spend a short time looking around and find nothing of interest. Luke picks out

    our next location when his phone dings with a message.

    "It''s Emma," he says, handing the phone to me.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0263

    **Josie''s POV**

    We arrive outside the address we had been given for Emma and Thor lets out a whistle. The house is huge, even bigger than ours, which is rare in this realm, considering we have thergest bond group. It reminds me of an English country manor house and the garden is well-kept wonder if they had to hire a whole teath of staff to keep this ce in this immacte state.

    The ground crunches under our feet as we walk down the stoned driveway and towards therge wooden door. Luke lifts his hand to press the doorbell, but the door open before he gets a chance.

    A plump woman around the same height as me with short dark hair peers out at us. This must be Emma. She appears to study me intently before grinning.

    "Josie, you truly are a beauty, please,e on in," she says, stepping back to allow us entry.

    We ept her invitation and walk into the grand house that is just as immacte on the inside as it is on the outside. It smells clean like someone has very recently used furniture polish, and I try not to gape at the grandeur of the ce.

    "Come on through to the sitting room, would you like anything to drink?" Emma asks.

    "No, thank you," I say, wanting to get this over quickly as I''m starting to get an uneasy feeling-

    Emma nods and leads us to arge sitting room that has three couches centred around arge firece. I take a seat, Luke and Theo both sitting on either side of me and Emma sits on the couch next to us.

    "I''m sorry,

    I don''t mean to be rude, but you said you know someone who could help find my daughter, and obviously that''s something I''m keen to get on with," I say when Emma seems content to just look at me with a fond smile.

    "Yes, of course. I had hoped to meet you under better circumstances, but that can wait until ater date. There is someone who was quite highly ranked in Cornelius'' group. know he must have some information that could help you. He may even be able to lead you straight to Harper if you can get permission to have him released from the prison," Emma says.

    "Why would anyone from Cornelius'' group want to help us? We are the ones that put them in there," I frown, but deep down I know what she is about to say, and I''m not sure if I want to hear it.

    "Because Harper is his granddaughter," Emma says with a tight smile.

    "No thanks," I say, standing to leave.

    "Josie, please just hear me out," Emma pleads.

    I look at Luke and Theo, who are both standing, ready to leave with me. Theo shrugs and Luke gives me a tight smile. I know what they are saying without any need for words. They think I should hear what she has to say, but are ready to leave with me if that''s really what I want. With a sigh, I sit back down.

    "You have five minutes before I go back out to search for my daughter.¡±

    "My brother was a good child, rarely misbehaved and worked hard on his studies. He was really interested in construction and was already drawing up ns for the house he nned to build for his bond group. Every time the seer visited the academy he was so excited, for years he never gave up hope. Always telling us the next time the seer visited he would find his bond. When he got to his final year at the academy, and he was still sitting at the

    135 BONUS

    unbonded table, seeing all his friends happy and sitting with their bonds, he changed. He fell into a deep depression, and then one day he just disappeared. We all thought he''d taken his own life because he couldn''t bear to live without a bond. He had so much love to give, but no Bond or children to give it to. We didn''t find out untilst year that he was involved in the whole Cornellus scandal. He had been living under a different name Chir whole family were devastated and ashamed to find out what he had done. It took six months before my mum could face seeing him again, but when she did, he expressed great remorse. He said he had been weak, and so lost that when he was approached by Cornelius, and promised he would be able to have children of his own if he joined the faction, he jumped at the chance," Emma exins.

    Chap 0204

 Chapter 0264

    "That is a nice story, but do you know what your dear brother, who was so full of love, did to my mother?" I snap, fury building within me like a furnace that is being fueled by every sweet word that she says about the man who almost destroyed my mum

    "He didn''t mean to hurt her, Josie. What happened to your bum was unfortunate. He loved her, he told her what he was, and shepletely lost it. Every time she saw him she would attack him and call him a demon. It got so bad that he had to stay away and watch you both from afar. Be tried topel her to forget him, hoping that she would be okay, and it worked, for a while. He protected you from Cornelius, pretending he had no idea where your mother had taken you, but he knew the whole time. He still hates himself for what he did to your mum, and when he told us about you, he was so proud," Emma says, her eyes full of sadness.

    "If that is true, then why didn''t hee to me when I turned 18? When my mum was locked away in a psychiatric hospital, I was left alone. And why did he leave a child to be tortured by his friend?" I demand, my mind shing back to Mason''s story of my biological father being Cash''s friend and knowing he had Mason

    locked up.

    "I don''t know, but they are questions you can ask him if you decide to see him. I fully believe he can help find your daughter. If you don''t want to see him, then I understand."

    I process her words. If this was any other situation, then it would be an immediate no, but if he can help find Harper, then it might be worth a visit. Besides, it doesn''t mean I have to have a rtionship with him. He can help find Harper, and then I never have to see him again.

    "I''ll think about it," I sigh before standing to leave.

    "Josie, I didn''t reach out to you on his behalf. I contacted you because our family want to meet you. My mum is especially eager to have you in her life. My brother may not deserve a rtionship with you, but please remember that the rest of our family is innocent in all this. You have a lot going on right now, so I understand now is not a good time, but when you have your daughter back please consider contacting me, and if there is anything at all we can do to help, then don''t hesitate to ask," Emma says with a sad smile.

    I can''t speak, too overwhelmed to respond and certainly not in the right frame of mind to make any kind of decision yet. I give Emma a curt nod before walking out. I need to be away from her, and this ce before Ipletely lose it. I hear Luke thanking her before he and Theo follow me outside and then Luke ports us back to our home here, somehow knowing that seeing the kids right now is exactly what I need.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0265

    Theo''s POV

    The kid''s faces light up when they see us. They''re all sitt around the dining table whilst Luke''s parents serve them a feast for breakfast. The twins jump from their seats and run at Josle like they''ve not seen her for years. Josle wraps them both in her arms and the tension In her face melts away. This is exactly what she needed after the conversation we had just had with her Aunt.

    Sammy leaves the table next, joining the small huddle happening. It''s so odd to watch him. As a baby, he was more like me, but as he grew up he became such a good mix of me and Josie. The twins rush to Luke next and Sammyes to me. I enjoy every second of his affection. I know we don''t have much longer before he decides he''s too grown up for cuddles like Harper, As and Joel..

    Josie goes around the table, kissing the two older boys on the head.

    "Did you find her?" As asks, a hint of hope in his tone.

    "Not yet, but we are getting close," Josie smiles, but it''s clear her smile holds a sadness.

    "We thought we''d just call in to say good morning," Luke says, going over to greet his parents.

    "When are you alling home?" Sammy asks.

    "Soon, I hope. What have you been up to?" I ask, changing the subject and keeping them distracted whilst Luke and Josie update Luke''s parents.

    Sammy and the twins talk excitedly, telling me about baking with grandma and swimming with their grandads. Apparently, they are visiting with their uncle today, which As and Joel seem less than thrilled about.

    After an hour, we say goodbye, porting straight to our next location on the map, which is a deserted fishing vige in China. We immediately rule the ce out as it seems a popr tourist attraction and not a ce where arge group of Greys would find any privacy.

    The next ce is an abandoned power nt in Japan. It''s very obvious from the undisturbed nt life inside that no one has been here for a long time.

    "Okay, let''s check one more before we go back for a break. need to eat lunch and rest a little, otherwise I''ll be too tired to keep porting," Luke says as he studies the map.

    "Do you guys think any of what Emma said was true?" Josie finally asks.

    Despite her silence, I know she has not stopped thinking about it since we left Emma''s ce. We hadn''t questioned her or even mentioned it, leaving her to think through it all on her own terms. I knew she would talk when she was ready. "It could be. Your mum was not exactly a reliable source back then. She could have confused the whole thing, especially if he tried topel her and it failed. Emma certainly gave enough of a usible version of the story question it. That doesn''t mean you have to though. If you want to forget the whole thing, then we will support you, just as we will support you if you want to go and see him," Luke says.

    "I agree, and you shouldn''t make this kind of decision now. What you do need to decide though, is if you want to see if he can help find Harper. If you don''t want to see him, then maybe we could go speak to him without you," I

    suggest.

    Josie nods and lets out a sigh of frustration, "I''ll think about it. I want to discuss it with the others first. Mason

    hes ially met him before. He might have a better look if he thinks it''s worth a viatt

    Seems like the best idea, just remember you are not alone in this, we are liere for you no matter what "Luite snifles at her. "Shall we move to the next site? I''m Interest in this UFO vige in Talwan. It hasn''t been searched yet but there is something about it that keeps draing me back to it on the map."

    "Yes, let''s go." Jeste nods.

    Luke ports us to the strangest ce I have ever been to In my life.

    "What the hell is this?" I ask as I look out at what I can only describe as a movie set.

    Large disc-shaped pods sit amongst greenery. It looks like spaceshipnding yard. With clusters of what must have been brightly coloured pods scattered everywhere. Still spots of yellow, pink and blue still remain, but the majority have turned grey or green with algae.

    "Oh, I''ve heard about this ce. It was supposed to be some futuristic resort, but they riever even opened it before they abandoned it, I watched it on some sltow about the world''s most haunted ces," Josie says as we make our way towards the nearest pod.

    "Haunted? As in ghosts?" I ask.

    "Yep: Not sacred are you?" Luke smirks.

    Of course not!" I lie.

    I swear that if there''s even a hint of a ghost I''ll be using my super speed to get the hell out of here. The living I can deal with, the dead are not. Unless it was Josie as

    a ghost, she''d make a hot ghost. Mace too, he''d pull off that dead look so well and we''d have hot ghost sex. Can ghosts even have sex?

    "Theo!" Josie shouts.

    "Huh?"

    "I said step back, you are standing on footprints," she says, and I look down at my feet.

    I take a step back and see the distinct, paw prints preserved perfectly in the dried mud.

    "Let''s take a look inside," Luke says, and we follow him up the rickety stairs into a yellow pod.

    "Woah, we need one of these in the garden. The kids would love this," I say as I look around in awe.

    The inside seems in much better condition than the outside Someone has most definitely been taking care of it in here. The curved sofa that hugs the round wall has clean cushions on it and the kitchen in the centre of the pod has clean cups on the side. The bedroom is just as clean and well-cared for. Someone has been living here, and very recently.

    When Luke reads the expiration date on some of the food in the kitchen cupboards, he pulls out his phone and

    calls Raff.

 Chapter 0266

    Trake the packet of biscuits from Luke''s hand, as he calls aff. The date on them is almost a year from now. These must have been bought recently. I have the urge to run out de and shout for Harper, but I know that won''t help. If there are Greys still here, then my shouting will just alert them to our presence, and then they''ll disappear.

    "Raff has a team on the way. They are going to port in quietly and surround the ce. They''re bringing a shield to ward the ce so if there is anyone here they won''t be able to port out," Luke says quietly.

    "So we need to not draw attention to ourselves until they get here," Then nors.

    I move to the-covered window. It''s hard to see clearly because of the years of dirtyered on the ss, but there are small patches of less soiled where I can just see into the distance. My eyes scan the other pods, looking

    from for any signs of life and I say a silent prayer that this is it, that Harper is here, and we are just moments away finding her.

    Theo and Lukee to stand beside me, Theo offering a supportive hand on my shoulder. I''m taken back to when I just had these two with me before we were confirmed as bonds. I had no idea back then how amazing but difficult our lives would be. If someone had told me back then that I''d have five bonds and six kids, I''d have probably made a run for it. Now though, I wouldn''t change it for the world.

    I try to distract myself and stop myself from charging outside and tearing each of these pods apart by reying the happiest moments of my life. Those first few days with Harper, with all of us trying to navigate being new parents, and then watching Theo trying to change that first dirty nappy. He had tied a towel around his face in an attempt to mask the smell, and we had allughed as he had gagged his way through it with his eyes watering.

    Then there was when we found out I was pregnant with As. Deacon had practically melted, dropping to his knees to press his head to my stomach and talk to the tiny life we had created. As'' birth had been perfect, probably the easiest of them all. He hade into the world so calm and collected, just like his father, and he was still very much like him in his mannerisms.

    Mybour with Joel had been so long. It had taken 19 hours of contractions before he had finally arrived, but that just made the moment he let out that first cry even sweeter He had been worth every single second of that marathonbour. Luke had been amazing and attentive, talking me through every single contraction, and telling me how much he loved me and how special I was. It had been a tender moment for us both and one of my most cherished memories.

    Sammy hade into the world fast and had been a whirlwind from the start. He and Theo were like two peas in a pod, chaotic balls of energy that kept me on my toes but made meugh every single day.

    The twins had been a test. Juggling two newborns whilst having four young children to take care of had been a real team effort, but like always, my guys had risen to the challenge, and together we had bossed it. Despite our current situation, I am immensely proud of us all. We have been good parents. We may have made mistakes along the way, but which parent hasn''t? What matters is we have learned from those mistakes, just like I know we will learn from this one. I''m just not 100% sure what the lesson is yet.

    Movement in the distance catches my eye and I point out a small group of four men creeping through the buses towards a pod. The hand signals of the men tell me two things. The first is they''re military, and the second is they''ve found something.

    A teenage girl suddenly runs out of the pod the team are closest to. She holds the hand of a boy, who looks no older than five. The pair run down the stairs and I gasp, scared they might fall.

    In

    sit lentil the best moment to intercept en Moving in from behind and watching them ath a bend over their mouths to stop the from screaming

    Instinct kicked it and want to run to them wany. Two of the ays hold the kids, whilst the other two minutester and one shakes his head, which I assume nie

    "Let''s po, Luke says, and Theo and I follow him out.

    help them. They''re just kids, they are not the in up the stairs and Into the pod. They reappear is there was no one else Inside.

    "We have seven kids and two adults so far. None of them a Harper," Raff says as he jogs towards us. I try not to let the disappointinent get to me and instead focus on theositive. One of those people may know where Harper is.

    I look around and realise I had been so transfixed by watching the kids trying to escape that I had missed all the other teams moving in on the other pods.

    "Are they Greys?" Luke asks.

    "One is for sure, she was too strong

    Trake the packet of biscuits from Luke''s hand, as he calls aff. The date on them is almost a year from now. These must have been bought recently. I have the urge to run out de and shout for Harper, but I know that won''t help. If there are Greys still here, then my shouting will just alert them to our presence, and then they''ll disappear.

    "Raff has a team on the way. They are going to port in quietly and surround the ce. They''re bringing a shield to ward the ce so if there is anyone here they won''t be able to port out," Luke says quietly.

    "So we need to not draw attention to ourselves until they get here," Then nors.

    I move to the-covered window. It''s hard to see clearly because of the years of dirtyered on the ss, but there are small patches of less soiled where I can just see into the distance. My eyes scan the other pods, looking

    from for any signs of life and I say a silent prayer that this is it, that Harper is here, and we are just moments away finding her.

    Theo and Lukee to stand beside me, Theo offering a supportive hand on my shoulder. I''m taken back to when I just had these two with me before we were confirmed as bonds. I had no idea back then how amazing but difficult our lives would be. If someone had told me back then that I''d have five bonds and six kids, I''d have probably made a run for it. Now though, I wouldn''t change it for the world.

    I try to distract myself and stop myself from charging outside and tearing each of these pods apart by reying the happiest moments of my life. Those first few days with Harper, with all of us trying to navigate being new parents, and then watching Theo trying to change that first dirty nappy. He had tied a towel around his face in an attempt to mask the smell, and we had allughed as he had gagged his way through it with his eyes watering.

    Then there was when we found out I was pregnant with As. Deacon had practically melted, dropping to his knees to press his head to my stomach and talk to the tiny life we had created. As'' birth had been perfect, probably the easiest of them all. He hade into the world so calm and collected, just like his father, and he was still very much like him in his mannerisms.

    Mybour with Joel had been so long. It had taken 19 hours of contractions before he had finally arrived, but that just made the moment he let out that first cry even sweeter He had been worth every single second of that marathonbour. Luke had been amazing and attentive, talking me through every single contraction, and telling me how much he loved me and how special I was. It had been a tender moment for us both and one of my most cherished memories. Sammy hade into the world fast and had been a whirlwind from the start. He and Theo were like two peas in a pod, chaotic balls of energy that kept me on my toes but made meugh every single day.

    The twins had been a test. Juggling two newborns whilst having four young children to take care of had been a real team effort, but like always, my guys had risen to the challenge, and together we had bossed it. Despite our current situation, I am immensely proud of us all. We have been good parents. We may have made mistakes along the way, but which parent hasn''t? What matters is we have learned from those mistakes, just like I know we will learn from this one. I''m just not 100% sure what the lesson is yet.

    Movement in the distance catches my eye and I point out a small group of four men creeping through the buses towards a pod. The hand signals of the men tell me two things. The first is they''re military, and the second is they''ve found something.

    A teenage girl suddenly runs out of the pod the team are closest to. She holds the hand of a boy, who looks no older than five. The pair run down the stairs and I gasp, scared they might fall.

    In

    sit lentil the best moment to intercept en Moving in from behind and watching them ath a bend over their mouths to stop the from screaming

    Instinct kicked it and want to run to them wany. Two of the ays hold the kids, whilst the other two minutester and one shakes his head, which I assume nie "Let''s po, Luke says, and Theo and I follow him out.

    help them. They''re just kids, they are not the in up the stairs and Into the pod. They reappear is there was no one else Inside.

    "We have seven kids and two adults so far. None of them a Harper," Raff says as he jogs towards us. I try not to let the disappointinent get to me and instead focus

    on theositive. One of those people may know where Harper is.

    I look around and realise I had been so transfixed by watching the kids trying to escape that I had missed all the other teams moving in on the other pods.

    "Are they Greys?" Luke asks.

    "One is for sure, she was too strong to be human," Raff nogs.

    "Let''s hope they know something useful," Luke breathes.

    "I''m going to have them taken back to headquarters in our realm for questioning.

    You are welcothe toe once we are done here," Raff says and Luke nods.

    We spend the next half hour helping search for clues in the pods before Raff deres it clear of all people and lifts the wards so we can port.

    "We will go pick up the others and meet you at headquarters," Luke says to Raff before he ports us back to our holiday home.

    seful," Luke breathes.

    "I''m going to have them taken back to headquarters in our realm for questioning. You are welcothe toe once we are done here," Raff says and Luke nods.

    We spend the next half hour helping search for clues in the pods before Raff deres it clear of all people and lifts the wards so we can port.

    "We will go pick up the others and meet you at headquarters," Luke says to Raff before he ports us back to our holiday home.

 Chapter 0267

    ** Axel''s IV***

    I''m at the beach, sshing in the water with the kids and look back to see my beautiful bondying on a towel, sunbathing in a ck bikini. The sun casts a glow owes her, making her skin shimmer with a fineyer of sweat. under its heat. She never fails to captivate me. Just a single look and she has me under a spell. I thought over the years this feeling would fade, that I''d get over the shock that I was bonded to her, but if anything, it has intensified. I don''t know how I ever got so lucky to be matched to her.

    "Axe," she says softly, and I smile at her.

    "Axel," she says again.

    I blink and then, suddenly, she is right there, peering down at me. The beach is gone, reced by the white walls of a bedroom, but that doesn''t matter as long as I''m with her. I pull her to me, needing to hold her.

    "Axe, this is nice, but we need to go," Josie says, and I frown as Ipose my thoughts.

    The past twenty four hours came back to me in a rush.

    "What happened?" I ask, now fully awake.

    "We found some rogues. We are going to question them," she says, and I let her go.

    Josie gets up from on top of me where I had pulled her and 1 sit up, looking around for my clothes.

    "How long did I sleep for?" Lask. Pulling my t-shirt over my head. I feel groggy as if I''ve barely slept at all. It''s the same feeling I had most days in those first few weeks with the twins, both had been terrible sleepers.

    "Around six hours, Luke is making us all some coffee to go. I need to go wake D up. I''ll meet you downstairs," she says, and there''s an excitement in her voice that gives me hope. She must have a good feeling about this.

    "Okay," I nod and watch her leave before making my way to the bathroom.

    After a quick wash, I head downstairs to where Luke is. He hands me a travel mug with a grin and then tosses an apple at me. I catch it and bite into it, figuring it''s probably the only breakfast I''m going to get.

    A few momentster Theo joins us with an eager-looking Mason, who is also given a travel mug and an apple. He looks at the apple with a sneer and hands it to Theo as if the apple insulted him.

    "Where are Josie and Deacon?" Mace asks, his voice still gruff from sleep.

    "Josie woke me up and then went to wake D," I tell him.

    "You two didn''t sleep together?" He asks with a frown.

    "No, why would we?" I halfugh.

    "I just thought you guys wouldn''t be able to sleep alone anymore," he shrugs.

    "Did you sleep okay alone?" I ask, raising a brow.

    "Yes, but I''m different," he sighs.

    "Clearly not that different," I grin.

    It had been a long time since I slept alone, but I''d been too tired to even think about it, to be honest. I''d never miss

    an opportunity to sleep in the same bed as Josle, and I''m ri opposed to sharing a bed with any of the guys, even without her, but if she isn''t joining us and there are free beds, I''d rather sleep alone. I thought we all thought the same way, but then I look at Theo and Luke. I''m not sure about those two, they thrive onpany and hate to

    ever be alone:

    Deacon and Josie walk Into the kitchen and D looks like crap. Did he even sleep? Maybe he needs a bed buddy to sleep.

    "Did you get any sleep?" Mace asks,

    "Not much. It was strange being in bed on my own," he admits, and I feel Mason''s eyes on me.

    I look over to see his smug smirk at Deacon proving his polit for him. "Okay, cliff notes. We searched some ces, found a few rogues and are going to watch them be questioned in thirty minutes. We also stopped in to see the kids, who were fine, and we met with the mysterious Emma Barnes, who turned out to be Josie''s aunt and thinks Josie''s biological father could find Harper," Theo says quickly without taking a break.

    "What the fuck!" Mason curses.

    "They dared to contact her after what he did to her mother? Deacon fumes.

    I remain silent, clenching my fists as I bite my tongue to stop the threats that want

    to leave my mouth. After seeing the state that man had left Penny in, I''d enjoy letting my beast loose on him.

    "Well, that''s the thing, his side of the story is very different, but that''s not what is important right now. First, we need to watch the rogues be questioned to see if they know anything useful, then we need to discuss whether we should go to Josie''s sperm donor to see if he can help to find Harper, the rest we can deal withter," Theo says and a small growl escapes me,

    "Oh, and another thing. The majority of the rogues we found were children, so let''s not go in there ready for a fight, they seemed scared," Josie adds and another round of curses sounds out.

    Nothing angers me more than children being dragged into awful situations. They should be enjoying being a child and feeling safe, nothing more.

    "Anything else?" Deacon asks, looking just as furious as I feel.

    "Nope, I think that''s it," Theo says, sounding far too chipper for the day they''ve had, but then he always is. I envy his ability topartmentalise so well. Josie also has the same ability. Come to think of it, the whole bond group, bar me, seems to be doing it.

    "Oh, there you all are. I thought everyone had taken off and forgotten about me," Sage says as she walks into the kitchen.

    "Sorry, Sage, we were making ast stop beforeing back for you when we found a few rogues," Luke says.

    "That''s great news. Did they tell you anything useful?" She asks.

    "Not yet, we are going to watch them be questioned now. It''s mostly children though, only two out of the nine are adults," Josie tells her.

    "Then let mee. If any of those two are unbonded I can check for bond links."

    "Let''s go then," Luke nods, and we all huddle in before we are teleported to the Greys military headquarters.

 Chapter 0268

    Chapter and

    **Jose''s POV**

    "We have the adulte segarated, but the kids me together, they all seem scared. The two women are very concerned about the lids. I think they are their caretaken and possibly the mothers of some of them," Raff says when we arrive

    "Have they said anything useful?" Mace asks as we follow aff down a long corridor.

    "Nothing, but we haven''t started questioning them yet. Wave just been getting themfortable, they''ve all been given food and water, which the Idds epted eagerly the adults still haven''t touched it," he exins.

    Haff leads us into a small room with a window that shows to the room next door. A young female, who can''t be more than 30 years old, sits at a table in the otherwise empty room. Her eyes are locked on the te of food in front of her. She rocks backwards and forwards slightly in her chair and her lips move as if she is talking, but I can''t hear what she is saying.

    "She looks so fragile," sage says, her tone not hiding her ness.

    "What is she saying?" ask.

    "Nothing audible. The mic is on, if she makes a noise you''ll hear it," Raff points to a speaker mounted in the corner of the room.

    "She doesn''t strike me as a high-ranking rogue, unless she is an amazing actress, then all I see is a scared young woman who has not had the best life. She is clearly malnourished, but yet she hasn''t touched the food. Either she thinks there''s something dangerous in it or there''s something else going on here," Deacon says,

    "Do you want to question her? My guy can be a little intimidating, and I''m not sure if that''s the best approach with this one," Raff asks D.

    ''Sure, I can remain impartial with her," Deacon nods, and admire his self- control.

    Deacon and Raff leave the room, and momentster we see them step into the room next door. The girl doesn''t react to them, just continues rocking and talking silently.

    "Hello, my name is Deacon Collins. I run an academy within the Grey realm for students aged 18 to 24. We provide amodation, food, clothing and security. I''d love to offer you a ce if you think it might be something that interests you," says softly.

    The woman stops rocking, and her eyes flick to Deacon for a very brief moment before she returns to her rocking.

    "Is this how he was with you when you first met him?" The whispers.

    "No. I got, ''Miss Banks, I do not have time for your tears, follow me, or I''ll leave you to the police who will put you in prison," then he knocked me out without warning," Thuff.

    "He did have a bit of a stick up his ass back then," Theo shrugs.

    "Why is he notpelling her already?" Axe says impatiently.

    "I think he''s struggling to get in. What she is doing looks like some practised technique to resistpulsion. She is hyper-focused on her rocking and whatever it is she is chanting," Luke points out.

    "He could force it," Mason grunts

    "Whilst I agree, because I want answers as much as you do I think this woman has been forced enough in her life. If he can do it without being harsh, I think he should," I adiit, even though my mama wolf side is demanding I go in there and shake the information from her myself.

    "Can you tell me your name?" Raff asks, adopting the same soft tone as Deacon,

    The girl continues to rock, unfazed by his question.

    "Ask her about the kids," I say through the mind link.

    "Is there anything we should know about the kids that were brought in with you? Anything we can do to reassure them? They''re quite upset," Deacon says, and the girl stops, her gaze moving towards him.

    "Timmy needs his teddy. It''s a small blue bear. He can''t sleep without it. Corey likes to be cuddled, and Honey has a nket. It''s beige with daisies on it," The girl says, and Raff writes down what she says.

    "I''ll have someone go and get these items. Is there anything else?" Raff asks.

    "Jackson needs a ss of warm milk before bed, and they all like a story to fall asleep to," she says.

    "Okay, I''ll make sure they have that. Thank you," he nods before stepping out of the room.

    "Are any of the kids yours?" Deacon asks.

    ¡°I didn''t give birth to them, but they are my responsibility. I''m supposed to keep them safe."

    "You''ve done a wonderful job. I promise you they are safer now than they have ever been. I also have children to keep safe, and I think you can help me," Deacon says and pulls his phone from his pocket. He shows her something on the screen.

    "That''s Harper, she is new," the girl says, and my knees almost buckle in relief.

    Harper is alive, and this girl may know how we can find her. Tears well in my eyes and Mason wraps his arms around me, sharing in this overwhelming feeling of hope.

    "Yes, she is my daughter. Do you know where she is?" Deacon asks, and I am so impressed at his ability to remainposed.

    "She was taken to the new ce with the others. We were thest group to be ported, but you arrived before our ride came back for us," she says.

    "On it," Luke says into the mind link before leaving the room to find Raff.

    I hope they still have men on site to intercept the teleporter How close were we to finding Harper? How long before we arrived had she left? If I hadn''t wasted time talking to Emma or visiting the kids, we might have gotten

    there in time.

    "Where were they taking you?" Dasks.

    "I don''t know, they never tell us anything. My job is to look after the children. That''s it, and I failed. They will punish me for this," she says before she begins rocking again.

    "No, they won''t. You are safe here, and you didn''t fail; the kids are safe," Deacon

    reassures.

    "You are stupid if you think that. They are everywhere, even here, watching me and waiting to punish me. This food is probably poisoned, they will try to silence me," she says, and her words twist my gut.

    How had we not considered that there could be one of them here, on the inside, feeding information back to the others so they''re always one step ahead of us?

 Chapter 0269

    **Deacon''s **

    I pick up the te of food on the table. I''m sure the girl is wrong about this, She has been through a lot and is clearly very scared, so I''m not surprised she suspects the food is poisoned. Given the rogue''s previous history of attempting to poison food and water, I''m not taking any cliances.

    "Here is what I am going to do. I will have this food tested and have you and the children moved to a ce where i know it is safe. That may take me some time to arrange, but in the meantime, I''m going to have some food. brought from my own kitchen, where my children eat. If you are still worried, I will eat some of the food in front of you," I tell her.

    "Why are you being nice to me? We are on opposite sides," he asks, her eyes full of suspicion.

    did, "Because I don''t believe we are on opposite sides. I believe you are a victim and didn''t choose this life. If you die you wouldn''t be so scared of your own people," I shrug, giving her the truth.

    "And how do you know I''m not just tricking you into thinking that?" She asks, her eyes finally meeting mine.

    "Because from here on out you are going to answer my every question truthfully," I say,cing my words with my gift and taking control of her mind withpulsion.

    I see the split second of panic in her eyes when she realises what I have just done. I know I should feel more guilt for doing this to her. She has already had enough free will stripped from her, but my daughter''s life could depend on getting the truth from this girl.

    The girl sags in defeat; she knows she misjudged me. She had assumed that because I hadn''t attempted topel her yet I didn''t have the ability. She had let her guard down and I had taken the opportunity. Maybe, once this is all over, I''ll find a way to earn her forgiveness.

    "What is your name?" I ask.

    "L Ford," she says with a sigh.

    "And how old are you, L?"

    #19."

    "Do you know where Harper has been taken?"

    "No, I have already told you, they don''t tell me anything. I get taken to new ces with barely any warning. I only find out where when I get there," she says, scratching nervously at her forearms and beginning to rock again.

    I study her for a moment, her demeanour is off, and she is most certainly worried that I''m going to ask her something she doesn''t want me to. I just have to work out what that is.

    "What was your role with the group?" I ask.

    "I looked after the children, that''s it," she says.

    "Do you know anything that could help me find my daughter?" I ask.

    "No," she shakes her head.

    "Then what are you so worried about me finding out?"

    "I killed someone," she sobs, and her rocking bes more erratic as she cries

    loudly.

    :

    "How?"

    ¡°I didn''t mean to. I was angry and he was being a jerk. We were arguing, and I shoved him. It was just supposed to be a small shove to get him out of my face, but I shoved him so hard that he fell backwards and through the window. We were on the 6th floor," she says with a heart-wrenching sob.

    "Who was it?" I ask.

    "His name was Paul Walton. He was my boyfriend. We had been together since

    HP were 15."

    "How long ago did this happen?" I ask, writing down the name to give to my contact within the human police.

    "Almost two years ago. Just after my 18th birthday," she says, wiping the tears from her face.

    "I''m going to guess you didn''t know you were a Grey until that moment," I say, and she shakes her head.

    "That''s why I went to the assessment offices. I knew what I''d done wasn''t humanly possible, not from the tiny shove. When I got there, they called for someone to pick me up. I thought they were bringing me to the Grey realm. That''s what the adverts said would happen, but I was taken to some rundown building and told I was a part of their faction and my father had been waiting for my gifts to awaken," she exins.

    "So you went into the actual assessment office?" I ask, sitting a little straighter in my chair, because if she is saying what I think she is, then this is massive and means we have a mole in our assessment centre.

    "Yes, I did the assessment and was confirmed as a Grey," she nods.

    "Which office did you attend?"

    "The Somerset one."

    "Can you remember who did your assessment?

    211

    "I can''t remember his name, but he had dark brown hair and blue eyes," she

    says.

    I write it down, even though it doesn''t narrow it down very much.

    "Anything else distinctive you can remember?"

    "No, sorry," she shakes her head.

    "On it," Axel says into the mind link.

    "I''m going to speak to your friend that was brought in with you, and then I''ll make

    the arrangements I promised you. Thank you for your help, L," I tell her,

    standing to leave.

    L nods and I take the te of food and my notepad. When I open the door, Raff is outside, talking with Axe. Josie, Sage and the rest of the guys step out of the other room to join us.

    "I think it''s safe to say we have some moles. You need to put your most trusted men in charge of guarding the two women and the children until we work out who is working for the rogues. Can we also get this food tested for anything in there that shouldn''t be?" I say handing the te to Raff.

    "Things just got a whole lot shittier," Theo says, his eyes scanning the corridor as if he might spot an impostor wandering around.

    "We have failed so many, we should have done intense screening on everyone hired for the Grey assessment Toles," Josiements.

    "We will find the mole, and when we do, we will send Archie straight to them. This

    is a step in the right direction. We can deal with the restter. Let''s just focus on

    the positives of what we have learnt," Mason says, and we all

    23

    nod.

    "I''m ready to question the next woman. Hopefully, we can earn even more from

    her."

    "This way," Raff says, and we follow him to a room a few doors down.

    Shit, I know her," Josie curses when we look at the nervous woman through the two-way mirror.

 Chapter 0270

    hapter 0270

    **Josie''s Pov **

    POV

    +26 BONUS

    The woman on the other side of the ss is the image of his mother and looking at her makes me feel as though I''ve been transported back through time, to when her mother was younger, and we attended high school together.

    Rochelle was a friend of mine. She lived on my street, and we travelled to school together. At just 15, Rochelle fell pregnant. It was a huge shock for everyone, but notpletely unheard of at our age. She had left school early to have her baby, a little girl she named Annie. I had visited hit right up until I left for college when Annie was two years old.

    Five years ago, when I''d finally decided to sell my childhood home, for someone else to make memories in rather than it sitting empty, Rochelle hade to view the ce with Annie. She was around 15 years old then, but I''m 00% positive this is her.

    "Who is she?" Laike asks.

    1 tell the room about Rochelle and Annie and the men growl in anger.

    "If this is the same girl, that means we have or had a Grey that got a 15-year-old girl pregnant!" Deacon says with fury in his tone.

    "I don''t think it''s as bad as you imagine. The baby''s father was just a teen himself. He was in our ss, we have known him since we were 4 years old," 1 exin, remembering Rochelle''s boyfriend, Chris.

    "So either he was a Grey and unaware, or he wasn''t the baby''s father. Let''s see what the girl has to say and then see if we can track down the parents," Raff nods.

    Deacon and Raff leave the room and enter the neighbouring one, just like they had before.

    "Hello, Annie, how are you?" Deacon asks as he sits opposite her.

    The girl n

    narrows her eyes at him, "I''m guessing you already spoke with L then," she sighs.

    "What makes you think that?" Dasks.

    "How else would you know my name?" She rolls her eyes as if he''s stupid. She thinks he''s made a mistake.

    "Oh, no, L didn''t tell me. It was your mum''s friend," Deacon shrugs and pretends to read through something on his notepad.

    "Is my mum okay?" Annie asks, suddenly full of concern.

    "I don''t know. Is there a reason she wouldn''t be?" Deacon asks.

    "They threatened to hurt her. I tried to get away, and they said if I did it again

    they''d make sure I had nothing to run back to," she says and my heart hurts for her.

    "Luke, will you take me to find her?" I ask.

    "Yes, let''s go," he nods.

    "I''lle," Axe says.

    "D, get me an address for Rochelle, we will go and check on her," I say into the mind link.

    ¡°Annie, I have someone ready to go and check on your mum right now. Do you have an address for her?" Deacon.

    Chapter 0270-

    asks.

    "How do I know I can trust you?" She narrows her eyes atm.

    "I''ming in," I tell D, before walking out of the room and pushing into the next

    one.

    Annie looks up at me with curiosity and suspicion.

    "Annie, my name is Josie. I went to school with your mum. We grew up on the same street. Westview Avenue. We both attended Priory High School until she became prequal with you. You came with your mum about 5 years ago to view my childhood home. Do you remember?"

    Annie is quiet for a moment as if searching her memories before she nods.

    "Give me the address and let me go and check on her," Luce.

    "We moved into Granny''s house after she died. She was still on Westview when I was taken, but that was almost two years ago. I don''t know where she is now," Annie says, her eyes filling with unshod tears.

    "She will be there," I nod. "I''m going to go there now. I will find your mum, but I need you to help me in return. Answer all their questions and give them as much information as you can becaus the people who took you have also taken my daughter, and we want her back. We will keep you safe here, I promise, you don''t have to be afraid

    anymore.

    "Okay," she nods.

    I leave the room and close the door behind me. Luke and Axe wait for me in the corridor.

    "We won''t be long." I say into the mind link.

    "Be careful," Mace says, and Theo and D make a sound of agreement.

    Luke ports us to the street outside my old address, startling an elderlydy walking a small dog that barks at us.

    "Sorry," I grimace.

    "It''s okay, Dearie, you gave me a fright is all," thedy waves us away with a smile.

    "Either the humans are bing a lot more ustomed to us, or she was just an extra-nice one," Lukements as we walk the street towards Rochelle''s childhood home.

    "I think after all this time, they are getting used to the idea of us just popping up randomly," I shrug.

    "I''m not sure, I still get sworn at a lot, especially if I''m alone," Luke snorts.

    "I had one swear at me yesterday. She threw a spoon at me too, but then again, she was a Grey, she just didn''t know it, so I guess that doesn''t count," Axel says. "Why did she throw a spoon at you?" I ask.

    Sher

    "I don''t know, she called me Steroid Steve too. She reminded me of your mum''s dog," Axe says with a shudder, making me giggle.

    I love how my guys know exactly what to do and say to make meugh and keep me calm when I need it. They know if we had made this short walk in silence, I''d have gotten lost in my own head. Imagining every possible scenario, and it would have eventually led to a panic attack

    The small house is just how I remember it from my teenage years, but the magnolia paint that was once crisp and fresh on the thick stone windowsills is now ky and peeling, revealing the grey stone beneath it. I raise my hand and knock on the door of my childhood friend''s house, sending up a silent prayer that she is okay.

 Chapter 0271

    1

    1

    **fool''s Day **

    went from inside the house and momentster he door opens with a creek Rochelle looks at us, her tere condused as de takes us in, then recognition finally dams on her as she focuses on me.

    "paste? What are you doing here?" She asks. Her tone is not unfriendly, but I can hear her disappointment. She podaddy opens this door, praying it''s Annie every time someone knocks on it.

    "Rochelle, we have found Annie, she is safe," I smile.

    "Oh my goodness, thank you, thank you, thank you," she ches, throwing her arms around me.

    It''s an emotiond moment and one I hope to experience for myself soon. I can''t wait to hear that someone has found my daughter and that she is safe.

    "Where is she? Can you take me to her?" She asks.

    "Yes, of course, but there are some things we need to tell you first. Can wee in?"

    Rochelle hesitates, looking over her shoulder into the house, "Can''t you just tell me on the way? It''s a bit of a mess here. I''ve not been keeping on top of things like I should have," she admits.

    I can''t imagine what she has been through. She has beenpletely alone, trying to run a house, keep herself alive and search for her daughter with no idea of where she could be.

    "Don''t worry about that. Wepletely understand. Our daughter is missing too. We actually found Annie whilst searching for Harper," I reassure,

    "Oh, Josie, I am so sorry. I know the hell you are going through," she says, her bottom lip trembling with barely contained emotion. "Come in," she adds.

    We follow her into the house, which is dark and smells a little stale, as if the windows haven''t been opened for some time. The sitting room is cluttered with various papers and newspapers, and the coffee table is littered with dirty cups and notepads. Rochelle quickly clears the couch for us to sit, and I pick up one of the papers.

    It''s a missing poster for Annie, her name printed under a picture of her. She looks so sweet in her yellow summer dress, wearing a band of fresh daisies on her head.

    "That was from a festival we attended in the summer before she vanished. Please tell me where she is," Rochelle pleads.

    "She is currently in Greys realm. She is trying to help us find my daughter, as they were both taken by the same group of people," I exined, and Rochelle covers a gasp with her hand.

    I tell Rochelle about the rogues, and that Annie had tried toe home, but that they had threatened her, and so she had stayed away to keep Rochelle safe.

    "Is Chris still involved?" I ask.

    "No, he ran out on us when Annie was three. I''ve never heard from him since. You don''t think he had anything to do with this, do you?"

    ''I''m not sure, but he must have been a Grey, unless there is any chance that he is not Annie''s biological father, "I say, trying to ask as delicately as possible.

    "He was her father, there was no one else," Rochelle insis

    "Unless she waspelled to forget someone else," Luke Ids into the mind link and I nod. I don''t think we need to worry Rochelle about that right now, so I don''t mention.

    "Wait, are you saying my Annie Is... like you?" Rochelle aslo.

    "Yes, she is a Grey, that is why they took her. Did you see any signs? Her eyes seeming to sh with a blue glow. Or her strength seeming excessive for her stature?" I ask.

    "No, I didn''t notice a thing, I failed her, didn''t I?" She begins to cry.

    "No, Rochelle, you didn''t. None of this is your fault. She may not have shown any signs before she went missing, which means someone probably knew she was a direy befor her gifts had even manifested," I reassure.

    "When can I see her?" She asks, wiping the tears from her face.

    "We can take you to our realm, but I have to warn you, it''s not pleasant. The

    porting can leave you dizzy, nauseous and confused, but it passes quickly," Luke exins.

    "I can handle it," she nods.

    I show Rochelle the pressure point on her wrist before Luke ports us back to the military headquarters. Rochelle groans and grips the point on her wrist as Axel helps to keep her on her feet.

    "We are back, and we have Annie''s mum," I say into the mind link.

    "Bring her in when she is ready," Deacon says.

    We wait for the effects of porting to pass, and then I lead Rochelle to the room where Annie is being questioned.

    "Are you ready?" I ask, looking back at her with my hand of the handle.

    "Yes," she nods eagerly.

    I push open the door and Annie looks up at me. I smile before stepping aside to reveal her mum and relieved criese from both of them. Annie stands knocking her chair over in her rush, and they run to each other. Holding each other in a beautiful embrace as they both sob.

    Tears well in my eyes and Axel wraps his arms around me. "That will be you and Harper soon, I promise," he whispers and I nod.

    "We will give you some time alone,¡± Deacon says, standing from his side of the table, and we all file out into the corridor, where Mason and Theo now wait for us.

    My guys surround me, and all of us need the closeness right now. It was such a beautiful moment to witness mother and daughter reunited, but it also makes our longing for Harper even harder to bear.

 Chapter 0272

    **Mason''s Pay**

    After watching the reunion between Josie''s childhood friend to danger, my twent had even there for Harper, I can''t imagine going over two years without seeing her fike Rottle hard. There''s no way I''m going to les

    Portelle

    gr¨¢ng, that happen

    Josie, Lake and Then had gone to rest for a while, leading e, Dand Axe to continue here acon and Axel re helping relocate the rogues we had reened and tam helping find the modes witching our ranks

    We know for sure that we have a feast one in our assessment offices and we are waiting on test results to see if Armie and L''s food had been poisoned. If ites back that it had the definitely have one in Kaff''s writ

    we too. The rogue children had eaten the food given to them, and he been fine. So it can''t her been all the food that was contaminated if it even was.

    I look over all the personnel files of all our assessment staff over thest few years. It seems they are alged random posts in different locations each day, which makes linding a pattern with a particr staff member difficult. For now, I am focussing on only the males, as L had said it was a male who had overseen her assessment. Antile had apletely different story and had not been to an assessment office, so we only have L''s statement to work from for

    now.

    After what feels like hours of reading over files and finding nothing, I lose my temper andunch the papers across the room. They don''t hit the the opposite wall with a satisfying thump as I''d hoped, instead, they flutter around the room,nding softly likerge confetti.

    "Fuck!!" I roar, gripping thepoots of my hair in frustration

    "Are you okay?" A soft female voice asks and I look up to see everyone in the room has stopped what they are doing to look at me.

    "Peachy," I say sarcastically before turning to leave.

    I stomp up the stairs, through the kitchen, and out the back door to the garden. I need some air and some time to have a fucking breakdown without an audience. A life-sized marble statue of a woman holding a basket of grapes looks at me, her nk gaze seems judgemental

    "Fuck off, Grape Lady," I shout, making her head crumble into sparkling gravel at her feet. That will teach her to look at me like that.

    I turn away from her, only to see her twin sister giving me the same nk stare. I crumble her head too as I stride past her to sit on the curved stone bench behind her and I lower my head into my hands.

    "Come on Harper, help me find you. Give me some kind of clue kid," I mutter.

    Silence is the only answer I get. My mind travels back to her first day of school. She had been so excited to go, right up until we had gotten to the gates and she had seen all the other children. Her small arms had wrapped around my leg as she peeked at the kids all running around the yard, waiting for the bell to ring

    "Don''t you want to go y with the other kids before you go in?" Josie had asked.

    "No. I want to stay home where it is safe," she had said, her voice sounding so small.

    It is safe here. You are going to have so much fun," Josie reassured her.

    "But what if they don''t let mee home again?" She had asked.

    28 BONUS

    They will, we will be back in a few hours to pick your up, sie told her.

    "It''s giving me a funny feeling in my tummy," Harper whimpered.

    "They are called nerves, and It''spletely normal to feel his way. I promise you have nothing to worry about," Josie had crouched In front of her.

    "Don''t worry, no one will keep you from us. We wille back for you soon," I had told her, cing a hand on top of her little head to stroke her dark locks.

    "But it''s so big, what if you can''t find me?" She asked, sounding so vulnerable.

    "Listen, I will always find you, no matter how big the ces, because I''m your dad, and that''s my job," I''d told her, leaning down to pick her up.

    She had wrapped her arms around my neck, squeezed me and said, "I love you, Daddy."

    "I love you too, Princess. Now go and show us what a brave girl you are," I''d said as the bell rang

    Harper had given us all a hug before going to stand in line with the other kids. She had looked so small in her uniform, her backpack almost as big as her. She had turned and given us a little wave before following the others into the ssroom and it had taken a lot of willpower not to chase after her, scoop her up and take her home. I hadn''t been ready for her to go to school, I still wanted her at home with us, and that feeling had never gone away, especially now.

    "I hope you are going to fix those," Deacon''s voice pulls me back from my trip down memoryne as he sits beside me on the bench.

    I look up at the headless statue with a frown.

    "I think they look better like this, they were kind of creepy Axel shrugs as hees to sit on my other side. "That may be so, but they look expensive, and I think the owner of this house probably prefers them with their heads intact," D sighs.

    I focus my gift on the stupid statue and reassemble the head, before doing the same to the other.

    "There, now can we go and do something productive before I lose my mindpletely? I can''t sit in there looking at papers any longer,¡± I grunt.

    "Let''s see if Sage is ready to take another unbonded out," Deacon nods and Axe and I follow him back into the house.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 0273

    Joste''s POV

    (*) +28 BONU

    The next few days pass in disappointment, with no new leads and no sess with Sage. Raff suspects the rogue faction has gone deep into hiding after they discovered we had found Annie, L and the children. Which makes sense, but it only makes it harder for us.

    The only real good news was that the food given to Annie and L hade back clean, so hopefully, that means there is no mole in our military. As a precaution, Raff had screened most of his team withpulsion and only allowed cleared personnel to work on anything to do with the rogues.

    I have more hope for today though. Archie is ready to attempt Mason''s n and I have a good feeling about this. A tracker has been nted under Archie''s skin. The team that did it has assured us it will be undetectable, and it is the best technology in the world at the moment.

    OT

    Archie''s parents had said a tearful goodbye to him before we had ported near our first assessment office. We had been unable to identify the mole within the assessment office ranks because either our records were incorrect, they had been tampered with.

    "Last chance to change your mind," Raff says as we set ourselves up in a building across the road from the assessment office to watch.

    "I''m not changing my mind. I can do this," Archie says with determination.

    and I

    I go to him and wrap my arms around him. "Thank you for doing this. I can''t tell you how grateful we are, know how proud your parents are. Harper will be so pleased to see you, you''ll be her hero, as well as ours," I tell him, and a huge grin spreads over his face.

    "Okay, show me one more time how you can make your eyes glow," Raff says to him.

    Archie takes a breath, closing his eyes with a frown, and when he opens them again they sh blue for a split second.

    "That will do just fine, Kid," Raff says, squeezing his shoulder affectionately.

    Usually, we would teach our teens to try and keep the eye re under control if they''re going into the human realm, but with Archie, he''s been trained to show it onmand. He needs to prove he''s a Grey to get past the

    will assessor. It''s a strange situation sending him in for the assessment. A huge part of me hopes that a roguee and pick him up, but another part of me hopes we get the call to pick him up, meaning my staff are not

    rogues.

    "What makes you think you''re a Grey?" Mason asks.

    "I just knocked a wall down by kicking a football at it and my friends said my eyes shed blue," Archie answers without hesitation.

    The guys ask him a few more questions about his fake human life, and he answers each one easily.

    "He''s ready,¡± Raff nods, ¡°Now remember, when you find Harper or need immediate extraction, you must tap your head exactly where the tracker chip is with the pattern you were shown."

    "Four rapid taps, four seconds pause, then four taps one second apart," Archie nods.

    "Perfect, good luck, Kid," Raff smiles.

    We all wish him luck and then Luke ports him to the end of the street in a quiet alleyway. Luke returns, and we all

    ddle around the window walling to see Archie. A minute Asses before hees into view. He heads straight for the assessment office, without ncing our way,

    "He''s good. If he takes the millitary career path, I''ll not he ate to offer him a ce on my team when he graduates from the academy, maybe even before he graduates if I need him," Raffments.

    "He might change his mind about joining the military after this. I remember thinking I was invincible at his age," Deacon says with augh.

    "Yeah, me too," Theo agrees,

    The tension in the room builds as we wait to see what happens. Ten minutester Deacon''s phone rings. It''s a call toe and pick up a Grey from the Somerset assessment office. We have one of Raff''s men working in the call centre today, directing any pick-ups that could be Archie to Deacon. They have our nned route of offices so that no one else is identally sent to pick Archic up.

    Deacon leaves and returns a few momentster with a disappointed-looking Archie, and we mark the assessment officer off of our suspect list.

    "Don''t worry, treat this as a practice run. We might not even find the right office today, but we won''t stop until we do," Mason reassures Archie before we move on to the next one.

    We repeat the same process at six more offices with the same result. After a short break for lunch, we head out to the Denbigh assessment office. We watch Archie enter the building and ten minutes pass without a phone call to pick him up. It''s almost thirty minutes before there''s any movement on the tracker. Raff''sputer res with an rm that the tracker has gone out of range, which is normal during a teleport. When it reappears in Mn, we know the rogues have him.

    Raff instructs a team to go in and apprehend the assessment officer and secretary inside the office whilst we stay glued to the screen that shows Archie''s tracker. I can barely breathe as I wait for something to happen, but the track blinks a steady red light on the map on the screen.

    It''s so tempting to go there. We know there must be rogues there, but if we go in too soon and Harper is not at that location, we will likely jeopardise the mission.

 Chapter 0274

    **Mason''s POV**

    Ace and Deacon went to bed hours ago, I went too, but I haven''t slept a wink. Instead, I''ve been sitting at the small vanity table in the bedroom, staring at the blinking red dot on aptop screen.

    It''s been almost 12 hours since Archie was taken, and he has been moved twice. There was a brief stop in a disused church in Pnd, and then he was moved to an empty mallin Marnd, America. He has been there for over 9 hours now, but he still hasn''t sent the signal. I''m sure this has to be the ce. It fits the profile, but until we get the signal, we can''t risk going

    "You''re supposed to be sleeping," Josie says as she pushes open the bedroom door.

    "I can''t," I shake my head.

    "If anything happens, I''ll wake you up straight away," Josie says as shees up behind me, leaning down and wrapping her arms around my neck. She kisses my check and then rubs the stubble that I have let grow over thest week.

    "I kind of like you unshaven," she hums.

    "I don''t think Theo agrees, he said it makes me look older, I shake my head.

    "You are older," she teases, "How did we grow up so fast? It feels like just yesterday that we were newly bonded students trying to work out what everything meant."

    "It feels like yesterday that was fighting to find you and bring you home. Now I feel like I''m repeating it all over again with Harper."

    "You were fighting to bring Harper home then too, you just didn''t know it. We will bring her home. I have no doubt, no matter what it takes, or how long we have to fight for, we will bring her home," she says and I nod.

    "If this doesn''t work with Archie, then I think it might be time we consider going to the prison to talk with your sperm donor."

    "You might be right. I''m just struggling to wrap my head around his story about my mum. I want to believe his version of events because that means my mum wasn''t taken advantage of or forced into anything. I wasn''t the result of a horrible situation, and I didn''t cause her to be mentally unwell. If what he says is true, she was already mentally fragile before my gifts started waking up. I just can''t get passed what he did to you, or rather, what he didn''t do. He knew Cash had you, and was manipting your family, and he did nothing to stop it," she shakes her head.

    1 reach for her, pulling her into myp to straddle me.

    "He might not have known exactly what Cash was doing. I think everyone underestimated Cash''s depravity, so let''s forget that for now. What''s important is getting the answers you need, and finding out if he can find Harper. Okay?"

    "Okay," she nods, "Now you really should sleep."

    "I can''t, I can''t switch my mind off," I say with a sigh.

    Tiredness pulls at me, making me feel heavy, but every time I close my eyes my

    mind begins to run at a mile a minute and refuses to shut off.

    "Then let me help you," she says with a seductive smile.

    Chapter 0274:

    "I don''t think..." I start to protest but cut myself off with a roan as Josie''s hand palms my rapidly awakening dick through my shorts.

    Her other hand roams my chest as she brings her mouth to my neck, kissing and nipping me there. My hands go to her hips on instinct, trying to pull her closer to me, but the chair arms are in the way.

    I stand from the chair, lifting her with me and carrying her to the bed as she grinds her body against mine. She clings to me as I crawl onto the bed toy her head down softly on the pillow. I take a moment to look down at her, and I swear her beauty has only increased with time.

    Josie''s big blue eyes look back at me with admiration and lean down, bringing my lips to hers. Kissing her softly, she moans at the first swipe of my tongue against hers, and the noise turns me feral. I love the sounds she makes, and how responsive she still is to my every touch. I need more of her. With barely a thought, I turn our clothes into scraps of fabric that litter the bed like confetti around us, and then I work my way down her body with needing to hear her cry out for me as I devour her sweet pussy.

    "Mace, please," she breathes before I can even take my first taste of her.

    "So impatient,¡± I tut as I divert my path down to her inner thigh to drive her wild. my mouth,

    I kiss both of her thighs and nip her there gently until she is a squirming, needy mess on the bed, Then, unable to deny her any longer, I lick a path from her opening to her clit. She hisses and grips the back of my head, holding une to her whilst my mouth works her into a frenzy. I can tell by her breathing and small whimpers that she is close, so I rest my weight on one elbow and bring my hand up to join the party between her legs. I push two fingers into her warm heat, curling them up to hit the sweet spot that I know so well, and I moan against her clit as I imagine her warm pussy squeezing my cock the way it''s gripping my fingers.

    Josie loses it, screaming out her pleasure and I can''t wait a second longer. I need to be inside of her. I need to feel her and reconnect with her. Have been starved of her for too long. I crawl up her body and position my tip at her entrance before surging forward. Her body stretches around me beautifully, she was made for me, and even after all these years, I''m still blown away by how good she feels. Her pussy flutters around my cock as her orgasm seems to go on forever.

    "You feel so good, Angel," I praise her.

    Usually, Theo is the one to praise her whilst I degrade her. She loves it both ways, but this is not about fucking today. This is about loving each other and findingfort in each other''s bodies in the midst of an awful time. "I love you, Mason," she pants as my hips move, chasing the pleasure I know she will bring me.

    "I love you too, so fucking much," I say with a groan as I find my release.

    Once I''m utterly spent, I copse beside her, and she wraps her body around mine, her skin pressed to mine, bringing me a calming peace that I''ve not felt for what feels like so long and I feel like I''ve just learned a valuable lesson. That even in what seems like the worst of times, when things feel unbearable, it''s important to findfort in the small things, and the people we love. Small pleasures can offer us the lifeline and grounding that we need, giving us the power and strength to keep moving forward through the storm, knowing that love can still shine bright in the darkness.

 Chapter 0275

    Josie''s POV **

    Mason finally drifts off to sleep with a contented look on face. I slip out of the bed and look at him with a smile. He''s so handsome, especially when he is rxed like this, I turn to creep out of the room when I realise the predicament I''m in. Mason destroyed my clothes, and although my molecr maniption gift is good, it''s not that good. I have no idea which scraps of fabric go with each item of clothing.

    1

    I pick up a pillow and hold it to my front, before creeping to the door and listening for any movement on the other side of it. I can hear people nearby, they''re in bedrooms, but that doesn''t mean they won''te out before I can make it to my room safely.

    It''s times like this that I wish I''d trained harder at porting myself, but it seems, no matter how many times I tried, I just couldn''t master it unless it was a ce of great importance to me, like my childhood home.

    "Theo," I ask into the mind link.

    "What''s up, Babe?" He responds.

    "Are you busy?" I ask.

    "Not really, I''m still watching Luke, watch a screen. Why?"

    "I need you to bring me some clothes to the room Mace is sleeping in, bring him some too," I say.

    "Are you naked?" he asks.

    "Yes, and we have no clothes in here."

    "I''m already on my way," he says, and I hear him a few momentster. He must be using his gift to get up here so fast.

    I step back from the door in case he bursts through it, and wait, my eyes drawn to theptop screen on the vanity. The blinking light is moving slowly across therge building. It''s the first time it has moved in hours. They might be taking Archie to Harper. I move closer to the screen, holding my breath as I wait, praying the rm is about to go off, signalling that he has set off the alert.

    The bedroom door opens, and I gesture to the screen when my eyesnd on Theo''s. He moves to my side, holding a bundle of clothes to his chest.

    "It''s moving," he whispers and I nod.

    The blinking dot continues to move for a few seconds before ites to a stop.

    "Maybe it''s a bathroom break?" Theo says.

    "Could be," I sigh, "Thanks for bringing the clothes. I was about to make a run for our room wearing a pillow."

    "I''d have liked to see that, but I think I like this view better," he says, his eyes roaming over my body appreciatively as he holds a bra out to me.

    I take the bra and put it on before he hands me my panties, his eyes never leaving me whilst I dress as he slowly hands me each piece of clothing. Once I''m fully dressed, he turns to Mace with the rest of the clothes.

    "Damn," he groans, just now noticing Mason is alsopletely naked.

    Theo ces the clothes on the chair in front of theptop and then looks at me with a frown.

    "you know Mason has clothes on the floor down here?" he says, pointing to a bundle of discarded clothes.

    1 almost p myself in the head. Of course, he does. He was wearing nothing but his shorts when I came in here.

    "I didn''t even think to look for those, sorry for wasting your time," 1 sigh.

    "Absolutely not a waste of time, I''m always happy to help, especially if you are naked," he grins.

    "Come on, let''s let him sleep," I say, reaching over to close theptop so it doesn''t wake him if the rm goes off and it''s just a teleport.

    Just as the screen meets the keyboard, the rm begins to re, and I curse as theptop shuts off. I open screen back up quickly to be met with the lock screen.

    "What''s the password?" I ask in a panic.

    the

    "220408,? Mason responds, rushing up behind me as I type in Harper''s date of birth, and we wait for the page to load back up.

    "What happened?" Mace asks.

    "I don''t know, I was closing it when it went off, but it was toote to stop it shutting down," I say.

    The screen slowly loads up the satellite map we had been looking at before, but this time there is no blinking red dot.

    "Has it crashed?" Theo asks.

    "Not sure," Mace tries to reload the page when Luke mind links with us.

    "The tracker has gone out, we are mobilising a team, everyone get down here,¡±

    he says, and a pit of dread opens in my stomach.

    Mason throws on his clothes as Theo runs to wake up Deacon and Axe.

    "Do you think they hurt him?" I ask, my voice trembling with barely contained emotion.

    "It might just be a glitch after porting," Mace says, but I can tell he doesn''t believe that.

    We run down the first set of stairs, through the hall, into the kitchen and then down the stairs into the basement. The room is a hive of activity as people port in and Raff''s second inmand, Bryce, barks orders.

    Luke makes his way over to us with a sad look on his face.

    "This is bad," he says, and the pit of dread in my stomach turns into a gaping

    cavern.

    "Harper will never forgive me if I got him killed," Mason says, and I don''t need the bond to know how devastated he is at the thought of Archieing to any harm.

 Chapter 0276

    **Josie''s POV**

    We port in with the military teams and the moment we have everyone here a shield goes up to block anyone from being able to port out. The men begin to move in, approaching the Mall from all sides.

    We have been paired with Bryce and a few other men, and we run towards the front entrance of the mall. The door looks intact, it has been repaired since the pictures we saw were taken. One of the men, Ryan, approaches the door quietly, signalling for us to stay back. He gently pushes on the door before looking back at us and shaking his head, indicating it is locked.

    Mason moves forward, focusing on the door. I expect it to dissolve in a tinkling of ss, but instead, I hear a click and Mace nods. He must have managed to unlock it because the man beside him slowly pushes the door open. I focus my hearing inside the building but lear nothing

    Ryan holds out a mirror on a stick, sliding it cautiously through the gap in the doorway.

    "Clear," he announces, before pushing open the door fully and stepping inside.

    We all follow him in. The ce is much cleaner than I''d expected, and the entryway opens up to reveal arge dried-up fountain in the centre with a big, curved staircase running on either side that leads up to the second floor.

    "We are taking the upper floor," Bryce instructs.

    I move towards the staircase on the left, my guys positioned in their protective formation around me, whilst Bryce and the other men take the right staircase.

    When we reach the top, we are met with two rows of shopfronts. Some still have shutters on the windows and some have no ss in the frames, but it''s clean, too clean for a ce abandoned this long. The first shop we enter is mostly empty, apart from a waste bin and a few books and nkets. The second is much the same. Themunication device in my ear is a constant update of "clear" from multiple people as every shop, office, bathroom and storage cupboard is cleared.

    My heart sinks as it bes more and more obvious that we missed them... again..

    "I knew it. I had a feeling something wasn''t right. We should have moved in the minute he was fucking brought here," Mason curses.

    "We have blood down here, it''s fresh," someone says through thems, and my heart begins to race as a million possible exnations for how the blood got there flow through my mind.

    "How much blood are we talking about?" Bryce asks as we move into the main hall to meet back up with his team.

    "Not much, there''s something else, you better get down here and take a look, Boss," the voice responds.

    "On our way," Bryce nods, moving towards the stairs.

    We follow him and I feel as though I''m in a bit of a daze, the stress of the whole situation finally catching up to

    but I me and breaking me as I walk numbly with my guys. Someone''s hand slips into mine, and I know it''s Luke''s, don''t feel the usualfort that his touch brings

    me.

    The room we enter is an old piercing and tattoo shop. A makeshift bed is in the centre of the room and there is a small pool of blood on the floor beside it. As if whoever was on the bed had a wound that dripped down onto the floor. There is enough blood to be concerned about, but not enough that the wound is life- threatening if we

    assume that this is all the blood they lost.

    What is more concerning is the crate at the end of the bed. On top of Itys bloodied rags, a knife and next to the knife is a tiny chip.

    "Shit, that''s the tracker," Luke curses.

    "I thought it was undetecable. How did they find it?" Mason demands.

    "It is. The kid must have told them," Bryce sighs.

    "They must havepelled him. He would have had no chance of resisting it. We should have expected this. This is our fault, and now they know everything Archie does," Deacon says, his voice full of concern.

    "I thought he was trained to resistpulsion?" Axe says

    "He was, and he would have if it was someone with a low-level gift, but he had no chance against someone with a strong gift," Deacon shakes his head.

    "We need to question the two we picked up from the assessment office yesterday. They''re our only lead now, Mason says.

    "Let me see if they''re fit for questioning yet," Bryce says with a nod and walks away to make a call.

    §±

    Things had gotten messy when Raff''s guys stormed the assessment office to apprehend the officer and his assistant. The second they knew they''d been discovered, they had dropped to the floor, seemingly falling into a deepa that the healers had yet to work out the cause of

    "I don''t think we are going to get anything from them. I think I know what''s wrong with them, and if I''m right, we severely underestimated the gifts some of the rogues have," Deacons says.

    "You think they werepelled to fall into a deep sleep if they were caught," Luke says, working it out.

    "Yes, it''s the only thing that makes sense. There''s no way for me to break through thepulsion if they''re unconscious. It''s a smart tactic, but a barbaric one. Without medical intervention they will die of starvation and dehydration," D nods.

    I zone out as the guys discuss whether the pair deserve to be kept alive and what the benefits would be if there is no way to wake them. All I want to do right now is go home need to hold my babies and think of a way to tell Archie''s parents that we have lost him. Then I need to go to the prison and ask my biological father to help us because we are out of options now.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 277

    When he returns, Bryce says, "The two from the assessment office are still out. The doctor said there is no change.

    "Thought so," Deacon nods, and exins his theory about them beingpelled to Bryce.

    "Makes sense, they clearly have someone with enough juice to do it," Bryce nods. "I suspect they''ve only been collecting Greys that show potential as highly gifted, which is why we didn''t notice that some of our assessment staff were not bringing any new Greys into the realin. They were sending the stronger ones to the rogues, and the less gifted to our realm."

    "They''re building an army. Selecting only the strongest," Axel agrees.

    "I''m going to have forensicse in here and go through the ce with a fine- toothedb. They will make a

    mistake sooner orter, and when they do, we will find it. I suggest you all go back and rest. I know this has been a blow, but we are not giving up. Raff will hold a meeting tomorrow to restrategize," Bryce says.

    "Thanks," Deacon shakes his hand and then turns to us.

    "Take us home, D," I tell him.

    "Home, home, or to the holiday home?" Theo asks.

    "Our home. We need a night in our own bed, all together, and the kids need a little normalcy. It''s time to go home, "I say.

    "Drop me at the holiday home first," Mace sighs.

    "No, we are going home, all of us," I demand.

    "I am not going home without my daughter," Mason says in a low growl.

    "Yes, you are! I know you don''t want to, but we have five other children who are scared and miss us. Harper wouldn''t want us living like this. After we drop the kids at school tomorrow, I want to go up to the prison. It''s time to ask for help," I say.

    "She''s right, Mace, we should all go," Theo agrees.

    "Then you all go. Pick me up before you go to the prison, but I''m not giving up on the search, not yet," Mason shakes his head.

    "We are not giving up. Just restrategizing like Bryce said. We need a reset, and a full night''s sleep so we cane back with fresh eyes. We are burning ourselves out and drifting apart like this. Let''s regroup, ande back tomorrow as a solid unit and show these fuckers exactly who they are messing with," Deacon says.

    very rarely swears, so the fact he did says a lot.

    D very

    "Okay," Mason finally agrees with a defeated sigh.

    It''ste when we get back home. I creep into each of the kid''s rooms, but they are all sleeping. It''s so tempting to wake them. I want to hold them, kiss their heads and tell them how much I love them, but it can wait until morning. They need their sleep, and so do I, and my guys.

    Mason had gone straight up to our room, saying he was going to shower. Luke had updated his mum,

    who was

    still awake watching TV in the sitting room and was going to take her home, whilst

    D, Theo and Axe had followed me to check on the kids.

    I hesitate outside Harper''s bedroom, my hand on the door handle. A part of me wants to go in there and be surrounded by her belongings to feel close to her, but another part doesn''t want to go in there to find it empty.

    "Good night, Harper," I whisper to the door before moving way, pretending she is in there and all is well. I need a night of normality, and seeing her room without her in its not going to give me that.

    1 climb into bed, Deacon, Theo and Axe joining me silently. Mason climbs in behind Theo when he leaves the bathroom, and Luke joins us shortly after. Wey in silence, each of us lost in our own minds, but we are together. I feel the energy of my bonds, our connection only growing stronger as we all drop our shields and absorb each other.

    In the morning, I feel more refreshed than I have since this whole nightmare started. A night to reconnect is exactly what we needed. The kids are so happy to see us when they wake up, they ask about Harper, and I hate having to tell them we still haven''t found her.

    Deacon makes pancakes for breakfast, a family favourite, and I can almost pretend it''s a normal morning. Luke and Mason take As and Joel to the high school, whilst the rest of us take Sammy and the twins to the junior school.

    urgent visit

    We meet back at the academy to check in on things there and Deacon calls the prison, requesting with Robert Masters. I realised then that until this moment, I didn''t know my biological father''s name. I didn''t want to know it. I wanted nothing to do with him. I wanted to pretend he didn''t exist, but now, knowing his name somehow makes him more real.

    Whilst we wait for the prison to call us back, Mason calls Raff and they have a heated discussion. Mace is pissed to find out Raff has already been and informed Archie''s parents that we had lost him. Mason feels he should have been the one to tell them, he feels it''s his responsibility.

    I hate the thought of what Archie''s parents are going through right now. I know the utter hell they have just been

    have. plunged into. I just hope they don''t have to suffer through it as long as

    we

    When the prison calls back, letting us know Robert has agreed to see me in one hour, Mason tells Raff toe with us. If there is any chance Robert can find Harper, we are going to need Raff to authorise his release.

    I briefly debate whether I should call my mum and tell her what I''m about to do, and warn her I may be trying to have the man that she fears so much released, but quickly decide against it. My mum is better. She is happy and enjoying her life with her now husband, Frank, and their little dog. Tilly. I won''t risk upsetting her, or worse, making her ill again.

    N.O Darling Author

    After talking with my editor, it seems that when this book joined the chapter optimization program it made two versions of the book. Anyone reading before the chapter optimization happens is still reading the original version, which is fine, you just can''t give ge

 Chapter 278

    +26 BONUS

    **Josie''s POV**

    The prison has a smell I can''t pinpoint. It''s like a mix of a school and a hospital. The lights are harsh fluorescent, the kind that tries too hard to imitate natural daylight, but Instead, they give you a headache, and you can''t wait to escape. I guess it''s fitting they use them in a prison. It''s like an extrayer of punishment.

    "Are you okay, Babe?" Theo asks as we wait in the family room.

    "Not really, what if I don''t hate him? What if I believe his story?" I ask.

    "There''s no right or wrong way to feel here. We can''t tell you what to feel or believe. In the end, the decision is yours, and we will support you no matter what you decide, Axel says,ing up behind me and running some of the tension from my shoulders.

    "I''m going to try and keep this about finding Harper. I can decide the restter, but I do need you all to help me decide if we can trust him near her. If we decide he can help us, we are going to expose our daughter to him, and that is a decision we should make together," I say.

    "Josie, you should know that I n topel him, even if I have to do it by force. If you don''t want to be in the room for that, then we will all understand. I''m going to ask him the harsh questions, and I''m going to go deep into what happened to your mum before I let him anywhere near our daughter," Deacon admits, and I am not surprised. I expected as much.

    "Can I talk to him first? I want to see if he gives me the truth," I ask.

    "Yes, but I would suggest you take only one or two of us in with you to start with, otherwise he may feel threatened and go straight on the defensive," D nods.

    I look between my guys. How am I supposed to choose? Each of them offers their own version of support andfort and I want it all. I want Mason''s fury and questionable morals when ites to my safety. I want Axe''s silent strength and barely controlled protectiveness. I want Luke''s rational input andforting touch. I want Deacon''s professionalism and steady objectiveness and I want Theo''s wild humour and ability to keep me grounded.

    "Who?" I ask, unable to choose.

    Deacon looks over our group before his eyes settle on Luke, and he nods towards him. "Take Luke in, the rest of us will be observing and willmunicate with you if needed. We will be so close it will be like we are in there with you, he just won''t be able to see us."

    "Okay," I say with a shaky breath and Luke slides his hand into mine, giving it a squeeze.

    "I won''t speak unless you want me to. If at any point you want me to step in, you just let me know. Okay?" Luke asks and I nod.

    The door to the family room opens and Raff pops his head in. "They''re ready for us," he says, and I feel as though my heart drops into my stomach.

    Luke''s hand grips mine tighter as we follow Raff and an armed prison guard through the tiled corridor.

    "Let''s go in here first," Raff says, gesturing to the door he has just o

    opened.

    The room is dark, and I know it is the observation room before I even step in. I stop and take a breath, knowing that when I walk into this room I''m going to see a window and behind it will be the man who provided half of my

    DNA, the man who made me a Grey, I try to focus on that, he wasn''t my biological father, I wouldn''t be who I am today. I wouldn''t have my wonderful bonds and my amazing children. I push all the anger I have for what he did to my mum down. Otherwise, I may just kill him before we have a chance to talk, and I really need him to talk, to help me find Harper.

    "Ready?¡± Axel asks, blocking the doorway and giving me a moment topose myself.

    I take another steadying breath before summoning up all my determination, and then I raise my head. "Yes," I nod, and follow Axe in, with my hand in Luke''s and Theo behind us.

    Dand Mace are already in there, their eyes focused on the man behind the ss. I finally turn to look at him, and it''s a bit of an anticlimax. He doesn''t look like the menace Imagined him as for all these years. My mum''s blue-eyed demon looks, well, normal.

    He has dark hair like mine, and his skin is pale, but I don''t suppose he sees much sunlight in here. I study his features, remembering how Mason had seen simrities between us. We do have the same nose and maybe lips. too. As if he knows I am there his gaze suddenly rises to look at the ss and directly at me. The navy blue of his boiler suit makes his eyes look even more blue as I study them.

    Robert Masters is a handsome man, with a build simr to Luke''s. He is not at all scary-looking, but I know appearances can be deceiving. I look at his hands, which are chained to the table. What power do those hands hold? I am ready to find out...

    "Okay, I''m ready. Let''s do this," I nod.

    "You''ve got this, Babe," Theo reassures.

    "We are right here if you need us," Axe nods.

    "I won''t hesitate to kill him if he so much as blinks the wrong way," Mason grunts.

    "Take your time, ask what you need," Deacon encourages.

    "I''ll be right beside you," Luke squeezes my hand.

    "We have him under close monitoring, you have nothing to fear," Raff assures

    before leading me to the door next to the room we were in. He pushes the door

    handle down and opens the door for me.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 279

    **Josie''s P**

    Robert looks up at me as I enter the room. His eyes softend a mile huser pet to

    "You

    "You look just like your mother," he says, hits voice thick with emotion

    "Don''t speak of my mother," I snap and Robert finches, ing up a little straighter

    "I''m sorry," he whispers

    I study him for a moment. He looks weak like this, his eyeste welled with unsheathed tears and the tremble a little. Is he scared of me? I take a seat opposite

    "When was thest time you spoke with any of your family Task

    "A couple of weeks ago. I am only allowed one phone call a month and one visit every three months, Emma sed she would try to contact you, I assume she found you and that is why you are here?" He says.

    "She did find me, but that is not why I am here. I am here because my daughter has been taken by what was left of Cornelius followers, and Emma believes you may be able to help find her," I tell him, and his fists clench on the

    table.

    "How old is she?" He asks.

    "Are you asking because it''s relevant to her being taken, or because you think that, as a blood rtive, you have some kind of right to know?" I raise a brow

    "Because it is relevant, and because she is my granddaughter, and whilst I don''t think I have a right to know, I am interested," he admits.

    "Fair enough, she is sixteen,ing up to seventeen"

    "She was the child you were carrying when Ist saw you," he nods to himself.

    "When did you see me?" I frown, trying to remember a time I''ve ever seen this man before.

    "The day you won, in the park. You were in a mental battle with Cornelius and one of your bonds. Another was trying to protect you, but one of mine had him pinned. I pulled my guy off of him and ported him away. When I came back, you were passed out and then this one came and took you away before I could check on you," he gestures to Luke.

    "Oh, he is talking about me. I was about to get my head bitten off when the wolf on top of me suddenly disappeared. I didn''t have time to stop and question it, but

    it makes sense now," Theo says into the mind link.

    "Why did you help us? We were on opposite sides," I ask

    "You''re my daughter. I was always going to be on your side. I was so proud of you that day," he smiles.

    I don''t speak for a moment whilst I process his words. I want to believe him. I want to find out I''d been so wrong. about him, but at the same time, I still want to hate him.

    "Well, none of that matters right now. What matters is finding my daughter. Can you help or not?"

    "It depends," he says, looking towards the ss behind me nervously, "Who do you have behind that ss?" He

    asks.

    "Why?" I scowl at him.

    "Because I''m not sure who we can trust," he admits.

    "I trust every person behind that ss with my life."

    "Okay. I want to help, but the people in here know I defected, they know I switched sides that day, and they call me a traitor and me me for Cornelius'' death. I don''t know if the ones on the outside know. I might be able to find them, but if they know who I am, they''ll kill me on sight," he exins.

    I lean back in my seat, absorbing the weight of his words.

    "That doesn''t mean I''m not willing to try. I am not scared of dying, especially if it is whilst trying to protect my family. I just don''t want to give you false hope that I can just walk back in there and find her without issue, as much as I wish that was true."

    "How do I know you can be trusted? What assurance can you give me that you won''t rejoin their faction as soon as you find them?" I ask.

    "Have your bondpel me. I''ve heard he''s very strong," Robert smiles. "How do you know?" I frown.

    "We knew everything about you. I just didn''t know it was you until I saw you. We were never given your names, but we were told you were a spark-bonded group of six, and we were told your abilities. You are an impressive group, very resilient and extremely gifted. You certainly put Cornelius'' bond group to shame."

    "Did you know Cornelius was spark bonded too?" I ask.

    "Yes, that''s how he got such a loyal following. The spark bond is supposed to be our saviours. Why wouldn''t we believe his path was the right one?" He asks.

    "So what made you change your mind about his cause?"

    "Apart from my daughter leading the opposition? I never fully understood how his ns were going to benefit our kind apart from giving the current unbonded a chance at a family. When we found out the opposition was also spark bonded, it raised some questions. How could two spark-bonded groups both be right? Comelius told us about his shbacks, and that he knew where he had gone wrong in his past lives. He said his group had got it right this time and would be rewarded with cycling together from now on," he exins.

    "What do you mean?

    "He said he and his group had shbacks to their previous lives together. They were shown moments where their past selves had made mistakes so that they could make sure they didn''t make the same mistakes this time around. Do you have those shbacks?" He asks.

    "No," I shake my head.

    "Maybe you didn''t make any mistakes then," Robert smiles. "He said whoever within the group made the mistake in the previous life didn''t reincarnate with the rest of the group on their next life cycle and were forced to live a solitary life cycle as an unbonded before they were given another chance the next time around."

    "How did he know about this?" Luke asks, giving me an apologetic look for joining the conversation without me asking him. I give him a reassuring smile. I don''t mind, this is important stuff about our whole group, not just me.

    "He had a book, a journal of sorts that had been passed down through spark- bonded groups. He was given it by the Elders. He was supposed to pass it to your group when you bonded, but for obvious reasons that didn''t happen."

    Tension flows through our group. Not only were the elders aware of Cornelius, but they also knew there was this journal that was rightfully ours and they had said nothing, taking their secrets to their grave. I want that journal, I want to see what my past self wrote in it.

    "Do you know where the journal is?" I ask Robert.

    "I know where it was, I can take you there and there might be some clues as to

    your daughter''s whereabouts there too. Comelius kept a lot of records and unless someone went back to clear out his stuff, it should all still be there."

 Chapter 280

    **Deacon''s POV

    I in

    ch Josie talking with her father, and Pin Mching to get there. It takes a great effort not to fill her mind with all the questions I want to ask him. I want to know everything about Cornelius. If I can understand how Cornelius! brain worked, then maybe I can work out where the rogues are hiding and where they have Harper, and for what

    reasoll.

    When he mentions he might know where this spark-bonded Journal could be and all Cornelius'' notes I break. I need to get my hands on that kind of Information as soon as possibl

    "I''ming in," I tell Josie through the mind link.

    "Okay," she responds.

    "The rest of my bonds are going toe in now. They''re very interested in what you have to say," I hear Josie say as I walk out of the room and into the next one.

    Robert looks up at me as I enter, and then his eyes shift to each of the men who follow me. I see a glimpse of recognition in his eyes when he looks at Theo and Mason.

    "I''m sorry I didn''t stop Cash from..." Robert starts.

    ¡°I''m not interested in apologies, I want my daughter back, and either you agree to help us or we are done here," Mason snaps, cutting him off.

    "I have already said I will help, like it or not, I am her grandfather, and I protect what is mine," Robert says, straightening in his chair.

    "Let''s get something straight right now. You have absolutely no im over my daughter or my bond. Blood means nothing, actions do. So if you want to earn the right to be anything to them, this is your chance," Mason growls.

    "I understand," Robert nods.

    "Do you consent to beingpelled?" I ask, drawing Robert''s attention to me.

    "Yes, although I do not doubt that if I didn''t, you''d still do it anyway. I have absolutely nothing to hide," Robert nods, but his eyes are on Josie.

    "Do you want to stay for this?" I ask Josie through the mind link

    Josie stares back at him for a moment, assessing him. I feel her resolve before she responds. "I''m staying. Ask him everything."

    "Robert, please look at me," I say, and he gives Josie a small smile before shifting his

    "Go ahead," he says.

    eyes to mine.

    "Answer all of my questions with nothing but the truth," tell him, weaving my gift into my words. Robert lets me in easily, there is not a single ounce of resistance from him.

    "Did you ever force yourself on Penny Banks?" I ask.

    "No, never," he shakes his head with a look of disgust.

    I feel Josie''s relief and regret flow through the bond. I pull up my shields, I direct my questioning

    ''t let her emotions distract me or

    "How did you meet her?"

    "She worked in a caf¨¦ close to where I was staying when I first arrived in the human realm. She served me the first time I went in. I was instantly captivated by her smile and her friendly attitude. She was the first female that ever took an interest in me,¡± Robert says with a wistful smile.

    "Did youpel her at any point to engage in any kind of rtionship with you?" "No," he frowns.

    "Did she know what you were?"

    "Not at first, no, but when she told me she was pregnant and suggested we get married, I quickly agreed. I was so happy. Penny and the baby were all I''d ever wanted. They were a dreame true. Then I found out I couldn''t marry her because I didn''t have any legal documents that were required for us to marry. I had to tell her the truth. I couldn''t lie to her any longer, but it didn''t go well. She refused to believe me, so I showed her. I brought her to our realm and showed her the ns for the house I wanted to build for my future family, and she freaked out. It broke her somehow. I tried topel her to forget, but I was never very good at it, and it only seemed to make things worse. She forgot all of our love. She became terrified of me, she called me a demon and said I''d taken her to hell and imnted my demon spawn in her womb," Robert exins, casting a remorseful nce at Josie.

    "So what did you do next?"

    "After weeks of trying to fix what I had done to her, I knew had to give her up for her sanity. I watched her though, making sure she didn''t try to harm the baby. It was so hard. I had to watch my little girl grow up from a distance, and I never once got to hold her or tell her how wanted she was and how much I loved her. I told Cornelius I''d lost them and I warned Penny that my kind might try toe for the baby one day and that she should run with her and keep her hidden. Penny hated me, but she loved our daughter, and I knew it was wrong to leave a Grey to be raised in the human realm, but I couldn''t take her from her. I knew it would destroy her if I did. So I let another man raise my daughter as his own and protect my family," Robert says, wiping tears from his face.

    "Why didn''t you go to Josie when her gifts started to awaken and Penny was admitted to a mental institution for

    voice. telling everyone her daughter was a demon?" I demand, working hard to keep my anger out of my

    Robert covers his mouth to muffle a cry. "I didn''t know, I swear. Cash started to get suspicious of where I would disappear to when I would go to visit Josie. I''d go to watch her dance performances, keeping hidden at the back, so Penny wouldn''t see me. One time, when she was fifteen, he followed me. He questioned me about who I was here to see because he had apparently followed me a few times. Ilied and told him I was simply there because I enjoyed the dancing, and then I never visited again. I was so scared he''d work out who Josie was and take her to join Cornelius'' cause. I don''t think he believed me though. I never saw Penny again, and I didn''t see my daughter until the day I was caught." Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 281

    **Josie''s POV **

    My father was there all those years, watching me from the shadows and I had no idea. I''m devastated and extremely confused. I should be overjoyed that my mum was wrong, that she wasn''t taken advantage of, and I was created out of love, not force. I was wanted by my father because he loved me, not because he needed me to join his army. He left me for my own and my mother''s well-being, not because he didn''t care. He is not the evil man I have spent all these years hating

    They are all the things I should be focussing on and relived about, but all I have is a deep sadness and a feeling of loss. I missed out on a life with him, and that is what hurts, I''m also sad about what he has missed in order to keep me and my mum safe. If he hadn''t sacrificed everything he had ever wanted for us things could have been so different. I could have been locked in this prison with him, or be dead. I''d have never bonded with my mates, and have never had my children. I might not be ready to have a rtionship with him, but I feel I owe him some credit for what he''s done.

    A tear rolls down my face and Axel pulls me up from my chair to wrap his arms around me. I bury my face into his chest whilst Ipose myself. I hear the clinking of chains and I turn my head to face Robert, who looks at me with sorrow. I know he was attempting to reach me, to offer mefort, but he can''t, he''s chained to the table. Forced to watch me but unable to hold me, like he had all those years ago. I know I should go to him, give him what he''s always wanted, but I can''t, not yet. I can''t risk letting him hurt me, not until I know everything

    "Ask him if he has fathered any more children," I say to Deacon in the mind link, and he immediately repeats my question to Robert.

    "No, I never stopped loving Penny and wasn''t interested in any other woman. Even if I had been, I wouldn''t risk putting anyone through that again," Robert shakes his head.

    "My mum is okay now. Deacon fixed her. She knows what I am, and she visits us and the kids often. She is happy. and runs a bookshop with her husband," I say, feeling like it''s the only bit offort I can offer him right now.

    Robert smiles, his eyes filling with tears again as he nods. Thank you. That''s perfect for her. She always loved her books. Does her husband treat her well?" "Yes," I nod.

    "If we have you temporarily released from here, will you attempt to abscond?" Deacon asks.

    "No. I ept my punishment. I belong here after everything I have done, I won''t attempt to escape and wille back willingly," he answers.

    "That''s good enough for me," Raff says from the back of the room where he has been silently observing. He pushes himself from the wall he is leaning on and leaves the room.

    The room falls silent as I process everything. I have so many questions, but my brain is so frazzled that I can''t put a single one into words right now.

    Raff returns a few momentster with a key and a bundle of clothes. He unfastens the metal cuffs around Robert''s wrists and hands him the clothes. Axel positions me behind him, shielding me from Robert''s reach. He knows I''m not ready.

    There''s a bathroom across the hall, go and get changed," Raff says and Robert nods, picking up the clothes and standing to leave.

    "How do you feel?" Deacon asks me when Robert has left the room.

    "I don''t know. I''m confused and sad but also relieved," it.

    "That''s understandable," Axe says.

    When Robert returns, he looks like a different man without he boiler sult. He is wearing a simple ck sweatshirt and dark denim jeans with typical work boots, which look like they have been borrowed from a prison guard. I can see what attracted my mum to him all those years app.

    We leave the prison through the front entrance and Robert stops for a moment, inhaling the fresh air deeply and closing his eyes to turn his face up to the sun, Something he''s not been able to do for over 16 years.

    Unlike human prisons, prisoners here don''t have the opportunity to go outside. It''s too risky. There are wards up to stop anyone porting in or out, and the prisoners are given suppressants to dull their gifts, but that doesn''t mean their friends and family on the outside can be trusted not to attempt to break them out. For that reason, they are kept indoors, behind walls that are infused with the precious stones that give us our powers, making them imprable to molecr gifts or super strength

    We load into the minibus we had arrived in and Robert is quiet, his eyes busy taking in the outside world as we drive.

    So where is Comelius'' ce where he kept the journal?" Deacon asks, breaking the silence.

    "I don''t know, I only know how to port there," Roberts says

    "For fuck sake," Mason curses.

    "What?" I ask.

    "He can''t port us there until his suppressants wear off. How long does that take?" Mace asks.

    "Around twenty-four hours," Raff says.

    "When was yourst dose?" Mason demands.

    "Early this morning," Robert sighs.

    "Then we have some time to n how he can find the rogues," Luke shrugs like it''s no big deal. Which I find odd, I''d expect him to be the most eager to find this spark bond journal.

    Raff drives us to military headquarters, where we meet with some of his team before porting back to the mansion in the human realm. Thest thing I expect when we port in is toe face-to-face with Freya and my mum. Chapter 262

 Chapter 282

    **Josie''s POV**

    We all freeze, waiting for some reaction from my mum, who looks at me in confusion before rushing to me and pulling me in for a hug.

    "I''m sorry, Josie Bean, I know you told us to stay home, but I couldn''t sit there any longer. Frank is there and will call if Harper turns up," my mum says.

    "And I have a camera set up with motion detection. If she turns up at my ce, I''l get a notification on my phone, and we can be back there in seconds," Freya exins

    I cast a quick nce behind me and see that my guys have formed a shield in front of Robert, blocking him from

    my mum''s sight.

    "Thank you foring, but I''m not sure if there is anything you can do. We know

    now Harper isn''t just missing, she has been taken by rogues," I exin.

    "Oh, Harper," my mum begins to sob, and I wrap an arm around her.

    "Those fuckers are back? I thought you got

    them allst time?" Freya asks, her fury clear on her fac

    "Let''s go to the kitchen and make some tea, and I''ll catch you both up," I say, leading my mum away from Robert.

    "Is she going to lose her mind again if she sees him?" I ask Deacon through the mind link.

    thepulsion holds, she shouldn''t react negatively to him. I removed what I thought was the trauma surrounding him from her memory. She may recognise him as your biological father, but I made him a man she had a one-night stand with and never saw again," Deacon responds, and I rx a little.

    I do wonder what it was that caused her to break all those years ago. I had always med Robert, but now I know the truth about his story with her, I can''t me him. There must have been something else that caused it. Something that I need to look into because she might be at risk of it happening again.

    My mum sits at the kitchen table and I hand her a box of tissues before moving to fill up the kettle.

    "What''s going on? Why did your men hide that guy back there?" Freya whispers,ing up behind me.

    I nce nervously over at my mum, who is wiping her face with the tissues and not paying us any attention.

    "That was my biological father," I whisper.

    Freya''s eyes fill with murderous rage as she looks back in the direction of where we just left Robert and her fists clench. I ce a hand on her arm and shake my head.

    It didn''t happen how we thought. He didn''t hurt her, he loved her," I try to calm her.

    "And you believe him?" She hisses.

    "Yes, D had him underpulsion. It''s quite a sad story, and I''m still trying to process it. I''ll tell you everythingter, but he''s not the man we thought he was,¡± I exin.

    "Oh so now you just let him walk into your life? Fair enough, he might not have forced himself on your mum, but he still abandoned you." Freya snaps, her voice rising a little and causing my mum to look over at us.

    "Give me a break, Freya, I literally just found all this out an hour ago. He is here to help find Harper. She is all that matters right now. If you can''t handle that and

    be civil towards him, then just leave because I have enough to deal

    with right now," I snap.

    "Shit, Jo, I''m sorry. I can be civil, it was just a shock is all," Freya says, and I can hear the remorse in her voice.

    "I know," I sigh, "This whole thing is taking its toll... I just reel to useless. My daughter is out there, and I have no idea what is happening to her, and I''m just here, making fucking tea," I shout, my voice rising with every word as the weight of everything finally gets to me. Iunch the empty cup in my hand across the room, the porcin shattering as it hits the wall.

    I say to the floor, screaming into my hands as I break down, hear my mum fussing and Freya trying to calm me, but I don''t register their words as I scream out all my pain and frustration. Strong arms scoop me up and hold me close. I know it''s Axel without looking. I sense my guys closing in around us, lending me their strength and reassuring me.

    "Josie, I know it''s hard, but you need to calm down," Deacon''s steady voice floats into my mind.

    "Breath, Baby," Theo says.

    "We''ve got you," Luke soothes.

    If y

    you want to destroy things, there are some obnoxiously happy statues outside that look much better without heads, just try not to bring this house down around us or Dwill have a fit," Mason says, his words grabbing my attention.

    I suck in calming breaths, trying to regte myself before anyone gets hurt. I lost control, not only of my emotions, but my power, and thest time that happened, I nearly destroyed half the academy. There are two humans in this house who I care about greatly. They would not survive the house copsing on them. "Mum," I

    I manage to gasp between breaths as I open my eyes and look around at the mess I''ve created.

    A section of the ceiling has copsed and chunks of ster litter the floor. "She''s okay, she and Freya got out," Axe reassures, and I wiggle out of his arms, needing to see for myself.

    I stumble towards the back door where Raff has Freya locked in his arms as she attempts to break free to get to me. Robert has my mum pressed against his chest, a hand covering her head protectively as she cries. There''s a small trickle of blood at his temple but otherwise, everyone looks unharmed

    "Shit, Girl, I''m sorry, that was all my fault. I shouldn''t have pushed you like that,¡± Freya says when she notices me, but I ignore her, too focused on my mum and Robert as I inch closer.

    "Mum?" I say softly. I''m scared to see her face, to see if my outburst has broken her, or if seeing Robert has triggered her mental health into a downward spiral.

    Robert releases his hold on her, now that he knows it''s safe and when my mum''s eyesnd on me, I see the rity there. She is scared and worried, but she is okay. I pull her into a hug

    "I''m so sorry. I lost control," I tell her.

    "It''s okay, you are going through a lot, and this kind man helped me get..." her words trail off as she turns to look at her savior.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 283

    **Josie''s POV **

    "I know you," my mum says as she points at Robert.

    "Mum,e on, let''s go and sit down," I say, trying to turn her attention away from Robert, who looks like a deer caught in headlights.

    My mum turns back to look at me with wide eyes, "We need to talk, privately," she insists, linking her arm with mine and leading me around the side of the house.

    "I''ll stay close," Deacon reassures through the mind link. He doesn''t need to say why. I know he is ready to step in andpel her if he has to.

    I don''t want to lose her again, but if that is the only way to make her well, I will not hesitate to let Deacon retake her memories of me.

    "Josie, that man is your biological father," my mum admits, looking nervous.

    "Who? Robert? Are you sure?" I say, acting shocked.

    I hate lying to her, but I have to y along with the lie she believes is her past.

    My mum peeks around the side of the house to take another look at Robert.

    "Yes," she nods, "I never saw him again after that night, so I couldn''t tell him about you. How am I going to tell him now?"

    "From the look on his face, I''m guessing he''s worked it out," I force augh.

    "Do you think? I''m so sorry, this is such bad timing. Why is he here anyway?" she asks.

    ¡°He''s just one of the guys helping search for Harper,¡± I shrug and warn my guys through the mind link to make sure Robert and Freya y along with whatever happens next.

    "Well then, let''s go and tell him, at least it should make him even more motivated to find her," my mum says with a determined nod before taking my hand and leading me back towards Robert.

    Deacon is talking with him quietly, and he nods before his eyes shift to us.

    "Hello, Robert. Do you remember me?" My mum asks.

    "Yes, of course. I could never forget you, Penny," he smiles, and I watch as my mum blushes. Yuck! I do not want to know what she is thinking to make her blush like that.

    "Good, well, there is no easy way to tell you this, but Josie is your daughter," she says.

    "Shut the front door!" Theo gasps dramatically.

    "Wow, I was not expecting that," Freya exims.

    Robert does a great job of seeming speechless, or maybe he just is because he has no idea how to react. Deacon squeezes his shoulder as if congratting him, and he seems to snap back to reality.

    "I had a suspicion as soon as I recognised you and heard her call you mum," Robert says, blowing out a breath. Sorry, this is quite a shock. I don''t know Josie very well, but from what I have seen of her, you did a wonderful job of raising her. I''m sorry I couldn''t be there. There''s nothing I''ve ever wanted more than my own family, and I''m

    sorry I wasn''t there. Please know that I would have been there if I''d known, but circumstances meant I couldn''t return," he says, taking my mum''s hands in his.

    I have to fight the urge to p his hands away. I don''t want him touching her. I know he didn''t hurt her now, it''s hard to get over the amount of hate I''ve held for him all these years.

    but

    The way my mum smiles at him grips my heart. I''ve never seen her look at anyone like this, not Frank, or herte husband who raised me. There is obviously some soul-deep connection there, and despite having her true memories taken she must feel it. Maybe in another life, they belonged together.

    "House is fixed," Mason says as hees out to join us, breaking the moment between my mum and Robert and reminding me of the mess I just made. "Thanks, I am really sorry about that. I just lost it for a moment. The stress is finally getting to me," I say, feeling ashamed at my outburst.

    "No one is judging you. Considering everything, I think we are all more surprised it hasn''t happened before now. You are all under a great deal of stress. We expect there to be breaking points. The important thing is that we reacted quickly and no one was severely hurt," Raff reassures.

    I nod my thanks to Raff. I know what he is saying makes sense, but it doesn''t make me feel any better. I could have killed someone. If Robert and Raff hadn''t quickly pulled my mum and Freya out and my guys hadn''t calmed me so fast, this could have had apletely different oue.

    I look at Robert, the blood on his head seems to have stopped, which is good and means his wound isn''t too bad. "Let me heal you," I say moving closer to him.

    He looks as though he''s about to protest, but then he stops himself, giving me a small nod. I''m not sure if it''s because he knows I need to do this. After all, I caused it, or because this is the first caring gesture I''ve shown him.

    My mum guides Robert to one of the stone benches, and he takes a seat, so I can see his head more clearly. There''s a small cut on the top of his head. It is no bigger than my thumbnail but looks pretty deep. I hover my hand over the wound and close my eyes, drawing on my healing light and transferring it to him. I feel the moment the cut knits together, and then my light is drawn deeper into his head. I follow it, allowing it to search out what else needs healing, and then I pull my hand back with a gasp.

    "It''s okay," Robert smiles sadly.

    "No, it''s not," I shake my head, taking a step back.

    "What''s wrong?" my mum asks.

    "Can Josie and I have a moment alone?" Robert asks, and Inod, letting my guys know it''s okay.

    "You should be in the hospital, that''s more than I can heal alone," I say once everyone has moved into the house. I know my guys will be listening, but with no one in sight, it gives the illusion of privacy.

    "I have declined healing," he admits. "I''m right where I''m supposed to be."

    "Why? You''ll die without it," I say, my eyes welling with tears.

    "Because there''s no point, I''m not going to let a team waste their gift saving my life just to sit rotting in that prison. I''m at peace with it, especially now that I finally

    got to meet you," he smiles, reaching over to take my hand in his

    "You can''t do this," I shake my head. "You can''te into my life and then leave again before I even get a chance to get to know you." I snap, getting up and walking away from him.

    How can this be happening right now? All these years were wasted on hating him

    for something he didn''t do, and now I''m going to lose him before I even decide if I want a rtionship with him.

    "What is it?" Luke asks in the mind link.

    **Josie''s POV **

    "I know you," my mum says as she points at Robert.

    "Mum,e on, let''s go and sit down," I say, trying to turn her attention away from Robert, who looks like a deer caught in headlights.

    My mum turns back to look at me with wide eyes, "We need to talk, privately," she insists, linking her arm with mine and leading me around the side of the house.

    "I''ll stay close," Deacon reassures through the mind link. He doesn''t need to say why. I know he is ready to step in andpel her if he has to.

    I don''t want to lose her again, but if that is the only way to make her well, I will not hesitate to let Deacon retake her memories of me.

    "Josie, that man is your biological father," my mum admits, looking nervous.

    "Who? Robert? Are you sure?" I say, acting shocked.

    I hate lying to her, but I have to y along with the lie she believes is her past.

    My mum peeks around the side of the house to take another look at Robert.

    "Yes," she nods, "I never saw him again after that night, so I couldn''t tell him about you. How am I going to tell him now?"

    "From the look on his face, I''m guessing he''s worked it out," I force augh.

    "Do you think? I''m so sorry, this is such bad timing. Why is he here anyway?" she

    asks.

    "He''s just one of the guys helping search for Harper," I shrug and warn my guys through the mind link to make sure Robert and Freya y along with whatever happens next.

    "Well then, let''s go and tell him, at least it should make him even more motivated to find her,¡± my mum says with a determined nod before taking my hand and leading me back towards Robert.

    Deacon is talking with him quietly, and he nods before his eyes shift to us.

    "Hello, Robert. Do you remember me?" My mum asks.

    "Yes, of course. I could never forget you, Penny," he smiles, and I watch as my mum blushes. Yuck! I do not want to know what she is thinking to make her blush like that.

    "Good, well, there is no easy way to tell you this, but Josie is your daughter," she

    says.

    "Shut the front door!" Theo gasps dramatically.

    "Wow, I was not expecting that," Freya exims.

    Robert does a great job of seeming speechless, or maybe he just is because he

    has no idea how to react. Deacon squeezes his shoulder as if congratting him, and he seems to snap back to reality.

    "I had a suspicion as soon as I recognised you and heard her call you mum," Robert says, blowing out a breath. Sorry, this is quite a shock. I don''t know Josie very well, but from what I have seen of her, you did a wonderful job of raising her. I''m sorry I couldn''t be there. There''s nothing I''ve ever wanted more than my own family, and I''m

    sorry I wasn''t there. Please know that I would have been there if I''d known, but circumstances meant I couldn''t return," he says, taking my mum''s hands in his. I have to fight the urge to p his hands away. I don''t want him touching her. I know he didn''t hurt her now, it''s hard to get over the amount of hate I''ve held for him all these years.

    but

    The way my mum smiles at him grips my heart. I''ve never seen her look at anyone like this, not Frank, or herte husband who raised me. There is obviously some soul-deep connection there, and despite having her true memories taken she must feel it. Maybe in another life, they belonged together. "House is fixed,¡± Mason says as hees out to join us, breaking the moment between my mum and Robert and reminding me of the mess I just made. "Thanks, I am really sorry about that. I just lost it for a moment. The stress is finally getting to me," I say, feeling ashamed at my outburst.

    "No one is judging you. Considering everything, I think we are all more surprised it hasn''t happened before now. You are all under a great deal of stress. We expect there to be breaking points. The important thing is that we reacted quickly and no one was severely hurt," Raff reassures.

    I nod my thanks to Raff. I know what he is saying makes sense, but it doesn''t make me feel any better. I could have killed someone. If Robert and Raff hadn''t quickly pulled my mum and Freya out and my guys hadn''t calmed me so fast, this could have had apletely different oue.

    I look at Robert, the blood on his head seems to have stopped, which is good and means his wound isn''t too bad. "Let me heal you," I say moving closer to him.

    He looks as though he''s about to protest, but then he stops himself, giving me a small nod. I''m not sure if it''s because he knows I need to do this. After all, I caused it, or because this is the first caring gesture I''ve shown him.

    My mum guides Robert to one of the stone benches, and he takes a seat, so I can

    see his head more clearly. There''s a small cut on the top of his head. It is no bigger than my thumbnail but looks pretty deep. I hover my hand over the wound and close my eyes, drawing on my healing light and transferring it to him. I feel the moment the cut knits together, and then my light is drawn deeper into his

    head. I follow it, allowing it to search out what else needs healing, and then I pull

    my hand back with a gasp.

    "It''s okay," Robert smiles sadly.

    "No, it''s not," I shake my head, taking a step back.

    "What''s wrong?" my mum asks.

    "Can Josie and I have a moment alone?" Robert asks, and Inod, letting my guys

    know it''s okay.

    "You should be in the hospital, that''s more than I can heal alone," I say once

    everyone has moved into the house. I know my guys will be listening, but with no

    one in sight, it gives the illusion of privacy.

    "I have declined healing," he admits. "I''m right where I''m supposed to be."

    "Why? You''ll die without it," I say, my eyes welling with tears.

    "Because there''s no point, I''m not going to let a team waste their gift saving my life just to sit rotting in that prison. I''m at peace with it, especially now that I finally

    got to meet you," he smiles, reaching over to take my hand in his

    "You can''t do this," I shake my head. "You can''te into my life and then leave

    again before I even get a chance to get to know you." I snap, getting up and walking away from him.

    How can this be happening right now? All these years were wasted o

    **Josie''s POV **

    "I know you," my mum says as she points at Robert.

    "Mum,e on, let''s go and sit down," I say, trying to turn her attention away from

    Robert, who looks like a deer caught in headlights.

    My mum turns back to look at me with wide eyes, "We need to talk, privately," she

    insists, linking her arm with mine and leading me around the side of the house. "I''ll stay close," Deacon reassures through the mind link. He doesn''t need to say why. I know he is ready to step in andpel her if he has to.

    I don''t want to lose her again, but if that is the only way to make her well, I will not hesitate to let Deacon retake her memories of me.

    "Josie, that man is your biological father," my mum admits, looking nervous. "Who? Robert? Are you sure?" I say, acting shocked.

    I hate lying to her, but I have to y along with the lie she believes is her past.

    My mum peeks around the side of the house to take another look at Robert.

    "Yes," she nods, "I never saw him again after that night, so I couldn''t tell him about you. How am I going to tell him now?"

    "From the look on his face, I''m guessing he''s worked it out," I force augh.

    "Do you think? I''m so sorry, this is such bad timing. Why is he here anyway?" she

    asks.

    "He''s just one of the guys helping search for Harper," I shrug and warn my guys

    through the mind link to make sure Robert and Freya y along with whatever happens next.

    "Well then, let''s go and tell him, at least it should make him even more motivated

    to find her," my mum says with a determined nod before taking my hand and leading me back towards Robert.

    Deacon is talking with him quietly, and he nods before his eyes shift to us. "Hello, Robert. Do you remember me?" My mum asks.

    "Yes, of course. I could never forget you, Penny," he smiles, and I watch as my

    mum blushes. Yuck! I do not want to know what she is thinking to make her blush like that.

    "Good, well, there is no easy way to tell you this, but Josie is your daughter," she

    says.

    "Shut the front door!" Theo gasps dramatically.

    "Wow, I was not expecting that," Freya exims.

    Robert does a great job of seeming speechless, or maybe he just is because he

    has no idea how to react. Deacon squeezes his shoulder as if congratting him, and he seems to snap back to reality.

    "I had a suspicion as soon as I recognised you and heard her call you mum," Robert says, blowing out a breath. Sorry, this is quite a shock. I don''t know Josie very well, but from what I have seen of her, you did a wonderful job of raising her.

    I''m sorry I couldn''t be there. There''s nothing I''ve ever wanted more than my own family, and I''m

    sorry I wasn''t there. Please know that I would have been there if I''d known, but circumstances meant I couldn''t return," he says, taking my mum''s hands in his. I have to fight the urge to p his hands away. I don''t want him touching her. I

    know he didn''t hurt her now, it''s hard to get over the amount of hate I''ve held for him all these years.

    but

    The way my mum smiles at him grips my heart. I''ve never seen her look at anyone like this, not Frank, or herte husband who raised me. There is obviously some soul-deep connection there, and despite having her true memories taken she must feel it. Maybe in another life, they belonged together. "House is fixed," Mason says as hees out to join us, breaking the moment between my mum and Robert and reminding me of the mess I just made. "Thanks, I am really sorry about that. I just lost it for a moment. The stress is finally getting to me," I say, feeling ashamed at my outburst.

    "No one is judging you. Considering everything, I think we are all more surprised it hasn''t happened before now. You are all under a great deal of stress. We expect there to be breaking points. The important thing is that we reacted quickly and no one was severely hurt," Raff reassures.

    I nod my thanks to Raff. I know what he is saying makes sense, but it doesn''t make me feel any better. I could have killed someone. If Robert and Raff hadn''t quickly pulled my mum and Freya out and my guys hadn''t calmed me so fast, this could have had apletely different oue.

    I look at Robert, the blood on his head seems to have stopped, which is good and

    means his wound isn''t too bad. "Let me heal you," I say moving closer to him. He looks as though he''s about to protest, but then he stops himself, giving me a

    small nod. I''m not sure if it''s because he knows I need to do this. After all, I caused it, or because this is the first caring gesture I''ve shown him. My mum guides Robert to one of the stone benches, and he takes a seat, so I can

    see his head more clearly. There''s a small cut on the top of his head. It is no bigger than my thumbnail but looks pretty deep. I hover my hand over the wound and close my eyes, drawing on my healing light and transferring it to him. I feel the moment the cut knits together, and then my light is drawn deeper into his

    head. I follow it, allowing it to search out what else needs healing, and then I pull

    my hand back with a gasp.

    "It''s okay," Robert smiles sadly.

    "No, it''s not," I shake my head, taking a step back.

    "What''s wrong?" my mum asks.

    "Can Josie and I have a moment alone?" Robert asks, and Inod, letting my guys

    know it''s okay.

    "You should be in the hospital, that''s more than I can heal alone," I say once

    everyone has moved into the house. I know my guys will be listening, but with no

    one in sight, it gives the illusion of privacy.

    "I have declined healing," he admits. "I''m right where I''m supposed to be."

    "Why? You''ll die without it," I say, my eyes welling with tears. "Because there''s no point, I''m not going to let a team waste their gift saving my

    life just to sit rotting in that prison. I''m at peace with it, especially now that I finally

    got to meet you," he smiles, reaching over to take my hand in his "You can''t do this," I shake my head. "You can''te into my life and then leave

    again before I even get a chance to get to know you." I snap, getting up and walking away from him.

    How can this be happening right now? All these years were wasted on hating him

    for something he didn''t do, and now I''m going to lose him before I even decide if I

    want a rtions

    **Josie''s POV **

    "I know you," my mum says as she points at Robert.

    "Mum,e on, let''s go and sit down," I say, trying to turn her attention away from

    Robert, who looks like a deer caught in headlights.

    My mum turns back to look at me with wide eyes, "We need to talk, privately," she

    insists, linking her arm with mine and leading me around the side of the house. "I''ll stay close," Deacon reassures through the mind link. He doesn''t need to say

    why. I know he is ready to step in andpel her if he has to.

    I don''t want to lose her again, but if that is the only way to make her well, I will not

    hesitate to let Deacon retake her memories of me.

    "Josie, that man is your biological father," my mum admits, looking nervous. "Who? Robert? Are you sure?" I say, acting shocked.

    I hate lying to her, but I have to y along with the lie she believes is her past.

    My mum peeks around the side of the house to take another look at Robert.

    "Yes," she nods, "I never saw him again after that night, so I couldn''t tell him about you. How am I going to tell him now?"

    "From the look on his face, I''m guessing he''s worked it out," I force augh.

    "Do you think? I''m so sorry, this is such bad timing. Why is he here anyway?" she

    asks.

    ¡°He''s just one of the guys helping search for Harper,¡± I shrug and warn my guys

    through the mind link to make sure Robert and Freya y along with whatever happens next.

    "Well then, let''s go and tell him, at least it should make him even more motivated

    to find her," my mum says with a determined nod before taking my hand and leading me back towards Robert.

    Deacon is talking with him quietly, and he nods before his eyes shift to us. "Hello, Robert. Do you remember me?" My mum asks. "Yes, of course. I could never forget you, Penny," he smiles, and I watch as my

    mum blushes. Yuck! I do not want to know what she is thinking to make her blush

    like that.

    "Good, well, there is no easy way to tell you this, but Josie is your daughter," she

    says.

    "Shut the front door!" Theo gasps dramatically.

    "Wow, I was not expecting that," Freya exims. Robert does a great job of seeming speechless, or maybe he just is because he

    has no idea how to react. Deacon squeezes his shoulder as if congratting him,

    and he seems to snap back to reality.

    "I had a suspicion as soon as I recognised you and heard her call you mum," Robert says, blowing out a breath. Sorry, this is quite a shock. I don''t know Josie very well, but from what I have seen of her, you did a wonderful job of raising her.

    I''m sorry I couldn''t be there. There''s nothing I''ve ever wanted more than my own

    family, and I''m

    sorry I wasn''t there. Please know that I would have been there if I''d known, but circumstances meant I couldn''t return," he says, taking my mum''s hands in his. I have to fight the urge to p his hands away. I don''t want him touching her. I

    know he didn''t hurt her now, it''s hard to get over the amount of hate I''ve held for

    him all

    these

    years.

    but

    The way my mum smiles at him grips my heart. I''ve never seen her look at anyone like this, not Frank, or herte husband who raised me. There is obviously

    some soul-deep connection there, and despite having her true memories taken

    she must feel it. Maybe in another life, they belonged together. "House is fixed," Mason says as hees out to join us, breaking the moment between my mum and Robert and reminding me of the mess I just made. ¡°Thanks, I am really sorry about that. I just lost it for a moment. The stress is finally getting to me," I say, feeling ashamed at my outburst. "No one is judging you. Considering everything, I think we are all more surprised it

    hasn''t happened before now. You are all under a great deal of stress. We expect there to be breaking points. The important thing is that we reacted quickly and no one was severely hurt," Raff reassures.

    I nod my thanks to Raff. I know what he is saying makes sense, but it doesn''t make me feel any better. I could have killed someone. If Robert and Raff hadn''t quickly pulled my mum and Freya out and my guys hadn''t calmed me so fast, this could have had apletely different oue. I look at Robert, the blood on his head seems to have stopped, which is good and

    means his wound isn''t too bad. "Let me heal you," I say moving closer to him. He looks as though he''s about to protest, but then he stops himself, giving me a

    small nod. I''m not sure if it''s because he knows I need to do this. After all, I

    caused it, or because this is the first caring gesture I''ve shown him. My mum guides Robert to one of the stone benches, and he takes a seat, so I can

    his head. It is no

    see his head more clearly. There''s a small cut on the top of bigger than my thumbnail but looks pretty deep. I hover my hand over the wound

    and close my eyes, drawing on my healing light and transferring it to him. I feel

    the moment the cut knits together, and then my light is drawn deeper into his

    head. I follow it, allowing it to search out what else needs healing, and then I pull

    my hand back with a gasp.

    "It''s okay," Robert smiles sadly.

    "No, it''s not," I shake my head, taking a step back.

    "What''s wrong?" my mum asks.

    "Can Josie and I have a moment alone?" Robert asks, and Inod, letting my guys

    know it''s okay.

    "You should be in the hospital, that''s more than I can heal alone," I say once

    everyone has moved into the house. I know my guys will be listening, but with no

    one in sight, it gives the illusion of privacy. "I have declined healing," he admits. "I''m right where I''m supposed to be."

    "Why? You''ll die without it," I say, my eyes welling with tears.

    "Because there''s no point, I''m not going to let a team waste their gift saving my

    life just to sit rotting in that prison. I''m at peace with it, especially now that I finally

    got to meet you," he smiles, reaching over to take my hand in his

    "You can''t do this," I shake my head. "You can''te into my life and then leave

    again before I even get a chance to get to know you." I snap, getting up and

    walking away from him.

    How can this be happening right now? All these years were wa

    **Josie''s POV **

    "I know you," my mum says as she points at Robert.

    "Mum,e on, let''s go and sit down," I say, trying to turn her attention away from Robert, who looks like a deer caught in headlights.

    My mum turns back to look at me with wide eyes, "We need to talk, privately," she

    insists, linking her arm with mine and leading me around the side of the house. "I''ll stay close," Deacon reassures through the mind link. He doesn''t need to say

    why. I know he is ready to step in andpel her if he has to. I don''t want to lose her again, but if that is the only way to make her well, I will not

    hesitate to let Deacon retake her memories of me.

    "Josie, that man is your biological father," my mum admits, looking nervous.

    "Who? Robert? Are you sure?" I say, acting shocked. I hate lying to her, but I have to y along with the lie she believes is her past.

    My mum peeks around the side of the house to take another look at Robert.

    "Yes," she nods, "I never saw him again after that night, so I couldn''t tell him about

    you. How am I going to tell him now?" "From the look on his face, I''m guessing he''s worked it out," I force augh.

    "Do you think? I''m so sorry, this is such bad timing. Why is he here anyway?" she

    asks.

    "He''s just one of the guys helping search for Harper," I shrug and warn my guys

    through the mind link to make sure Robert and Freya y along with whatever happens next.

    "Well then, let''s go and tell him, at least it should make him even more motivated

    to find her," my mum says with a determined nod before taking my hand and

    leading me back towards Robert. Deacon is talking with him quietly, and he nods before his eyes shift to us.

    "Hello, Robert. Do you remember me?" My mum asks. "Yes, of course. I could never forget you, Penny," he smiles, and I watch as my

    mum blushes. Yuck! I do not want to know what she is thinking to make her blush

    like that.

    "Good, well, there is no easy way to tell you this, but Josie is your daughter," she

    says.

    "Shut the front door!" Theo gasps dramatically.

    "Wow, I was not expecting that," Freya exims.

    Robert does a great job of seeming speechless, or maybe he just is because he

    has no idea how to react. Deacon squeezes his shoulder as if congratting him,

    and he seems to snap back to reality.

    "I had a suspicion as soon as I recognised you and heard her call you mum,"

    Robert says, blowing out a breath. Sorry, this is quite a shock. I don''t know Josie

    very well, but from what I have seen of her, you did a wonderful job of raising her.

    I''m sorry I couldn''t be there. There''s nothing I''ve ever wanted more than my own

    family, and I''m

    sorry I wasn''t there. Please know that I would have been there if I''d known, but

    circumstances meant I couldn''t return," he says, taking my mum''s hands in his.

    I have to fight the urge to p his hands away. I don''t want him touching her. I

    know he didn''t hurt her now, it''s hard to get over the amount of hate I''ve held for

    him all

    these

    years.

    but

    The way my mum smiles at him grips my heart. I''ve never seen her look at anyone like this, not Frank, or herte husband who raised me. There is obviously

    some soul-deep connection there, and despite having her true memories taken

    she must feel it. Maybe in another life, they belonged together. "House is fixed," Mason says as hees out to join us, breaking the moment between my mum and Robert and reminding me of the mess I just made. "Thanks, I am really sorry about that. I just lost it for a moment. The stress is

    finally getting to me," I say, feeling ashamed at my outburst. "No one is judging you. Considering everything, I think we are all more surprised it

    hasn''t happened before now. You are all under a great deal of stress. We expect

    there to be breaking points. The important thing is that we reacted quickly and no

    one was

    severely hurt," Raff reassures.

    I nod my thanks to Raff. I know what he is saying makes sense, but it doesn''t

    make me feel any better. I could have killed someone. If Robert and Raff hadn''t

    quickly pulled my mum and Freya out and my guys hadn''t calmed me so fast, this

    could have had apletely different oue.

    I look at Robert, the blood on his head seems to have stopped, which is good and

    means his wound isn''t too bad. "Let me heal you," I say moving closer to him.

    He looks as though he''s

    about to protest, but then he stops himself, giving me a

    small nod. I''m not sure if it''s because he knows I need to do this. After all, I

    caused it, or because this is the first caring gesture I''ve shown him.

    My mum guides Robert to one of the stone benches, and he takes a seat, so I can

    see his head more clearly. There''s a small cut on the top of his head. It is no bigger than my thumbnail but looks pretty deep. I hover my hand over the wound and close my eyes, drawing on my healing light and transferring it to him. I feel

    the moment the cut knits together, and then my light is drawn deeper into his

    head. I follow it, allowing it to search out what else needs healing, and then I pull

    my hand back with a gasp.

    "It''s okay," Robert smiles sadly.

    "No, it''s not," I shake my head, taking a step back.

    "What''s wrong?" my mum asks.

    "Can Josie and I have a moment alone?" Robert asks, and Inod, letting my guys

    know it''s okay.

    "You should be in the hospital, that''s more than I can heal alone," I say once

    everyone has moved into the house. I know my guys will be listening, but with no

    one in sight, it gives the illusion of privacy. "I have declined healing," he admits. "I''m right where I''m supposed to be."

    "Why? You''ll die without it," I say, my eyes welling with tears. "Because there''s no point, I''m not going to let a team waste their gift saving my

    life just to sit rotting in that prison. I''m at peace with it, especially now that I finally

    got to meet you," he smiles, reaching over to take my hand in his "You can''t do this," I shake my head. "You can''te into my life and then leave

    again before I even get a chance to get to know you." I snap, getting up and

    walking away from him.

    How can this be happening right now? All these years were wasted on hating him

    for something he didn''t do, and now I''m going to lose him before I even decide if I

    want a rel

    **Josie''s POV **

    "I know you," my mum says as she points at Robert.

    "Mum,e on, let''s go and sit down," I say, trying to turn her attention away from

    Robert, who looks like a deer caught in

    headlights.

    My mum turns back to look at me with wide eyes, "We need to talk, privately," she

    insists, linking her arm with mine and leading me around the side of the house.

    "I''ll stay close," Deacon reassures through the mind link. He doesn''t need to say

    why. I know he is ready to step in andpel her if he has to.

    I don''t want to lose her again, but if that is the only way to make her well, I will not

    hesitate to let Deacon retake her memories of me.

    "Josie, that man is your biological father," my mum admits, looking nervous.

    "Who? Robert? Are you sure?" I say, acting shocked. I hate lying to her, but I have to y along with the lie she believes is her past.

    My mum peeks around the side of the house to take another look at Robert.

    "Yes," she nods, "I never saw him again after that night, so I couldn''t tell him about

    you. How am I going to tell him now?"

    "From the look on his face, I''m guessing he''s worked it out," I force augh.

    "Do you think? I''m so sorry, this is such bad timing. Why is he here anyway?" she

    asks.

    "He''s just one of the guys helping search for Harper," I shrug and warn my guys

    through the mind link to make sure Robert and Freya y along with whatever happens next.

    "Well then, let''s go and tell him, at least it should make him even more motivated

    to find her," my mum says with a determined nod before taking my hand and

    leading me back towards Robert. Deacon is talking with him quietly, and he nods before his eyes shift to us.

    "Hello, Robert. Do you remember me?" My mum asks.

    "Yes, of course. I could never forget you, Penny," he smiles, and I watch as my

    mum blushes. Yuck! I do not want to know what she is thinking to make her blush

    like that.

    "Good, well, there is no easy way to tell you this, but Josie is your daughter," she

    says.

    "Shut the front door!" Theo gasps dramatically.

    "Wow, I was not expecting that," Freya exims.

    Robert does a great job of seeming speechless, or maybe he just is because he

    has no idea how to react. Deacon squeezes his shoulder as if congratting him,

    and he seems to snap back to reality.

    "I had a suspicion as soon as I recognised you and heard her call you mum,"

    Robert says, blowing out a breath. Sorry, this is quite a shock. I don''t know Josie

    very well, but from what I have seen of her, you did a wonderful job of raising her. I''m sorry I couldn''t be there. There''s nothing I''ve ever wanted

    family, and I''m

    more than my own

    sorry I wasn''t there. Please know that I would have been there if I''d known, but

    circumstances meant I couldn''t return," he says, taking my mum''s hands in his.

    I have to fight the urge to p his hands away. I don''t want him touching her. I

    know he didn''t hurt her now, it''s hard to get over the amount of hate I''ve held for

    him all

    these

    years.

    but

    The way my mum smiles at him grips my heart. I''ve never seen her look at

    anyone like this, not Frank, or herte husband who raised me. There is obviously

    some

    soul-deep connection there, and despite having her true memories taken

    she must feel it. Maybe in another life, they belonged together.

    "House is fixed," Mason says as hees out to join us, breaking the moment

    between my mum and Robert and reminding me of the mess I just made.

    ¡°Thanks, I am really sorry about that. I just lost it for a moment. The stress is

    finally getting to me," I say, feeling ashamed at my outburst. "No one is judging you. Considering everything, I think we are all more surprised it

    hasn''t happened before now. You are all under a great deal of stress. We expect

    there to be breaking points. The

    important thing is that we reacted quickly and no

    one was severely hurt," Raff reassures.

    I nod my thanks to Raff. I

    know what he is saying makes sense, but it doesn''t

    make me feel any better. I could have killed someone. If Robert and Raff hadn''t

    quickly pulled my mum and Freya out and my guys hadn''t calmed me so fast, this

    could have had apletely different

    oue.

    I look at Robert, the blood on his head seems to have stopped, which is good and

    means his wound isn''t too bad. "Let me heal you," I say moving closer to him.

    He looks as though he''s about to protest, but then he stops himself, giving me a

    small nod. I''m not sure if it''s because he knows I need to do this. After all, I

    caused it, or because this is the first caring gesture I''ve shown him.

    My mum guides Robert to one of the stone benches, and he takes a seat, so I can

    see his head more clearly. There''s a small cut on the top of his head. It is no

    bigger than my thumbnail but looks pretty deep. I hover my hand over the wound

    and close my eyes, drawing on my healing light and transferring it to him. I feel

    the moment the cut knits together, and then my light is drawn deeper into his

    head. I follow it, allowing it to search out what else needs healing, and then I pull

    my hand back with a gasp.

    "It''s okay," Robert smiles sadly.

    "No, it''s not," I shake my head, taking a step back.

    "What''s wrong?" my mum asks.

    "Can Josie and I have a moment alone?" Robert asks, and Inod, letting my guys

    know it''s okay.

    "You should be in the hospital, that''s more than I can heal alone," I say once

    everyone has moved into the house. I know my guys will be listening, but with no

    one in sight, it gives the illusion of privacy.

    "I have declined healing," he admits. "I''m right where I''m supposed to be."

    "Why? You''ll die without it," I say, my eyes welling with tears.

    "Because there''s no point, I''m not going to let a team waste their gift saving my

    life just to sit rotting in that prison. I''m at peace with it, especially now that I finally

    got to meet you," he smiles, reaching over to take my hand in his

    "You can''t do this," I shake my head. "You can''te into my life and then leave

    again before I even get a chance to get to know you." I snap, getting up and

    walking away from him.

    How can this be happening right now? All these years were wasted on hating him

    for something he didn''t do, and now I''m going to lose him before I even decide if I

    want a rtionship with him.

    "What is it?" Luke asks in the mind link.

    "He has a massive brain tumour, he won''t survive it."

    **Josie''s POV **

    "I know you," my mum says as she points at Robert.

    "Mum,e on, let''s go and sit down," I say, trying to turn her attention away from

    Robert, who looks like a deer caught in headlights.

    My mum turns back to look at me with wide eyes, "We need to talk, privately," she

    insists, linking her arm with mine and leading me around the side of the house.

    "I''ll stay close," Deacon reassures through the mind link. He doesn''t need to say

    why. I know he is ready to step in andpel her if he has to.

    I don''t want to lose her again, but if that is the only way to make her well, I will not

    hesitate to let Deacon retake her memories of me.

    "Josie, that man is your biological father," my mum admits, looking nervous.

    "Who? Robert? Are you sure?" I say, acting shocked.

    I hate lying to her, but I have to y along with the lie she believes is her past.

    My mum peeks around the side of the house to take another look at Robert.

    "Yes,"

    she nods, "I never saw him again after that night, so I couldn''t tell him about

    you. How am I going to tell him now?"

    "From the look on his face, I''m guessing he''s worked it out," I force augh.

    "Do you think? I''m so sorry, this is such bad timing. Why is he here anyway?" she

    asks.

    "He''s just one of the guys helping search for Harper," I shrug and warn my guys

    through the mind link to make sure Robert and Freya y along with whatever

    happens next.

    "Well then, let''s go and tell him, at least it should make him even more

    motivated

    to find her," my mum says with a determined nod before taking my hand and

    leading me back towards

    Robert.

    Deacon is talking with him quietly, and he nods before his eyes shift to us.

    "Hello, Robert. Do you remember me?" My mum asks.

    "Yes, of course. I could never forget you, Penny," he smiles, and I watch as my

    mum blushes. Yuck! I do not want to know what she is thinking to make her blush

    like that.

    "Good, well, there is no easy way to tell you this, but Josie is your daughter," she

    says.

    "Shut the front door!" Theo gasps dramatically.

    "Wow, I was not expecting that," Freya exims.

    Robert does a great job of seeming speechless, or maybe he just is because he

    has no idea how to react. Deacon squeezes his shoulder as if congratting him,

    and he seems to snap back to reality.

    "I had a suspicion as soon as I recognised you and heard her call you mum,"

    Robert says, blowing out a breath. Sorry, this is quite a shock. I don''t know Josie very well, but from what I have seen of her, you did a wonderful job of raising her.

    I''m sorry I couldn''t be there.

    family, and I''m

    There''s

    nothing

    I''ve

    ever wanted

    more than my own

    sorry I wasn''t there. Please know that I would have

    been

    there if I''d known, but

    circumstances meant I couldn''t return," he says, taking my mum''s hands in his.

    I have to fight the urge to p his hands away. I don''t want him touching her. I

    know he didn''t hurt her now, it''s hard to get over the amount of hate I''ve held for

    him all

    these

    years.

    but

    The way my mum smiles at him grips my heart. I''ve never seen her look at

    anyone like this, not Frank, or herte husband who raised me. There is obviously

    some

    soul-deep connection there, and despite having her true memories taken

    she must feel it. Maybe in another life, they belonged together.

    "House is fixed," Mason says as hees out to join us, breaking the moment

    between my mum and Robert and reminding me of the mess I just made.

    "Thanks, I am really sorry about that. I just lost it for a moment. The stress is

    finally getting to me," I say, feeling ashamed at my outburst.

    "No one is judging you. Considering everything, I think we are all more surprised it

    hasn''t happened before now. You are all under a great deal of stress. We expect

    there to be breaking points. The important thing is that we reacted quickly and no

    one was severely hurt," Raff reassures.

    I nod my thanks to Raff. I know what he is saying

    makes sense, but it doesn''t

    make me feel any better. I could have killed someone. If Robert and Raff hadn''t

    quickly pulled my mum and Freya out

    could have had apletely

    different

    and my guys hadn''t calmed me so fast, this

    oue.

    I look at Robert, the blood on his head seems to have stopped, which is good and

    means his wound isn''t too bad. ¡°Let me heal you,¡± I say moving closer to him.

    He looks as though he''s

    about to protest, but then he stops himself, giving me a

    small nod. I''m not sure if it''s

    because he knows I need to do this. After all, I

    caused it, or because this is the first caring gesture I''ve shown him.

    My mum guides Robert to one of the stone benches, and he takes a seat, so I can

    see his head more clearly. There''s a small cut on

    the top

    of his head. It is no

    bigger than my thumbnail but looks pretty deep. I hover my hand over the wound

    and close my eyes, drawing on my healing light and transferring it to him. I feel

    the moment the cut knits together, and then my light is drawn deeper into his

    head. I follow it, allowing it to search out what else needs healing, and then I pull

    my hand back with a gasp.

    "It''s okay," Robert smiles sadly.

    "No, it''s not," I shake my head, taking a step back.

    "What''s wrong?" my mum asks.

    "Can Josie and I have a moment alone?" Robert asks, and Inod, letting my guys

    know it''s okay.

    "You should be in the hospital, that''s more than I can heal alone," I say once

    everyone has moved into the house. I know my guys will be listening, but with no

    one in sight, it gives the illusion of privacy.

    "I have declined healing," he admits. "I''m right where I''m supposed to be."

    "Why? You''ll die without it," I say, my eyes welling with tears.

    "Because there''s no point, I''m not going to let a team waste their gift saving my

    life just to sit rotting in that prison. I''m at peace with it, especially now that I finally

    got to meet you," he smiles, reaching over to take my hand in his

    "You can''t do this," I shake my head. "You can''te into my life and then leave

    again

    before I even get a chance to get to know you." I snap, getting up and

    walking away from him.

    How can this be happening right now? All these

    years were wasted on hating him

    for something he didn''t do, and now I''m going to lose him before I even decide if I

    want a rtionship with him.

    "What is it?" Luke asks in the mind link.

    "He has a massive brain tumour, he won''t survive it."

    ationship with him.

    "What is it?" Luke asks in the mind link.

    "He has a massive brain tumour, he won''t survive it."

    ionship with him.

    "What is it?" Luke asks in the mind link.

    "He has a massive brain tumour, he won''t survive it."

    ip with him.

    "What is it?" Luke asks in the mind link.

    "He has a massive brain tumour, he won''t survive it."

    n hating him for something he didn''t do, and now I''m going to lose him before I

    even decide if I want a rtionship with him.

    "What is it?" Luke asks in the mind link.

    "He has a massive brain tumour, he won''t survive it."

    "He has a massive brain tumour, he won''t survive it."

 Chapter 284

    **Theo''s POV

    I''m angry. So angry that I want to punch Robert, but I guess it''s frowned upon to punch a dying man. Instead, I just scowl at him as I pass him to go andfort my bond. At least he has the decency to look remorseful.

    Why didn''t he tell her straight away? Why did he let her find out like this? When she is clearly already at her limit of how much shit she can deal with right now. Why did he convince her he loved her, just to let her be hurt by his impending departure from this life?

    Josie stands at the edge of the property line, looking out ate view of the town in the distance. I don''t speak, just go to her and wrap my arms around her. She leans into me and her body begins to shake with silent cries.

    "It was easier to hate him," she admits..

    "I know, maybe now he will change his mind. He has something to live for now. Let''s introduce him to the kids. He won''t want to leave once he meets them,¡± I suggest.

    "And then what? Once we have Harper back, Robert will go back to prison, and I''m not taking the kids there to visit him," she shakes her head.

    "Actually, I might have a solution to that," Deacon says,ing to stand beside

    us.

    "What?" Josie asks, and there is so much hope in that single word.

    "If we can prove that he didn''t have much involvement in the rogue''s actions and that he switched his loyalties at a vital moment, giving us the win, plus his assistance in helping us against them this time. We might be able to have him released for time already served," Deacon exins.

    "How can we prove that?" I ask.

    "We already have his ount of events whilst underpulsion. That should be enough alone. If he is sessful at leading us to them this time, then that should be more than enough to convince the Elders,"

    "D says.

    we could just take our rightful ce as elders and pardon him ourselves," Luke says as hees to join us.

    I feel Josie''s despair turn into something else as she thinks about what has been said. She straightens up, standing tall as determination and anger fill her. Then she turns and strides back towards Robert with us following closely behind. She is so fucking hot when she is like this.

    "This is what is going to happen, because you don''t get toe into my life and convince me you are not the evil man I believed, only to leave me again. You wanted to be a dad so badly, and now you actually have the chance to be one. So, you are going to help bring my daughter home, and then you are going to start treatment whilst we fight to have you released. You might have missed out on my growing up, but you have six grandchildren who are still growing up," she rants.

    "Six?" Robert asks, raising his brows.

    "Yes, six. Harper is sixteen, As is fourteen, Joel is twelve Sammy is ten and the twins, Elijah and Jensen, are nine. Emma said you always wanted your own family. Well, how you have one, but only if you''re willing to fight for it."

    "If you want me in your life and theirs, then I will have treatment, but I don''t expect

    to be released. I betrayed my own kind. I don''t deserve a second chance."

    "That is not up to you to decide. If the Elders believe you''ve served enough time, then you''ll be released. I don''t

    want to bring the kids there for visits," Josie tells him.

    "Fair enough," Robert nods. "Thank you for giving me a chance."

    "Don''t make me regret it. Now let''s n how you will find Harper," she says before turning away and walking into the house.

    "If you let her down, going back to prison will be the least of your worries," I say with the friendliest grin I can muster. I know from Mason that smiling whilst delivering a threat makes it ten times scarier

    "I understand," Robert nods.

    We all follow Josie into the house. Penny has made tea and hands Robert a cup, who takes it gratefully as we pass through the kitchen.

    "It''s been a long time since I''ve had human tea," he smiles

    "Enjoy it. I''m going to bake some cookies and fix us all some lunch. I may not have superpowers, but I can cook and keep everyone energised," Penny says.

    "We definitely need to be energised, especially by your chocte chip cookies,¡± I grin at her.

    Down in the basement, Axel, Mason and Raff are going over maps and a few of Raff''s team are busy onputers. Robert stops, picking up a printed picture of Harper. He looks at her with a glint in his eye.

    "Is this my granddaughter?" he asks.

    "Yes, that''s Harper," Josie smiles.

    ¡°She is beautiful, just like you and your mother. Can I keep this?" He asks and Josie nods. Robert folds the paper on puts it in his pocket.

    "Can I borrow your phone for a moment?" Josie asks me and I nod, taking the device from my pocket and handing

    it to her.

    I watch as she pulls up her social media page and shows Robert pictures of the kids, telling him a bit about each one as she does. It is nice to watch her bond with her father, but I''m still unsure about him. He may have proved he didn''t harm Penny and that he had loved Josie, but I haven''t forgotten about his role in Mason''s torture. He may not have physically harmed Mace himself, but he had an opportunity to save an innocent child, and he didn''t.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 285

    **Josie''s POV **

    After an hour of arguing, we finally all agree that one of our bond group should try to infiltrate the rogues with Robert. Raff had wanted to send one of his men, but we need someone who can resistpulsion andmunicate with the rest of us without the need for any technology that could be found.

    "So which of us are going in? Because I''m pretty sure we are all recognisable," Theo asks.

    "Josie, Deacon and Mason are probably the most well-known with the rogues. They are the three with the strongest gifts. With Axel''s size, I''m not sure if there is much we can do to disguise who he is. Theo is probably the face they hate the most after he was the one who killed Cornellus. I think Luke is our best option,"

    Raff says.

    "I agree, he is probably the most underestimated out of us all, and he has the means to escape too," I nod.

    "I''m not sure if I should be ttered or offended, but yes, I''m the most logical choice," Luke agrees.

    But this still leaves the issue of Robert beingpelled and blowing both of their covers. I can''t imagine them weing him back into the fold without interrogation," Mason sighs.

    "Can''t D justpel him to resist thepulsion?" Axel asks.

    "I can try, but if theirpeller is stronger than me, they might break through it. Plus there''s the very real possibility of breaking his mind with the war that will assault his brain," Deacon exins.

    "I''m willing to risk it," Robert says, and all eyes turn to me as if seeking my permission.

    1

    "Will you be able to fix him?" I ask Deacon.

    "I''m not sure."

    "Don''t worry about that. It is my risk to take, and I ept the possible consequences," Robert brushes us off.

    "If you start to feel like they''re breaking through, you could always port out," Luke suggests.

    "Then it''s settled," Robert nods.

    "Okay, great. Luke, what colour hair do you want?" I ask looking at his mousy brown hair.

    "What colour would suit me?" he asks.

    "It has to be something natural, so your options are limited Take a look around the room and decide whose hair colour you want to take," I shrug, unable to decide which colour he''d look best with. I like his natural colour, and it''s difficult to imagine him with anything else.

    "I can help with this part," Freya pipes up from the back of the room. "I have an app for this, look into the camera," she says as she walks over to us, holding up her phone to Luke.

    She snaps a quick picture and gets to work, showing Luke his options.

    "Is there anything you don''t have an app for?" Deaconughs.

    "Damn, you look hot with dark hair Luke, like that badass vampire guy from that show Jose watches," Theo fans himself as he looks at Freya''s phone.

    "Let me see," I demand, and Freya turns her screen towards me. Theo is right. If Luke goes dark, I''m going to have my very own Damon Salvatore look-alike.

    Freya flicks through a few more options. The blonde make him look angelle, and the ginger seems too obvious.

    "Dark," Freya, Theo and I all agree.

    "I''ll go pick up the dye. Do you need anything else from the shop?" Freya asks, and I can tell she instantly regrets. it when we sound off a list of snacks and drinks before she leaves.

    "There''s something else you''re going to need," Robert sighs and begins rolling up his sleeve.

    He holds out his arm to us, and we all look at his normal-looking wrist.

    "An arm? Luckily Luke already has two, so he''s good," The snorts.

    "Look again, but re your eyes with your power," Robert says.

    I allow my energy to pulse within me, and when my eyes re with my gifts, I see what Robert is trying to show us. A tattoo of a ring, with four small shapes on it that look like cut stones. It''s unmistakably Cornelius'' insignia.

    "Woah," Theo breathes.

    "How have we not found out about this before?" Raff grunts in frustration.

    "I''m not sure if the new generation is still marking themselves like this, but if we are going to convince them that Luke is one of Cornelius'' originals, he''s going to need one, Robert exins.

    "How do I get one of those?" Luke asks. ¡°I''m assuming I can''t just ask a regr tattoo artist to do it."

    "No, it''s not a tattoo, it''s a brand. Before healing, the wound is packed with powdered gemstones, so fine that they''re undetectable without using our powers

    to see them. The branding kit should be with Cornelius'' belongings," Robert says.

    "Does it hurt?" Luke asks.

    "Very much so," Robert grimaces.

    "Awesome, I can''t wait for that," Luke sighs.

    "Is there any way to remove it?" I ask.

    "Not that I know of. I guess it could be cut out," Robert shrugs.

    "Is there any other way they identify themselves to each other? I need to know everything that only someone who was involved would know," Luke says.

    "Yes, there''s a handshake," Robert says, and I can''t contain my snort ofughter. "What''s funny?" Theo asks.

    "Ohe on, a handshake? It''s just so clich¨¦ for a secret organisation," I shake my head.

    "Yeah, it is pretty funny," Theo grins.

    "I can see how truly happy you are. Even in times of high stress, you all seem to be able to find humour and keep each other''s spirits high. It really is wonderful to see. I''m so d you have such an amazing bond group," Robert

    smiles.

    "Thanks," I shrug, unsure how else to respond. He is right though. We all have moments of weakness, like my outburst earlier, but I don''t remember a single day since I met my bonds that I didn''t smile orugh at least once I think me and Theo especially default to humour, especially during stressful moments.

    Robert shows Lake the unluk, what is not nearly as nplex or formal as 1''d imagined it''s more of a grabbing of arms so that the brands on their wrists press together

    The rest of the day is spent dying Lee''s hair and listering Robert gives him a crash course on everything he needs to know about being a rogue Between them, they do top a nible story at Luke''s background, and oree up with a good reasons for how they have be few from prison Which imoves thing an attack on the prison so that if the rogues do have any informants for realm, they''ll hear about the breakout

 Chapter 286

    8

    **Luke''s POV**

    I''m unsure why, but I don''t want to find the Spark bond journal, which ispletely the opposite of what I expected of myself. Usually, if someone offered that kind of information, I''d be itching to get my hands on it. To

    a book in my hands that a previous version of myself may have written in should be exciting, but I have an

    awful feeling about it.

    Maybe there are things from our past in that book that we shouldn''t know, and that is why we haven''t had shbacks like Cornelius'' group did. Maybe he read something in there that made him do the things he did. I''m not sure if that is something we should risk.

    We already have everything we want in life, we just need to bring Harper home and then we can continue on the path we were on, one filled with happiness and love. We don''t need more information about ourselves, especially not if it could change what we have now.

    I spend most of the night awake, unable to stop thoughts of this damn journal from ying in my mind. The rest of my bond group sleep around me. We decided to stay at the mansion in the human realm tonight, not wanting to leave Robert here but not wanting to take him back to the prison either. It was toote to go back to our own home. The kids would be sleeping already and we didn''t want them waking up to a strange man sleeping on the couch.

    Another reason I can''t sleep is because I can''t shake the feeling that this will be thest night I spend in bed with my bond group. Maybe I won''te back from my mission to infiltrate the rogues.

    The sun begins to rise, and I''ve had maybe three hours sleep at the most. Josie sleeps with Theo on one side of her and Mason beside him. I''m on the left, between her and Axe and Deacon is next to him. Josie is lying on her front, her face towards Theo, so I can''t even study her beautiful face. My eyes trail down her body, focusing on the round of her ass, which is barely covered by one of Axel''s T-shirts, I know if I were to lift that T-shirt, I''d find her bare underneath.

    My dick wakes up as I think about all the wicked ways I could wake her up right now. I lick my lips as I imagine tasting her and I can''t stop myself. I''m moving down the bed, careful not to wake anyone. I want her to wake up to my tongue teasing her clit whilst my fingers massage her G-spot. I carefully push up the T- shirt to expose her perfect ass, and as if she knows what I''m about to do, she moves, hitching one leg up, and giving me a glimpse of her pretty pink pussy.

    I suppress a groan at the sight of her. I will never tire of looking at her. She is perfection. Moving slowly so as not to wake anyone, especially Josie, I lift her bent leg and hook it over my shoulder, theny on my side between her legs. My face is the exact ce I want it to be. f congratte myself on sessfullypleting my mission. Now I get to wake up my girl in the best way possible.

    Josie lets out a small hum of pleasure at the first swipe of my tongue over her sensitive flesh. Even in her sleep, she is so responsive to me and her taste is my most savoured vour. Within seconds, Josie is moaning, and her hands move to the back of my head, holding me in ce. A pointless move, because there was no way I nned to stop until she gave me her orgasm anyway.

    "Hot Damn, that is the best noise to wake up to," Theo groans.

    I feel the others waking up too, their consciousness and desire joining the bond.

    "Someone fill her mouth to keep her quiet. We don''t want our guests to hear her screams," I say into the mind link, conscious that the walls in the house do not have the soundproofing that ours do at home.

    +25 BOWES

    "With fucking pleasure," Axel responds, and I feel the bedshift under his weight.

    Josie rolls onto her back and I follow her, barely breaking contact with her. I bring my hand up and push two fingers into her pussy, curling them to massage her G- sporthe way she likes whilst my tongue teases her clit. As expected, she doesn''tst long like this and her cries are muffled by Axe''s cock in her mouth as she cums for me. "Such a good girl," Theo praises, and I lift my face to see Theo teasing her nipples whilst Axel fucks her mouth.

    ip on my knees I can''t wait a moment longer. If I don''t get inside her now, might spontaneouslybust. I get up between her legs and lift her hips to notch the head of my cock at her entrance, then I slide forward. Her hot wet pussy wees my dick home, clenching around it as she still rides the waves of her orgasm. I won''tst long. She feels too damn good, and I need her too much.

    Axel finds his release in her mouth, and she swallows him down hungrily like the fucking Queen that she is.

    "Do you want more?" Deacon asks when Axel copses to the bed beside her. "Yes," she breathes.

    "Of course she does, she''s a greedy little whore,¡± Mason humns, and I swear Josie''s inner wall squeezes my cock at his words.

    Deacon moves into position at her side, and she props herself up on her elbows, letting D feed her his length. "Doesn''t she look pretty with a cock in her mouth and pussy at the same time?" Theo says, his voice full of awe as he trails a hand down her body.

    His fingers find her clit, and he teases it, his other hand pressing down on her lower abdomen whilst I pick up my pace. As soon as Josie gives us her second orgasm, I follow her over the edge, my hips stuttering as I fill her.

    Mason practically pulls me off of her once I''ve caught my breath and takes my ce between her legs. At some point, Deacon and Theo have swapped ces, and I float on my cloud of bliss as the duo brings her to another orgasm.

    Wey in bed for some time in silence, the feeling ofing together and reconnecting settling me,pletely rid me of the weight of what might happen today.

 Chapter 287

    **Josie''s POV**

    Luke is nervous, despite his brave face, I can feel it through the bond. I want to talk to him about it, to tell him how proud and grateful we all are that he is willing to do this for our daughter, but I know he would be offended by that because I would be if any of my guys thanked me for trying to find my own daughter. As far as he is concerned, finding Harper, no matter the cost is his responsibility as much as it is mine.

    When we go downstairs after showering, my mum is already in the kitchen cooking up a feast.

    "That smells amazing," Theo groans as the smell of bacon engulfs us.

    "I''m suddenly starving." Axel says as he jumps straight into action to help, getting tes from the cupboard and setting the table.

    "Good morning, Mum. Thanks for doing this," I gesture to the food she has prepared.

    "Good morning. There''s no need to thank me. I need to help, and if that''s the only skill I can offer, then so be it. At least I feel like I''m doing something to contribute,¡± she smiles.

    "Mum, just your presence is enough. You don''t have to do anything to prove yourself as helpful," I reassure, hating that she feels useless because she doesn''t have gifts like the rest of us.

    "I know, Dear, but it helps me feel a part of the team. Besides, you all need to eat, so someone has to do it, and I''m happy to take the role."

    "Okay," I nod. "Is Robert up yet?" I ask.

    "Yes, he''s out the back drinking tea. You''d think he hadn''t seen the sun for years by the way he was desperate to get out there," Shements, and I just shrug. I don''t think it''s wise to tell her where he has been all these years and why.

    The guys are busy helping my mum and Luke is making us coffee, so I step outside to join Robert on the patio.

    "How are you feeling?" I ask as I take a seat beside him.

    "Better than I have felt in years," he smiles,

    "Any signs of your gifts returning yet?" I ask.

    "Yes, I feel them building within me. I should be at full strength soon," he nods.

    "How did you find out you had the tumour? You must have had symptoms for someone to check for it."

    "Headaches mostly. They became increasingly worse. Sometimes I lose my eyesight, but I''m used to it now. I can

    cope

    most of the time. I think breathing fresh air helps," he exins, drawing in a deep breath.

    "Let me see if I can help at all. There''s no need for you to suffer if we can stop it,"

    I offer, moving closer to him and holding my hand up to his head. He gives me a nod and call up my healing light, pouring it into him where he

    needs it.

    Healing is not my strong point, but it''s usually enough to fix minor injuries. In emergency circumstances, I can do more, but itpletely drains me, leaving me incapacitated while I recover the lost energy.

    "Thank you, my headache has lessened,¡± Robert says when pull my hand away.

    "Can someone see if Dot and Art are avable? I''d like them to give Robert a healing session. I know he will need

    weeks of healing to fix this, but if we can relieve some of h symptoms now, he will have more chance at recovering Harper," I say into the mind link

    "I''ll call Dot," Mace responds.

    A couple of hourster, we have all eaten breakfast and Dot Art and another young healer have all done a short healing session on Robert. He looks so much brighter and has a little more energy about him. I''m not sure if it''s because his gifts have fully returned, the healing, his freedom or his eptance that he is going to live, or abination of all of these things, but he seems like a different

    man.

    There''s a spark in his eyes that wasn''t there before and an air of happiness about hirm that is certainly affecting my mum. I''m sure if she wasn''t in love with Frank, she''d certainly be expressing an interest in Robert.

    Deacon drops my mum and Freya off at our house in Greys realm for the day because there''s no way I''m leaving them in the house the rogues had attacked us in unguarded Then we port to the military headquarters.

    We decide that Robert will port Deacon and Axel to Cornelies'' ce first. His gifts are fully restored by now, but he is out of practice after years of being powerless, so porting seven people is probably not the best way to ease him back into it. Once they confirm Cornelius'' belongings are there, D will return for the rest of us.

    I watch as Robert, Deacon and Axel disappear in front of my eyes, a sight I''m still not used to, even after all these years. Tense seconds pass before Deacon speaks into the mind link

    We are here, the ce looks like it''s been untouched for a significant amount of time," D says, and I blow out a relieved breath.

    "How is Robert looking?" I ask.

    ¡°He''s fine, doesn''t seem at all affected by the port,¡± Deacon responds.

    "There is still stuff here, but Robert thinks someone has been and taken some of it," Axe says.

    "What about the journal and the branding kit?" I ask, knowing they are probably the most important items we need.

    "He''s looking, I''ming to pick you up now," Deacon says, appearing in front of us a momentter.

    We port into what looks like one of the mud huts I''ve only ever seen in history books. It smells earthy, and the air

    is thick.

    "Are we underground?" Theo asks, cing a hand on the mud and y wall.

    "Yes, that is why no one can find this ce unless they have been ported here by someone who has been here before," Robert confirms as he digs through an old- looking trunk.

    "This is very clever, using molecr maniption to create an underground cavern that can only be essed by porting. No one would ever find it," Mason says as he studies the space.

    "What if they''re still doing this? What if those abandoned sites we have been searching are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak? We could have been standing right on top of them with no idea they were just a few metres below our feet," Luke says, and a heavy silence falls over our group.

    If he is right, finding Harper just became a lot harder.

 Chapter 288

    Mason''s POV**

    Luke has just suggested a terrifying, very possible theory. How the fuck do we find someone underground? How do we even get in there without risking copsing the cave below us?

    I''d quite happily start removing the ground from below each of the ces that have been searched, but I could bury my daughter alive by doing that.

    "Wouldn''t the women and children we captured have told us if they''d been living underground?" Theo asks.

    "Not if they didn''t know about it, or had beenpelled. This group doesn''t seem to prioritise the safety of women and children; Otherwise, they wouldn''t have left them unguarded as they did. They could very well be hiding the strongest and most important of them underground," Raff exins.

    "Fuck!" I curse, my fingers twitch with the need to destroy something, but I can''t risk copsing this ce until we have found what we are looking for.

    Lukeforts Josie as she reacts to the news, something I should be doing, but I''m too worked up, I''d only make her feel worse.

    Robert finishes emptying the trunk, finding nothing that he seems interested in, before pushing it out of the way. Then he gets on his knees and begins digging in the dirt with his hands.

    "What are you doing?" Axe asks

    "He would keep his most precious items hidden, they will likely be close, but out of sight," Robert says as he digs,

    with determination.

    "Move back," I sigh. I can move the dirt much faster than him.

    "Oh, that''s right, you have a molecr maniption gift," Robert says, and I shoot

    a worried nce at Deacon. How could he have forgotten that so quickly? Is the tumour affecting his memory?

    I focus on the ground where he had been digging and slowly moving the earth, opening up a deep cavern in the ground.

    "Try here," Robert says, pointing to another spot on the ground.

    I fill in the hole I''d made and open up another where he indicated. There is nothing there either.

    "Are you sure it''s here?" Josie asks.

    "Yes, I remember seeing him bury a small case once. I''m just trying to remember where exactly," Robert says, screwing his eyes shut and pressing his fingers to his temples as if he can push the memory free.

    "If he was as paranoid as he seemed, it''s likely he didn''t bury it in the same ce every time. Let''s just search the whole ce," Raff suggests.

    "Everyone stand behind me," I say, ready to search every inch of this ce.

    Once everyone is out of my way I move the dirt effortlessly, revealing nothing. I return the earth to its ce before turning and doing the same to the other half of the space.

    "If it was here, then he either moved it before he died, or someone else knew its location and came back for it," I sigh.

    "Try the walls," Robert says, and i shrug before slowly moving the dirt away to make the cavern bigger.

    We are in even

    It doesn''t take long before I dissolve a barrier that was separating this space from another one that is almost the

    same size.

    "Woah," Theo gasps as he takes in the cavern, cluttered with all sorts of trinkets, books and Cornelius'' personal belongings.

    "Jackpot," Raff breathes as everyone surges forward to explore the new space.

    "This is it," Robert says, holding up a thick ancient-looking book. The cover is made of what looks like delicate leather but there are no markings on the cover to indicate what it is.

    Deacon takes the book from him and opens it with care. The script is handwritten and as he flicks through the pages it is clear to see that many different people have written in this book, using different writing styles and tools.

    "What about the branding kit? Do you see it?" Luke asks, drawing everyone''s attention back to the task.

    "Here," Robert says, picking up a fancy-looking wooden box. He opens it to reveal an iron branding rod and four small ss vials containing what I assume are the powdered gemstones he spoke of. There''s also a small granite pestle and mortar in the box.

    "Okay, great, grab anything else you think is important, and I''ll have the rest collected and brought back to headquarters," Raff says.

    My group scramble to collect paperwork and books before we port back to headquarters with our haul.

    Everyone gets to work, looking for anything that might be able to narrow down a location for the rogues.

    "Let my team take over for a while, let''s get this branding done so Luke and Robert are ready to leave the moment we find something." Raff suggests when it''s clear the task of finding information isn''t going to be a simple one.

    "Do you think it will hurt more than a tattoo?" Luke asks me whilst we watch the

    iron brand heat up in the small fire pit that Raff has made outside.

    "100%," I nod. I won''t sugarcoat it for him. It''s going to hurt like a bitch, but he can take it.

    "Awesome," he sighs.

    "Do you want me to hold your hand?" I ask sarcastically.

    "Actually, yes, well, not my hand, but can you hold my arm still? I''m not sure that I won''t snatch it away," he admits.

    "Sure, I can do that," I nod, deciding not to mention he could easily just port away.

    "Maybe after this, I''ll finally get that tattoo you''ve been trying to convince me to get," he snorts.

    "You''d suit it. Josie would certainly appreciate it," I say. I know he''s not serious, he''s just trying to distract himself from what is about to happen. I''m not sure why he chose me as his distraction. I''m the least chatty of the group, well, except Axel, maybe.

    "It''s ready," Raff calls, and Luke blows out a breath.

    "You''ve got this," I encourage.

    "For Harper," he nods and moves towards Raff.

    Robert is inixing the powders in the small granite bowl. He adds a drop of water to create a thick paste and nods to indicate it is ready. Deacon carries a chair over and gestured to Luke to sit in it.

    Luke pulls off his jacket baring his arms and sits in the chal grip and he screws his

    I his arm, shut.

    "Can you do me a favour, Angel?" I ask Josie through our mind link.

    "What is it?" She looks up at me in question and the anxiety pouring from her is as strong as Luke''s.

    "Get over here and kiss the shit out of him whilst we do this," I say, and a small smile ys on her lips.

    "With pleasure," she nods andes over, straddling Lake''sp.

    He looks up at her in surprise, and she tells him how much he loves him before her lips move to his. I nod to Raff and he lifts the hot metal, pressing it onto Luke''s wrist for few seconds. The scent of burning flesh is not pleasant, but it''s over within a few seconds. Josie continues to kiss Luke whilst Robert thers the paste over the angry wound.

    "It''s done," Robert says, and Josie pulls her mouth from Luke''s to look at the damage and begin healing it.

    "Fuck that hurt," Luke hisses as his body trembles.

 Chapter 289

    **Luke''s POV**

    +25 ROWS

    My wrist still burns while Josie heals it. The pain was not quite as bad as I imagined, but it was close. I think kissing Josie helped, and I felt the guys lending me their strength through the bond. That''s what I love the most about them. We are never alone in anything. Each member of our bond group is always ready to step in to help, no matter what we are going through.

    We are a solid until, unbreakable. So, whilst I''m still nervous about the journal, I''m also sure that whatever they find in there can''t shake our bond.

    "It''s done," Josie says softly, bringing her lips to mine again.

    I get lost in her. When we kiss, it''s not just a physical connection of our mouths, it''s our soulsing together. They light up the bond as they intertwine, creating a deep level of intimacy that is only visible to our bond group.

    "Okay, calm it down. We are inpany," Theo reminds us in the mind link and Josie pulls her lips from mine with a shy smile.

    I look up

    to see Robert and Raff have turned their backs on us, seeming deep in conversation. The rest of our group is staring at us with a heated intensity. The connection Josie and I just shared calls them to us like a beacon. Theo is right; that was inappropriate in public, but she is just so hard to resist, and I need her connection more than ever today.

    "We have found something!" Ben calls from the doorway of the building behind

    us.

    Everyone moves, eager to find out what they have found. Josie''s heat leaves my body and I sit for a moment,pletely alone. I look at my wrist, there''s no sign of the trauma it just suffered. Josie did a great job of healing it. I let my eyes re with my power and see the pale glow of the branding. It looks just like Robert''s. It''s the mark

    of a traitor.

    "Luke, get in here, it''s time to go," Mason says into the mind link.

    I blow out a breath and rise from the chair. It''s time to prove myself and bring our daughter home.

    The room is a hive of activity and excited chatter. A map is projected onto arge white screen. A satellite image of an unidentifiable building circled in red.

    "What is it?" I ask.

    "One of our search teams has eyes on them, they have seen at least six confirmed Greys. If you are going to attempt to make contact, this is your opportunity," Raff exins.

    "Then what are we waiting for?" I ask.

    "Deacon ispelling Robert now, then you can go," Raff says.

    "Okay," I nod and turn to look at Josie, who is struggling to hold back her emotions.

    I can feel how worried she is, but she also has a spark of hope.

    I wrap my arms around her, holding her to me.

    "Please be safe," she says, her voice thick with emotion.

    "I will. Don''t worry about me, focus on Harper, I''m going to bring her and Archie home," I reassure.

    Chapter 289)

    "I believe in you," she nods, "I love you so much and if you don''te back to me in one piece I''m going to be so pissed."

    "I love you too. I have done since that first time your eyes up when you saw my coffee cup in the dining hall of the academy. I n toe back and share many more coffees with you until we are old and surrounded by grandchildren. Don''t tell the kids where I''ve gone. They already have so much they are worried about. Tell them I''m working." I say, and take my phone from my pocket, handing it to her.

    I quickly check that I have nothing else in my pockets that could give my true identity away and hand Josle my debit card and military headquarters LD. Robert and Deacon approach and Josie looks at them with concern.

    "It''s done, I just hope it holds," Deacon says and Josie nods

    "Thank you for doing this. I know the risks you are taking. Please bring my baby home, and keep my bond safe," Josie says to Robert.

    "I will, no matter what it takes," Robert nods.

    There''s a second of silence as Robert and Josie look at each other, and then she throws her arms around him. Robert looks shocked for a split second before he returns her embrace. His eyes close and his body shakes with a silent sob as he holds his daughter in his arms for the first Eme. His face is that of a man who has just received the greatest gift.

    "I need you toe back to me too. My kids deserve to know their grandfather, and I want to get to know my dad," she says and Robert nods, wiping a tear from his eye

    "Thank you

    for giving me a chance. I won''t let you down," Robert breathes.

    "Good luck, gentlemen. I will have an extraction team on standby at all times. If you need us, just say the words, and we will be there," Raff says, shaking both our hands.

    My bond group take turns shaking Robert''s hand and pulling me in for a hug, giving us words of encouragement and telling us to look out for each other.

    Then I take onest look at my bond group before I stop being Luke Weston, Spark bonded Grey, and I arrive at the run-down warehouse as Lucas Morgan, escapee rogue.

    "We are here, I''ll update you when I can," I say into the mind link before closing down the connection to concentrate on the task ahead of us.

    "Stop right there," a male voice demands and I nce around, unable to see anyone. I hold up my hands in surrender.

    "We are Cornelius'' men, does that mean anything to you?" Robert calls out,

    "It might. What do you want?" The voice calls back.

    "Help and somewhere safe to sleep," Robert says.

    "Help with what?¡± Another voice asks. This one sounds a little younger.

    "To break out the rest of our group from the prison," 1 say, still trying to pinpoint where the voices areing from.

    "So there was a breakout? We heard there was an incident at the prison, but we didn''t know the full details," the first voice says as they step out of a ditch from behind a bush.

    Two men approach us, their gazes assessing us with suspicion. I keep my hands raised as they circle us, and then everything goes dark as something is shoved over my head It smells musty, and I have to work hard not to fight. "Don''t resist," a voice warns as something tightens around my throat, almost cutting off my air.

    "We won''t," Robert answers, and then I''m shoved forward forced to walk blindly into the unknown.

    N.O Darling Author

    Thank you for all the gems, gifts,ments and reviews! I have the best readers and I''m so happy to have you all.

    12

 Chapter 290

    12

    **Deacon''s POV**

    Luke has been radio silent for almost an hour now, but it feels more like a week. I know he is physically okay, I''ve felt a few spikes of fear and anger through the bond, but there has been no pain from him. Mostly there''s just a steady hum of anxious tensioning from him.

    Josie has been a wreck since they left, so Axel and Theo have taken her home to spend some time with the kids, her mum and Freya. Mason and I are taking the first shift at the military headquarters. Until Luke returns, we need at least one of us here at all times to raise the rm if he contacts us for backup.

    "Anything interesting in there?" Mason asks, gesturing to the Spark bond Journal spread out on the table in front. of me as hees to sit beside me. He hands me a bottle of water and a packaged sandwich he''s brought from the

    canteen.

    "Interesting, yes, but I can''t make sense of who is who within each bond group. I have found entries from a group of six, which has to be us, but apart from Josie being Amara, I can''t distinguish who the others are," I exin.

    "What were the names? Maybe one will make me feel something." Mason smirks and I know he doesn''t believe his own words, but I humour him anyway.

    "Caius, Nero, Tristan, Lucius and Orion," I grin as he frowns at the names.

    "Jeez. How long ago was their journal entry? Some of those names sound ancient," he asks with a scoff.

    "This is the most recent entry from this group. It was almost five hundred years ago."

    "Wow, so either we weren''t needed for all that time, or we have been cycling through as unbonded or a smaller group that didn''t trigger the spark bond," Mace breathes.

    "Yes, or we couldn''t find the journalst time," I shrug.

    "Did Cornelius add to the journal?" he asks.

    "Yes, it''s the most recent entry. What Robert said about them having shbacks seems to be true. Which just makes me wonder why we haven''t had any shbacks."

    "Maybe there''s nothing important we need to remember. What did Cornelius'' group have shbacks about?"

    "I''m not sure, I haven''t read that far yet," I say, flicking through the pages that Cornelius has written to see if anything jumps out at me.

    "We are in. They have separated us for questioning, but they put a sack over my head and I have been ported somewhere. I have no idea where yet. As soon as anything changes I''ll let you know, but so far I think they believe what I''m telling them," Luke says into the mind link, before closing down the connection, a clear indication he doesn''t want us chatting in his head at the moment.

    I feel a pulse of relief and then a flood of love from Josie. Hearing that Luke is okay has put her at ease a little. Hopefully he will update us againter with more good news.

    "Do you think yourpulsion will hold on Robert?" Mace asks.

    is equal

    "Honestly, I have no idea without knowing exactly how powerful their mind maniptor is. If he or she, to me, or stronger, then they have a good chance of breaking through," I admit. It''s not often I have to question if my gift is strong enough. I am the most gifted inpulsion on record, but that doesn''t mean I''m the most gifted out of all Greys. I have fallen victim topulsion once before. That experience humbled me.

    "Fuck! How can we go in to extract them if we don''t know where they are?" Mason curses, only just realising the problem with what Luke had said.

    "We can''t, Luke can port out though if he has to. It just mens he might have to leave Robert behind. Which I doubt he will do, and I very much doubt he will return to unless he finds Harper, no matter what they do to him," 1 adnit, finally speaking my concerns about Luke out loud.

    Luke is the kind of guy that would sacrifice himself before he will admit defeat. He''d rather die trying thane back here without Harper to regroup. He had proved this once already when he ported to the human realm to get to Josie after he knew the chances of surviving it were almost zero.

    "You''re probably right. Besides, they might have a shield to stop him porting out anyway," Mason says, rubbing the back of his neck.

    "I don''t think they have a shield. If they did, then surely they''d have been using it

    to stop us porting in on their location. Unless they have multiple locations and only one shield, and we just happened to find the unshielded group."

    "There''s just so much we don''t know. I feel like we never get answers, only more questions when ites to this group," Mace sighs, his frustration evident in his tone.

    "I know, but we are not giving up, no matter how many blows we take or how many unanswered questions we have. If this doesn''t work, we will find another way. We won''t ever stop until we have Harper home and every one of these rogues is dead or incarcerated."

    "Harper is a strong girl, and she is so smart. She won''t let them twist her mind. If we don''t find her, she will find us as soon as she is able. I bet she already has them convinced she is on their side," he says with a small smile filled with pride.

    "I have zero doubts in her. We raised her right. I wouldn''t be at all surprised if she led them all to the prison herself. They chose the wrong kid this time," I nod and smile as I conjure up images of Harper doing just that.

    "Let''s see if we can find something useful in this journal whilst we wait. I at least want to make sure my previous name wasn''t Caius," he snorts, moving closer to look at the journal with me.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 291

    Chapter 201 Chapter 291

    **Mason''s POV**

    My eyes are blurry from all the reading we have been doing Whichever one of us was Nero, they had terrible handwriting and waffled on about absolutely pointless crap for almost seven whole pages. If I had to put money on it, I''d say Nero is Theo. We will have to make sure we mignitor what he writes in it this time, for the sake of my future self.

    I lean back in my chair with my feet up on the table and my eyes closed as D continues to read through the journal. I try to concentrate on my connection with Luke. Trying to pain any insight into what might be happening by his emotions. It''s driving me insane, not knowing what is happening, I want a y-by-y of everything, but I know how hard it is tomunicate through the mind link when you have an important task to focus on.

    "Shit. I really hope I''m not Tristan," Deacon says, and I open my eyes to look at him.

    "Why? Is he writing nonsense too?" I ask.

    "No, he betrayed the rest of the group," he says, his tone serious.

    "How?" I ask, sitting up straight now.

    "From what I have read so far, he was secretly working against the entire bond group the whole time. They had no idea until he disappeared. They spent months searching for him. They thought he had been killed because they could no longer feel his connection to the group ormunicate with him. They eventually found him, building an army to dominate both the humans and the Greys. Lucius killed Tristan in a fit of rage and Amara was so distraught that they believed she died of a broken heart." he says, blowing out a breath.

    "Fuck. So two of us betrayed her. Tristan by turning against her, and Lucius by killing one of her bonds," I curse and Deacon nods.

    I try to picture which one of us would be most likely to betray the others, but I can''t imagine any of us doing that. I have no idea who Tristan might be, but I''m pretty sure I''m the only one that would do what Lucius did.

    "I hate to get into the whole nature vs nurture debate, but I don''t think we have to worry about that this time around. I think Tristan was a victim of circumstance, and that is why he did what he did," Deaconments.

    "Like me you mean? Aren''t I also a victim of circumstance? I didn''t have the happy upbringing you all had. I should be the obvious choice to be Tristan."

    "Why do I feel like you are trying to convince me you were tristan?" He asks, narrowing his eyes at me.

    "I''m not. I''m trying to prove the point that we put blinders on when ites to the people we care about. You were just so quick to say none of us would betray the others this time around, because we have had a good life, but not all of us have always had a good life. By your logic, I''m a potential traitor. You should be suspicious of me because you can be sure I''m suspicious of the rest of you now."

    "So now you distrust the rest of us? There''s no reason for any of us to be a traitor. We are solid and have been for years. Let''s not start questioning each other now when we need to work together to find Harper," Deacon says, using his no- nonsense headmaster tone.

    "How can I be sure that one of our group isn''t in on her disappearance? The rogues have always been one step ahead of us. Maybe one of our group is the mole feeding them information," I say, "I''m not using anyone. I don''t think any of us would do that, but I''m also not stupid enough topletely rule it out. If this life has taught me anything, it''s that nothing is impossible and that trust is not something that should be given lightly."

    "Well, this is fantastic. I''m so d we found this journal so we can all start to turn on each other," Deacon scowls, mming the book closed and standing up.

    "Where are you going?" I ask.

    "Home, you can stay here and keep Raff informed. Now that you''ve nted that lovely seed of distrust in my mind, I''m going to go and make sure Theo or Axel aren''t plotting to take any more of our kids. I can clear you all of suspicion, I just can''t clear myself to the rest of you. When I get back, be ready to bepelled so we can move forward without any doubts,¡± he sighs before porting out.

    Deacon is right. He canpel the information out of us all. If there is a traitor amongst us, they can''t hide from D. Not unless he is the traitor, or it''s Luke, who we can''t rule out because he''s currently making friends with the enemy. I open the journal. I need to work out who Tristan is There has to be some kind of clue in here, or a way to work out which of us is which.

    I''m also interested in why history seems to keep repeating itself with the rogues. Why is there always someone trying to dominate not just our kind, but the humans too? There has to be a reason for it that is more than just, because they want to be superior. What would be the benefit of controlling the humans? What can they offer us that we can''t already get without the need forplete control of them?

 Chapter 292

    **Josie''s POV **

    We have just finished putting the younger kids to bed when Deacon arrives home. As and Joel are in the sitting room with my mum and Freya. We were about to start a movie.

    "What''s wrong?" I ask when I see the uneasy look on Deacon''s face.

    I had been sensing some tension and frustrationing from film and Mason through the bond, but I''d thought it was w

    worry over Lake and having no luck with the journal.

    "Can we go up to our bedroom for a moment? I need to talk to the firee of you," he says, looking between me, Theo and Axel.

    "Yes, but can you just tell me that everyone is okay?" I ask

    "As far as I know, yes, there''s been no change with Luke. This is about something Mason and I found in the spark bond journal," he exins as we make our way upstairs.

    I blow out a breath, relieved there''s no bad news about Luke, Harper or Robert.

    "Start the movie without us," I call down to Freya before I reach the top of the stairs.

    "Will, do," she calls back.

    "Well, this sounds ominous," Theo sighs as Deacon closes the bedroom door behind us.

    "We have, or had a traitor, or two, depending on how you look at it," Deacon says.

    "Is this one of them riddles we are supposed to figure out to prove how smart we are?" Theo frowns.

    "No, from what we have found in the journal, this whole mission with the rogues has been going on for centuries. In thest entry from our group, we had just discovered that it was one of our group that was leading the opposition behind the rest of the group''s backs," D exins

    "So you are saying one of us was the equivalent to Cornelius in our past lives?" Axe asks.

    "Yes," D nods.

    "Not it," Theo says quickly.

    "Shit," I curse.

    "Do we know who?" Axel asks.

    "Nope, we haven''t worked out who is who yet. All we know is that Josie was Amara, and Mason thinks Theo was previously Nero," Deacon says.

    "Ohe on. What kind of name is Nero?... wait, was Nero the traitor?" Theo asks, talking way too fast, the way he does when he is anxious.

    "No, Nero wasn''t involved," Deacon shakes his head.

    "Fine, I ept I was Nero then, even if it is a stupid name," Theo nods.

    "We were Amara, Nero, Caius, Lucius, Tristan and Orion. Tristan disappeared, and they thought he was dead as they lost the connection to him, but they found him leading the opposition. Lucius killed him and Amara died of a

    broken heart," Deacon exins.

    "Damn," Theo breathes.

    process his words. My former self in a past life died of a broken heart? It seems

    a little dramatic of me, but then if I truly lost any of my bonds, I''m not sure if I could go on living. I wonder if it was Tristan''s betrayal or Lucius killing him that led to her demise.

    "That doesn''t mean the same thing is happening this time around. I don''t believe any of you would ever do that," I shake my head.

    "I''m pretty sure that''s what you thoughtst time around, and then Tristan the traitor stabbed you in the back before Lucius the lunatic ripped out your heart," Theo says with a grimace.

    ¡°Look, I don''t think any of us are working for the rogues, but obviously this could cause distrust within our group, and I don''t think that''s something we can handle right now. So I have a simple solution to rule Axel, Mason and Theo out," Deacon says.

    "What about you and Luke?" Axel asks him.

    "I can''t ess Luke right now, and I can''tpel myself. All I can do is swear to

    you all that I''m not working against you, I never would," D shrugs

    "So you want topel us to question us?" Theo asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

    "Yes, if you are willing"

    "I hate to object because it probably makes me look suspicious, but you can''tpel us, not right now anyway Axel sighs and Theo narrows his eyes at

    What Axe said does make him look suspicious, but I was already about to raise the same issue. It''s too risky to let any of them bepelled whilst Luke is deep in the group of rogars.

    "He''s right, if he stops shielding us all for you to usepulsion, he would leave tuke vulnerable too," I nod

    "I think if they willingly let me in, I can bypass the shield. Think it''s worth a try," Deacon suggests.

    it

    "Fine, try it on me, but if you make me act like a chicken again I''ll be so pissed," Theo huffs and steps closer to Deacon to look him in the eyes

    Deacon grins before staring back into Theo''s eyes. "Rx, Theo, let me in," he says softly, and I watch as Theo''s shoulders lose their stiffness and his eyes seem to ze over

    "Are you in?" I ask and D nods

    "Answer my questions truthfully, mands. "Have you ever conspired against our bond group in this lifetime?"

    No." Theo shakes his head.

    "Would you ever join the rogue''s cause?" Deacon asks.

    "Yes, but only if the rest of our group did. I''m loyal to our bong group over everything else," Theo admits, and I

    Of course, Theo would be a rogue for the rest of us. Hes loyal to a fault

    "Fair enough." Deacon nods, releasing his bold on Theo''s mind.

    "Okay, now Axe''s tum." Theo says, stepping to my side. I take his hand in mine. I never doubted him, I don''t

    2+28 BONUS

    26

    broken heart," Deacon exins.

    Damn, Theo breathes.

    I process his words. My former self in a past life died of a broken heart? It seems

    a little dramatic of me, but then if I truly lost any of my bonds, I''m not sure if I could go on ving. I wonder if it was Tristan''s betrayal or Lucius killing him that led to her demise.

    "That doesn''t mean the same thing is happening, this time around. I don''t believe any of you would ever do that," I shake my head.

    "I''m pretty sure that''s what you thoughtst time around, and then Tristan the traitor stabbed you in the back before Lucius the hmatic ripped out your heart," Theo says with a grimace.

    ¡°Look, I don''t think any of us are working for the rogues, tot obviously this could cause distrust within our group, and I don''t think that''s something we can handle right now. So I have a simple solution to rule Axel, Mason and Theo out," Deacon says.

    "What about you and Luke?" Axel asks him.

    "I can''t ess Luke right now, and I can''tpel myself. All I can do is swear to

    you all that I''m not working against you. I never would," D shrugs.

    So you want topel us to question us?" Theo asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

    "Yes, if you are willing."

    "I hate to object because it probably makes me look suspicious, but you can''tpel us, not right now anyway," Axel sighs and Theo narrows his eyes at him. What Axe said does make him look suspicious, but I was already about to raise the same issue. It''s too risky to let any of them bepelled whilst Luke is deep in the group of rogues.

    "He''s right, if he stops shielding us all for you to usepulsion, he would leave Luke vulnerable too," I nod

    "I think if they willingly let me in, I can bypass the shield. I think it''s worth a try," Deacon suggests.

    +

    "Fine, try it on me, but if you make me act like a chicken again I''ll be so pissed," Theo huffs and steps closer to Deacon to look him in the eyes.

    Deacon grins before staring back into Theo''s eyes. "Rx, Theo, let me in," he

    says softly, and I watch as Theo''s shoulders lose their stiffness and his eyes seem

    to ze over.

    "Are you in?" I ask and D nods.

    "Answer my questions truthfully," Dmands. "Have you ever conspired against

    our bond group in this lifetime?"

    "No," Theo shakes his head.

    "Would you ever join the rogue''s cause?" Deacon asks.

    "Yes, but only if the rest of our group did. I''m loyal to our bong group over

    everything else," Theo admits, and I

    smile.

    Of course, Theo would be a rogue for the rest of us. He is loyal to a fault.

    "Fair enough," Deacon nods, releasing his hold on Theo''s mind.

    "Okay, now Axe''s turn," Theo says, stepping to my side. I like his hand in mine. I never doubted him, I don''t

    doubt any of my bonds.

    Deacon repeats the same questioning on Axel, who gives almost the same answers as Theo.

    "This might sound stupid, but are we sure we alwayse back as the same gender? I mean, is there any evidence that I''m not Tristan?" I ask.

    **Josie''s POV **

    We have just finished putting the younger kids to bed when Deacon arrives home.

    As and Joel are in the sitting room with my mum and Freya. We were about to start a movie.

    "What''s wrong?" I ask when I see the uneasy look on Deacon''s face.

    I had been sensing some tension and frustrationing from film and Mason

    through the bond, but I''d thought it was w

    worry over Lake and having no luck with the journal.

    "Can we go up to our bedroom for a moment? I need to talk to the firee of you," he

    says, looking between me, Theo and Axel.

    "Yes, but can you just tell me that everyone is okay?" I ask

    "As far as I know, yes, there''s been no change with Luke. This is about something

    Mason and I found in the spark bond journal," he exins as we make our way upstairs.

    I blow out a breath, relieved there''s no bad news about Luke, Harper or Robert.

    "Start the movie without us," I call down to Freya before I reach the top of the stairs.

    "Will, do," she calls back.

    "Well, this sounds ominous," Theo sighs as Deacon closes the bedroom door

    behind us.

    "We have, or had a traitor, or two, depending on how you look at it," Deacon

    says.

    ¡°Is this one of them riddles we are supposed to figure out to prove how smart we are?" Theo frowns.

    "No, from what we have found in the journal, this whole mission with the rogues

    has been going on for centuries. In thest entry from our group, we had just discovered that it was one of our group that was leading the opposition behind the rest of the group''s backs," D exins

    "So you are saying one of us was the equivalent to Cornelius in our past lives?"

    Axe asks.

    "Yes," D nods.

    "Not it," Theo says quickly.

    "Shit," I curse.

    "Do we know who?" Axel asks.

    "Nope, we haven''t worked out who is who yet. All we know is that Josie was Amara, and Mason thinks Theo was previously Nero," Deacon says.

    "Ohe on. What kind of name is Nero?... wait, was Nero the traitor?" Theo

    asks, talking way too fast, the way he does when he is anxious.

    "No, Nero wasn''t involved," Deacon shakes his head.

    "Fine, I ept I was Nero then, even if it is a stupid name," Theo nods.

    "We were Amara, Nero, Caius, Lucius, Tristan and Orion. Tristan disappeared,

    and they thought he was dead as they lost the connection to him, but they found

    him leading the opposition. Lucius killed him and Amara died of a

    broken heart," Deacon exins.

    "Damn," Theo breathes.

    I process his words. My former self in a past life died of a broken heart? It seems

    a little dramatic of me, but then if I truly lost any of my bonds, I''m not sure if I

    could go on living. I wonder if it was Tristan''s betrayal or Lucius killing him that led to her demise.

    "That doesn''t mean the same thing is happening this time around. I don''t believe any of you would ever do that," I shake my head.

    "I''m pretty sure that''s what you thoughtst time around, and then Tristan the

    traitor stabbed you in the back before Lucius the lunatic ripped out your heart," Theo says with a grimace.

    "Look, I don''t think any of us are working for the rogues, but obviously this could cause distrust within our group, and I don''t think that''s something we can handle

    right now. So I have a simple solution to rule Axel, Mason and Theo out," Deacon

    says.

    "What about you and Luke?" Axel asks him.

    "I can''t ess Luke right now, and I can''tpel myself. All I can do is swear to

    you all that I''m not working against you, I never would," D shrugs

    "So you want topel us to question us?" Theo asks, crossing his arms over his

    chest.

    "Yes, if you are willing"

    "I hate to object because it probably makes me look suspicious, but you can''t

    the same issue. It''s too risky to let any of them bepelled whilst Luke is deep in the group of rogars.

    "He''s right, if he stops shielding us all for you to usepulsion, he would leave tuke vulnerable too," I nod

    "I think if they willingly let me in, I can bypass the shield. Think it''s worth a try,"

    Deacon suggests.

    it

    "Fine, try it on me, but if you make me act like a chicken again I''ll be so pissed," Theo huffs and steps closer to Deacon to look him in the eyes Deacon grins before staring back into Theo''s eyes. "Rx, Theo, let me in," he

    says softly, and I watch as Theo''s shoulders lose their stiffness and his eyes seem

    to ze over

    "Are you in?" I ask and D nods

    "Answer my questions truthfully, mands. "Have you ever conspired against

    our bond group in this lifetime?"

    No." Theo shakes his head.

    "Would you ever join the rogue''s cause?" Deacon asks.

    "Yes, but only if the rest of our group did. I''m loyal to our bong group over

    everything else," Theo admits, and I

    Of course, Theo would be a rogue for the rest of us. Hes loyal to a fault

    "Fair enough." Deacon nods, releasing his bold on Theo''s mind.

    "Okay, now Axe''s tum." Theo says, stepping to my side. I take his hand in mine. I

    never doubted him, I don''t

    2+28 BONUS

    26

    broken heart," Deacon exins.

    Damn, Theo breathes.

    I process his words. My former self in a past life died of a broken heart? It seems

    a little dramatic of me, but then if I truly lost any of my bonds, I''m not sure if I

    could go on ving. I wonder if it was Tristan''s betrayal or Lucius killing him that led to her demise.

    "That doesn''t mean the same thing is happening, this time around. I don''t believe any of you would ever do that," I shake my head.

    "I''m pretty sure that''s what you thoughtst time around, and then Tristan the

    traitor stabbed you in the back before Lucius the hmatic ripped out your heart," Theo says with a grimace.

    "Look, I don''t think any of us are working for the rogues, tot obviously this could cause distrust within our group, and I don''t think that''s something we can handle

    right now. So I have a simple solution to rule Axel, Mason and Theo out," Deacon

    says.

    "What about you and Luke?" Axel asks him.

    "I can''t ess Luke right now, and I can''tpel myself. All I can do is swear to

    you all that I''m not working against you. I never would," D shrugs.

    you want topel us to question us?" Theo asks, crossing his arms over his

    So

    chest.

    "Yes, if you are willing."

    "I hate to object because it probably makes me look suspicious, but you can''t

    the same issue. It''s too risky to let any of them bepelled whilst Luke is deep in the group of rogues.

    "He''s right, if he stops shielding us all for you to usepulsion, he would leave Luke vulnerable too," I nod

    "I think if they willingly let me in, I can bypass the shield. I think it''s worth a try,"

    Deacon suggests.

    +

    "Fine, try it on me, but if you make me act like a chicken again I''ll be so pissed," Theo huffs and steps closer to Deacon to look him in the eyes. Deacon grins before staring back into Theo''s eyes. "Rx, Theo, let me in," he

    says softly, and I watch as Theo''s shoulders lose their stiffness and his eyes seem

    to ze over.

    "Are you in?" I ask and D nods.

    "Answer my questions truthfully," Dmands. "Have you ever conspired against

    our bond group in this lifetime?"

    "No," Theo shakes his head.

    "Would you ever join the rogue''s cause?" Deacon asks.

    "Yes, but only if the rest of our group did. I''m loyal to our bong group over

    everything else," Theo admits, and I

    smile.

    Of course, Theo would be a rogue for the rest of us. He is loyal to a fault.

    "Fair enough," Deacon nods, releasing his hold on Theo''s mind.

    "Okay, now Axe''s turn," Theo says, stepping to my side. I like his hand in mine. I

    never doubted him, I don''t

    doubt any of my bonds.

    Deacon repeats the same questioning on Axel, who gives almost the same answers as Theo.

    "This might sound stupid, but are we sure we alwayse back

    **Josie''s POV **

    We have just finished putting the younger kids to bed when Deacon arrives home.

    As and Joel are in the sitting room with my mum and Freya. We were about to

    start a movie.

    "What''s wrong?" I ask when I see the uneasy look on Deacon''s face.

    I had been sensing some tension and frustrationing from film and Mason

    through the bond, but I''d thought it was w worry over Lake and having no luck with the journal.

    "Can we go up to our bedroom for a moment? I need to talk to the firee of you," he

    says,

    looking between me, Theo and Axel.

    "Yes, but can you just tell me that everyone is okay?" I ask

    "As far as I know, yes, there''s been no change with Luke. This is about something

    Mason and I found in the spark bond journal," he exins as we make our way

    upstairs.

    I blow out a breath, relieved there''s no bad news about Luke, Harper or Robert.

    "Start the movie without us," I call down to Freya before I reach the top of the

    stairs.

    "Will, do," she calls back.

    "Well, this sounds ominous," Theo sighs as Deacon closes the bedroom door

    behind

    us.

    "We have, or had a traitor, or two, depending on how you look at it," Deacon

    says.

    "Is this one of them riddles we are supposed to figure out to prove how smart we

    are?" Theo frowns.

    "No, from what we have found in the journal, this whole mission with the rogues

    has been going on for centuries. In thest entry from our group, we had just

    discovered that it was one of our group that was leading the opposition behind

    the rest of the group''s backs," D exins

    "So you are saying one of us was the equivalent to Cornelius in our past lives?"

    Axe asks.

    "Yes," D nods.

    "Not it," Theo says quickly.

    "Shit," I curse.

    "Do we know who?" Axel asks.

    "Nope, we haven''t worked out who is who yet. All we know is that Josie was Amara, and Mason thinks Theo was previously Nero," Deacon says.

    "Ohe on. What kind of name is Nero?... wait, was Nero the traitor?" Theo

    asks, talking way too fast, the way he does when he is anxious.

    "No, Nero wasn''t involved," Deacon shakes his head.

    "Fine, I ept I was Nero then, even if it is a stupid name," Theo nods.

    "We were Amara, Nero, Caius, Lucius, Tristan and Orion. Tristan disappeared,

    and they thought he was dead as they lost the connection to him, but they found

    him leading the opposition. Lucius killed him and Amara died of a

    broken heart," Deacon exins.

    "Damn," Theo breathes.

    I process his words. My former self in a past life died of a broken heart? It seems

    a little dramatic of me, but then if I truly lost any of my bonds, I''m not sure if I

    could go on living. I wonder if it was Tristan''s betrayal or Lucius killing him that led

    to her demise.

    "That doesn''t mean the same thing is happening this time around. I don''t believe

    any of you would ever do that," I shake my head. "I''m pretty sure that''s what you thoughtst time around, and then Tristan the

    traitor stabbed you in the back before Lucius the lunatic ripped out your heart,"

    Theo says with a grimace.

    "Look, I don''t think any of us are working for the rogues, but obviously this could cause distrust within our group, and I don''t think that''s something we can handle

    right now. So I have a simple solution to rule Axel, Mason and Theo out," Deacon

    says.

    "What about you and Luke?" Axel asks him.

    "I can''t ess Luke right now, and I can''tpel myself. All I can do is swear to

    you all that I''m not working against you, I never would," D shrugs

    "So you want topel us to question us?" Theo asks, crossing his arms over his

    chest.

    "Yes, if you are willing"

    "I hate to object because it probably makes me look suspicious, but you can''t

    the same issue. It''s too risky to let any of them bepelled whilst Luke is deep in the group of rogars.

    "He''s right, if he stops shielding us all for you to usepulsion, he would leave

    tuke vulnerable too," I nod

    "I think if they willingly let me in, I can bypass the shield. Think it''s worth a try,"

    Deacon suggests.

    it

    "Fine, try it on me, but if you make me act like a chicken again I''ll be so pissed,"

    Theo huffs and steps closer to Deacon to look him in the eyes

    Deacon grins before staring back into Theo''s eyes. "Rx, Theo, let me in," he

    says softly, and I watch as Theo''s shoulders lose their stiffness and his eyes seem

    to ze over

    "Are you in?" I ask and D nods

    "Answer my questions truthfully, mands. "Have you ever conspired against

    our bond group in this lifetime?"

    No." Theo shakes his head.

    "Would you ever join the rogue''s cause?" Deacon asks.

    "Yes, but only if the rest of our group did. I''m loyal to our bong group over

    everything else," Theo admits, and I

    Of course, Theo would be a rogue for the rest of us. Hes loyal to a fault

    "Fair enough." Deacon nods, releasing his bold on Theo''s mind.

    "Okay, now Axe''s tum." Theo says, stepping to my side. I take his hand in mine. I

    never doubted him, I don''t

    2+28 BONUS

    26

    broken heart," Deacon exins.

    Damn, Theo breathes.

    I process his words. My former self in a past life died of a broken heart? It seems

    a little dramatic of me, but then if I truly lost any of my bonds, I''m not sure if I

    could go on ving. I wonder if it was Tristan''s betrayal or Lucius killing him that led

    to her

    demise.

    "That doesn''t mean the same thing is happening, this time around. I don''t believe

    any of you would ever do that," I shake my head.

    "I''m pretty sure that''s what you thoughtst time around, and then Tristan the

    traitor stabbed you in the back before Lucius the hmatic ripped out your heart," Theo says with a grimace.

    "Look, I don''t think any of us are working for the rogues, tot obviously this could cause distrust within our group, and I don''t think that''s something we can handle

    right now. So I have a simple solution to rule Axel, Mason and Theo out," Deacon

    says.

    "What about you and Luke?" Axel asks him. "I can''t ess Luke right now, and I can''tpel myself. All I can do is swear to

    you all that I''m not working against you. I never would," D shrugs.

    So you want topel us to question us?" Theo asks, crossing his arms over his

    chest.

    "Yes, if you are willing."

    "I hate to object because it probably makes me look suspicious, but you can''t

    the same issue. It''s too risky to let any of them bepelled whilst Luke is deep in the group of rogues.

    "He''s right, if he stops shielding us all for you to usepulsion, he would leave

    Luke vulnerable too," I nod

    "I think if they willingly let me in, I can bypass the shield. I think it''s worth a try,"

    Deacon

    suggests.

    +

    "Fine, try it on me, but if you make me act like a chicken again I''ll be so pissed,"

    Theo huffs and steps closer to Deacon to look him in the eyes.

    Deacon grins before staring back into Theo''s eyes. "Rx, Theo, let me in," he

    says softly, and I watch as Theo''s shoulders lose their stiffness and his eyes seem

    to ze over.

    "Are you in?" I ask and D nods.

    "Answer my questions truthfully," Dmands. "Have you ever conspired against

    our bond group in this lifetime?"

    "No," Theo shakes his head.

    "Would you ever join the rogue''s cause?" Deacon asks.

    "Yes, but only if the rest of our group did. I''m loyal to our bong group over

    everything else," Theo admits, and I

    smile.

    Of course, Theo would be a rogue for the rest of us. He is loyal to a fault.

    "Fair enough," Deacon nods, releasing his hold on Theo''s mind.

    "Okay, now Axe''s turn," Theo says, stepping to my side. I like his hand in mine. I

    never doubted him, I don''t

    doubt any of my bonds.

    Deacon repeats the same questioning on Axel, who gives almost the same answers as Theo.

    "This might sound stupid, but are we sure we alwayse back as the same

    gender? I mean, is there any evidence that I''m not Tristan?" I ask. "Oh, you''re right. Maybe I was Amara and that''s why I like dicks too. We should

    test Josie?" Then nods and Deacon shakes his head with an exasperated smile,

    "I don''t think we swap genders, but you''re right, there''s nothing I have seen that

    explicitly says we always return as our original gender," D shrugs. "Thenpel me too," I demand, stepping forward to ine Deacon''s eyes and let

    him into my mind.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

    the same gender? I mean, is there any evidence that I''m not Tristan?" I ask.

    "Oh, you''re right. Maybe I was Amara and that''s why I like dicks too. We should

    test Josie?" Then nods and Deacon shakes his head with an exasperated smile,

    "I don''t think we swap genders, but you''re right, there''s nothing I have seen that

    explicitly says we always return as our original gender," D shrugs. "Thenpel me too," I demand, stepping forward to ine Deacon''s eyes and let

    him into my mind.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

    "Oh, you''re right. Maybe I was Amara and that''s why I like dicks too. We should

    test Josie?" Then nods and Deacon shakes his head with an exasperated smile,

    "I don''t think we swap genders, but you''re right, there''s nothing I have seen that

    explicitly says we always return as our original gender," D shrugs.

    "Thenpel me too," I demand, stepping forward to ine Deacon''s eyes and let

    him into my mind.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 293

    **Luke''s POV

    "Tell me again how you escaped?" The unknown voice demands from the other side of this stinky sack.

    I shift ufortably in the chair they have me chained to. They know I can easily port out of their restraints, so this is clearly some kind of test.

    "I had just finished having a family visit with my brother when there was some kind of explosion. One of the exterior walls waspletely destroyed and people were injured. Robert and I were just going through processing to be put back into the main prison, and so we avoided the main st. We were able to slip out during the chaos. It seemed like someone else was breaking out and there was some sort of standoff with the prison guards. So we took advantage of the opportunity, and we have been on the run since," I say, repeating the story for the third time.

    "And you say you worked closely with Cornelius before you were incarcerated?" he asks.

    "Yes, I was one of the first human-born Greys. Cornelius came for me just before ''So you grew up in the human realm?"

    my 18th birthday," I lie.

    "Yes, I was attending college and working part-time in a coffee shop before Cornelius approached me and told me what I was. I had grown up in foster care, so I was happy to finally have a real family that cared about me. I didn''t get to be with Cornelius for long before he was taken from us. Now I want to continue his work. I want to make those pompous pricks pay for what they have taken from me, and now I finally have the opportunity to do it," I say, putting passion and anger into my tone.

    There is a moment of silence before I hear the screech of what sounds like a chair scraping against the stone floor. Then footsteps approach me. I try to exclude calmness, telling myself these are my people, I have nothing to fear. The sack is pulled from my head and I blink at the sudden light after being in the dark for hours.

    1 take my first breath of air that is not tainted by the must of the sack as I take in my surroundings. The room we are in is nondescript. A in, run-down concrete rectangle with boarded windows and a bright light mounted to at pole with wheels that looks like it belongs on a construction site.

    Two men are in the room with me. They are not the same two that we had encountered when we arrived. These two look well-dressed and too clean and groomed to be living in abandoned buildings like the others.

    "Have you ever beenpelled?" one of the men asks. He is tall with blond hair. A thick angry scar runs from his chin, across his jawline, then down his neck before disappearing into the cor of his shirt.

    "Yes, when I was questioned in prison years ago," I nod.

    "We have someone on their way to question you underpulsion. Do you have any objections?" he asks.

    "No, 1 have nothing to hide," I shake my head.

    "Good, it won''t be long now," the second guy grins, but it''s not a friendly grin.

    "Any chance of some water, and maybe something to eat? I''ve not eaten since breakfast the morning before we escaped," I say, keeping up the act.

    "As soon as you are cleared. I''m sure you can understand we are hesitant to give away our resources to just anyone. We have to be sure you are worthy of sharing with," Blondy smiles sarcastically.

    "Yes, of course, sorry. I can wait a little longer," I nod.

    Around twenty minutes of the two men awkwardly staring at me pass before a third man pushes through the sheet curtain that is hung up as a makeshift door.

    "There is something hinky with the other guy. He has been heavilypelled previously," the third man says with a frown, and then all three eyes turn to me.

    "We were heavily questioned withpulsion when we were captured. He was one of Cornelius'' original men, he was questioned much harder than me," I shrug.

    "So are you telling me I won''t have the same issue with you?" rogue number three asks with a raised brow.

    "Not unless I''ve beenpelled to forget I waspelled, I grin.

    Thepeller''s eyes lock on mine and I feel his power brush harmlessly over my mind. I cked my gaze, giving him the illusion that he has me under control.

    "Do not lie to me," he demands, the power in his words almost as strong as Deacon''s. I feel Axel be aware of the push against his shield, and he sends me strength. He is here with me in spirit. I am not alone. I can do this.

    "Where have you lived for thest 16 years?"

    "In the Greys realm, in the prison," I say.

    "Why are you here?"

    "Because I need help from my people to help free the rest of our group from the prison and get vengeance against everyone that helped put us there, especially those that killed Comelius. Then I want to be a part of the downfall of Greys realm," I answer.

    After another ten minutes of questioning, the rogue finally deres me ''clean'' and I''m unchained from the chair. The three men shake my hand, introducing themselves.

    "I''m in," I say into the mind link and feel my groups relief, gratefulnes and hope flood the bond.

    **Luke''s POV **

 Chapter 294

    Chapter 294. Chapter 294

    **Luke''s POV **

    The three men who had questioned me led me to another room. It''s not as run down as the small one I''d been held in and there are bottles of water and packaged snacks dumped on a couple of old stic chairs in the corner. A few teens sit on the floor against the wall, eating cookies and ying cards. There''s one girl and three boys.

    For a second, I think one of them is Harper. Her long dark air hangs over her face as she leans over to ce her cards, but when she sits up and her eyes meet mine, I realise her face is nothing like my daughter''s.

    The thought has me worried about how Harper will react when I do find her. Will she instantly give my identity away? Will I have enough time to grab her, Archle, and Dillon, and get out of here before the rest of the rogues react? I''d been imagining her running into my arms when she saw me, and then I''d tell her that I have her and that she is safe now, but that is probably the worst thing that we could do when we reunite in this ce.

    "Help yourself to some food and water. We will take you somewhere safe to sleep soon," the blond guy with the scar says. I''m sure he said his name was Brent, but I was too relieved with passing their tests to take in their names when they introduced themselves.

    "Thanks," I nod and head over to take a bottle of water.

    I am aware the teens have paused their game to watch me. can feel their eyes on my back, studying me. Are they just curious teens, or another test? I will need to be careful with what I say to them too.

    "Are you one of the guys that escaped from the Greys prison?" A teen boy asks me when I''m left alone with them.

    I turn to face them, a friendly smile on my face. "That''s me" I nod.

    "What was it like in prison?" the girl asks.

    "Boring, but cleaner than this ce and the food was better" I grin.

    "Yeah, I hate it when they make us stay in ces like this. It''s always so dusty and so creepy at night," the girl shudders.

    "Do you at least have beds?" I ask.

    "Not here, we have sleeping bags, but some of the ces we stay have beds," she shrugs.

    "What is it like in the Greys realm?" another of the boys asks.

    "I''m not really sure. I''ve only ever been in the prison over there. Except for when we escaped, then most of that was spent running and hiding. I grew up here in the human realm before that," lie.

    "I''ve heard the whole ce is like a prison," the girl says, and the others nod in agreement.

    "Probably," I nod.

    I wish I could tell them the truth. I want to tell them they are in prison here and they just don''t realise it. I want to tell them about the academy that they should be attending and how they''d have their own apartment withfortable beds, running water, food, and a safe ce to live whilst they learn to control their gifts. When Harper is home and safe, I''m going to try toe back for these kids. They deserve to have a chance at a normal Grey life.

    It''s on the tip of my tongue to ask them about Harper, but know if I start asking that kind of question I''ll give myself away. I have to try and get information without drawing suspicion

    Chapter 291-

    Are you four a bonded group?" I ask.

    I think we will be, but we haven''t tried to bond yet," she says with a flush of embarrassment.

    "Don''t you have a seer to guide you to your bonds?"

    "No, not yet, but I have heard we might have one. Her gifts just haven''t awoken yet," one of the boys says, and I try not to show a reaction, they have to be talking about Harper.

    "Do you have a bond?" The girl asks.

    "I don''t think so. I was captured and thrown in prison before I had a chance to find out. They don''t bring seers into the prison, but I''ve heard stories about them from the people I was locked up with."

    "Wait in here, we are making arrangements for you both," brent says as he guides Robert into the room.

    Robert leans against the wall and slumps down, his hands cradling his head as if he''s in pain. He looks pale and his hands tremble. I grab another bottle of water and a packet of cookies and take them to him.

    "Are you okay?" I ask quietly as I sit down beside him.

    "I will be," he says, but I think he is trying to downy how bad he is.

    "Here, drink some water and get some sugar in you," I tell him, opening the water bottle and handing it to him.

    Robert takes the bottle and shakily brings it to his lips before gulping down a quarter of it.

    "What''s wrong with him?" One of the boys asks.

    "We''ve had a tough few days with barely any sleep or food. He will be okay after a good night''s rest and a meal," I reassure as I hand Robert one of the cookies.

    "I have ate shift at the fast food ce soon. I''ll try and bring a few burgers back for you both," the girl says.

    ¡°Thanks, we''d appreciate that. Do you all have jobs?"

    "No, only the ones that have been here a while. We have to work to bring in money to feed the rest of the group," she exins.

    "Makes sense," I nod. "How do you go unnoticed by the humans? I could barely control the eye re as a teen." "We train to control it, and some of us have sses to hide it," she says.

    "Come on, we should get going, or we will bete for work one of the boys says, getting to his feet and holding out a hand to the girl.

    "See you around," the girl says with a smile before the four of them leave me and Robert alone.

    Robert slumps over, leaning against me and for a second I worry he is dead, but his steady breathing assures me he is sleeping. I hope thepulsion hasn''t done any permanent damage, and he will recover after some rest.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 295

    **Luke''s POV**

    25 NOW

    I take the opportunity of being alone tomunicate with my bond group. I close my eyes, pretending to sleep in case anyonees in to check on us. I open up the mind link.

    "Robert made it through thepulsion, but he''s not doing so well. He is sleeping," I say, getting straight to the point as I don''t know how much time I have.

    "Sleep is good. If they didn''t break through, then he should be okay after some rest. I expect he will have a killer headache though," Deacon responds.

    "Yes, he definitely has a headache. I''m not sure how much time I have before we are moved, so I''m going to make this quick. I just spent some time talking with a group of teens. They told me a few of them work to bring in money to feed the rest of the group. I suspect that''s why Dillon was working at the water park. You should check ces that hire untrained teens. They also mentioned that they have a seer, but that her gifts haven''t fully awoken yet. It has to be Harper, right?"

    "I''d say so, good work Luke, I think we can count that as confirmation they still have her," D says.

    I know what he really means is that they haven''t killed her, but no one wants to verbalise that that was ever a possibility.

    "Are you okay?" Josie asks.

    "I''m fine. Just missing you, but I have high hopes this is going to be worth it. I''m just worried that Harper might give me away when she sees me," I admit.

    "She won''t, she''s a smart girl. She will know to y along if she sees you there. Just get her and Archie out as soon as you can," Mason says.

    "I will. What about Dillon?" I ask because we never really discussed him when we were nning this rescue

    mission.

    "If you can get him without risking losing Harper and Archie, then grab him too, but he is not the priority," Mace

    says.

    "Okay..." I pause when I hear footsteps outside the room. "Someone ising, I''ll update you when I can," I say quickly and shut down the link.

    I don''t have time to analyse it fully before Brent returns to the room, but I am pretty sure I sensed something off about my bond group as if they were trying to hide something from me. Their emotions seem forced, almost like they are masking something.

    "Ready to go?" Brent asks, looking down at me and casting a worried nce at Robert.

    "Yeah, I can carry him," I nod, gently moving Robert''s head from my shoulder and then getting up.

    "You know he''s dying, don''t you?" Brent asks.

    "Is that a problem for you?" I ask, unsure how to answer.

    "Not at all. If anything, it makes him more useful. He''s more likely to take chances others wouldn''t because he doesn''t have anything to lose and everything to gain. To go out fighting for a cause he believes in has to be the best way for him to go," Brent smiles.

    "This is certainly a cause he would be proud to die for," I nod.

    My words are the truth. I might not have known him long, but I fully believe that Robert would be willing to die trying to bring his granddaughter home. urrounded by teens

    "Come on then, I''ve managed to find you a couple of real beds. I hope you can handle being though, although they should all be asleep right now so you won''t have to deal with them until the morning," Brent chuckles.

    "I don''t have much experience with them. I have been locked away since I was a teen myself, but they can''t be worse than I was, "I snort. A spark of hope grows within me that Harper is one of these teens he is talking about. "You were a handful as a teen then?" he asks as I lift Robert over my shoulder. Trying to hide how concerned I am that he hasn''t woken up at being moved.

    "Oh yeah, I bounced from foster home to foster home until Cornelius found me. I was angry at the world and I made damn sure they all knew about it," grin.

    "I can imagine, you look like the type that was always causing trouble," Brent says as he grips my shoulder and ports us to what I can only describe as a mud tunnel.

    There are LED lights dug into the walls. They look like those rechargeable ones thatst a few days before they need to be recharged. They must have ess to electricity somewhere to keep these charged up.

    "What the hell is this ce?" I ask.

    "Safe

    What it is. No one can find you here. Put your friend down on the bed in here, and I''ll give you a quick tour," he says, motioning to a gap in the wall that is covered by what appears to be an old shower curtain. Brent holds the curtain back for me and I enter a small room that has been dug out of the soil. We must be in an underground location, which is clever. We never would have found them by randomly porting around.

    I look at the two beds and question his upbringing if he thinks these count as the ''real beds'' he had promised. These are nothing more than yoga-type mats on the floor with pillows and nkets. I gently lower Robert to the mat and his eyes squint open for a moment. At least he''s notpletely unconscious, but right now he is literally a dead weight if anything goes wrong here.

    "Sleep, we are safe,¡± I reassure him. His face rxes and his eyes close as he drifts back to sleep.

    I nce around, praying he really will be safe here whilst I go with Brent. I hate to leave him like this. He''s vulnerable whilst he sleeps this heavily, but I have to make it seem like I''mfortable here to not rouse suspicion. After all, these are supposed to be my people, who I trust over anyone else.

 Chapter 296

    **Luke''s POV**

    Brent gives me a tout, which takes only a few minutes. There is amunal type area with dirty pillows on the floor and makeshift tables made out of wooden pallets. Brent tells me breakfast will be served here in the morning. There are stacks of board games and ying cards on a pallet in the corner and another pallet is full of packaged paper tes, stic cups and cutlery. There arerge bottles of water that look like they have been refilled many times, the stic warped and dirty.

    "I don''t suppose there''s a bathroom, is there?" I ask, trying not to show my disappointment at their living conditions.

    "There''s one around here somewhere," Brent says, leading me down another mud tunnel. ¡°Here, we move it every few days for obvious reasons. You can always tell which one is a toilet by the colour of the curtain. If it''s one of these blue ones, it''s a toilet," he says, holding back a curtain to reveal a literal hole in the ground. I fight the urge to wrinkle my nose in disgust.

    "What about washing facilities?"

    "We have daily trips up to one of the gyms or leisure centers, we have people working in them that can let us in to shower. I''ll make sure someone takes you tomorrow. We also have fresh clothes brought down daily. You can leave your dirty clothes in the corner of themunal area, and they will be taken to theundrette and returned. I can''t guarantee someone won''t take them though. It''s a bit of a free-for-all with the clothes," he shrugs.

    "That''s fine. Thank you. It''s quite the set-up you have here,"

    "We are constantly on the move, so we don''t have anything permanent, but it works. Get some sleep, I''ll probably see you in the morning," he says before porting out.

    After Brent leaves, I debate my options. Should I go back to Robert or search for Harper? I''m sure there won''t just be teens down here. They will have someone here keeping them under control, because there''s no way a group of teens would follow a set bedtime routine without it being enforced. Whoever is watching the teens has most likely been told to keep an eye on me and Robert too.

    I make my way back to Robert, peeking my head in to checkon him. He is curled up on his side, snoring softly. I step back, looking down the tunnel. I can see multiple curtains covering the entranceways to more rooms. Harper could be so close, right behind any one of these curtains. I wish I could just call out to her, but that is the worst idea.

    I check my bond link. They''re all still awake and anxious.

    "I''ve been taken to some underground tunnel system. It''s like Cornelius'' hideout, but on a muchrger scale. They are living underground in burrows like rabbits. The whole ce is silent, but the guy who brought me here said this ce is full of teens. I''m going to start searching the rooms, but this ce is like a maze," I say into the mind link.

    "So we were right about them possibly being underground, Deacon says.

    "Yes, we had no chance of finding them," I confirm. "I have another lead for you to check out. They are using gyms and leisure centers to shower. They have people worlding there to let them in, so you might want to get some surveince set up on any that are near the locations we found evidence in."

    "Good work, Luke. I''ll let Raff know and get something setup to monitor them," D responds.

    "Okay, Robert is still sleeping, so I''m searching alone for now. I''ll update you when I can."

    "Be careful, don''t get yourself caught snooping around in there," Mason warns.

    "I won''t," I reassure.

    "Luke, I''m so proud of you, and I love you," Josie says.

    "I love you too, Sweetness, I''ll be back with you soon, I promise," I tell her before closing down the link.

    I very slowly pull back the curtain of the first room Ie to. It''s the same as the one Robert and I have been assigned, and this one has two boys sleeping in it. It''s difficult to see them clearly in the dim light, but I''m almost certain neither of them are Archie or Dillon.

    I back out and make my way deeper into the tunnel. The stale air seems to be thicker with every step I take and the smell of the damp earth intensifies. The next room seems to be a storage space. Crates are stacked up, I don''t stop to check their contents.

    I move further into the warren with practised stealth. The tunnel splits into two and I go left. My footsteps are almost silent, muffled by the soft dirt beneath me. This section seems new, the floor is not well-trodden like the ground near my room.

    I check behind each curtain as I pass. None of them are people I recognise, but with theck of light and some of them having their heads under the nkets, I can''t be 100% sure. I won''t risk waking them to find out though.

    Who are you?" a boy demands, sitting up when pull back the curtain to the next room on my search.

    "Sorry, wrong room," I whisper, before quickly backing out

    There seem to only be boys here. Maybe the females are kept in a separate location? I backtrack, deciding to check the other tunnel and as I make my way down it. I find two sleeping girls in the first room, but neither of them is Harper. Encouraged that I''m headed in the right direction. I pick up my pace, searching two more rooms before I hear muffled voices up ahead.

    I pause, holding my breath to listen intently to the voices that areing closer. I nce around, I can either port back to my room or find a ce to hide. I spot a blue curtain up ahead and pray no one is using this toilet as I dart behind the curtain.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 Chapter 297

    Chister 247

    **Luke''s POV**

    I almost gag at the smell. These are awful living conditions and I hate that my daughter and the rest of these kids have been forced to live this way. It''s Inhumane. They need daylight and clean facilities.

    "I don''t like it, they shouldn''t be here," a gruff male voiceys as the voices draw closer.

    "It''s just temporary until we find somewhere else to put them. They''ve beenpelled they are both clean," a voice I recognise as Brent responds, and it''s clear they are discussing me and Robert.

    "I''m not worried about them not being who they say they are. I''m worried they will think they have authority here because they were from the original group. They can''t juste in and take over, we have worked too hard to build up to this size. We are bigger and stronger than the original group, and I''ll be damned if theye in now and take all the glory for what we have achieved. We are almost ready to take over this realm, another twelve months, and we will be unstoppable with all the new talent" the gruff voice says.

    "They''re not here to take over. They want our help to free the others, and I think we at least owe them that before we seal off Greys realm for good this time. None of us would be here right now if it wasn''t for the original group. We can''t just leave them there to rot," Brent reasons, and it''s a shame he''s a rogue, he seems like an honourable man. He''s just on the wrong side of the fight.

    "Are you kidding? They had their chance, and they messed up, forcing us to have to live in hiding like rats. underground. I vote that we leave them to their fate."

    "And what would you do with the two we have here already?" Brent asks.

    "Kill them in their sleep for all I care," the gruff guy responds.

    I curse silently. He could very well be headed to my room to do that right now, and Robert is there alone and vulnerable. I have to make a quick choice: go back to my room and make sure they don''t kill Robert, or keep searching for Harper.

    I port back to my room and quickly climb into my makeshift bed, listening to Robert''s steady breathing and the voices that are nowing towards us. Brent hushes hispanion as they draw near, and I feign sleep. I hear the shift of the curtain that separates our room from the tunnel and I clench my fists under the nket, ready to fight if either of the menes further into the space.

    A tense few seconds pass before the curtain falls back into ce and the men''s chatter begins again as they move away. That was close. I''m going to have to be more careful, and one thing is for sure, I can''t leave Robert alone until he has woken up. Not when I now know there''s at least one person here who wants to kill us in our sleep.

    I quickly exin what happened and what I''d heard to my bond group, and tell them I need them to rest because there''s no way I can sleep now. I''m going to need them to sleep for me and share their energy.

    The night passes far too slowly. I go through phases of fighting sleep because I''m exhausted and bored out of my mind, and fighting paranoia whenever I hear movement.

    With no natural daylight so deep underground and no phone or watch, I have no idea how much time has passed or what time it is. So when a feminine voice starts calling out that breakfast has arrived, I sigh in relief.

    "Robert," I say, attempting to wake him up.

    When he doesn''t react, I throw off my nket and stretch out my stiff body before reaching over to try and shake him awake. He slowlyes to with a groan, and he is momentarily confused about what is happening

    "You''re okay. We are in some underground amodation with a bunch of teens. Someone stalled out th breakfast is ready. Do you think you can get up?" 1 ask

    Robert frowns and blinks a few times whilst he processes my words, and then he nods, pushing himself up on his

    elbows.

    "Good man, how are you feeling today?" I ask as I hear the bustle and bustle of people starting to make their way

    towards themunal area.

    "Like someone took a hammer to my head," he sighs, mbbing his face.

    "Okay, stay here. I''ll go and see what is on offer for breakfast and see if they have some medication for you, or maybe a healer," 1 tell him.

    "I''m sorry, I know I''m being more of a hindrance than a help right now. I''ll be okay, just help me holding out a hand to me.

    1 help him up, and together we leave our poor excuse of a room and move to themunal area. All eyes mond to us as we enter and there must be at least twenty teens crammed in here. I scan their faces as they all sit around, drinking from stic cups and eating dry cereal from paper tes. It''s a sad scene, they''re all young and the father in me wants to hug them all and tell them I''m going to get them somewhere safe.

    "Good morning. You must be Robert and Lucas. Please help yourself to breakfast," a woman who looks younger than me with matted hair and a wild glint in her eyes grins at us. She gives me the instant creeps and I have to suppress a shudder.

    "Thanks," I nod and find a couple of empty cushions for me and Robert to sit on.

    I pour two cups of water and hand one to Robert before grabbing a box of cereal. When I turn back towards Robert, my breath is stolen from my lungs as I see the face I have been searching for for weeks.

    A dishevelled-looking Harper frowns at me before her eyes go wide in recognition.

 Chapter 298

    **

    Once Harper''s initial shock of realising it''s me passes, a wide grin spreads over

    her face, and she steps towards me. A hand reaches out to grab her arm, stopping her.

    "What''s going on he

    Do you know him?" The woman with the wild eyes that announced breakfast asks as her fingers grip Harper''s upper atm.

    I give Harper a subtle shake of my head, and she blinks before looking at the woman holding her back.

    "No, Mandy, I just thought I saw nothing, it doesn''t matter," Harper shakes her head, and it takes a gargantuan effort not to demand the woman release her.

    "Don''t lie, little girl, I saw it too. Tell us who he is to you," the gruff voice I recognise fromst night says.

    "How could she possibly know me? I''ve never seen this kid before in my life. I have probably been locked up longer than she has been alive," I snort augh.

    "Get Brent back here. I knew there was something off about these guys," the guff man demands.

    "No, wait. I''ll tell you," Harper shakes her head.

    "Go on then," Mandy says.

    "He''s your bond," Harper blurts, and I almost choke on air

    "Are you sure?" Mandy asks, her voice rising in delight

    "Yes," Harper nods, "I saw it as soon as I walked in here, it''s the clearest bond I have seen yet.

    TH

    A few people gasp and Gruff man grunts, curling his lip in disgust before snatching up a box of cereal and walking

    away.

    "Oh, this is wonderful. I knew those meditation sessions would pay off," Mandy gushes, hugging Harper before turning her eyes to me.

    She grins at me in what I think is supposed to be a seductive way, but it''s just terrifying. Her hand releases Harper and she reaches out to me. I scoot back in an attempt to stay out of her reach.

    "Come on, Lucas, don''t be shy. I have waited a long time for you," she smiles and attempts to flutter her eyshes at me.

    "I have to look after my friend, he needs to eat and get back to bed," I say, gesturing to Robert, who is watching the whole scene unfold with wide eyes.

    "Harper will help him, won''t you, Dear?" Mandy says.

    "Yes, of course, but he doesn''t look like he can walk. Let me find Archie and Dillon, they can carry him," Harper says, and Robert ys along, gripping his head and crying out in pain.

    This is good. Harper is smart. She has just let me know that both Dillon and Archie are here with her, and she has worked out how to get her bonds and get back to my room with Robert. Now I just need to buy them enough time to port out.

    "Thank you," I say to Harper, before turning to Robert. "You should try to eat something and then this kid is going to have her friends take you back. Don''t wait for me, I''lle and find youter, okay?" I say, hoping he

    #75 BONUS

    Chapin 200

    understands my coded message.

    "Yes, you go, I''ll be fine getting back," he says.

    I move towards Mandy, my feet feeling He lead. I squeeze Harper''s shoulder as I pass her. "Please stay with him until I return, he''s like a father to me," 1 tell her, letting her know she can trust him.

    "will," she nods.

    Mandy slips her hand into mine and pulls me away from themunal area. I go reluctantly, hating every part of this. I just found my daughter and I can''t even hug her or tell her how much I love her. Instead, I''m letting mande Mandy take me to god knows where

    Mandy leads me down one of the tunnels and 1 spot a blue curtain.

    "One minute, I need to use the bathroom," I tell her, trying to buy myself some time and to update my bonds.

    "Okay, Handsome, but hurry up, I don''t like to be kept walking," Mandy says, blinking up at me in that strange way again. I force a smile before darting behind the curtain.

    The smell in here doesn''t seem so bad now that I know who is outside waiting for

    me.

    "Wake up!" I demand into the mind link..

    "I''m awake," Theo responds quickly.

    "We have Harper. She is finding Archie and Dillon, and then Robert will be bringing them back soon," I say quickly.

    Relief floods the bond and I have to fight not to burst into tears of happiness at the rush of emotion from our whole group as they give me words of praise and thanks.

    "I don''t have long. I''m buying some time for them to find the boys and get to a safe ce to port out. As soon as they''re back I need you to tell me, so I can escape before anyone notices they''ve gone," I say.

    "Be careful," Josie says.

    "I''m trying. You can tell Harper she is grounded for the rest of her life for this. I''ll exinter, but just know I love you, and I''m only doing this for Harper," I tell her before shutting down the mind link.

    "You''re not hiding from me in there are you, Lucas?" Mandy says, and I hear the curtain move as she walks into the small space behind me.

    "Nope," I say, pretending to fasten my pants.

    ''Good, because I have lots of ns for us," she hums, pressing herself up against my back and her hands moving around my front.

    I grip her wrists before she can reach my crotch and I swear my dick retracts into my body, like a turtle going into its shell, at the threat of her touch.

    "Not in here,¡± I say, trying not to sound repulsed by her.

    "You''re right. Let''s wait until we are in my room. I can''t wait to bond with you," she says excitedly, and I suppress a shudder.

    Mandy''s room is bigger than the one Robert and I had been assigned. Her bed is

    a double mat in the center and T can only assume she either has a bond already

    or she keepspany with the gruff guy.

    "Do you have any yother bonds?" I ask, avoiding the bed.

    "Nope, you get to have me all to yourself," she smiles,ying back on the bed and patting the space beside her.

    "Lucky me," 1 force a grin, that probably looks more like a rimace.

    "Stop stalling, Lucas, I''ll be gentle with you, I promise," she blinks up at me.

    ¡°I''m not stalling. I''m just so overwhelmed by all this, I never thought I''d have a bond, and I want to savour the moment. There''s no reason for us to rush, is there? Let''s go to know each other a little first," I tell her, and she narrows her eyes at me.

    "You''ve never done this before, have you?" she asks.

    "No, I''ve been in prison since I was 18. I want this to be special, because y Chapter 298

    **

    Once Harper''s initial shock of realising it''s me passes, a wide grin spreads over

    her face, and she steps towards me. A hand reaches out to grab her arm, stopping her.

    "What''s going on he

    Do you know him?" The woman with the wild eyes that announced breakfast asks

    as her fingers grip Harper''s upper atm.

    I give Harper a subtle shake of my head, and she blinks before looking at the woman holding her back.

    "No, Mandy, I just thought I saw nothing, it doesn''t matter," Harper shakes her head, and it takes a gargantuan effort not to demand the woman release her.

    "Don''t lie, little girl, I saw it too. Tell us who he is to you," the gruff voice I recognise fromst night says.

    "How could she possibly know me? I''ve never seen this kid before in my life. I have probably been locked up longer than she has been alive," I snort augh.

    "Get Brent back here. I knew there was something off about these guys," the guff man demands.

    "No, wait. I''ll tell you," Harper shakes her head.

    "Go on then," Mandy says.

    "He''s your bond," Harper blurts, and I almost choke on air

    "Are you sure?" Mandy asks, her voice rising in delight

    "Yes," Harper nods, "I saw it as soon as I walked in here, it''s the clearest bond I

    have seen yet.

    TH

    A few people gasp and Gruff man grunts, curling his lip in disgust before snatching up a box of cereal and walking

    away.

    "Oh, this is wonderful. I knew those meditation sessions would pay off," Mandy gushes, hugging Harper before turning her eyes to me.

    She grins at me in what I think is supposed to be a seductive way, but it''s just terrifying. Her hand releases Harper and she reaches out to me. I scoot back in an attempt to stay out of her reach.

    "Come on, Lucas, don''t be shy. I have waited a long time for you," she smiles and attempts to flutter her eyshes at me.

    "I have to look after my friend, he needs to eat and get back to bed," I say, gesturing to Robert, who is watching the whole scene unfold with wide eyes. "Harper will help him, won''t you, Dear?" Mandy says.

    "Yes, of course, but he doesn''t look like he can walk. Let me find Archie and Dillon, they can carry him," Harper says, and Robert ys along, gripping his head and crying out in pain.

    This is good. Harper is smart. She has just let me know that both Dillon and Archie are here with her, and she has worked out how to get her bonds and get

    back to my room with Robert. Now I just need to buy them enough time to port

    out.

    "Thank you," I say to Harper, before turning to Robert. "You should try to eat something and then this kid is going to have her friends take you back. Don''t wait

    for me, I''lle and find youter, okay?" I say, hoping he

    #75 BONUS

    Chapin 200

    understands my coded message.

    "Yes, you go, I''ll be fine getting back," he says.

    I move towards Mandy, my feet feeling He lead. I squeeze Harper''s shoulder as I pass her. "Please stay with him until I return, he''s like a father to me," 1 tell her,

    letting her know she can trust him.

    "will," she nods.

    Mandy slips her hand into mine and pulls me away from themunal area. I go reluctantly, hating every part of this. I just found my daughter and I can''t even hug her or tell her how much I love her. Instead, I''m letting mande Mandy take me to god knows where

    Mandy leads me down one of the tunnels and 1 spot a blue curtain.

    "One minute, I need to use the bathroom," I tell her, trying to buy myself some

    time and to update my bonds.

    "Okay, Handsome, but hurry up, I don''t like to be kept walking," Mandy says, blinking up at me in that strange way again. I force a smile before darting behind the curtain.

    The smell in here doesn''t seem so bad now that I know who is outside waiting for

    me.

    "Wake up!" I demand into the mind link..

    "I''m awake," Theo responds quickly.

    "We have Harper. She is finding Archie and Dillon, and then Robert will be

    bringing them back soon," I say quickly.

    Relief floods the bond and I have to fight not to burst into tears of happiness at the

    rush of emotion from our whole group as they give me words of praise and

    thanks.

    "I don''t have long. I''m buying some time for them to find the boys and get to a

    safe ce to port out. As soon as they''re back I need you to tell me, so I can escape before anyone notices they''ve gone," I say.

    "Be careful," Josie says.

    "I''m trying. You can tell Harper she is grounded for the rest of her life for this. I''ll

    exinter, but just know I love you, and I''m only doing this for Harper," I tell her before shutting down the mind link.

    "You''re not hiding from me in there are you, Lucas?" Mandy says, and I hear the

    curtain move as she walks into the small space behind me. "Nope," I say, pretending to fasten my pants.

    ''Good, because I have lots of ns for us," she hums, pressing herself up against

    my back and her hands moving around my front.

    I grip her wrists before she can reach my crotch and I swear my dick retracts into

    my body, like a turtle going into its shell, at the threat of her touch.

    "Not in here,¡± I say, trying not to sound repulsed by her.

    "You''re right. Let''s wait until we are in my room. I can''t wait to bond with you," she

    says excitedly, and I suppress a shudder.

    Mandy''s room is bigger than the one Robert and I had been assigned. Her bed is

    a double mat in the center and T can only assume she either has a bond already

    or she keepspany with the gruff guy.

    "Do you have any yother bonds?" I ask, avoiding the bed.

    "Nope, you get to have me all to yourself," she smiles,ying back on the bed and

    patting the space beside her.

    "Lucky me," 1 force a grin, that probably looks more like a rimace.

    "Stop stalling, Lucas, I''ll be gentle with you, I promise," she blinks up at me.

    ¡°I''m not stalling. I''m just so overwhelmed by all this, I never thought I''d have a bond, and I want to savour the moment. There''s no reason for us to rush, is

    there? Let''s go to know each other a little first," I tell her, and she narrows her eyes at me.

    "You''ve never done this before, have you?" she asks.

    "No, I''ve been in prison since I was 18. I want this to be special, because you are

    special, Mandy. Is there somewhere nicer we can go? Somewhere as special as

    you are, and a little more private," I suggest.

    "No, I want you right here, right now," she says.

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    ou are special, Mandy. Is there somewhere nicer we can go? Somewhere as

    special as you are, and a little more private," I suggest.

    "No, I want you right here, right now," she says.

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 Chapter 299

    **Josie''s POV **

    Luke wakes us up in the best way possible. He''s found Harper, and she''ll being home soon. I can already feel the excitement bubbling inside me as I pace the kitchen, imagining the moment when I can finally wrap my arms around her. The thought that she is safe fills me with overwhelming joy, and I can''t wait to see her again.

    Axel informs Raff, who arranges to have Archie''s parents brought here. I expect them to be a little hostile towards us because it''s our fault that Archie was lost in the first ce, but when they arrive they just seem to be reviled and as anxious as the rest of us.

    It has been less than an hour since Luke confirmed he had Harper, but it feels like a lifetime. The anticipation is killing me and the air feels thick with tension.

    Mason is no better. He''s a prolific pacer at the best of times Now I''m worried he''s going to pass out from exhaustion before she even arrives at this rate.

    Theo is sitting at the kitchen table bouncing his knee and Axel is resting his head in his hands. Deacon

    is the only one of us that is not showing any outward signs that give away his emotions, but I can feel he is just as keyed up as the rest of us.

    Thest weeks have been a chaotic mess of frantic searches, desperate pleas and unanswered prayers, until now. We have barely spoken since Luke gave us the news.

    I can barely see past the haze of my own thoughts and tear-blurred eyes. There are so many questions running through my mind. How is she? What has she been through? Will she need healing? Some therapy? The uncertainty

    gnaws at me.

    "Mum," I hear the most beautiful sound in the world and my heart skips a beat. I turn to see my daughter running towards me from the hallway.

    Everything happens in a blur. I don''t even register that I''ve moved before my arms are wrapped around her, and we sink to the floor in floods of happy tears. My guys are around us in seconds, enclosing us in the biggest of hugs. A thousand unspoken words pass between us and my heart feels as though it is going to burst in my chest as I get a rush of love that''s simr to the one I got when I gave birth to her and held her for the first time.

    "Let me look at you," I say pulling back to look at Harper''s face, which looks pale and gaunt.

    Her clothes are ragged and filthy. She has changed in thest weeks, her bright eyes now seem shadowed as if they''ve seen too much, and she looks more mature in a way that only happens with life experiences. I hear my guys all talking to her, but their words all mix into one jumbled hum as my ears ring with adrenaline.

    "I''m sorry, mum," she cries, her voice raw. I pull her towards me again, kissing the top of her head as she presses. her face to my shoulder.

    "It''s okay, you are here and you are safe. Just don''t ever do something like that again. We would havee with you to get Dillon if you''d told us. We had no idea he felt so important to you," I tell her.

    "She''s home," I hear Deacon say into the mind link, and secondster Luke joins us.

    I reach for him, needing to touch him too. I don''t ever want to let any of them go again. I want to lock them away in the house and never let any of my kids or bonds out of my sight again.

    "You are grounded forever for that stunt," Luke says with an exasperatedugh once he has had a moment to hold both me and Harper.

    13

    Cluster 209

    "What happened?" Theo asks.

    "I''m sorry, it''s the only thing I could think of to say," Harperughs.

    "She is terrifying. You have no idea what I have just been through," Luke blows out a breaths and shakes his head. "Ohe on, give us the full story, this sounds Interesting Thenins.

    Harper tells us how she had told Mandy, one of her captors, that Lake was one of her bonds and Lake had gone along with it to buy Harper some time to find Archle and Dillon and get them back to Robert. Luke had spent almost an hour dodging: Mandy''s advances and making up excuses to dy their ''bonding. Both he and Harper say Mandy is wild and kind of scary. I have a feeling I''ll get more in-depth retelling from Luketer. He seems a little spooked by the whole thing.

    I look over to see Archie is in a simr situation to Harper, is parents surrounding bin and fussing over him. Then I look for Dillon and Robert.

    Robert is sitting on the floor in the hall, slumped against the wall and looking a worrying shade of grey. Dillon kneels beside him, a hand on his shoulder.

    "Dad," I gasp, scrambling to my feet to get to him.

    I kneel beside him, and he gives me a weak smile.

    "Hey," he says, his voice sounding as weak as he looks.

    "Thank you for bringing her home," I tell him, taking his hand with tear-filled eyes.

    He is not in a good way. "Let''s get him on the couch," Deacon says, helping my

    dad up and porting him to the couch in the sitting room.

    I follow after them, bringing my hands to his head to heal him a little.

    "I''ll be okay. I just need to rest," he says.

    "I hate to cut this reunion short, but I think we need to get you all out of here. The rogues maye here when they discover that the kids have absconded. I''m going to have a team here, waiting for them just in case, but I''d rather have the kids and Robert somewhere safe," Raff says and I nod, he''s right.

    Harper walks into the sitting room with Mason''s arm around her shoulders and Dillon following closely behind, looking a little out of ce.

    "So this is my grandad?" Harper asks as she looks at Robert

    watery smile.

    "Yes, he is," I smile, taking his hand in mine again, and he gives me a watery

    "Thank you foring for us," Harper says.

    "Any time," Robert breathes.

    "Let''s get out of here," Luke says, putting his arm around Harper''s back so she is sandwiched between him and Mason.

    "I suggest we go back to headquarters first. We will need to debrief and get Robert some medical attention. I want to get into those tunnels as soon as possible. I have a team gearing up for you to port in. There''s also the issue of what we are going to do with the boy. I assume he has no parents in our realm," Raff says, nodding towards Dillon.

    ''He''s staying with us, right Mum?" Harper says, her eyes pleading.

    "We will work something out," I nod, and share a look with Deacon.

 Chapter 300

    **Mason''s POV

    The moment I''ve been longing for for weeks has finallye, and I can barely speak. I can''t tell my daughter everything I have been wanting to tell her. The words just won''te out. So, Instead, I go into management mode. We don''t have the luxury of riding off into the sunset for our happy ever after. The kids are safe, but there''s still so much to do.

    Everything has changed. I can sense it. My daughter is home, but she is not the same girl who left this house weeks ago. She might think she can hide behind the mask she has painted on her face, but I can see right the it because it''s the same mask that I used to wear. The one that turns you bitter the longer you try to maintain it.

    When I returned from my ordeal as a teen there was no one there to tell me it was okay to feel the way I did. There was no one there to call me out on my act, to tell me I didn''t need to pretend I was fine just to make life easier for everyone around me. I won''t let Harper, Archie, or Dillon hide the way I did. Whatever they''ve been through needs to be spoken about, not locked away and left to fester whilst it slowly eats away at them from the inside.

    After a quick dash around the house to gather up the rest of our belongings, we port back to military headquarters. I hope I never step foot in that holiday home again. I hope the ce falls down and takes all the bad memories with it

    Robert is taken straight to the medical bay. He will be healed and, hopefully, we will have gotten him permission to be released from the prison before he is ready to leave the medical bay so he never has to return to the prison. He and I still have some conversations to have, but they can wait. He may not have saved me as a teen, but he saved my daughter, and that is more important to me.

    Raff has food brought in for the kids, and they sit at a table together whilst they eat the sandwiches like they''ve been presented with a grand feast. They split the food, letting each other sample what they have. I realise I''m not the only one watching them. My entire bond group, Archie''s parents and some of Raff''s men watch them too, all of us silently wondering what they''ve been through.

    "What have they been feeding them?" Theo whispers as I fasten the buckles on the side of his vest.

    "I wasn''t there long enough to get a full meal n, but from what I saw it was dry cereal for breakfast and I saw some packaged snacks. Some of the kids that work bring back food from their ce of work, but I doubt it''s enough to feed them all," Luke exins.

    "How many kids did they have there?" Axel asks as he checks if Josie''s gear is

    secure.

    "I saw at least thirty teens, but I suspect there are more," he says as he adjusts the straps on his tactical vest.

    "Ready to move in?" Raff asks as a fully geared-up team filters into the room. "Yes," Luke nods.

    Okay, we have six porters. Is there somewhere discreet you can port them all in?" Raff asks.

    "Not discreet, no, I can take two at a time. The rooms are small unless we port directly into the tunnels or themunal area," Luke shakes his head.

    "Right, let''s forget going for the element of surprise then. How many are youfortable porting in at once?"

    "Ten," Luke says.

    "Perfect, six porters and four to start securing the area. All the porterse straight back here to pick up the rest

    *

    of our team," Raff calls out.

    The n is not perfect, but it''s the best we coulde up with in the short amount of time we have had. Harper, Dillon and Archie will be here with some more of Raff''s men and Archie''s parents to reassure any teens we rescue. I''m not a huge fan of having to leave my daughter already or have her involved in this rescue mission, but she had insisted she would be the best to help calm the teens we bring back

    Raff has another unit porting into the location where Luke and Robert first made contact with the rogues at the same time that we enter the tunnels. I just hope we haven''t given them enough time to work out what is happening and move out.

    Luke ports in with a group of ten, including Raff and Deacon. Momentster all the men with porting abilities return and collect the rest of us.

    We port intoplete darkness. I can tell we are underground by the smell and the thickness of the air. Blue eyes begin to re all around as we all use our gifts to see. A few moments pass whilst we all adjust to our new surroundings and then a light flickers on..

    "There are lights on the walls. Find one and press it to turn it on. Blue curtains are bathrooms. Be careful going in them, they are just a shit and piss-filled hole in the ground," Luke calls out, and everyone begins to move.

    My bond group moves together as one, pulling back curtains as we pass. At first, I think we are toote. The ce seems deserted, but I hear a small whimper of fear as I pull back one of the curtains. There is a group of three feens huddled together. They look terrified.

    "Three here," I call out. I don''t have time to coddle them, we just need to get them out and safe first.

    Deacon rushes in, porting out with the teens before returning to us a few momentster. We work our way through the tunnel system like that, Luke and D taking turns to take any teens we find to safety.

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 Chapter 301

    **Josie''s POV **

    I can''t think of my daughter living in this ce for weeks, and the thought of other kids living here even longer is breaking my heart. Children need warmth and a clean living space. They need a safe ce to sleep that is not a thin mat on a filthy floor underground. All these teens should have been at the academy, where they could be free

    to roam with the sun on their faces. Their biggest worry should be what''s on the menu in the academy dining hall.

    I doubt any of the kids are here by choice. I just can''t imagine any of them choosing to live this way, and I''m not going to stop until we have saved every one of them.

    Luke ports out with another two teen boys as we move into the next tunnel. I pull open a curtain and find the small cut-out space empty.

    "Clear," I say to my guys as I move to the next one.

    I reach out for the next curtain and as I pull it back, somethingnds on the top of my head, my knees buckle under the weight and it takes me a moment before I realise what is happening. The tunnels are copsing and burying us alive inside. I open my mouth to shout a warning, which is a huge mistake because I end up silenced by a mouth full of soil.

    I try to move, but quickly realise I can''t. I ampletely engulfed in the earth.

    Even breathing is difficult. Panic floods the bond and everyone talks at once in a chaotic blur of noise.

    "Everyone calm down, we are going to get out of this, but we need to work together," Deacon shouts into the mind link.

    "Easy for you to say, you can port out," Theo snaps back.

    "I''m not going to do that, not yet at least. If I do, I''ll not be able toe back, and

    I''m not leaving anyone behind. Mason, Josie, start moving the earth. Go slowly in a horizontal path. I''m going to go vertically. If I can get to the surface, I can see where we are and bring in more molecr maniptors to open up this whole area. We have no idea how much of the underground system has copsed or if there are still teens trapped down here," Deacon exins.

    "Okay,¡± I say, fighting off the panic attack that is trying to w at me.

    Axel and Theo need me. They can''t get out of this without us. They never

    mastered the porting and maniption skills.

    "Axe, are you good?" Mason asks.

    "Yeah, I was right behind you," he responds.

    "I''m not sure if I got turned around. I''m going to start slowly moving the earth out

    in a circr pattern around me. Tell me if you feel any movement, so I can work out which direction you are in," Mace says.

    "I''ll do the same," I tell them.

    "No rush, Babe, I''ll just be here chilling in the dirt right next to the huge pile of mud, you can''t miss me," Theo

    huffs.

    I re my eyes, so I can see and begin moving the earth, slowly opening up a circr cavern around me. I am not as skilled at this as Mason, but I have a stronger gift for it than he does, he just wields it better than me. I have a tendency to overdo it. My gift is too powerful for my limited experience of using it. There is not really a ce I can

    practice this level of gift without causing mass destruction

    "I feel movement," Axel says, and I stop what I''m doing, waiting to see if it''s me or

    Mason that is moving the surrounding dirt.

    "Do you still feel it?" Mason asks.

    "No."

    "Okay, let me go back... how about now?" Mace asks.

    "Yes, I feel it," Axe says, and I let out a relieved breath, this is progress.

    A few momentster Mason has Axel free, and I''m more determined than ever to get to Theo. We can do this, we aren''t going to give up until we are all safe.

    I continue moving, making the cavernrger. I find one of the makeshift beds, and as I open up more space, movement in the dirt catches my eye.

    At first, I think it''s some kind of underground creature like a mole, but as the dirt falls away, I realise it''s a hand. I step back with a gasp, startled at what looks like it should be in a scene of a horror movie.

    "Theo, is that you?" I ask into the mind link as I reach for the hand.

    "Is what me?" He responds, but I already know it''s not him as soon as I touch the hand that grips me in desperation.

    "I''ve found someone," I say as I frantically start moving the earth around the hand to reveal an arm and then a body, then the blue glow of their eyes.

    When Ipletely free the person from the dirt, I have no idea if it''s someone I know or not, but when they throw/ their arms around me in a desperate hug, I return their embrace. They''re so filthy, and it''s so dark that I can''t make out any of their features. I think it''s a teen boy by their stature, but I can''t be sure.

    "Thank you," they say in a raspy voice before breaking down in floods of tears. "I thought... I thought... I was going to die like that, buried and abandoned."

    "It was scary, I know, but I''m going to get you out of here. What''

    "Harrison," he says.

    "I''m Josie. Do you know Harper?"

    "Yes, not well because she hasn''t been here long," he says.

    your name?" I ask.

    "I''m Harper''s mum and her dad''s are here too. We are going to get everyone safe.

    I promise. Just stay by me whilst I keep searching. Were you alone when it

    copsed?" I ask.

    "Yes, we were told to hide. I ended up alone," Harrison says.

    "Okay, do you know how many are down here?" I ask as I begin moving dirt

    again.

    "No, some were ported out already. I have no idea how many were left," he exins.

    "I''m out," Deacon says into the mind link, "I''m going to port back and get some help to move this ground faster."

    We all acknowledge his words and then something dawns on me, I have not heard Luke since the tunnels copsed.

    "Luke?" I ask into the mind link, trying not to let everyone feel my dread as I realise I can''t feel my connection to Luke at all.

 Chapter 302

    **Josie''s POV **

    "Luke?" I ask again, even though I know he won''t hear me

    Maybe he is just knocked out and unable to respond, but then why can''t I feel him at all? Usually, I can sense all of my bonds, even when they''re sleeping. I don''t even want to think of what else could have him just gone like this. "Are you okay?" a shaky voice asks, reminding me I''m not alone, and I have stopped searching without realising.

    "Yes, sorry. I''m just... never mind. I''m going to start moving the earth again now," I say, trying not to let my feare through in my tone.

    Harrison has been through an ordeal and is already shaken up, I need to remain calm for him, and everyone else I need to find. Luke will be okay. He will be here somewhere, and I will find him. I bet a rocknded on his head, and he just needs me to find him and heal him. I repeat this lie to myself as I work, otherwise, I will break down and I''ll be useless.

    I know the rest of my bonds have realised Luke is absent too. The mind link has gone deathly silent and all of our shields are up, blocking each other out whilst we process.

    "Not to rush you or anything, but how long before I run out of oxygen in here? Because it sure is getting difficult to breathe," Theo says, breaking the tense silence.

    This is the kind of question Luke would know the answer to and it just makes his absence even more evident.

    "There was a lot of oxygen in these tunnels, there must have been some kind of venttion down here, and the earth that copsed was not tightly packed, so you should be good for a while yet. Just try to rx, we will get to you soon," Mason says.

    "Is that true?" I ask Mace so only he can hear me.

    "I have no fucking idea, but we need to keep him calm, or he will run out faster,¡± he responds.

    "Okay, I must be close. He wasn''t too far ahead of me," I tell him.

    "I''m making my way towards the direction I think you were in. However big you think the original tunnel was, make the one you are creating twice as big to make sure we don''t miss anyone," Mason says, and I make a sound of agreement.

    "I feel some movement," Theo says just as I uncover his feet, and he begins to wiggle.

    "I''ve got you," I tell him.

    "You''re my hero," he says as I quickly uncover the rest of him.

    When I finally uncover his head, he sucks in a deep breath and I hold out a hand

    to help him to his feet. He gets up and wraps his arms around me, holding me tight for a few moments.

    "Babe, I hate to tell you this, but you really should start showering more, you''re filthy," he says as he leans back to look at me.

    Harrison snorts augh from behind me and Theo introduces himself whilst I get back to moving the dirt. Within minutes, my newly formed tunnel opens up into a bigger one as it connects with Mason''s, and Axel pulls me into his arms whilst Theo throws himself at Mason.

    Mason hugs me next whilst Theo and Axe embrace.

    "Let''s keep searching, Luke should be..." I try to say, but my emotions choke me before I can get the whole

    sentence out.

    No one responds, they know I can''t speak about it right now, that I''m holding myself together by a hair, and we can''t afford for me to lose it right now. Mason gets straight back to work, helping me move the earth much faster

    now.

    We uncover two more teens huddled together, and it takes Axel and Theo a few minutes to convince them that they are alive and that this is not hell. Although it''s starting to feel more and more like hell with every passing moment. Harrison assures them we are here to help and not the bad guys we had been made out to be.

    "I''ming back now. I have three maniptors ready to start moving the earth from above. Start opening up the ground above you, so I can get to you," Deacon says into the mind link.

    "Will do," Mason confirms, before instructing everyone to stand back whilst he moves the earth above us.

    I don''t stop my forward motion, moving the earth with purpose. I''m not leaving until I have Luke. I''ll dig up the whole if I have to. Every time I find something recognisable, like a curtain or nket, I tell myself I''m on the right track, he has to be here somewhere.

    I hear my guys call my name a few times, but I ignore them, too focused on finding my lost bond. Arms wrap around me from behind, trying to stop me and I fight to get out of his hold.

    "Get off me. I have to find him," I shout desperately as Deacon tightens his hold

    on me.

    "Josie, stop, please, just for a moment whilst wee up with a n. We will find him, I promise, we won''t give up until we do," Deacon says, his voice far too calm for the situation.

    "I can''t lose him, D, I can''t. We have Harper, and now we get to go home and be a family again, but I can''t, not without Luke!" I cry, my legs giving out.

    Deacon lifts me and then, in a blink, I am blinded by daylight. He''s ported me out, and I''m furious about it.

    "No," I scream, attempting to break free from his hold.

    "Josie, just stop for a moment and look around you," D pleads.

    I blink a few times, my eyes still trying to adjust to the light. We look to be in the middle of nowhere. I can only see fields and the odd barn for miles in every direction. A few men, including Mason, are spread out over the field, and they''re moving the earth, creatingrge hills as they filter the dirt into piles. I jump to my feet to get a better and Deacon lets me go this time. I peer into therge opening in the ground to see thework of tunnels beingpletely uncovered.

 Chapter 303

    ** Deacon''s POV **

    The minutes tick by at a snail''s pace as every inch of the undergroundwork is uncovered.

    Only the section my bond group had been in had copsed, or more likely, had been purposely destroyed. We only find one more teen, who was not buried but had been trapped in one of the small cut-out rooms by the copsed earth.

    "There''s no one else down there," one of the guys with a molecr gift I''d brought in calls over to us.

    "There is! Keep looking!" Josie demands as she moves more earth, going way beyond the original tunnels.

    The guy looks at me and I give him a subtle nod to stop searching. It''s clear that Luke is not here, now I just have to convince Josie of that too.

    I slowly approach Josie, with Axel and Theo beside me, and Mason starts making his way towards us from where he had been searching.

    "Josie..." I start.

    "Take me down there," she demands, cutting me off.

    "He''s not there, Josie, I''m sorry. Let''s get back to headquarters ande up with a n to find him," I say cautiously, knowing she is right on the edge of how much she can take.

    We had only just got Harper back, and only spent a few minutes with her before we came here to deal with this mess, and now we are already thrown into yet another crisis, another person we love taken from us.

    "Either port me down there, or I''ll jump, I can make it," she threatens.

    I look down into the pit in the ground. She could make it, she''d possibly break her ankles, but she would survive it

    "Just take us down there, D, she isn''t going to rest until she sees for herself he is not there," Mason says, and I nod before porting us all back down into what used to be tunnels.

    Josie shifts into her wolf in an instant and Axel joins her, shifting to his huge wolf too. The pair begin sniffing around as the rest of us watch. I''m not sure what they think they will achieve by doing this. If they do pick up Luke''s scent, there''s no way to say it was from when the ce caved in or just minutes before, when he was here searching with us, or posing as a rogue not long before that

    I try to reach out to Luke through the bond again, but there''s nothing. Just an

    empty void where I should feel hin My heart rate begins to pick up, and I look over

    to Josie''s wolf as she focuses on something in what remains of one of the bedrooms. She paws at a nket on the ground and then lets out a yip. Axel lies on the ground beside her with a whine.

    "What is it?" Theo asks as we walk towards them.

    "A syringe, and whatever was in it smells toxic. I don''t like how this looks," Axel responds in the mind link.

    I look down at the object and, sure enough, there is a syringe with a needle attached to the end. It looks empty, but there must be a trace amount of whatever

    its contents were still inside the actual needle.

    "No one touch it," I say, even though I know none of them would.

    I pull out my phone to call Raff to let him know what Josie Has found, and he tells

    me he is already getting a

    forensics team together and to wait for him to get there before we move.

    "What does it smell like?" Mason asks.

    "I don''t know. It''s nothing I have ever smelt before, but it''s acrid," Axel says, shifting back to his human form. " There''s also a faint scent of Luke here," he adds as Josie continues to sniff around the area.

    "So are we thinking Luke was injected with whatever is in the syringe and taken?" Theo asks.

    "That or he is Tristan and history is repeating itself," Mason growls, his fists clenching as he speaks the words I hadn''t dared to.

    Josie shifts back to her human form so fast that I barely register it has happened before she shoves Mason in the chest. "Don''t you fucking dare!" She hisses.

    "Why not? Do you want us just to pretend it''s not a possibility? That he wouldn''t do such a thing? Because news sh, one of us already did before," Mason snaps back at her.

    "Luke has been taken. Even if he was a traitor, which he isn''t, he''s had plenty of opportunities to betray us before now. All of us have, and yet we are all still here, together. So don''t even hint that it''s even remotely possible; we are a solid group. Luke did not betray us!" Josie shouts.

    "Arguing about it is not going to solve anything, let''s all just calm down and go through all the potential scenarios with logical reasoning rather than feelings," I say, trying to stop this before it esctes.

    "Deacon is right, we should be pulling together right now, not trying to rip out each other''s throats," Theo sighs. Raff calls down to us from the surface at that moment and informs us they''reing in. Josie and Mason continue to have a silent stare-off until Raff asks where the syringe is and Josie turns away to show him.

    "Okay, we will take it from here. You might want to get back and talk to thest kids Luke brought in. They may have seen or heard something," Raff suggests.

    "Fine," Josie nods, taking onest look at the tunnels beforeing over to me to port out.

    I port us all back to the room where Harper, Dillon and Archie are busy reassuring the kids we had saved. Most of them are calm, but a few are not willing to ept that this is in fact a rescue and not a kidnapping.

    All eyes shift to us when they notice our arrival and Harper gasps before running over to us.

    "I can''t believe they tried to bury you alive. Did you get everyone out?" she asks. "The tunnels have been emptied, there''s no one left buried!" I reassure her, not sure what we are going to tell her about Luke.

    "I know it''s been a traumatic day for some of you, but one of my bonds has been taken from the tunnels when they copsed. Someone must know something and I need any information you can give me to help find him," Josie calls out loudly to the room and Harper lets out a pained sound as her eyes quickly scan over each of us to work out which of her dads is missing.

 Chapter 304

    **Josie''s POV **

    I don''t have the time or patience to sugarcoat what has happened. These kids are not delicate flowers that need coddling. They have lived through hell and are still fighting so they can handle my abruptness.

    Harperes to stand beside me once she is over her initial shock.

    "If you know anything that can help find my dad, you need to tell us now," she calls out to the group, as determined as I to get answers from them.

    "Who put you in charge?" a teen boy with short dark curly hair snorts.

    "We did. Do you have a problem with that?" Mason snarls, stepping up to stand with me and Harper.

    "Look. I know some of you don''t want to be here, but you are. Do you really want to go back to those people who just buried some of our own alive? My dad was only there to save us from that life, so if you know anything, it''s the least you can do to speak up. He has jet-ck hair and was at breakfast this morning with another man. He then ported some of you back here before the bunker was filled in," Harper says, and I realise at that moment just how much she has grown up.

    She is no longer a little girl, she is bing a woman, and she carries the traits and confidence instilled into her from me and my bonds. She is a leader. My heart swells with pride.

    "I didn''t see him, but I did see Mandy and Brent creeping around moments before I was found," a boy offers.

    "I saw them too," another chimes in.

    "Do you know what they were up to?" Harper asks.

    ¡°No, I just thought it was odd they hadn''t ported out. I thought they wereing back for us, but they ignored us as if they had another goal,¡± the first boy says.

    "Did you see if they had a syringe?" Deacon asks, and both boys shake their heads.

    "Okay, thank you for your help. Did anyone else see anything?" Harper asks.

    "I think I heard something," a familiar voice says, and I barely recognise Harrison now that he has had a chance to wipe some of the dirt from his face.

    "What was it?" I ask him.

    "Just before the roof came down I thought I heard a scuffle, but I can''t be sure," he says with an apologetic smile.

    "Thank you, Harrison," I nod at him.

    "Anyone else?" Harper asks and everyone shakes their heads.

    The kids haven''t given us any clues as to where Luke might be, but they have given us some information that points more towards a kidnapping than Luke betraying us. I want to make this point to Mason, but now is not the time for ''I told you so'' that can wait until we have Luke back.

    "We will find him, Mum," Harper says softly, taking my hands in hers.

    "I''m sorry you havee back to this mess. I had thought everything would be fine now that we had you back, but we''ve gone from one missing straight to another," I sigh, doing my best not to cry.

    ~ +25 BORUS

    Can''t you just talk to him? The way you guys do... with your minds," she whispers, looking around nervously to make sure no one is listening.

    "No. I can''t get through to him," I admit, but I hold back the part about not being able to feel him at all. I don''t want her to even consider what that might mean. I can''t even consider it myself.

    "Come on, we should get home. The kids need to see Harper, and we need to shower and decide what to do next," Deacon says and Harper and I both say "No," at the same time.

    "I can''t go back there without Luke. I can''t upset them like that again," I shake my head.

    "I''m not going back either, not until we find him. I can''t lie to my brothers when they ask where he is. Besides, you''re going to need my help with these," she gestures towards the room full of teens.

    "Okay, but we at least need to make some calls, we have to let family know we have Harper at least, and we have to talk to Luke''s parents and tell them what is going on," Deacon sighs.

    I nod and we start making calls. Letting Harper speak to her brothers and her grandparents. Whilst Deacon goes to pick up Luke''s parents. Dread pools in my stomach at the thought of having to tell them.

    The moment Luke''s parents arrive, I know Deacon has already told them, which is a relief. Luke''s mum pulls me into a hug and breaks down in uncontroble sobs, which breaks the dam on my own tears. By the time we get ourselves under control, she is just as filthy as me. The dirt transferring over to her and I know I should shower, but it''s low on my list of priorities at the moment.

    "I''m going to get him back," I promise his parents.

    "We know you will," one of his dads says.

    "We have no doubts," his mum nods.

    TIT

    "That''s if he wants toe back," Mason says to me in the mind link and I scowl at him. I can sense he and I are going to have a big falling out very soon.

    "Come and get Mace away from me and Luke''s parents before things get messy," I say to Theo in the mind link. "Thest thing we need is for them to hear that certain members of their son''s own bond group are doubting him.¡±

    "On it," Theo says and approaches Mason.

    Harper returns from her shower and she is quickly embraced by Luke''s family, giving them some joy and hope in such a worrisome time. If we can get Harper back, who was powerless and had no way of defending herself, getting Luke back should be easier.

 Chapter 305

    **Deacon''s POV

    Harper is like a different kid from the one we lost a few weeks ago. She is so mature and just like her mother. The way she has taken the lead with her peers and ismanding the room has me envisioning her running the academy in the future.

    I''d brought Luke''s parents in less than an hour ago and his num had been distraught. She had held Josie as they both wept and it broke my heart.

    I am on the fence about what I think has happened to Luke. If I hadn''t read that journal, I wouldn''t even question if he had left us voluntarily, but this is all too simr to the story about Tristan. That and it''s hard to imagine he could be taken from right under our noses without any of us noticing. Plus, he is one of the most powerful Greys alive. How could someone get him so easily?

    Evidence suggests that he was taken though. The syringe is the biggest indicator. Plus, I can''t ever imagine Luke leaving us. He is so loyal, and desperately in love with Josie. He looks at her like she has hung the moon. Then there''s his unwavering dedication to the kids. He is such a good father to them. I just can''t see him up and leaving any of them.

    Theo and Mason return from their shower and are wearing military-issue clothes. I know I need to run interference with Mason, Josie and Luke''s family. I am desperate to shower and change too. The dirt clinging to my skin is starting to make me itch, but there is so much we need to do, and I wish we could just forget it all to search for Luke, but we can''t, and we don''t even have a ce to start looking.

    Raff already has men checking leisure centers and gyms to try and catch any rogues using the showers, and others are checking out establishments that hire untrained teens. The chances of us finding any are slim. In just the United Kingdom alone, there are thousands of ces to check, and it''s possible they are spread out across the

    world.

    "Theo, Mason, can you two start arranging the kids into age groups? Any over 18 can be taken to the academy. Under 18 will need to be ced with families registered on the approved foster care volunteer list," I ask via the mind link, in an effort to keep Mason busy and stop him from saying anything about Luke that could cause upset.

    "No problem," Theo confirms.

    I scan the room for Axel and find him sitting with Dillon, talking quietly.

    "Axe, do you want to try and get Josie to shower and change?" I ask.

    "I''ll try, but I think it''s thest thing on her mind right now," he says before making his way over to her.

    I take his ce, moving to sit with Dillon. He and I need to have a chat.

    "Hello Dillon. How are you?" I ask.

    Dillon looks at me with a nervous glint in his eyes.

    "Are you going topel me?" he asks.

    "Do I need to?" I raise a brow at him.

    No, but you should. I swear I didn''t mean for Harper to be taken. I thought she could help convince the others to leave with us, but then theypelled her and found out. I have been trying to find a way to get her out since, but they have kept us underground or under close watch. Then Archie came and I thought for sure he..."

    $

    "I believe you, Dillon," I cut off his rambling. "You know all this could have been avoided if you hadn''t run from us that day at the water park?"

    "I know that now, but at the time I was scared. I didn''t know who you were or what you wanted with me. I have spent so long being warned against people like you trying to take me," he admits.

    "I understand," I nod. "As you are 18, you can go to our academy. I am the headmaster there. You will be provided with amodation and everything else you might need. Think you will like it there. We have a dining hall that provides three cooked meals per day, and once the seer visits, and you are confirmed into a bond group, you will be assigned an apartment to live in with your bonded group" 1 exin, and Dillon''s eyes seek out Harper and Archie.

    "Will they be there too?" he asks, nodding towards them.

    "Not yet, they will attend next year when they turn 18, but that doesn''t mean you won''t see them. Everyone that we have brought here today who is over the age of 18 will be joining the academy with you. You won''t be alone, and we are well- equipped to get you all settled in and caught up. Did you know Harper''s mum was the first human -raised Grey the academy had?"

    "She was like me?" He asks.

    "Simr, yes, but she started the academy alone with no prior knowledge of Greys, and she made it through just fine. Do you think you can help us convince the rest of the group that this is a good thing?" I ask.

    Dillon looks over at the group of over 18s that Mason is herding towards a table that is currently being stocked with sandwiches and bottled water.

    "Yes, I think I can do that," he nods.

    "Thank you," I smile, and then Ipel him.

    I hate having to do it, but we can''t afford to take any chances anymore. Dillon passes all my questions and I apologise to him before taking him to join the other kids that will be going to the academy. Then I make some calls. I need my staff at the academy to be ready to help assign rooms and get them settled while I work out how to find Luke.

 Chapter 306

    **Axel''s POV**

    Convincing Josie to get in the shower hadn''t been nearly as difficult as I expected.

    I think she needed the break away from everyone to gather her own thoughts.

    I wish I could port her home, so she can shower in a ce she feels more

    I should send her into the female showers and wait for her outside, but there''s no way I''m leaving her alone. Grabbing up two of the military-issue clothes packages in our sizes and two wash kits that include towels, I push open the door to the men''s changing room.

    "Hurry it up in here. I need the room," I call out.

    "Axe, I can shower in thedies'' room," Josie says from behind me. Her voice is so soft and she sounds tired.

    "I''m not leaving you," I shake my head, turning to face her

    Her sad eyes search mine and I can see she is close to tears again. I hate seeing her like this. She is so strong and the bravest woman I know, but yet again she is being tested by the fates. It''s cruel that we are given back one person we love, only to have another taken from us an hourter. Haven''t we already been through enough? Hasn''t Josie proved herself enough?

    "Let me check the women''s, there''s probably no one even in there," she nods, epting I''m not backing down on staying with her.

    I follow her to the female changing room and stand back as she enters.

    "Is anyone in here?" She calls out.

    "Just me, but I''m almost done," a female voice calls back.

    Momentster a woman I recognise as one of the techs that had been helping us

    at the mansion walks out.

    "It''s all yours," she smiles sympathetically.

    "Thank you," Josie breathes.

    "I''m so sorry about your bond. I''m going to grab some coffee and get straight to searching for any sign of him," she says.

    "We appreciate that, thank you," I respond, because I can tell Josie is unable to speak right now without losing herposure.

    Josie nods and can''t hold back the small sniffle as she pushes open the door to thedies'' changing room. I follow her in and flick the lock on the door so no one cane in and catch me naked in here.

    I ce our clean clothes on a bench and then guide Josie towards the showers. I hang up our towels and put the wash kits inside the stall before turning the shower on so it has a chance to warm up before I pull off my own filthy clothes.

    Josie stands with her arms crossed protectively over her chest and she stares off into space, lost in her thoughts.

    "I know it feels like the world ising down around you, but no matter what happens, I promise you I''m going to get you through this,¡± I say to her as I gently move her arms, so I can pull off her top hoody.

    "Do you think he left willingly?" She asks, her voice cracking with emotion.

    +25 BOARS

    "No," I shake my head. "There''s no way. He loves you just as much as the rest of us. I know I could never leave you and the kids, no matter what, and that''s how I know with 100% certainty that he was taken."

    "I needed to hear that, thank you. I hate that the others doubt him, it kills me to know we are not as solid as I thought," she admits.

    "We are solid. The others just let that journal get to them. Think it''s easier for them to think he left of his own free will than ept the scary truth that he was taken from us. They''d rather think he is well than in trouble, and they also don''t want to admit that someone with our strength was able to be taken without any of us noticing, because to ept that is to admit we failed," I say.

    "That makes sense," she nods, "But it doesn''t help.¡±

    Josie is quiet whilst I help her into the shower. I scrub the dirt from her skin and her hair until the water runs clear, and then I wash myself as quickly as possible before wrapping us both in towels.

    I find ab in the washpacks and begin working the knots from Josie''s hair whilst she closes her eyes, desperately trying to connect with Luke. I don''t speak, letting her concentrate and lending her some of my strength in an attempt to strengthen the connection.

    Out of seemingly nowhere, I feel a flicker through the bond. A brief, but sure spark

    of confusion from Luke. Josie''s eyes snap open with a gasp.

    "He''s alive, did you feel it?" She asks, her face a mask of relief.

    "I felt it," I nod.

    "Am I imagining things, or did I just feel Luke?" Theo asks into the mind link.

    "I felt it too," Deacon confirms.

    "I need you all toe to me now. I think if we all do it together we can get

    through to him," Josie says.

    "Where are you?" D asks.

    "Women''s changing room," I say.

    "Kinky, I''m on my way," Theo responds.

    "I''ll be there in a moment," Deacon says.

    "Coming," Mason grumbles.

    Josie and I dress quickly into the camouge print uniforms and I decide now is not a good time to let her know how good she looks in the uniform. I unlock the door for the others and Deacon arrives a few momentster.

    "I''m going to take a quick shower while we wait for Theo and Mace," he says. Less than five minutester Theo and Mason walk in and Mace looks pissed.

 Chapter 307

    **Josie''s POV**

    "If you don''t want to help, then just leave," I snap at Mason when I see the sour look on his face.

    "What makes you think I don''t want to help?" He snaps back.

    "Oh I don''t know, maybe it''s the face of thunder, or the annoyance pouring from you,¡± I say sarcastically.

    "I''m annoyed because he let his shields slip and then shuts straight back out. It''s as if he is taunting us. The coward should just speak to us and admit what he''s done, I do want to help. I want to help smash through his shield and make him face us," Mason growls.

    "He needs our help, not our usations!"

    "Alright, let''s calm down. We know nothing for sure yet. We should at least give him the benefit of the doubt,'' Deacon says as he walks from the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist and water still dripping from his hair.

    "Benefit of the doubt? How about innocent until proven guilty?" I shout.

    "Fine, let''s look at the evidence. One, he''s blocking us out with everything he has. Two, he has done this before in a past life. Three, we are the most powerful Greys in both realms. We can''t just be taken so easily! Is that proven guilty enough for you?" Mason demands, counting each point he makes on his fingers.

    "No, because you are ignoring everything that doesn''t fit your theory. Even if we take emotions out of this and deal with just the hard facts. There is the syringe. Then there''s what the teens heard and saw, and the biggest one of all is that none of us have had shbacks to warn us about this. The journal said that shbacks only happened as a warning of history repeating itself. We haven''t been given any of these warnings, therefore this is not a repeat of anything that has happened before," I counter.

    "That''s because we don''t need the shback when we have read it in the fucking journal already!" Mason growls.

    "I can''t wait to watch your groveling apology when you are proven wrong. Now can we get on with this, because I want to bring my bond home," I huff.

    I look around at the rest of my bonds. Deacon looks unsure, Theo looks torn and Axel is firm at my side, looking as determined as I am.

    "Let''s do this," Theo sighs.

    "I need all of you to just strengthen me whilst I try to connect to him again," I say, before closing my eyes and focusing my energy on my bond with Luke.

    I feel Axel link his energy to mine first, closely followed by Theo and Deacon, and then finally Mason''s energy joins ours, and I feel Luke again. The connection is weak, but it''s there. It almost feels as though it''s muffled by something and I find myself feeling groggy as my energy begins being sucked from me.

    "Luke," I gasp as he pulls my strength from me.

    "Shields up, Now!" Mason shouts, and I feel arms wrap around me as I''mpletely drained and my knees buckle under my own weight.

    I feel the panic of my bonds as I slip into a deep sleep.

    When Ie around, I find myself in a dark room. I can sense Axel and Theo are with me and I can hear their soft

    +25 80#US

    snores nearby. I sit up and try to make out my surrounding I''m in a bed, in a room with five other single beds. Three of the beds are upied by Axel, Theo and Harper. This must be the military barracks.

    I check my connection to my bonds. Mason and D are awake and close by. I can feel Luke, but it''s so faint and is flickering in and out with what feels like my every breath.

    "What happened?" I ask into the mind link.

    "Your precious bond tried to leech all your energy," Mason responds.

    "How are you feeling? You had quite a drain. Theo and Axe gave you a boost, but you were still out of it," Deacon

    says.

    I choose to ignore Mason. I literally don''t have the energy to argue with him. "I''m okay. How long was I out for?"

    "Almost 9 hours," D says.

    "Shit. Did anything happen whilst I was asleep?" I ask, pushing myself up to my feet and almost falling back onto the bed.

    "No, nothing. We have been searching but haven''t found anything so far. I''lle to pick you up soon if you''re feeling rested enough," he offers.

    "Yes, I''m ready," I say, even though I''m still feeling exhausted.

    Theo and Axel wake up before Deacon and Mason return. Mason decides to stay and sleep for a while, which is a relief. Not just because I don''t want to argue with him, but I don''t feelfortable leaving Harper alone yet and Mason looks exhausted.

    Back in the main headquarters, there are still people working around the clock, scouring the maps for any indication of where the rogues may be.

    "Do you really think Luke purposely tried to drain my energy?" I ask my bonds whilst we eat breakfast.

    "No," Axel shakes his head.

    "I don''t know," Theo sighs. "I don''t want to believe it, and it''s hard to imagine he would do such a thing, but if he was desperate to keep you out and that was the only way to do it, then it makes sense."

    "I don''t think he did. My guess is that whatever was in that syringe has weakened him so much that he is not even aware that he did it. I don''t think it was a conscious decision, more of a natural need to survive. His body found an energy source, and it took everything it could to survive," Deacon exins.

    "What made you change your mind?" I ask.

    "That we can feel him now. He''s very weak, but after taking what he could from

    you he is clinging on," he says, and I have to fight back my tears.

    My mind conjures up heartbreaking images of Luke fighting to stay alive.

    "We''ve got something!" Raff shouts as he bursts through the door and my heart surges with hope.

    "What is it?" I ask, jumping to my feet.

    "Three teens have just arrived at one of the assessment offices. They want to trade information on a captive for safety and to be reunited with a bond we apparently have," he exins.

    "I''ll get Mace," Deacon says before porting out.

 Chapter 308

    **Josie''s POV **

    We get to the assessment office where the teens who wanted to negotiate with us were so fast that I don''t think Mason has fully opened his eyes yel.

    The teens, two boys and a girl look terrified when we arrive If I wasn''t so desperate to get the information from them I''d hug them and tell them they don''t need to be afraid, that they are safe now.

    "Sorry, but we don''t have time to be delicate about this. We are going to help you and get you back to your bond, but I need you to tell us exactly what you know," Deacon says to the teens.

    "There''s a guy, one of the ones that came in a couple of days ago from the other realm. Mandy and Brent have him. I think he is dying," the girl tells us, and Mason curses whilst sickness twists in my gut.

    "Where can we find him? How many are guarding him?" I ask.

    "There''s an empty retail space a few streets over from here They have him in a room in the back. There were around twenty people there when we left, but at least ten of them don''t have their gifts yet," she exins.

    "Is what you are telling us the truth?" Deacon asks,cing his words with his gift.

    The girl''s eyes go wide for a split second before her expression rxes, and she answers, "Yes."

    "Are you trying to deceive us in any way?" he asks.

    "No," she shakes her head.

    "Can you show us on the map exactly where the building is and how we can ess it?" Raff asks, pulling up a satellite map on his phone.

    One of the boys pinpoints the building whilst the other tells us there is a staircase at the back of the building that leads to a fire escape on the roof.

    "Let me see the satellite image of the roof," Deacon says, looking at the screen on Raff''s phone. "Okay, I''ve got it, let''s go."

    "Wait, let me call in a team, we can''t go in there without backup," Raff protests.

    "With all due respect, one of our bond members is in trouble. I''m not hanging around waiting for a team, not have that long. You can get your team and meet us there, but we are going now," Deacon says, and we all make sounds of agreement.

    he

    may

    "Take me with you, I can get you inside and to him faster," the girl says.

    "You''re not going, Lindsey, let me go instead,¡± one of the boys says.

    "We don''t have time for this, the boyes, let''s go," Mason grumbles.

    The boyes to stand with us, and we port onto a rooftop

    "Stay quiet," the boy whispers, and we all nod. I wish I''d gotten a chance to learn his name before we came.

    He approaches a metal door and knocks three times in rapid session, then he does four slow knocks followed by another two fast ones.

    "Who is it?" a young male voice calls through the door.

    Chapter 208.

    "It''s Ryan, I got fired from my job," he says, sounding disappointed.

    "For fucks sake, Ry, this is thest thing we need right now Brent is going to

    be so pissed," the voice says before we hear the locks click and the door slowly open.

    "I know, but It''s not my fault we couldn''t shower today. You know how fussy those food ces are about hygiene," Ryan says, making sure to block the view of whoever is behind the door.

    "You don''t even look that dirty," the voice says before Ryan grabs the door, pushing his way in.

    "Listen to me, you''re going to be safe, but I need you to keep quiet and not alert anyone," Ryan whispers. "What do you..." the boy''s voice trails off as he notices us. What''s going on?" He asks with an angry hiss. "Do not tell anyone we are here," Deacon demands the moment he catches the boy''s gaze. The boy nods, his expression turning calm.

    "This way," Ryan says, leading us down a dimly lit staircase that leads to another door.

    He peeks through the narrow ss window and motions for us to look. Mason looks through, and then I see the telltale signs of him using his telekinesis gift, his fingers and hands moving ever so slightly.

    "There are seven adults in here that I can see. I''m going to incapacitate as many as I can without drawing attention. Get ready to go in with force as soon as they notice something," Mason says into the mind link, and I can imagine him cutting off their air supply until they pass out.

    Tense seconds pass before we hear the first panicked shout and Mason yanks open the door. "Four still standing," he says.

    My guys file through the door and I warn Ryan to stay here until it''s safe before following them. More shouts sound out, one cutting off with a garbled cry as Mason flings them into a wall across the room. Me, Theo and Axel shift, choosing to fight in our wolf forms and Deacon ports around, getting teens out of the danger zone and in the stairwell with Ryan.

    I spot an adult female running towards the back of the space where there''s a door. Is this the bitch that took my bond? I lock in on her running as fast as I can. I managed to bite down on her leg as she pushes through the door, and she lets out a pained scream as she falls to the floor.

    I jump on her back, my front pawsnding heavily on her ribs and pushing the air from her lungs before I shift. "Where is my bond?" I demand, grabbing her hair and using it to yank her head up.

    "I don''t know who your bond is," she cries.

    "The man you took from the tunnels. Where is he?" I scream at her.

    "He''s my bond!" She shouts, and I m her face onto the tiled floor with a satisfying crunch.

    "He''s mine," I growl in her ear, even though she is unconscious.

    I jump to my feet and head down the small corridor she was trying to get to. I push open a door and my heart almost seizes in my chest when I see Luke on the floor. He is deathly pale and far too still.

    "Luke!" I cry dropping to my knees beside him as I call up my healing gift to search for injuries.

 Chapter 309

    ** Luke''s POV **

    I have no idea how long I''ve been trapped in the silent darkness. There is no concept of time when there is nothing from which to judge it. I can''t even trust my own mind, as I''m sure it keeps shutting downpletely. Is this the afterlife? Is this what happens until we are reborn? I float around in an endless abyss of nothing, my memories slowly being stripped from me.

    I know I''m losing memories because my mind keeps showing me an image of a woman. She is beautiful, and I know I love her, and that she is mine, but I can''t recall her fame. I see her with four others, but they are faceless, more like a blurry outline of figures.

    "Luke," a faint voice calls, and I know it''s hers, my nameless love.

    Am I Luke? Is she calling out to me? I can''t be sure, but it''s the only thing I have heard in a very long time and I cling to it. It''s more than just a sound, it''s a feeling. A mix of emotions and an energy, an energy that I so desperately need to stop myself fading away.

    I pull on the zing of power, drawing it into me, letting it flood my body and bring me some rity. Josie, her name is Josie. I remember now, and I am Luke. I suck in more of the energy until there''s nothing left and the emotions I''d been feeling shut off like a door mming closed.

    Awareness begins to slowly build, and I can feel my own body again. It aches like it''s been still for too long. I still have a body, I can''t be dead if I still have a body, right?

    My hearing returns next, it''s muffled at first, as if I am underwater.

    "Just give up on him, Mandy, you gave him too much," a deep voice I don''t recognise says.

    Who is Mandy?

    "No, he''s my bond, he will wake up," a feminine voice responds. I assume this is Mandy.

    Are they talking about me? Was I wrong about the woman love being called Josie?

    "I doubt he is. The girl probably lied because she knows how desperate you are for male attention. It would have been the quickest way to make you drop your guard," the male sighs.

    "She wasn''t lying. He is mine, and I''m not giving up on him," Mandy snaps.

    "Fine, but you can''t sit here watching him all night. We have work to do," The male says.

    "I can''t leave him alone like this. What if he wakes up, and he is scared?" Many whines.

    "Then get one of the kids to watch him. We have to open up a new bunker and get everyone underground before anyone finds us and then..." the voice fades as they talk until it bes a muffled noise again.

    I fight to cling to the sense I have just regained. I can''t stop fighting, or I might note back again, but it''s useless as the silence pulls me back down, my body slowly bing detached from my consciousness again.

    "This is wrong, he needs help, or he''s going to die," a hushed voice startles me back at awareness.

    I have no idea how long has passed, but the voice I hear now is not the same as the one I heard thest time my hearing worked. This one sounds younger.

    "What do you expect us to do? We can''t just carry him out of here without someone noticing," another voice

    whispers back.

    "We could get help. When we leave for our shift, we can contact someone from the other realm," a female voice says, and a vague recognition sparks in me. I have spoken to this girl before. I just can''t remember when. "How? And what is going to stop them from locking us away in their prison?"

    "We can go to one of those assessment offices and try to make a deal with them. They have Jack, we have this guy. We can offer a trade," the female says.

    "And then what? Do you really expect to be weed back here after we betray them? And what''s to stop the others justpelling the information from us and locking us up anyway?"

    "Then at least we will be in the same realm as Jack. Besides I don''t think they are as evil as we''ve been led to believe. I spoke to those two that came from the other realm, and they said it was nice there, that they are not forced to serve the humans like we have been told. They said that their people woulde to save us all," the female exins.

    The whole conversation is confusing to me, but I feel it''s important, and I wish I could keep my hearing long enough to listen to the rest of it. Just likest time though, their voices be muffled as I''m dragged back into the void.

    "Luke! Oh my god, Luke, we are here, just hold on," a female voice cries and I know this one. My heart beats for this one. No, that''s not right... My heart beats with this one. She is Josie, my bond. I''m sure of it. I feel hands on my aching body, their warmth like a soothing balm.

    "D, get us to the infirmary with him now!" a male voice shouts. Axel, I think that''s his name. "Josie, you can''t heal this, we need to get him medical help" another voice says. Deacon I think.

    "Just let me try," Josie sobs, and I wish I knew why she was upset and that I couldfort her.

    "Shit, Babe, he doesn''t look good. Let us get him to Art, and then you can try to heal him," someone soothes. Theo, I''m sure.

    "Fuck. I''m sorry," another voice grumbles. This one is Mason.

    Josie, Axel, Deacon, Theo and Mason. My bond group, I can picture their faces

    now.

    Harper, As, Joel, Sammy, Elijah and Jensen. They are our kids. Memory after memory floods my mind. Every interaction with the people I love. My earliest memories with my parents. My first day at school, then the academy. The first time I saw Josie, our first kiss and bonding with her. Learning to love my bonded brothers. The births of our children, the taste of coffee, the love surrounding me.

    If this is the end, that moment where they say your whole life shes before your eyes, then I''ll go out with a smile, because I have been truly blessed in this life.

 Chapter 310

    ** Mason''s POV **

    Luke is in a bad way. Whatever he has been dosed with has either been too much or he has had a bad reaction to it.

    Art thinks the only reason he is still alive is because of his strong connection to us, which has been severely weakened, almost to the point of being non-existent, but it has been enough to keep him alive.

    His heart rate is no longer synced with ours, it''s now at a slower, more sluggish pace, but now and then it seems to attempt to re-sync with ours. His breathing was so shallow that he had to be ventted, and a machine now breathes for him, giving his body less work to do.

    Seeing him like this is killing me. Especially because I doubted him. Whilst I was using him of betraying us, he was fighting for his life. I have no idea how I am going to make this up to him, or if I will even get the chance.

    I have to fix things with Josie too. I let my need to protect her override me and hurt her. I should have waited until I had solid facts before I made my usations, but I had just wanted her to be prepared for what I was sure wasing. I didn''t want a repeat of what happened to Amara. didn''t want her to die of a broken heart, because I need her. I can''t live without her. I can''t raise the kids without her.

    The room Luke lies in is silent, bar the whirring of the machines keeping him alive and the beeping of the heart rate monitor. Josie sits at his bedside, her hands holding one of his and her head resting on the side of the bed. Axe is next to her, gently rubbing her back andforting her the only way he can. Theo is sitting on Luke''s other side, staring at the monitors as if looking for some kind of sign to appear.

    I should be over there with them, but I don''t feel like I deserve a ce at his side, not until I have had a chance to apologise to him, which I can''t do until he wakes up. So instead, I lean against the wall in the corner furthest from them, watching and waiting for any sign.

    I should have gone back with Deacon to interrogate the rogues that had survived our ambush. I might not be able topel them like he can, but I have other ways of getting them to spill the truth.

    The door to Luke''s room pushes open and Art rushes in with various syringes of medication.

    "The results have juste back from theb on the contents of that syringe that was found. If he was indeed dosed with that, we are in unknown territory with how we counteract the drug. It is not something we have ever seen before. It appears to be a cocktail of suppressants, sedatives and something unknown. I can counteract the overdose of sedatives, but the rest is going to be trial and error," Art exins as he empties a syringe into the cann in Luke''s hand.

    "Will he wake up when you counteract the sedatives?" Josie asks, her voice equal parts worry and hope.

    "Honestly, I don''t know. His body is so weak that I doubt it, and it''s probably for the best he doesn''t yet," Art admits.

    "But can you fix him?" Josie asks.

    "I''m going to do my best. I will give him every antidote we have, but the truth is, I just don''t know. There is nothing physically for me to heal, we have to rely on modern medicine here, and because I don''t know exactly what we are treating, I can''t say if anything will work. His body is shutting down, and I don''t know if I can stop it. I am going to try everything I possibly can, but my advice right now is to just be with him, talk to him and let him know you are here," Art says with a sad smile.

    "Thank you," Josie sniffles and turns back to Luke, lifting his hand to her mouth and kissing it.

    $

    "I''ll be back in soon with more medication to try," Art says before leaving the

    room.

    ¡°Keep fighting, Luke, do you hear me! We still need you here. I need you,¡± Josie begs, breaking my heart. "We are all here waiting for you toe back to us. It''s Joel''s birthday next week. I was thinking we could take him to that Lego ce he lovedst year, but we can''t go if you don''t wake up," she says, her voice cracking as she fights back

    her tears.

    "Talk to him again," Theo says, sitting up straighter in his seat as he looks at the monitors.

    I take a few steps closer to look at what he is seeing.

    "Luke, you''re safe now. We have you, and as soon as you wake up we are going to take you home," Josie says, and I see one of the squiggly yellow lines on the screen be more jagged, the peeks shooting higher.

    "What is that?" I ask.

    "I have no idea. Luke would know, but he''s taking a nap and leaving us idiots to try and work things out with our average brains," Theo huffs and the yellow squiggle reacts again.

    "Luke, can you please wake up and exin what it is we are looking at here?" Axel tries, and the screen shows a reaction again.

    I don''t want to interrupt Art if he is trying to find a cure for Luke, so I snap a picture

    of the monitor and send it to Dot, asking her what it is.

    "Luke, if you wake up, we can go home for some hot group sex," Theo says, and the line spikes again. "Oh he likes that idea, even his monitor got a boner," Theo teases.

    "Dot says it''s a brain activity monitor," I tell the room when Dot responds to my message.

    "That''s good, right?" Josie asks.

    "I''d say so," Axel reassures.

    I send another message to Dot, exining what it is doing when we talk to him, and she says it''s likely that he can

    hear us.

    "Dot says it''s an indication he can hear us," I say.

    "Luke, can you hear me?" Josie asks into the mind link, but there is no response on the monitor this time.

    "It''s probably the suppressants blocking his gifts. Is there a way to counteract them?" Axel asks.

    "Just time," I say, "We had the same issue with Robert. It took 24 hours for them to start wearing off. If he had a bigger dose, then I''m not sure if that would increase the waiting time."

    "How is he?" Deacon asks into the mind link and I move to sit beside Theo at Luke''s bedside as Josie updates D on what Art had said and Luke''s reactions to our voices.

    I reach out, taking Luke''s hand and close my eyes. I drop my shields and push every bit of energy I have into Luke. "I''ve got you, Brother, let''s fight this together."

 Chapter 311

    Chapter 311 Chapter 311

    **Josie''s POV **

    Luke''s heart rate monitor picks up suddenly, his heart rate seems to match my own again.

    "Shit, Mace," Theo curses as Mason slumps against him, and he holds him up.

    "Did he just..." I start, but then trail off as Luke''s hand twitches in mine.

    "What''s going on?" Deacon says into the mind link.

    "I... I don''t know," I stutter. "Mason just did something to uke."

    "Okay, I''ming to you," he responds.

    "We need another bed in here!" Theo shouts as he shifts Mason''s unconscious body into his arms.

    Art rushes in with a nurse following behind him. He takes in the scene, checking Luke''s monitors before telling the nurses to bring in another bed and more monitoring equipment as he assesses Mason.

    "What happened?" he asks.

    "I don''t know, but I think Mason just transferred all his energy to Luke," Theo says.

    Art studies the monitors again and nods, "I think he may have just saved Luke''s life, but I''m not sure at what cost."

    I sit back, watching everything unfold in a daze of confusion as Theo ces Mason on the second bed and Art and the nurses wire him up. Luke''s and Mason''s heartbeats begin to bleep out in a steady, synchronized rhythm. Deacon arrives andes to stand beside me and Axel as we watch silently, waiting for Art to say something. "How odd. They seem to be connected in every way. Mason didn''t just transfer his energy to Luke, he is acting as a charger, a living life support machine even. I have never seen anything like this. It''s truly amazing," Art says in awe as hepares Mason and Luke''s monitors.

    "Fuck this, get me a bed too. I''m joining this slumber party" Theo says, taking Mason''s hand.

    "Wait, we don''t know..." Art starts, but it''s toote. Theo is already slumped forward onto Mason.

    Axel moves quickly to scoop up an unconscious Theo. The nurses rush out of the room and assume they are going to get another bed.

    "Now, before any more of you get any bright ideas, let''s just weigh up the risks. If Luke isn''t strong enough to ever wake up, he may drain these two until they also can''te back from this," Art exins.

    I test my connection to Theo, Mason and Luke. I can feel them all now. Luke is there, almost as strong as the rest of them.

    "It''s working, they''re bringing him back. They are giving him the strength he needs to pull through," Deacon

    says.

    "How do you know?" Art asks.

    "Because I can feel it. I can feel them," he exins.

    "I feel it too," I nod.

    "Me too," Axel agrees.

    "But we don''t know..." Art starts.

    "Sorry, Doc, but we are a team, we fight together. I suggest you bring in some more beds," Deacon says.

    "He''s right, we were given this connection for a reason. If we go down, then we go down together," I nod.

    "But we don''t know for a fact this will work," Art protests, looking panicked.

    "It''s like a trust fall, and there''s no one I trust more than this bond group. See you on the other side, Art," Axel says as he sits on the floor, leaning against the wall with Theo in his arms, and then he slumps over too.

    "You know, I have never had a bond group cause me as much stress as you lot. I think it''s about time I retired," Art sighs.

    "Admit it, you''d be bored if it wasn''t for us," Deacon grins before sitting on the floor beside Axel.

    I move towards him, nning to join my bonds, but Deacon holds a hand out to stop me, "Stay awake for now so you can keep Art updated, we need you to protect us, and if this takes a while, the kids will need you, and if Luke wakes up, one of us should be here for him."

    I''m about to protest, to tell him to stay awake and let me be the one to drain myself, but before I have a chance, he slips into unconsciousness, his head resting on Axel''s shoulder.

    I look around at all my bonds, passed out, and then look at Art, who just shakes his head in exasperation. "I''ll get more beds and equipment," he sighs before leaving the room.

    I move to Mason, kissing his forehead and thank him, then do the same to Axel, Theo and Deacon before taking my position by Luke''s bedside again.

    "Fight, Luke, let them help you. Then I need all of you toe back to me," I say, watching Luke''s monitor spike again at the sound of my voice.

    Beds are brought in and each of my bonds is put on them and wired up to the same monitors as Luke and Mason. They all look as though they are sleeping peacefully, and could be woken up at any moment if I tried, but I know they are in a very deep sleep. They didn''t even flinch at being moved or fussed by the nurses as they attached the wires to their heads and fingers.

    ver

    Art administers another dose of medicine to Luke and tells me he will be back to check in on everyone soon, and then he leaves, leaving me alone with my unconscious bonds whilst they fight a silent battle together.

    The room is cramped now. It''s not designed for five beds, but the nurses make it work. I rest my head on Luke''s bed, keeping his hand in mine and I close my eyes, hoping that if I fall asleep I can give the guys more energy and help them recover it faster.

    I wake up to movement, and it takes a moment for my brain to work out what is happening. I blink my eyes open and look at my hand as Luke squeezes it.

    My heart skips a beat, which is audible on Luke''s heart monitor and I look at his face. His eyes are still closed, but he has his colour back. No longer looking deathly pale. He has a frown across his brow and I almost sob at the sight of it. "Art!" I call out, ncing around at my other bonds who are still sleeping.

    Luke moans and I squeeze his hand. "It''s okay, just keep still. You are safe Luke. I''m here."

 Chapter 312

    **Josie''s POV**

    Art rushes into the room and quickly assesses Luke.

    "I think he''s waking up," Art says, and I almost sag in relief.

    They''ve done it. My guys have worked together to give Luke the strength and time he needed for the antidote to work.

    "I''m going to run a few quick tests," Art says, and I step back, allowing him and his nurse to work on Luke.

    I check in on each of my guys while I wait. They are all still sleeping peacefully, I can''t describe how proud I am of each of them. Seeing theme together like this just makes me love them more, which I thought was impossible.

    Mason may have been a dick recently, but I know he only acted the way he did out of fear. I think his actions since we found out Luke was being held captive speak of his remorse. He was the first to jump into the unknown to help Luke.

    "I have turned off the venttor, and he is breathing just fine on his own. I''m going

    to remove it before he wakes up and swap him to an oxygen mask just to give him some extra help, but whatever your bonds did, it has saved his life. He is responding well to the medication now that his body is strong enough to process it," Art exins.

    "Thank you, Art, how long do you think until he wakes up? I ask.

    "There''s no telling. His body has been through an ordeal and whilst his recovery is remarkable, he will need a lot of rest to recuperate. Although, with four others speeding things along, he might surprise us. It could be hours or days, but when he is ready, I''m confident he will wake up," he says.

    The door swings open just then and Dot walks in, "Sorry I got here as soon as I... What the hell happened?" She asks as she takes in the room full of sleeping men.

    Art and I exin what the guys have done to help Luke, and she begins to tear up. Especially when she learns it was her brother who was the first to do it.

    "He''s such a big softy deep down, isn''t he?" She says, moving over to Mason''s bedside.

    "He is brave, or stupid. I''m still yet to decide," Art sighs.

    "What can I do to help?" Dot asks.

    "We are about to remove Luke''s venttor, but I have that covered. I think Josie would benefit from a breakaway. Take her for some breakfast maybe?" Art suggests.

    "No, I want to be here in case he wakes up," I shake my head.

    "Girl, we will be back in ten minutes tops, give them some time to get him off the machines and when you get back he will look like a different man without so many tubes and wires," Dot says, taking my arms and leading me

    out.

    "I need to stay and protect them. They''re vulnerable like this. What if there are rogues here that we don''t know about," I protest.

    "Oh look, Luke''s parents are here," she points down the corridor to where his

    parents are. "They will watch over them whilst you take a break. You are going to burn yourself out and when they wake up you''ll be too frazzled to

    be there for them," she insists.

    Luke''s mum rushes forward, pulling me into a hug. I spend a few minutes updating her and her bonds on everything that has happened and his current condition and then Dot tells them that I need a break. They very quickly side with Dot and practically push me away from the room where all my guys sleep.

    Dot takes me to the small break room that the medical staff use and pulls two sandwiches from the fridge, handing me a cheese one. I have always loved cheese, especially through each of my pregnancies, but I can''t enjoy it the same at the moment, not until I know my bonds are all safe.

    They feel safe through our bond, the connection to each of them strong and steady. It just feels as though they are sleeping normally, but they aren''t. and until

    Is

    each of them with their eyes open and up on their feet, I won''t

    rx.

    "Are you listening to me?" Dot says, getting my attention by snapping her fingers in front of my face.

    "No, sorry. What did you say?"

    "I said, where is Harper?" She says.

    "Oh my god, I don''t know. I didn''t even think about where she would go after we left. It was all such a mad rush, and then I''ve been here ever since," I say, covering my mouth with a shaky hand. "I''m such a bad mum."

    "No, Hunny, you are not, you are in a highly stressful situation, and I''m sure you left her somewhere safe," she

    reassures.

    "I did, she was at the military headquarters, but she is probably so worried," I say, unable to hold back the tears.

    How could I have been so careless when we had only just got her back? I know she is old enough to take care of herself now, but she has been through a lot and I should have been there supporting her, or at least checked in on her and made sure someone picked her up.

    "Don''t worry about a thing. I''ll have someone pick her up and bring her home, or back to my house. You focus on your bonds for now," Dot reassures.

    "Thank you, Dot. I''m just such a mess right now, I can''t think straight.''

    "Girl, if you weren''t a mess after everything you''ve just been through, I''d be concerned,"

    I head back towards my bond''s room with major mum guilt. I need to get one of the guy''s phones and contact Raff to see where Harper is. Just before we reach their room, I bump into Raff, as if just thinking about contacting him had summoned him.

    "Do you know where Harper is?" I ask, not even taking a moment to greet him.

    "Yes, Deacon arranged for his parents toe help her with the rest of the teens before he came here. She went back to the academy with them and I assume they took her home afterward," he exins.

    "Oh, good," I breathe out a sigh of relief. Of course, Deacon had made sure she was safe and with family. "What''s going on with everyone here? I have been trying to call all your bonds but no one is answering," he asks.

    I begin exining the situation to Raff when I feel a confused awareness through the bond. It''s Luke, he''s waking up. I stop talking and run towards the room, desperate to see Luke''s bright blue eyes and tell him how much I love him.

    N.O Darling Author

    Sorry I didn''t upload any chapters yesterday. I''ve had a hectic, but fun filled weekend and time got away from me. I also injured my finger, which is not ideal

    when typing so much and has slowed me down somewhat. Thank you as always for your support! Fracture

    3

 Chapter 313

    Chapter 313 Chapter 313

    **Josie''s POV **

    I push open the door, my eyes going straight to where Luke lies. The tubes helping him breathe are gone, reced by an oxygen mask. His parents are huddled around one side of his bed, his mum beingforted by her bonds as she sniffles quietly.

    I move to the other side of his bed and take his hand in mine. ¡°He''s waking up," I say quietly, and his mum takes his other hand,

    "Luke, we are all here," she says, and I watch as his eyelids move as if attempting

    to open.

    "Don''t force it, Luke, take your time, I''m not going anywhere," I reassure him.

    Luke''s hand squeezes mine, and he lets out a soft groan, a frown appearing on his brow. Then his eyes flutter. open for a moment, unfocused, before closing again. He attempts to speak, but he''s so quiet and the oxygen mask muffles his words.

    "Can you speak to me this way?" I ask through our mind link, and he frowns again before shaking his head slightly.

    "It''s okay, just rest. There will be plenty of time to talk once you are fully rested,¡± I say out loud.

    Luke seems to rx at my words, his hand going ck in mine as he allows his body to sleep.

    "What''s happening?" One of his dads asks.

    "He''s exhausted, and his body is very weak after what it''s just been through. He needs more time before he can wake up fully," I exin.

    I''m not a medical expert, but I know what I am saying is the truth. I feel it, I feel the drain on my own energy as he unconsciously draws it from me. I know now that I have been helping with the recovery process by sleeping earlier, and I need to do it again.

    "I need to sleep too. He will recover faster if I do. Will you watch over us?" I ask, ncing around at my other sleeping bonds.

    "Of course," Luke''s mum nods.

    "I''ll have guards stationed outside your room too," Raff says.

    "I will stick around for a while now that we know Harper is safe. You do what you need to do to get everyone recovered," Dot adds, and I nod.

    Theo is the slimmest of my bonds and so has more space in his bed for me to squeeze in beside him.

    "Thank you," I say before kicking off my shoes and climbing in beside Theo.

    My body is draining of energy so quickly that I begin to drift off to sleep easily, despite having a room full of people. I hope that the next time I fall asleep, it''s in my own bed, surrounded by my bonds and with all my children under the same roof. Something I had been taking for granted for years. Not knowing what a privilege it had been until I''d had it taken from me.

    I have no idea how long I sleep, but I wake up to someone whispering my name and the feeling of arms aroun me. It''s one of the best feelings in the world. I crack my eyes open and look up at Theo''s sleeping face as he holds me against him. Although he is still sleeping, he has obviouslye out of the deep sleep he was in at some point.

    +26 BONUS

    "Sorry to wake you, but someone is desperate to have you lits bed," I hear Deacon whisper.

    I gently turn so as not to wake up Theo and smile when I see Deacon''s bright eyes staring back at me. "I''m so happy to see you awake," I smile at him.

    "I''m happy to be awake, but I''m even happier that I''m not the only one," he says, helping me sit up.

    Deacon steps aside, and I nce around to see who else is awake. When my eyesnd on Luke, who is sitting on the side of his bed. I gasp and jump to my feet, almost stumpling over to get to him.

    "Luke," I cry when I finally reach him.

    Luke wraps his arms around me and I can''t stop the sobs of relief as he holds

    me.

    "Hey, Goddess, did you miss me?" he asks.

    "You have no idea," I cry as all the emotions I''d been desperately trying to keep in check pour from me like a tsunami.

    I feel the rest of my bonds waking up and making their way over to us. Luke and I be the center of arge group hug. The emotions flowing the our shared bond are almost too intense to bear, but at the same time, it''s the most wonderful feeling.

    We are stronger than ever now. Our connection has deepened somehow. We stay locked in our embrace for some time, processing this new bond and just enjoying each other''spany and closeness.

    "You all saved my life. Thank you," Luke says, finally breaking the silence.

    "We are a team, it''s what we do," Deacon says, and we all make sounds of agreement.

    "Now can we please go home? I clearly remember someone promising me hot sex if I woke up, and I''m awake and ready to collect my reward,¡± Lukeughs.

    "Easy tiger. I''m not sure if you are up for that just yet. We will let you watch though," Theo teases, causing Luke to growl.

    I grin as the guys all start teasing each other. This is exactly what I need from them right now. We have had so many deeply emotional momentstely. Now we need someughter and normalcy. There is so much we all have to say, but it can wait.

    "Good morning, I see everyone is feeling better," Art says when hees in some timeter to find us all sitting in two beds that we have pushed together.

    "Yes, thank you, Art, once again, we owe you," Deacon says.

    "Retirement is what you owe me," he shakes his head with a sigh, but he can''t keep the grin from his face for long.

    "When can we take him home?" I ask.

    "I would like to run a few tests, to make sure everything is out of his system and his organs are all working as they should be, but I think you should be able to return home this afternoon," Art exins.

    We wait whilst Art does his tests and scans. All the scanse back clear, which Art says is a miracle in such a short amount of time. Whilst we wait for the blood results toe back, Luke has an emotional reunion wit parents, who Deacon had sent home in the early hours of the morning because they were exhausted. When we finally get the all-clear to take Luke home, it''ste afternoon.

    **Josie''s POV **

    I push open the door, my eyes going straight to where Luke lies. The tubes helping him breathe are gone, reced by an oxygen mask. His parents are huddled around one side of his bed, his mum beingforted by her bonds as she sniffles quietly.

    I move to the other side of his bed and take his hand in mine. "He''s waking up," I say quietly, and his mum takes his other hand,

    "Luke, we are all here," she says, and I watch as his eyelids move as if attempting to open.

    "Don''t force it, Luke, take your time, I''m not going anywhere," I reassure him.

    Luke''s hand squeezes mine, and he lets out a soft groan, a frown appearing on his brow. Then his eyes flutter. open for a moment, unfocused, before closing again. He attempts to speak, but he''s so quiet and the oxygen mask muffles his words.

    "Can you speak to me this way?" I ask through our mind link, and he frowns again before shaking his head slightly.

    "It''s okay, just rest. There will be plenty of time to talk once you are fully rested," I say out loud.

    Luke seems to rx at my words, his hand going ck in mine as he allows his body to sleep.

    "What''s happening?" One of his dads asks.

    "He''s exhausted, and his body is very weak after what it''s just been through. He needs more time before he can wake up fully," I exin.

    I''m not a medical expert, but I know what I am saying is the truth. I feel it, I feel the drain on my own energy as he unconsciously draws it from me. I know now that I have been helping with the recovery process by sleeping earlier, and I need to do it again.

    "I need to sleep too. He will recover faster if I do. Will you watch over us?" I ask, ncing around at my other sleeping bonds.

    "Of course," Luke''s mum nods.

    "I''ll have guards stationed outside your room too," Raff says.

    "I will stick around for a while now that we know Harper is safe. You do what you need to do to get everyone recovered," Dot adds, and I nod.

    Theo is the slimmest of my bonds and so has more space in his bed for me to squeeze in beside him.

    "Thank you," I say before kicking off my shoes and climbing in beside Theo.

    My body is draining of energy so quickly that I begin to drift off to sleep easily, despite having a room full of people. I hope that the next time I fall asleep, it''s in my own bed, surrounded by my bonds and with all my children under the same roof. Something I had been taking for granted for years. Not knowing what a privilege it had been until I''d had it taken from me.

    I have no idea how long I sleep, but I wake up to someone whispering my name

    and the feeling of arms aroun me. It''s one of the best feelings in the world. I crack my eyes open and look up at Theo''s sleeping face as he holds me against him. Although he is still sleeping, he has obviouslye out of the deep sleep he was

    in at some point.

    +26 BONUS

    "Sorry to wake you, but someone is desperate to have you lits bed," I hear Deacon whisper.

    I gently turn so as not to wake up Theo and smile when I see Deacon''s bright eyes staring back at me. "I''m so happy to see you awake," I smile at him.

    ¡°I''m happy to be awake, but I''m even happier that I''m not the only one," he says, helping me sit up.

    Deacon steps aside, and I nce around to see who else is awake. When my eyesnd on Luke, who is sitting on the side of his bed. I gasp and jump to my

    feet, almost stumpling over to get to him.

    "Luke," I cry when I finally reach him.

    Luke wraps his arms around me and I can''t stop the sobs of relief as he holds

    me.

    "Hey, Goddess, did you miss me?" he asks.

    "You have no idea," I cry as all the emotions I''d been desperately trying to keep in check pour from me like a tsunami.

    I feel the rest of my bonds waking up and making their way over to us. Luke and I be the center of arge group hug. The emotions flowing the our shared bond are almost too intense to bear, but at the same time, it''s the most wonderful feeling.

    We are stronger than ever now. Our connection has deepened somehow. We stay

    locked in our embrace for some time, processing this new bond and just enjoying each other''spany and closeness.

    "You all saved my life. Thank you," Luke says, finally breaking the silence.

    "We are a team, it''s what we do," Deacon says, and we all make sounds of agreement.

    "Now can we please go home? I clearly remember someone promising me hot sex if I woke up, and I''m awake and ready to collect my reward," Lukeughs.

    "Easy tiger. I''m not sure if you are up for that just yet. We will let you watch though," Theo teases, causing Luke to growl.

    I grin as the guys all start teasing each other. This is exactly what I need from them right now. We have had so many deeply emotional momentstely. Now we need someughter and normalcy. There is so much we all have to say, but it can

    wait.

    "Good morning, I see everyone is feeling better," Art says when hees in some timeter to find us all sitting in two beds that we have pushed together. "Yes, thank you, Art, once again, we owe you," Deacon says. "Retirement is what you owe me," he shakes his head with a sigh, but he can''t

    keep the grin from his face for long.

    "When can we take him home?" I ask.

    "I would like to run a few tests, to make sure everything is out of his system and

    his organs are all working as they should be, but I think you should be able to return home this afternoon," Art exins.

    We wait whilst Art does his tests and scans. All the scanse back clear, which

    Art says is a miracle in such a short amount of time. Whilst we wait for the blood results toe back, Luke has an emotional reunion wit parents, who Deacon had sent home in the early hours of the morning because they were exhausted. When we finally get the all-clear to take Luke home, it''ste afternoon.

 My Wolf 314

    **Luke''s POV **

    I thought I was more recovered than I am, but the short walk to the bathroom from where we had ported in the bedroom had felt like a brisk hike up a tall mountain through thin air.

    I don''t think anyone realised how close I was to letting go and letting my body fall into eternal rest. Every time I had made peace with the decision to leave this world, I''d gotten a sign from one of my bond group. Either their words or strength woulde to me just when I needed them most to keep fighting and hold on for a little longer.

    It was Mason who finally convinced me that I shouldn''t give up. I had heard his words clearly in my mind. "I''ve got you, Brother, let''s fight this together," are words I will never forget.

    Josie helps me into bed and I want to protest. I want to see the kids and spend time with everyone as a family because I almost just lost them all, but I do need to rest. I may have recovered from whatever drug that psycho Mandy had given me, but it has depleted my energy to do it. Every one of my joints aches in a way I have never experienced before.

    Deacon leaves to pick up Harper from his parents and Josie goes downstairs to make me a coffee. Theo and Axel leave to go and help out with the kids, and I am left alone with Mason, who sits at the end of the bed with his back

    to me.

    "Are you okay?" I ask him, it''s clear something is bothering him.

    Mason remains silent for a few moments and my anxiety grows. Has something else happened that I''m not aware of?

    "I''m sorry, Luke," Mason finally says.

    "For what?" I ask when he doesn''t expand on his apology.

    "Thest entry from our group in the spark-boned journal was about one of us disappearing. He could no longer be felt through the bond and the group thought he had been taken or, most likely, killed," he exins.

    "That sounds familiar. What happened? Did they get to him in time?¡± I ask.

    I have a feeling that although the disappearance starts the same as my story, the

    oue has been very different to what had happened to me.

    "He was alive when they found him. He was working with the rogues," Mason says, and I suck in a breath.

    "And you all thought it was happening again," I nod.

    I won''t deny that it hurts that they would think for a moment that I would betray them, but at the same time, I can understand why they might have thought that.

    "No, Josie and Axel never doubted you for a second. I''m not sure about D and Theo, but I did; Luke, and I''m sorry for that," he says.

    I take a moment to think about it. If Mason was the one to have been taken, and I had the knowledge he did, I can''t say for certain I wouldn''t have thought the same as him.

    "What else did the journal say? What happened when they found out he had betrayed them?"

    "One of the group, Lucius, killed him in a fit of rage, which they believe then led to Amara dying of a broken heart," he exins.

    "Did you n on killing me if I had betrayed you?"

    Mason blows out a breath. "Honestly, I don''t know. I didn''t n on it, but I can''t say I wouldn''t have. Not when I know how much it would devastate Josie and the kids. I''m not sure that I could control my temper if someone hurt them like that, even if it was one of us," he admits, and I nod.

    "I guess I can understand that. I can''t say I wouldn''t do the same," I sigh.

    "But we should be stronger than that, right? We shouldn''t even have to think about such a thing because we should have 100% trust in each other. I think I''m the weak link in this group, the one that has the most potential to destroy us from the inside," Mason says in a tone that concerns me.

    "I think it''s normal that we all have our moments of weakness and doubt at some point. Right up until the moment I saw you hold Harper, I kept thinking you might run. I almost confronted you about it a few times, but then I would remember how hard you fought to bring Josie home when she was trapped in the human realm, and I realised you wouldn''t do all that, just to up and leave," I admit.

    "That''s the thing though. I never stopped to think about everything you had done to be with her previously. You risked your life to be with her all those years ago, you were even willing to leave everyone here behind if it meant you could live with her. I was so blinded by what was written in that journal that I forgot everything else," he sighs,

    "You came through for me when it mattered, so I forgive you. You should forgive yourself too," I tell him, closing my eyes because staying awake is bing difficult.

    "Thank you, Luke. I''ll work on it."

    "Do we need to hug it out?" I say with a smirk.

    "Hell no,¡± he scoffs as he moves to lie in the bed, making sure to keep some distance between us.

    I begin to drift off with a smile on my face. Mason may be the least trusting and show the least affection, but after what he did to save me, I know he will always be there when any of us need him the most.

    "Luke?" Mace says, his voice sleepy.

    "Hmm?"

    "If I wake up with you cuddled up with me, I won''t hesitate to kick you in the nuts," he grumbles.

    "Noted," I chuckle before sleep finally ims me.

 My Wolf 315

    **Josie''s POV **

    The urge to stay with Luke is so strong. After almost losing him, I don''t want to let him out of my sight. I know he and Mason need to talk though, and they deserve some privacy for that conversation. Otherwise, I''d be in there, with all the kids too.

    I can feel how drained Luke still is. I suspect it will take a few more days for him to fully recover. Mason is exhausted too. He had not had any sleep before we had found Luke, and then he had given the most to help Luke fight the effects of the drugs trying to kill him. I suspect both of them will be asleep very soon.

    We had ported straight to our bedroom, so when I walk down the stairs with Theo and Axel, the kids are surprised, and the youngest three run at us with excited shrieks. My mum stands in the doorway of the kitchen, wiping tears from her eyes as she watches as we are weed home with the best cuddles.

    "Where is Harper?" As asks.

    "Your dad has gone to pick her up. They will be back soon," I smile.

    "Thank you, Mummy," Jensen says as he squeezes my midsection in a hug.

    "What are you thanking me for?" Iugh.

    "For finding our sister," Elijah answers.

    "That''s our job. You don''t ever need to thank us for that, that''s what parents do," I smile down at them.

    Deacon ports in with Harper just then and my mum begins bawling now. Harper gives her a brief hug before being swarmed by Sammy, Elijah and Jensen. Harper may be annoyed by her brothers most of the time, but there''s no denying how much she truly loves them when she bursts into tears at being reunited with them.

    Joel tugs on my sleeve to get my attention and I look at him. He''s clearly too overwhelmed to talk right now, but he doesn''t need to, I know what he wants to ask. I check on Luke and Mason through the bond, and they are both peaceful.

    "They''re upstairs sleeping, they''re very tired. Let''s make dinner and take it up to themter," I tell him.

    Joel nods in response before moving closer to Harper, who pulls him into a hug whether he likes it or not. Axel puts an arm around my shoulders as we stand and watch our kids catch up. It feels so good to finally have my whole family under one roof.

    "Where is Freya?" I ask, suddenly noticing she is missing from this little reunion. "She went with Dot to buy groceries," my mum exins.

    After a few hours of catching up, we have ate dinner, and we let the kids peek in at Mason and Luke sleeping they can see they are fine before they go to bed. I had nned to let the kids wake them with food, but I could feel through the bond how much they needed this sleep. So instead, Deacon promises to prepare breakfast with them and bring it to Luke and Mason in the morning.

    We all copse into bed and fall asleep almost immediately. I''m so tired that I don''t even have the energy to appreciate finally being in bed with all my bonds and having all my kids safe in their beds.

    I wake up in the morning to the wonderful smell of bacon and the sound of quiet giggling. Blinking open my eyes, I see Sammy, Jensen and Elijah standing at the end of the bed, watching us sleep.

    "What are you three cheeky boys giggling about?" I ask.

    "You were snoring," Sammyughs.

    "I do not snore," I say with a mock offended gasp.

    "You do, Babe," Theo snorts augh, and then proceeds to make a loud snoring noise, which has the boysughing even harder.

    I can feel the rest of my bond''s amusement through our connection, so I know

    they''re all awake now. It feels so good to hear and feel their joviality, even if it is at my expense.

    "Who is cooking?" Deacon asks, suddenly sitting up.

    "Nanna, Auntie Freya and Harps," Elijah says.

    Deacon flops back down on the bed in relief. "I had a horrible vision of the kids trying to cook without me," heughs.

    "We waited for you, but you were taking so long, so Nanna said you can cook breakfast tomorrow instead," Jensen says as he crawls onto the bed.

    "I''m not surprised they gave up waiting, it''s almost ten o''clock. I can''t remember thest time we slept thiste," Luke says, and I turn to look at him.

    He looks so much better, his eyes are bright, and he even has a slight pink to his cheeks. If the kids weren''t here I''d climb up on top of him and show him exactly how much I had missed him.

    "Okay, let''s go see how that breakfast is doing," Deacon says before quickly getting up and ushering the kids from the room like his ass is on fire.

    "Are you feeling okay, Babe?" Theo asks, bringing a hand to my forehead as if checking for a fever.

    "Yes, why?" I frown.

    "Because the way you just felt in the bond right now was how it used to feel when you wereing into heat," he exins.

    "Oh hell no, we are done with all that... Right? It''s not possible, is it?" "Haven''t we learned that our group doesn''t follow the rules? With us, nothing is impossible," Mason snorts.

    "Don''t fret, Beauty, if it does happen we will deal with it," Axe reassures. "Excuse me, Mr Two Babies Already, you will not be dealing with anything. You arest in line for womb-filling duty," Theo scoffs at Axel.

    "I think it was just a fluke, I don''t sense it anymore," Luke says before Theo and Axel have a chance to start arguing.

    "Would it really be so bad if you did have another heat? Another baby would be awesome," Theo says, cing a hand over my stomach.

    ¡°Sure, Theo, it sounds wonderful, as long as you carry it and then give birth," I huff.

    "Yuck, no way. I would not suit getting fat and having swollen ankles, then there''s the sickness, and don''t even get me started on birthing it," he shudders.

    "Are you guysing down for breakfast or should we bring it up?" Deacon asks into the mind link.

    "I''m good toe downstairs," Luke responds, and we all make sounds of agreement beforepletely abandoning the possible heat and baby talk in favour of food with all the kids.

    N.O Darling Author

    I''m finally feeling better! Thank you for your patience and well wishes. I n to continue with regr updates from tomorrow.

 My Wolf 316

    **Theo''s POV **

    We are all a little on edge over breakfast. No matter how my bond group tries to mask it, I can feel the sliver of anxiety, and a rising hint of uncertainty. I just don''t know what it is for. Are we just so used to having something to worry about that it''s going to take a while before we allow ourselves to rx again? Or is it that Josie had given off the emotions of an impending heat?

    I get why that may be a worry; Our days of procreation should be over. If we suddenly discover they aren''t, then what could be the purpose? Is there another threat arising that means a new spark bond needs to be created? Have we been chosen to bring in one of the next Spark Bond members? I guess only time will tell.

    After breakfast, Deacon takes Penny and Freya home. As it is the weekend, the kids are off school, and we decide to give ourselves a break from the real world for a couple of days. We all need time to recover, and we need time as a family, spending time with the kids and resting. Everything else can wait until Monday.

    By Sunday evening we have all recovered, apart from Luke, who is still tiring easier than he used to, but that''s to be expected after how close he was to death. Josie had given us no more signs ofing into heat, which is a relief but also a slight disappointment. I loved it when she was in heat, not just for the sex, but the closeness and the excuse to shut ourselves away from the world for a few days. Not to mention the resulting baby we would get from it. If I could, I''d have a hundred babies with Josie.

    I also secretly love how needy she became during her heat. I do love how independent she is, but when she was in heat and would whimper just for our touch and nearness, it made me feel important. I''ve never felt more like a man than in those moments. Maybe she would be up for some role-y?

    Josie is in the bath, rxing before bed whilst the rest of us settle the kids into bed and prepare for the Monday morning rush. I deliver all the uniforms to the children''s bedrooms, ready for the morning. Harper is excited to return to school, which I suspect is because she will be reunited with Archie. As and Joel are less enthusiastic about receiving their uniform and the younger three are already sleeping peacefully, so don''t groan at the sight of the uniform.

    My jobs for the evening are done, so I head into our bedroom, where Luke is already resting.

    "How are you feeling?" I ask him.

    "Not bad, the aches have gone and I no longer have a constant headache. I''m just still tired," he shrugs.

    "Are you tired for some fun with our bond?" I ask with a smirk. I already know what his answer will be. "Never," he shakes his head.

    "Good. Let me go convince her you are ready," I grin, before walking towards the bathroom door. "Oh, one more thing... do you miss her heat?"

    Luke is quiet for a second whilst he thinks, "In some ways, yes. Why?"

    "You''ll see," I wink, before connecting with Deacon, Mason and Axe through the mind link and asking them all the same question.

    They all respond that they miss the heats and my grin widens. Now I just need to get the main character on board for this little role-y I want. I knock lightly on the bathroom door and open it when Josie calls for me toe in.

    I look at her, my queen in all her glory as sheys in the steaming water. The sight

    of her still steals my breath. She has her hair tied up in a bun to keep it dry as she washed it this morning.

    "Hey, Babe, do you need help washing?" I ask her as I close the door behind me.

    "No, I''m done..I was just about to get out," she smiles.

    "Then allow me to help you get dry," I offer her a hand, and she takes it, letting me help her from the bath.

    Josie steps out and stands in front of mepletely naked and absolutely stunning.

    "Are you going to hand me a towel, or just stand there staring?" Josie asks with a giggle, snapping me out of the trance she had me in.

    I reach for the towel and begin rubbing it over her body. When I move behind her

    to dry her back, I drop the towel, unable to keep my hands from touching her skin any longer I rest my hands on her hips and lean down to kiss her bare shoulder, causing a re of desire through the bond..

    "How do you feel about a little role y?" I ask her.

    "What kind?"

    "Well, me and the guys kind of miss your heats. We miss your neediness and how

    you crave us with such desperation," I exin.

    "You want me to pretend to be in heat?" She asks.

    "Only if you want to," I say, reaching up to pull the tie from her hair, allowing her dark locks to flow down her back.

    "You know I still crave you all without the heat, right?"

    "I know, it''s just hot to be so needed by you that you can''t seem to breathe without us. We want to be your heroes and care for you in a way that only we can. We want you to beg for us, and we want to serve you," I admit.

    "Then you had better take off your shirt, because I need to feel your skin against mine," she says, her voice sounding needy and so damn sexy.

    I pull my shirt over my head so fast that Josie has barely had a chance to turn to face me. She presses her bare chest against mine and either she is doing an amazing job at acting, or I''m delusional because I feel that same call of her heat again. The pheromones or whatever the hell it is that calls us to action, that draws us to her, ready to fulfill her every need and desire.

    I lift her, and she wraps her legs around my waist, pressing as much of her body

    onto mine as she whimpers with need. I carry my perfect body out to the bedroom, where four sets of hungry eyes wait for her, ready to give her everything.

    N.O Darling Author

    Thest spicy scene between Josie and her guys ising very

    soon!

    103

 My Wolf 317

    **

    Josie''s POV **

    I feel each of my bond''s desires spike in response to my need as Theo carries me into the bedroom.

    I can y along with being in heat. If I''m being honest with myself, there are elements of being in heat that I miss too. I love how eager my bonds are to please me, and how I can bring these five powerful men to their knees with just a small whimper of need.

    Theoys me out on the bed and my bonds move in, pulling off their shirts as they surround me on the bed. I look over each of them, still struggling to believe I was so blessed to be matched to these gods as my bonds.

    "Hold her legs open for me," Theo rasps and Deacon and Axel both grip one of my ankles, lifting them in the air and spreading them apart to expose my sex to Theo. "Please, Theo, I need you," I breathe as he runs a finger over my sensitive flesh.

    Mason and Luke begin to tease my nipple as Theo slowly pushes a finger into me. Axel and D ce kisses around my ankles and calves and, with the five of them touching me and giving me so many different sensations to focus on, my mind bes a blur and my body bes hypersensitive. I squirm under their attention, no longer able to distinguish who is doing what to me as hands and mouths explore every inch of my body.

    My first orgasm crashes through me as a hot tongue swirls around my clit and fingers massage my G-spot. Before I can recover from my release, someone slides their length into my pussy.

    "Luke," I cry as he begins to thrust into me, making my body spasm around him.

    Luke pauses a moment, leaning down to kiss me and I can sense how much he is struggling to maintain this level of activity. He is not ready to exert himself this way. The rest of my bonds must sense it too, because before I can say anything, someone is telling Luke toy down, and I''m being helped on top of him.

    "You feel so good, Goddess, so perfect," he pants as I begin to ride him, chasing my second orgasm.

    I feel cool slicked fingers move to my backside and the pressure increases as someone begins prepping my ass, working their fingers inside me. Luke sucks in a breath at the extra sensation and I look down at him.

    "I love you, Luke, don''t you ever try to die on me again. You are mine, and the next time some bitch even thinks about trying to take you from me, I''ll kill them,¡± I breathe as I increase my pace, bouncing up and down on his cock like my life depends on it.

    "I love you too. I don''t ever n to leave you, and I will dly help you take out anyone that tries toe between us," he says and then groans as we find our release together.

    Mason grips the back of my hair, tipping my head back to dominate my mouth with his own, his tongue wars with mine as I ride out the aftershocks of my orgasm and moan into his mouth. I suddenly remember I''m supposed to be role- ying here and as soon as Mason breaks the kiss get back into character.

    "Please, I need more," I whine.

    As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I''m lifted from Luke and pulled down on top of my biggest bond. I gasp as I take Axel''s full length inside me. He looks up at me with that feral glint in his eye and his hands grip my hips, his fingers digging in just enough to give me the slight pain that I enjoy with my pleasure,

    Hands wrap around my front, squeezing my breasts as a warm body presses against my back

    "Lean forward for me, Miss Banks, let me have this sweet ass," Deacon whispers in my ear.

    37

    "Yes, Sir," I breathe, pressing my chest to Axe''s and giving Deacon the ess he needs behind me.

    "Rx, Beauty," Axel says when he feels me tense at the pressure of Deacon''s tip trying to breach my tight hole. "Such a good girl," Deacon praises as he breaches the tight band of muscle.

    "Oh, I''m so full," I groan as my body adjusts to amodate both of them.

    Axel begins to gently thrust his hips beneath me and Deacon slowly finds a rhythm with Axe, creating an indescribable sensation that I love.

    "She is fucking beautiful isn''t she? Just look how well she takes them, she''s a fucking queen," I hear Theo say.

    "She''s perfect," Luke agrees.

    "A greedy fucking queen. When she has milked them both dry she''ll be demanding more," Masonments. My eyes shift to Mason, who is fisting his cock as he watches the show in fascination. His eyes heat as they meet mine, and he shes me his signature smirk.

    I scream out as D and Axe drag my third orgasm from me. They follow straight after me. The sounds of their joint releases make me feel like the queen that Theo and Mason call me. Only I can cause those sounds from my men. I own each of these men, forever.

    I kiss Axel before sitting up and pressing my back to Deacon''s chest. He lowers his head, kissing my neck and I reach around to stroke the back of his neck affectionately. Once I''m happy that I got a tender moment with them both I tell them I love them both through the mind link before slipping back into character for my two remaining bonds.

    "More," I pant, my eyes moving to Theo and Mason as Deacon and Axe withdraw from my body, leaving me feeling so empty.

    I watch as the pair discuss something privately in the mind link. They make it obvious as Mason smirks and Theo nods before they move towards me. I expect Mason to lie on the bed and have me straddle him, but they surprise me when Theo sits on the bed and beckons me to him.

    I crawl to him with shaky legs and Mason helps me stand between Theo''s legs. He pulls me to him, his head at the perfect height to suck one of my nipples into his warm mouth, making me gasp.

    A sharp p of Mason''s handnds on my ass cheek and I cry out before he delivers another p to the other side just as Theo moves his mouth to nip my other nipple.

    The pair drive me wild with small nips and ps until a plea for more escapes me. Mason reaches around cupping my sex.

    "Do you want us to fill this greedy pussy?" Mason whispers against my ear before nipping my lobe.

    "Yes, please, I need it."

    "Both of us?" he asks.

    "Yes," I breathe.

    "Together?"

    "Yes," I nod.

    "Good Girl, turn around and face me, Angel," he says, releasing his hold on me.

    I turn to face Mason, and he lifts me. My legs wrap around his waist and I can''t help my instincts to grind against

    his length, causing him to groan before he lowers me onto Theo''s waiting cock, so I''m straddling him backwards. Theo spreads his legs, pushing mine apart with his, and Mason steps in between our legs. He looks down at me and stokes a hand down my cheek before skimming over my lips with his thumb.

    N.O Darling Author

    Sorry for the dy. I am trying to work out how to keep this scene in one chapter. If I go over the character limit it splits the chapter, and I don''t want to do that. I''m am going to try and add thest part of this chapter as an additional chapter, and it should be fre

    101

 My Wolf 318

    "Such a pretty mouth," Masonms, "I can''t wait to have your lips wrapped around my cock again, but not today," he smiles before gently pushing me back against Theo, who wraps an arm around my chest before leaning back to give Mason the angle he needs.

    Someone hands Mason the bottle of lube, and he squirts some onto his hand before gliding it up and down his length, his eyes locked on where Theo and I are connected.

    Once he''s happy he''s slick enough, he moves closer, sying a hand over my lower stomach to hold me in ce as he works a finger into my pussy. Theo begins to tease my nipples as Mason works to stretch me out, preparing me to take his cock.

    "What''s your colour, Baby? Theo asks.

    "Green," I moan as Mason begins to rub my clit with his thumb as he pushes another finger into me.

    "Good girl," he breathes.

    "Fuck, Mace, hurry this up, or I''m going to blow before we even start," Theo hisses.

    Mason withdraws, his fingers and positions himself at my entrance. I feel Theo pull out, almostpletely, but he''s just making room for Mason. Once they both have their tips in, they slowly push into me together. I try to rx as I stretch around them both, and I''m so close to calling ''amber'' for the first time ever.

    Mason reaches between us and teases my clit once again, and the near- ufortable feeling passes, quickly reced by intense pleasure.

    "Fuck, this is so tight," Theo groans behind me and Mason hums in agreement.

    When Mason starts to gently move his hips, I see stars as my guys take me to new heights. I feel so connected to them that I have no idea where my body ends and theirs begins as the three of us find oblivion together.

    I will never get bored with letting all my men push my limits like this. They''re so attentive. Each one of them are perfect lovers, they meet my every need, desire and fantasy, and I have no doubt that I''m the luckiest and most satisfied woman in both of the realms.

    106

 My Wolf 319

    **

    Josie''s POV **

    As soon as all the kids are in school, Deacon, Axel, me and Mason head to meet with Raff. He updates us on what they discovered from thetest batch of rogues we had brought in. Only two of the adults survived our ambush; Unfortunately, Mandy is one of them, but at least she will spend the rest of her life in prison.

    I''m not usually sofortable with killing people, but sometimes it''s kill or be killed, and I''m okay with that. Mandy deserved to die after what she had done to Luke though, after she had nearly taken him from us, she is one I''d kill without

    remorse.

    Raff and his men think they have apprehended the majority of the rogues after Mandy and another guy gave them intel on the locations where the others were staying. Over thirty children and teens have been rescued and are being ced with families across the realm.

    I feel a little guilty that we weren''t around to help capture the rogues and bring the kids in, but my own family is my priority, and that includes my dad. We head to the infirmary to visit him and his face lights up when he sees

    1. me.

    "Josie, I''m so d to see you. I heard what happened with Luke, and I wanted to help, but they''ve got me locked down in here,¡± he says, motioning to the chain that is wrapped around one of his wrists and bolted to the wall.

    "Why are you chained?" I ask, anger bubbling in my gut.

    "Don''t fret over it. I am technically still a prisoner, they''re just doing their jobs," Robert says as I look around to find someone to unchain him.

    "I''ll see what I can do," Deacon says, squeezing my shoulder reassuringly before leaving to talk to someone in charge.

    "How are you feeling?" I ask, pushing my anger down for the time being.

    "I''m good. They''re treating me well and have been doing two healing sessions a day. They say it will increase when they''ve finished treating all the kids they''ve been bringing in from the human realm. I''m so d so many have been rescued. How is Harper doing?"

    "Harper is great. She went back to school today. Thank you for helping to bring her back," I smile, reaching out to squeeze his hand.

    "You don''t need to thank me for that," he smiles.

    "We are hoping to meet with the Elders this week. I''m hoping we can have you pardoned. Then we will get you out of here and to our preferred healers."

    "Robert, who are you talking to?" A small voice calls out from behind a curtain, and I raise my brows at my dad in question.

    "My daughter, I''m sorry if we woke you up," my dad responds softly.

    "The superhero?" The voice gasps.

    "Yes, my daughter, the superhero. Do you want to meet her?" he asks with a grin. "You bet I do!" the voice says excitedly.

    I hear shuffling before the curtain moves, and a small blond girl pokes her head around it to look at us with wide

    blue eyes.

    "Josie, this is my temporary neighbour, Be," Robert says

    I move to greet Be, crouching down to her level. "Hello, Be, you have a beautiful name. I''m Josie, and this is Mason and Axel," I smile, motioning to my bonds.

    "I know your name. Robert told me all about you. I am going to be big and brave, and I want to be a dancer like you," Be grins.

    "I bet you are already brave. How old are you?"

    "I''m 9."

    "Be was very brave yesterday. She had a blood test and barely even cried," Robert says,

    "Wow, that is super brave," I tell her.

    "Thank you, Miss Josie. Robert says I have the courage of a hero, like you," she says, looking over at my dad fondly.

    "Be, what have I told you about getting out of bed?" a nurse says as she enters the room.

    "But it''s so boring to only lie down and be quiet," Be pouts.

    "I know, but until we find somewhere for you to go, you are stuck with us. If you

    are a good girl and stay in your bed, I will try and find some books for you to read," the nurse says, looking stressed as shees to take Be''s hand and usher her back to bed.

    "But I can''t read," Be whines.

    "Is there a medical reason she needs to stay in bed?" Mason asks.

    "No, but we have so many patients and not enough staff to watch all these kids,

    we can''t have them wandering around," the nurse exins.

    "Then while we are here, we can watch her," Mason offers.

    The nurse studies Mason for a moment before nodding and releasing Be''s hand. She rushes to Mason''s side, reaching up to hold his hand and looking up at him with an expression like he''s just saved her from a terrible fate.

    "Is there a reason she is not in a room with the other children?" Axel asks.

    "She was in with them, but she kept wandering in here to listen to Robert''s stories. We agreed to move her in here as long as she remains in her bed. Robert is restrained and taking suppressants, she is quite safe as long as she remains in her bed," the nurse sighs.

    "I wasn''t questioning if she was safe with Robert. I already know she is. I just wondered why she was separated from the other children," Axel says with a frown.

    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to offend, we are just so overrun. Most of the kids have been medically cleared to leave, but there is nowhere for them to go, so now we are running a daycare as well as trying to heal actual patients," she exins as an rm begins to sound in another room.

    The nurse excuses herself and rushes back out of the room just as Deacon walks in and looks at the little girl holding Mason''s hand with raised brows.

    "Raff is waiting for permission from the Elders to release Robert. He has already put in the request to have him pardoned and has added a personal rmendation and testimony. He thought he might have more of an impact on them than us as he is impartial in Robert''s case," Deacon exins.

    "That''s very thoughtful of him. Can''t we get the chain removed though?" I ask.

    "Yes, he is sending the order through, he was not aware he had been chained," he nods.

    "Thank you, but it''s not necessary if it will cause any bother. I can handle it. I just hate having to ask someone to unshackle me every time I need to use the bathroom, especially when they''re so busy," he sighs.

    "Who is that?" Be whispers loudly as she tugs on Mason''s hand.

    "That''s Deacon, he''s with us," Mason whispers back, just as loudly. "Another superhero," Be says excitedly.

    "This is Be,¡± I tell Deacon, and he crouches down to talk to her.

 My Wolf 320

    **Josie''s POV **

    "This is breaking my heart. There are more kids here just like Be. We have to help them. They need families now, today. They''ve already been through enough in their short lives without being left in a military base infirmary," I say into the mind link to my bonds.

    "I''ll check where we are on the list of people willing to take a child in," Deacon says.

    "If the list is exhausted, then maybe we could ask if some would be willing to take more than one. We could also ask families with children of simr ages to take a child in, I suggest.

    "Starting with us? We are bringing this girl home, right?" Axel asks.

    I look at Axe, my big hulk of a guy down on his knees, letting Be climb up on his shoulders with Mason''s help. He''s right, if we are going to ask other families to take on the responsibility of a child, then we should lead by example, even though we have more kids than any other bond group.

    "We could temporarily have Sammy and the twins share a bedroom. The room is big enough and the boys would love it. I hate to say it, but in just over a year, Harper will join the academy and her room will be empty," Deacon

    says.

    "Be belongs with us. I don''t know why I feel that way, but I do," Mason nods.

    "I feel it too," Axe agrees.

    "I do feel a connection to her, but we should discuss it with Luke, Theo and the kids first," I say.

    "Then let''s take her to meet them. If a family has been found for her before we make a decision, then so be it, but I think everyone will ept her," Deacon suggests.

    Deacon leaves to check on the progress of finding homes for the kids and to let the staff know we will be taking Be home for now. Axel and Mason take Be to find some lunch and I spend an hour talking with Robert.

    This is the first real chat I have had with him without us having a specific topic to discuss. I thought talking to Robert might be awkward, and I wouldn''t know what to say to him, but I find the conversation easy. He and I are more alike than I expected with simr interests and opinions. The more I talk with him, the more I can see what drew my mum to him. I can''t change what happened in the past, but I can choose to have him in my future, and I want that. We still have a way to go and much to discuss, but I do want him in my and my children''s lives.

    Before we leave to go and introduce Be to the rest of my family, a guardes and unchains Robert, which makes me feel better about leaving him here. I have no doubt he is going to be up and helping keep the kids entertained with his stories if the nurses allow it.

    Back at home, Luke and Theo take to Be just as we had and when we bring the kids home, Sammy, Elijah and -Jensen wee her like they''ve known her their whole life.

    I sit on the patio outside the back of our house with my bonds as we watch Be and the boys y. It''s so nice to see her like this. I bet she didn''t have much chance to just be a child and y without fear whilst she was with the rogues.

    "I read her file," Deacon says into the mind link.

    "What did it say?" Theo asks.

    "Her mother was located at one of the sites. She revealed that Be was hers when she was questioned via

    I think says a lot about their rtionship, or theirck of one," Deacon exins.

    "So her mum will be spending the rest of her life in prison. Does she have a dad?" Luke asks.

    "Her father was human, the mother didn''t bother to get a name," Deacons says. "Then I vote she stays with us," Theo nods.

    "I agree, she fits right in with the boys, they already love her," Luke says.

    "So we all want her to stay, then I guess it''s time to ask the kids their opinion, and then ask her if she wants to stay," I smile.

    I never expected to bring another child into our home. We already have a busy house, but the guys are right, it feels right to have her here. She fits.

    "I''ll go and talk to Harper," Mason offers, before standing to leave.

    "We are doing somebat training with As and Joel before dinner, we can talk to them about it then," Axel

    says.

    By the time dinner is ready, we have had a chance to discuss Be with all the kids, and all of them agree that they are happy for her to stay. When we ask Be if she wants to stay, she is so happy that she bursts into tears of joy. Sammy is the first to embrace her before the twins join the group hug, and just like that, our family grows by an extra little person.

    The next day, we get news that my dad has been pardoned, and we can bring him home. So to wee him and his side of the family, as well as Be, we decided to throw a huge party with everyone we love.

    Just like I had at Harper''s gender reveal, I head upstairs to look out the window at everyone here. It''s good to take a step back to truly see and appreciate what''s in front of me

    There are so many people I now consider my family that it brings a tear to my eye. When I first arrived here in this realm, I had no one. I waspletely alone with no parents to rely on, and now I have all these people who love me as much as I love them.

    I rey the first words each of my bonds had spoken to me directly when we met.

    Deacon: "Are you trying to challenge me, Miss Banks?"

    Theo: "Well hello there new girl."

    Mason: "Do I scare you?"

    Luke: "Is this a bad time?"

    Axel: "Hi."

    None of them had been the perfect introductions to the men I would eventually give my heart to, but they are still precious moments that I will treasure forever.

    The journey to this point hasn''t been easy, but it''s been a hell of a ride. We tore through every wall put in our way, bled through every wound, and walked through a hell that should have destroyed us, to get here, and I know without a doubt that we would all do it again if we had to.

    Every scar, every moment of fear and despair was worth it.

    After everything, love is all that remains.

 Chapter 321

    ** Harper''s POV **

    If my mumes into my bedroom one more time to remind me to pack something, I''m going to scream. I am more than capable of packing my things. Besides, if I forget something, I can juste back for or have one of my parents bring it when they visit the academy, which they do at least five days a week.

    I know my mum is just worried about me leaving home, but she really doesn''t need to. I am more than ready for this. At 18 years old, I''m ready to grow up and live my life.

    I already know who two of my bonds are, and if nobody identifies any more for me, then I will be perfectly happy. Me, Archie and Dillon have already been through a lot together. I trust them both and I can''t wait to officially bond with them and start our future together, even if I am a little nervous about the steps involved inpleting the bonding.

    "Come in," I sigh when there''s yet another knock at my bedroom door.

    To my surprise, it''s not my mum this time, it''s my dad, Mason.

    "Justing to measure up for Be''s new bed. She wants a high sleeper," he says.

    "Wow, you could at least let me leave before you n the renovation," I huff as I shove more clothes from my wardrobe into my suitcase.

    "Well, you won''t let us help you, so we have to find some other way to keep busy," he shrugs.

    "If you want to help, then take those boxes downstairs," I say, pointing to a pile of boxes I have packed with my belongings.

    My dad grins and picks up the boxes, leaving to take them downstairs. I then realise that he tricked me into letting him help; he didn''te in here to measure anything; he didn''t even have a tape measure.

    "What''s next, Boss?" He asks when he returns.

    "I think I''m pretty much done," I say as I look around my now bare bedroom.

    "Well, there''s still a couple of hours before initiation. How about we go get ice cream?" He suggests.

    My stomach churns at the thought of eating. I''m too excited to eat.

    "No, I can''t eat right now," I say, rubbing my stomach with a grimace.

    "Too nervous?" He asks.

    "No, why would I be nervous?"

    "It''s a big day. You are leaving home, and the seer will identify your bonds. Everything is changing," he shrugs.

    "I already know who my bonds are, and I am more than ready to move out."

    "You know who two of them are. You''ll probably have at least one more. It''s okay to be worried about that," he smiles.

    "Were you nervous when you found out mum was your bond?" I ask.

    "You could say so," he snorts augh.

    "Can you tell me about it? Did you like her before you knew she was yours?" I ask.

    I have tried to ask them about this before, but they always just brushed it off as a story for when I''m older.

    My dad blows out a breath before sitting on my bed. I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting story. I take a seat beside him as he gazes out the window, looking lost in his memories.

    "You have to remember that I had a bad upbringing. I had been told from a young age that my interest in both genders would kill my bond. That when she found out what I was, she would take her own life. So I decided early on that I didn''t want a bond. I didn''t want to risk hurtingpher. Every time the seer came, dread sickened me, but year after year, they never identified me as a bond, and I was happy with that, or so I thought. When I met Theo, I knew instantly that he was going to be important to me. Despite me telling him to leave me alone multiple times, he never did. He was the only person who didn''t let my attitude put him off me. He kept trying to be my friend, and so I let him in. I let myself trust someone for the first time since I was a child. So when your mum came crashing into our lives and Theo instantly fell for her, I felt threatened. I thought she was going to take him from me, or worse, she would be matched with both of us

    and I''d kill the woman he loved," my

    dad exins, and I gape at him.

    I knew there must be some story between my parents, but this was not what I was expecting.

    "So what did you do when the seer identified her as your bond?" I ask, fully gripped by this story.

    "At first I tried to run away, but Theo stopped me and Deacon threatened to send me home. So I tried to make her hate me from the get go. I thought if she never liked me, I wouldn''t hurt her when she found out what was really going on in my mind. Which was a tremendous waste of time, because she knew who I was and epted me from the start. I was just too haunted by the ghosts of my past to realise it. She never gave up on me, though,

    and my attraction to her became too difficult to hide. She saw right through my act," he says with augh.

    ¡°Mum is too smart to be fooled,¡± I chuckle, remembering all the times she saw right through me, which is the real reason I don''t want her in here helping me pack. I know she will see how worried I really am, and I''m not even ready to admit it to myself yet.

    "You know your mum is the best person to talk to about anything that you might

    be worried about, right? She won''t judge you or make you feel your concerns are silly," he says, as if he just read my mind.

    Am I that obvious?

    ¡°I''m okay. I guess I am a little nervous about another bond causing issues between me, Archie and Dillon," I admit.

    "That''s understandable. Bond

    groups can be difficult to navigate at first, but just remember that each member is there for a reason. Once you alt find your ce, you will` bnce andplement each other. It might be more difficult for your generation. Your bonds may not have had the same upbringing and level of education in bond care that my generation did, but there are extra sses to help catch the human raised Greys up," my dad says with a little growl to his tone.

    "Why do you sound angry?"

    "I was just remembering the sses, and... never mind. Do you need this case carrying down?" He asks, gesturing to the open suitcase on the bed before picking it up and walking away with it before I can even answer, letting some of my clothes spill out onto the floor.

    I stare after him with confusion. I don''t think I have ever seen him look that flustered before. My mum appears in the doorway with an amused smile. "Did I upset him?" I ask her.

    "No," she smiles, "he''s just struggling to ept that his little girl is growing up."

    "Well, it''s happening whether or not he epts it," I shrug before picking up my dropped belongings with a sigh and following my dad to put them back in my

    case.

 Chapter 322

    **Harper''s POV **

    I take onest look at my bedroom and then close the door on it. The next time Ie back here, it will be Be''s bedroom, which doesn''t bother me, but I am a little sad to say goodbye to it.

    I had brought Be to my roomst night to have a chat with her. I wanted her to know I was happy that she would take my room, and that I was pleased she was a part of our family. Especially because it meant I wasn''t leaving my mum alone to deal with a house fully of stinky boys.

    Be is a sweet kid and my parents were right to bring her into our home. She has been a great addition to our crazy family and Sammy and the twins adore her. I will be surprised if she doesn''t bond with one of them. I put my money on Sammy, but only time will tell.

    "Ready to go, kiddo?" Luke asks as I reach the bottom of the stairs where the rest of my parents, except Deacon, wait.

    "Yes," I nod, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at him calling me kiddo.

    I can sense how uneasy my parents are. The atmosphere around them feels thick with nervous tension.

    We port to the administration office to drop off my belongings as nned, and then we head to the great hall for initiation. Parents aren''t supposed to apany us to this, but because mine all have some kind of professional role within the academy, I''m unlucky enough to have mine attend.

    I hesitate as we approach the door, and my parents stop, looking at me in question.

    "Come on, there''s nothing to fear in here. This is the boring part," Theo says.

    "She''s not scared. She just doesn''t want to walk in with us," my mum says, trying to usher my dads inside.

    "Why not? We are cool," Theo huffs.

    My mum nces back over her shoulder and rolls her eyes, and I give her a grateful smile. I''m d at least one of them understands me.

    If I walked in there surrounded by my parents, my peers would instantly mark me as different. My goal is to fit in here. I don''t want to be known as the headmaster''s daughter, or daughter of the spark bonded group. I just want to be Harper, another regr student.

    I hang around by the doorway, smiling at the students I already know from school as I wait for Archie. We had arranged to meet here so we can go in together.

    I''m not left waiting too long before I recognise Archie''s mop of dark hair in the group of students heading my way. When I finally get a glimpse of his face and his eyes meet mine, it steals my breath.

    Archie is so handsome, especially since he''s started bulking out. I thought he was attractive even when he was going through his tall and gangly stage, but now he''s filled some out and looks more like a man than a boy. He''s drop dead gorgeous.

    "Hey, Cutie, are you ready to do this?" Arch asks with a smile that makes my heart skip a beat.

    "I''m more than ready. I can''t wait to move in with you," I beam at him.

    "This is going to suck if you are wrong about us being bonds. I''ve been dreaming of this day for over a year," Archie chuckles, but I can hear the nervousness in his tone.

    "I''m not wrong. It''s clearer to me than ever now. I can see the link between us as clear as I can see my hand. We are bonds," I nod confidently.

    "Then let''s get this over with and meet the rest of our bond group," he says, slipping his hand into mine so we can walk into the hall together.

    The seats in the hall are filling up fast. Deacon said this year''s group is the biggest intake they''ve had to date, and the academy has had extensive expansions in thest year to amodate us all.

    Most of the seats near the front are already taken, but Archie finds two together near the back. The hall hums with excited chatter as the students wait for our headmaster to begin initiation.

    I spot all my parents to the left of the stage. They are talking with Sage, a powerful seer I''d met once. Seeing her has my nerves intensifying. What if I''m not a seer and I''m just imagining the link with Archie and Dillon?

    I close my eyes and draw on the gift

    that I feel pulsing in my chest. When I open my eyes again, I see the shimmering tether that connects my soul with Archie''s. It''s so strong and sure, as if a part of our souls are reaching out to each other

    desperately trying to merge.

    There''s another tether reaching out from me. This one doesn''t shine as brightly as Archie''s and I can''t see where it leads, as it seems to prate the left wall of the hall. I assume that is the direction Dillon is in.

    I blink the vision away, allowing my gift to sink back inside me and when my vision fully clears, I gasp. I am the focus of six pairs of eyes. My parents, and Sage, who look''s at me with a knowing smile. She gives me a small nod. Does she know what I was doing?

    "Are you okay?" Archie whispers.

    "Yes, I''m just eager to get this over with and see our new apartment," I reassure.

    The room lulls into silence and I look up to see my dad, Deacon, making his way to centre stage.

    and wee to

    "Good afternoon, Greys Academy. It''s wonderful to see so many of you here this year know you are probably all eager to explore the campus and settle into your new rooms, so I won''t keep you here too long. Because of the sheer number of students this year, we will do things a little differently than our usual protocol. Once I have given you the basics of academy life and gone over the rules, our seer will begin working immediately to identify bond groups. This will requireplete silence as she focuses on finding bond links. The seer will work hard over the next few

    weeks to get through all of you. Please don''t be discouraged if she doesn''t identify any bonds for you; your bond might not have turned 18 yet." Deacon exins.

    He continues to talk about the academy, exining the house system, amenities, sses and rules, but tune most of it out. I have

    heard him n this speech many times. My mind is stuck on what he said about the seer needing silence to identify bonds. I can see my bond tethers with no need for silence.

 Chapter 323

    ** Harper''s POV **

    "Harper, would you like toe with me? Your lessons start today," a female voice whispers, startling me out of my thoughts.

    I turn to see Sage standing beside my seat. How had she snuck up on me without my notice?

    Other students turn in their seats to look at us and I feel a flush of embarrassment creep up from my chest to my cheeks.

    Great...So much for trying to fit in as a regr student. I''ve just be the centre of everyone''s attention.

    I look at Archie, who smiles and gives me a nod of encouragement. "I''ll catch up with youter," he whispers.

    "As most of you will be aware, strong seer abilities are rare and for the first time in over thirty years, we have a student that potentially has the gift. To master this gift, she will need to practise. So this year two seers will read you. I expect you to be patient and treat Harper with respect as she perfects her skills," Deacon says to the room, and I cringe.

    I can feel every eye on me and quiet gossiping assaults my ears as I follow Sage towards the front of the hall. I have never wished for the ground to open up and swallow me whole this much in my entire life. This is exactly what I didn''t want to happen. I bet I''m as red as a tomato.

    Sage leads me to a small room behind the stage and I feel as though I can finally breathe now I''m out of sight.

    "I''m not sure I am cut out for this," I say as I wait for the pounding in my chest to calm.

    "It can be intense, I know. Having a gift this rare is always going to draw attention, but I promise, it gets easier. Some of your peers may be jealous, and some will fear you, but most will respect you. After all, without your gift, future generations may not find their bonds."

    Sage gives me a soft smile and reaches out to take my hands in hers.

    "What are you doing?" I ask, tempted to pull my hands from her reach.

    "Rx. I saw you search for your bonds earlier. Tell me, how many bonds did you identify for yourself?"

    "Two, I know them both."

    Sage nods and then grips my hands a little tighter before closing her eyes. I watch in silence as her eyes flit behind her eyelids. When she opens them again, the blue has faded into a milky white, and even the ck of her pupil has gone, reced by a very pale grey. It''s the most terrifying thing I have ever seen. I really hope that is now how I look when using the gift.

    "Interesting," Sage hums, and then blinks her eyes until her normal eye colouring returns.

    "Why did your eyes go like that?" I ask, unable to keep the tremble from my voice.

    "That is the true sight. It is easy to see bond tethers when they are right in front of you, but to see them at a further distance, especially if that tether leads to someone you have never met, you will need to delve deeper and draw on the true sight."

    "How do I do that?"

    "With practice. Do you have a female friend that has joined the academy with you today? Someone you feel safe around?" Sage asks.

    I think about it for a moment. I have a few friends that have joined the academy today, but none I feel especiallyfortable around. The only person whoes to mind is Demi, she is one of Theo''s nieces, and whilst we didn''t attend the same school; we have spent a lot of time together at family events.

    "Demi Bell," I say.

    "Okay, wait here for a moment. I will be right back," Sage nods before leaving me alone.

    Whilst I wait, look around the small room. It ispletely bare. There''s no furniture or decoration and I wonder what its purpose is. The air in her feels cool and calming and a small, high window faintly lights the room. I can''t hear anything outside of the room, and I wonder if everyone left the hall or if the room is soundproof.

    I don''t have to wait long before Sage returns with a nervous-looking Demi.

    "I guess I''m nominated as your first test subject," Demi says with a halfugh as she tucks her bright red locks behind her ears.

    I''ve always envied Demi''s hair. It''s so bright and wild with tight curls. It makes her pale skin almost glow.

    "Sorry," I grimace.

    "No worries. You have to start somewhere, right? And apparently you chose me as the person you felt mostfortable with, so I''m honoured. I''m just nervous about having bonds is all," she shrugs.

    "Are we ready to give this a try?" Sage asks and Demi nods.

    "I guess," I breathe as nerves flutter in my stomach.

    "Okay, Demi, try to remain silent if you can. Harper, I want you to take Demi''s hands and tell me if you see any tethersing from her," Sage instructs.

    I take Demi''s mmy hands in mine and look at her. She looks just the same as she always does. I shake my head at Sage.

    "That''s fine. Keep ahold of her hands and close your eyes whilst you draw on your gift. Search for her light. You should be able to see a shimmering ball of energy in front of you. When you find it, open your eyes."

    I follow Sage''s instructions, closing my eyes and drawing on the gift that simmers deep within me. At first le see only darkness. I hear the sounds of our breathing and the chill of the air on my skin, and then I see it. A faint flicker of a shimmer at first, but as I focus on it, I watch if grow and expand into a bright, swirling ball that sparkles with pure energy.

    I choke back a sob at the sight. It''s the most beautiful and pure thing I have ever seen. I wish there was a way to capture its beauty. I''d print this on canvas, or even better, create a video if I could.

    The ball expands in three directions, just small wisps of energy at first, but the more I watch, the more they intensify, growing into thick, steady tendrils.

 Chapter 324

    ** Harper''s POV **

    "Open your eyes," Sage says so softly that I only just hear her.

    My eyelids flutter open, and I have a moment of panic as I adjust to my new vision. I can still see Demi''s light and the tendrils that reach out to her bonds, but my vision is not as it once was. I can see Demi''s shape clearly, she is a white glow in a dark world. The ball of energy swirls in her centre.

    "Look around, Harper, try to find the door," Sage whispers.

    I try to take in my surroundings. I can see Sage now. She shines as brightly as Demi, but everything else is ck.

    I know what direction the door was in and I turn my head towards it, trying to make out its shape. As I focus, the rectangle outlinees into sight. It''s almost like trying to see through water in low lighting.

    "The more you practise this, the easier it will be to see your surroundings. Now blink the sight away as you pull your gift back into your chest," Sage says.

    I focus on shutting my gift back into its metaphorical box, and I blink my eyes. With every flutter of my eyelids, my vision returns. The ck and grey of my surroundings slowly blossoms with detail and colour. Demi''s bright red hair reces the glowing white outline I had seen moments before.

    "Well done, Harper. I think you are going to be a very easy student to work with. Now tell me, how many bonds did you see for Demi?"

    Demi squeezes my hands and I can tell she is apprehensive. I look at her and smile, hoping to reassure her.

    "Three, I think."

    "Oh, thank goodness," Demi breathes and I release her hands.

    "Will we find out if you were correct when I read her. I want you to apany me whilst I follow the tethers to her bonds. You will see that I am able to navigate the world around me whilst using the true sight. It takes some practice and is easier if you know your surroundings already. Silence also helps to keep focused. If your attention slips, you can lose sight of the world around you and it expels a lot of energy. If that happens, you will need to restart the entire process, which requires some time to recuperate."

    "I''ll start trying to learn theyout of this ce," I nod.

    "Yes, you should. You need ess to all areas Sometimes we find bonds in ces we least expect them. I will ensure you have permission for you and your bonds to ess areas that are usually off limits to students, so you can learn theyout safely," Sage says before reaching out and taking Demi''s hands.

    Sage closes her eyes and smiles. "You were correct. Demi has three bonds. Whilst I follow the tethers, I want you to observe my actions and how others respond to my presence. Remember to remain quiet whilst I give this my full attention. If you have any questions, you can ask them afterwards."

    "Okay," I say softly and then give Demi an excited smile before I watch Sage intently.

    When Sage opens her eyes again, they are the same milky white that they had been earlier. I resist the urge to shudder. A huge part of me is d I won''t ever have to see myself this way, and I hope it won''t freak my bonds out. I wonder if it works with sunsses on? That''s a question to ask Sageter.

    Sage releases Demi''s hands and turns towards the door. I move in front of her to open it and Sage moves with such grace that she appears to float. I wish I had a pen and paper to write my questions down as we go, but it''s toote now.

    Deacon is still up on the stage talking, but when he sees us he falls quiet and holds up a hand for silence. A gesture he''d already exined to us during his speech.

    All eyes shift to us as we make our way through the hall. I watch as students react to Sage''s appearance. Some look horrified and scared, others seem curious. My eyes meet Archie''s and he gives me a smile. He doesn''t look scared by Sage, which is good.

    Sage stops beside a row of students

    and moves her gaze to them. As if rehearsed, the males all stand and file out of their row to line up in front of Sage. She moves down the fine and then stops in front of a boy! don''t recognise. When she ces a hand on his shoulder, he smiles shyly at Demi before moving to stand behind her. They''ve definitely been practicing this whilst I was in the back room with Sage.

    We begin to move again and follow Sage out of the hall. She navigates the stairs with ease and then walks around a building towards thebat fields. I have watched my dads train here with my brothers a few times. As we approach, I see two of my dads are now here training students. Axel lets out a low whistle and holds up a hand the way Deacon had. The students stop sparring and a small group of them rush to the front of the field to line

    up. I assume these are the unbonded.

    My eyes scan the students and my heart pangs at the sight of Dillon standing with the unbonded. I know technically he''s unbonded, but it still hurts to see him stand here, waiting to see if he has been chosen for Demi when I know he is mine. Sage moves towards him and my heart pounds in my chest. I wasn''t wrong about him, I''m sure of it. Dillon is my bond, not Demi''s. She stops right in front of him.

    Dillon''s eyes meet mine and I can see the worry and confusion in them. I shake my head, refusing to believe what I am seeing.

    Dillon is mine, and I want to shout it. I want to scream at Sage that she is wrong.

    Sage tilts her head slightly, and Dillon takes a step back, shaking his head. My lungs seem to seize, stopping me from drawing a breath as I watch on in horror as Sage lifts a hand and reaches towards Dillon.

 Chapter 325

    **Harper''s POV **

    Sage''s handnds on Dillon''s forearm, not his shoulder. What does that mean?

    Axeles over and puts a hand on Dillon''s shoulder before guiding him away. I attempt to follow, but he puts a hand up to stop me. He gives me

    the universal sign for "It''s okay" and I can finally suck in a breath. What the hell just happened?

    Demi shoots me a questioning look and I shrug, still

    trying to remember how to breathe and trying to calm my racing heart. I don''t know what I would have done if I''d been wrong

    about Dillon. He and Archie already mean the world to me.

    I''ve already spent hours daydreaming about our future. The thought of all those

    dreams shattering is heartbreaking. I couldn''t stand it.

    Sage is moving

    down the line again, but I can''t focus on her. I can''t stop my eyes from going to where Axel is talking to Dillon further down the field. Dillon looks animated and Axel appears to be trying to calm him.

    I can''t hold back any longer. My legs are moving towards them before I can stop

    myself. Dillon turns to look in

    my direction and I pick up speed, running towards him now as he

    moves towards me.

    Dillon''s arms open for me and I run into them. He lifts me from the ground and

    I nt my lips on his

    in a desperate kiss. We all agreed not to go this far until our bond was confirmed, but I couldn''t wait a second longer. I felt so close to losing him just now and I know I''d regret never kissing him for the rest of my life if that had happened.

    So right here, in the

    middle of the training field, in front of some of my parents and arge group of students, I have my first kiss. It''s messy, it''s raw

    and is passionate. It''s amazing.

    When I finally break the kiss and look into Dillon''s eyes, I can see

    my own emotions reflected there.

    "I thought I was going to lose you," Dillon breathes.

    "Me too."

    My eyes well with tears, and he kisses me again. It''s slower this

    time, less desperate and more sensual and exploratory. I think I have just found

    my new favourite pastime. Why did we wait to do this?

    As I deepen the kiss, my tongue delving into Dillon''s mouth to meet

    his, someone clears their

    +25 Bonus

    throat nearby and I suddenlye back to my senses with a flush of embarrassment.

    I break the kiss and bury my face against Dillon''s chest to hide

    my shame. He wraps

    his. arms around me, shielding me from view with a chuckle.

    "Sage has moved on. It might be best if you don''t follow for now," Axel says.

    "Why did she touch Dillon? He''s not Demi''s bond."

    "I''m not sure. I guess she will exin it to youter, but

    we have always been told that if she touches someone anywhere but on their shoulder that we should move that person away from her. Only a shoulder touch identifies a bond," Axel exins.

    "Well, that was a bit exciting, wasn''t it?" Theo says with humour as hees

    to join us.

    I lift my face to scowl at him, and he holds up his hands in surrender.

    "No. It was terrifying," I huff.

    "Yes, that''s what I meant," he nods, his face turning deadly

    serious and almost making me smile.

    Theo trying to be serious has always been funny to me. Of all my parents, he is the least serious. He finds humour in almost any situation and I love him for it. "Deacon said you should go to Ruby. You have been assigned an apartment there," Axel says.

    "Which way is that?" I ask, trying to remember the location of each building.

    "I can take her," Dillon offers.

    "Yeah, I bet you would love that, wouldn''t you, Romeo?" Theo snorts. "But you still have a ss toplete. I''ll take her."

    Dillon sighs

    and kisses the top of my head. "I''ll see you for dinnerter," he says before releasing his hold on me

    and jogging back over to join his ssmates..

    I watch him go with a new appreciation for him. I can''t wait until

    he''s officially mine.

    "Okay... let''s get moving before we have another romantic movie moment in the

    middle of the field," Theo sighs.

    I cast onest look at Dillon and he waves before taking position in front

    of his sparring partner.

    "Be good," Axel grins before jogging back over to his students.

    I roll my eyes and turn to follow Theo.

    We arrive at an old-looking building and I remember my mum telling me it''s where

    she once lived with my dads when they were at the academy.

    The entrance way is spacious and doubles as amunal area, which is currently upied by students and their luggage. My mum Luke is calling out names from a tablet and handing out keys to teens, who then head up one of the two enormous staircases.

    Theo leads me straight to Luke, who hands him a key and tells him I''m in apartment number three. My mum doesn''t make

    a fuss over me, and barely nces my

    way as she continues assigning rooms to students. Which is good.

    "Deacon will port your luggage over soon, so make sure you answer the door when he knocks. Intake day is always busy, but this is a crazy one, so be ready to answer when hees," Theo says as we climb the grand staircase.

    "Okay," I nod.

    "Here

    we are, apartment three." Theo hands me the key and I unlock the door, excited to see my new home.

    I push open the door and I''m

    surprised to see how spacious the

    apartment is. From the doorway, le can see an open-n kitchen area with a table big enough to seat six. Behind the counter is a lounge area. with arge L shaped couch and a TV on the wall.

    "I''ll leave you to explore. I need to

    get back to mybat ss before Axe uses me of cking," Theo says.

    I turn to thank him and watch him walk away before I step into the apartment and close the door.

 Chapter 326

    Chapter 326 Chapter 326

    **Harper''s POV**

    I lean against the closed door and bring my fingers to my lips, closing my eyes whilst I remember the feel of Dillon''s lips against mine. I can''t wait to do that again. Willkissing Archie feel the same?

    The sound of movement from one of the rooms catches my attention, and a smile spreads over my face as Archie appears in the doorway opposite the lounge area

    "Hey, cutie," he beams, "We finally have our own ce."

    "We''ve been assigned an apartment

    together already? This is great, but we are not even confirmed as bonds yet."

    I move into the kitchen area and run my hand over the smooth marble of the countertop.

    "Maybe they ran out of single dorms and figured we would be okay with sharing. There are five bedrooms in this apartment. I chose the one next to yours," he grins. "How do you know which one I would choose?" I raise a brow.

    "I didn''t. Yours is obviously the one with the enormous bed" he says, a flush blooming on his cheeks.

    "Oh, right... That makes sense," I nod and clear my throat.

    "I wonder who else we will be sharing with," Archie says, changing the subject.

    "If it''s just temporary, then I guess it could be anyone," I shrug and move further into the apartment.

    "How did it go with the seer? Have you finished your lessons for today?"

    "I''m not sure. There was a bit of an incident with Dillon and I lost track of her."

    "What happened? Is Dillon okay?" Archie asks and the genuine concern in his voice is clear.

    I love that they already treat each other as bond brothers. Our time with the rogues had been brief, but

    the three of us had got close during that time.

    "He''s fine. We both had a fright, is all. We thought Sage identified him as a bond

    for someone else, but it was a false rm."

    "Damn, I can imagine that was a tense moment. I''m not sure how I''d feel if that had have happened. Lalready feel as though the three of us belong together. To have him taken from us would be a blow," Archie "We kissed," I blurt, no longer able to hide it from him.

    Archie''s eyes widen as he looke

    at me. He looks a mix of surprised, curious, and slightly disappointed.

    "I''m sorry. I know we all agreed to wait, but I was so ovee with emotion and all I could think was what if I never had the chance to kiss him and..."

    Archfie cuts off my rambling by striding towards me, pulling me to him and nting his lips on mine.

    I gasp against his mouth and he uses the opportunity to slide his tongue past my parted lips to brush against my own. One of his hand cups the back of my head gently as he deepens the kiss, the other rests or Archie''s kiss is softer than Dillion''s. It feels more controlled, which is probably because the circumstances are different.

    "I''ve been dying to do that for so long," Archie breathes when he pulls his lips from mine.

    "Me too," I smile.

    My lips feel swollen and my cheeks feel flushed, but I can''t wait to do it again.

    Archie cups my face and strokes a thumb over my cheek and smiles. "You look so beautiful with your cheeks pinked like this. I can''t wait to have more firsts with you and see you flushed for me."

    His words steal my breath and

    excite me in a way I''m not sure I''m ready for My brain scrambles for a response that doesn''t make me sound like a dork. I have always felt confident around Archie, but now he

    has me all kinds of flustered.

    I have never seen this side of Archie. He seems so confident. Is this new? Or has he just been holding back on me?

    I am saved from saying something embarrassing by a sharp rap on the door. The tension between me and Archie had been so thick that the knock

    startles me, and has my heart racing for a whole different reason.

    Archie smirks and steps back, giving me space to breathe. He moves to answer the door whilst I try to appear calmer.

    "I just came to drop Harper''s belongings off," Deacon says when the door swings open.

    "Come in," Archie offers and steps back to allow Deacon ess into our apartment.

    "I''m afraid I don''t have time at the moment. I have to go," Deacon says, sounding a little awkward for the first time.

    What is wrong with my dads today?

    "Wait, Dad... I mean, Sir. Is this a temporary apartment? I just need to know if I should unpack or not," I ask, rushing to the door before he can leave.

    Deacon nces around the

    apartment and sighs. "It''s yours. You

    can unpack: Make sure you check t

    your wee pack. You''ll find your academy phone in there. I''m sure Sage will contact you on it soon. If you need anything that is not rted to the academy, you can contact me on your personal phone but make sure to use your academy issued one for school rted

    "Wow, he really takes his headmaster role seriously, huh? I can''t believe this

    ce is actually ours. They must really trust your judgement that we are bonds to house us together already," Archie says as he carries my luggage in.

    How did my dad carry all this alone? It''s

    taken Archie three trips just to get it through the door. And why does this ce have five bedrooms when I only have two bonds?

    "My parents are all acting weird today," I sigh, taking some boxes from Archie

    and carrying them to the door next to his bedroom, getting my first look at my new room.

    The walls are a soft cream, and the furniture is all light oak. It gives the room a cosy but fresh vibe. I love it.

    I ce the boxes down and stop to look at the bed. It''s enormous. It''s as big as my parent''s bed at home, and it feels a little daunting to know it''s mine. This bonding thing is starting to feel very real all of a sudden, and nerves flutter in my stomach as Archiees to stand beside me.

    "I think I''m going to get lost in there," I halfugh, nodding towards the bed.

    "Don''t worry, I''lle find you. Although, given my track record, I may just end up lost with you," he teases.

 Chapter 327

    **Harper''s POV**

    Once all my belongings are in my room, Archie leaves to go unpack his stuff while I unpack mine. Arge white envelope, with my

    name scrawled across the front, is on top of one of my boxes.

    Inside, I find my academy issue phone and some information booklets with a campus map, ss schedules, and more importantly, dining hall

    opening times. My stomach nimbles as I look over the sample menu. I haven''t eaten since yesterday and I still have two hours before the dining hall opens for dinner.

    The moment I turn on my phone, it dings with multiple notifications. Most of them are wee messages, my personalised timetable and a guide on how to use the phone. I''m please to see that it''s already load Dillon''s contact information. I click on his contact card and then hit the message button.

    Harper Marshall: Hey handsome.

    I text, but I know he will still be in

    ss, and won''t be able to respond. I find Demi''s contact

    and message her too, apologising for leaving her and wishing her and her new bonds well.

    Next I search for Sage''s contact, but she is not listed. I guess I''ll have to wait

    for her to contact me. I hope she is not angry with me for what happened.

    With a sigh, I toss the phone on my bed and start with the task of putting my clothes away. The wardrobe is a walk in one that doubles as a dressing room.

    I hang most of my clothes on the rails provided and I shove my pyjamas and socks into the drawers. A flush of embarrassment washes over me as I look at my underwear. My panties are all in cotton. Are the I hid the underwear under my pyjamas, just in case anyonees snooping around in here, and then I

    reach for my personal

    phone to ask my mum for underwear advice, but then I cringe. I don''t want to talk to her about underwear to impress my bonds. Instead, I message her and ask how I get new clothes.

    Previously, I have bought all my stuff on shopping trips with her, but this feels like something I need to do alone. I''m just not sure how I''m supposed to fund such things. I''m aware the academy supplies everything, but surely they don''t provide our underwear too.

    "Almost done in here?" Archie calls from the doorway of my room and I quickly m the underwear drawer shut and shove my phone into my pocket.

    "My clothes are done, but I still have my other stuff to unpack. Have you finished already?"

    "Yeah, I didn''t bring very much," he shrugs as I walk out of the wardrobe.

    "My bedroom at home is being given to Be, so I brought everything I own."

    "I figured." he nods towards the stacked boxes he''d helped me carry in. "I read in the wee pack that we are supposed to go down to the uniform shop to collect our uniform. Do you want to go now?" I look around at my belongings that I still need to put away and shrug. They can wait untilter. "Sure, let''s go."

    We walk down the stairs and find themunal area almost empty now. My mum and Luke are nowhere in sight, and I assume they have gone to assign rooms

    elsewhere.

    "ording to the map, the uniform shop is close to the dining hall," Archie says as we walk out of the front door of our building.

    We find the main building easily and then follow our noses towards the dining hall. I''m not sure what they are preparing for our dinner, but it smells amazing and my stomach grumbles loud enough that Archie h "Wow, when was thest time you ate?" He ask in an amused tone.

    "Yesterday," I admit.

    "What? Why?" He demands, a look of concern on his face.

    "I was too nervous to eat earlier."

    "That''s no good. We are supposed to be increasing our food intake as we prepare for our first

    shift and the use of our gifts."

    "I know, and I will eat more. It was just one day, Arch, I don''t n on skipping meals regrly," I reassure.

    "Good, you''re already so slim with all that dancing that you do."

    "I know. I''m thinking of giving up dancing for a while."

    "Please don''t. I love watching you and..."

    Archie''s words trail off as an angry growl bounces off the corridor walls, making it hard to distinguish if it''s just one wolf, or multiple of them. "What the hell?" I gasp.

    Shifting inside the building is

    forbidden, so why can I hear a wolf?

    Archie moves to stand in front of

    me, shielding/ me from the

    I hear footsteps approaching and I peek out from around Archie''s broad back to see a

    tall man with mousy brown hair and an excited grin running towards us.

    An angry bark and shrieks of fright echo from the corridor behind him and he cast a quick nce over his shoulder, almost barging into us. "Sorry, man," he says to Archie, dodging us at thest second.

    When his eyes meet mine, he stops dead in his tracks. "Well, hello there, littledy. Aren''t you a sight for sore eyes?" he grins and reaches out a hand towards me as if he''s about to introduce himself.

    A crash at the end of the corridor draws his attention before I can respond. Nook over to see a huge ck wolf scrambling back to feet from where it had just mmed into the wall. The wolf''s piercing blue eyes fixate on the man in front of me as it growls low and menacing.

    "Sorry, can''t talk right now. Chase wants to use me as a chew toy," the man says as he takes off running again,ughing as he goes.

    The wolf barrels after him and Archie sandwiches me against the wall.

    "Here boy," the tall man mocks and whistles at the wolf as he barges out of the door to the outside.

    Secondster, my dad, Mason, runs past us, chasing the pair out of the building with a furious look on his face. "Good luck to those two," I snort augh.

    "Your dad is one scary dude. If he ever looks at me that way, I''m pretty sure I''ll mess my pants," Archieughs. "Let''s get out of here before hees back," I say, grabbing Archie''s hand and leading him down the corridor.

 Chapter 328

    **Harper''s POV**

    Getting our uniform takes over an hour, as it seems half of the new students had the same idea toe now like US.

    By the time we have it, it''s almost time for the dining hall to open. We head back up to our room to drop off our new uniform and we walk in to find Dillon waiting for us.

    "Finally, don''t either of you check

    your phones? I was about to send out a search party," Dillon asks with a grin as he stands from the couch.

    "Who let you in here?" Archie asks, his tone full of humour

    "I let myself in, with my key," he says, dangling his key from the ring he has hooked over his finger. "They pulle me out of myst ss and told to pack up my stuff and bring it here because another student nee "Nope, well, not by Sage at least. I know we are a bond group, though. I''m more sure of it than ever," I smile.

    Since I''d kissed both Archie and Dillon, the tethers that link us are brighter than ever. I can see them without even trying now. I wonder if they will be more visible when we bond, or if I''ll no longer see them "Well, that''s good enough for me. Is it just

    the three of us? Because I noticed there are five rooms in here. Or do we just get extra space because you are the headmaster''s daughter?"

    "I only see the two of you as my bonds. I''m not sure about the extra rooms. Maybe this was all they had avable," I shrug.

    "Two bonds is not the norm, though. I don''t think we should get toofortable as a group of three. It may be that you have another still in the human realm, or maybe not of age yet?" Archie says. "True, but I saw our connection before we were of age. I guess only time will tell."

    "Well, until then, we get to have you to ourselves," Dillon smiles, "and I''ve been dying to do this again for hours," he says, his voice turning husky as he steps in close and leans down to kiss me.

    I kiss him back with a hum of approval, and I feel Archie step in close behind me. His hands resting on my hips as

    he kisses my neck. Having both

    of my bonds mouths on me is intense in the best way.

    The tension between the three of us builds with every brush of lips. Their hands explore my body and the sensation has me trembling under their touch.

    A coil of desire builds low in my body and visions of moving this to the bedroom y out in my mind. That is until

    I remember my in cotton panties and embarrassment washes away the vision. I really need to fix this underwear situation, and quickly.

    As if sensing my anxiety, Archie and Dillon halt their exploration. Ending our

    make-out session with small kisses.

    "We should go feed our girl. She hasn''t eaten today," Archie says with a sigh.

    "Why not?" Dillon demands.

    "I was too nervous."

    "Hey, you have nothing to be nervous about. There is no rush here. We can take this as slow as you want," Dillon reassures with a soft smile.

    "It''s not just... that. It was just this whole day, leaving home, trying to fit in here with not just my gift, but being my parent''s daughter. There''s so much pressure..."

    "No, stop thinking that way. Fuck

    what anyone else thinks of you. You

    are our bond and you were born be different, don''t try to fit into anyone else''s mould, because we like you just the way you are Dillon says, cutting

    me off.

    I think over his words. They like me, even with my rare gift and my heritage. That should be enough, but if I''m honest with myself, it''s not. don''t want to stand out as special or privileged. I just want to be me, a regr student here to study like everyone else.

    "Come on, let''s go eat. She will feel better when she has some nourishment," Archie says when I don''t respond to Dillon.

    "I hope you are ready for this. The dining hall is a whole new experience," Dillon blows out a breath andces his fingers with mine, leading me towards the door.

    Archie

    follows closely behind and once we are out of the building, he takes my other hand.

    It feels good to walk with them like this. I feel a stronger sense of unity, as if

    we are already bonded and have formed a solid group.

    The dining hall is chaos, and the noise level is high as students talk and shout across the hall at each other. I''m almost tempted to turn around and walk back out, but the smell of food is too tempting to leave.

    "I''m so d I don''t have to sit at the unbonded table anymore. There''s this one guy, Finn, that is infuriating. I don''t think we''ve got through one meal without someone punching him. Or at least threatening him," Dittonughs as he leads us to an empty table that''s big enough to sit four.

    "He sounds delightful," Archie says sarcastically.

    "He''s okay if you''re not easily offended. He likes to have a joke and just doesn''t know when to shut up.

    As if on queue there''s amotion at the back of the hall and I look over to see a huge red-

    headed guy pinning and other student against the wall.

    "Chill out man, I was only asking a question," the tall man we''d seen being chased by a wolf earlier says as the red headed growls in his face.

    "Is that him, by any chance?" I ask.

    "Yep, that''s him, Finley York. The number one troublemaker,¡± Dillon chuckles.

    A nervous energy pools in my stomach as I look at Finley and see the faint shimmer of a tether linking him to me. I blink a few times, hoping I''m imagining it, but nope, it''s only bing more obvious.

    Perfect!

    There goes my n not to draw attention to myself. My third bond is an attention seeker.

    I turn away from him quickly. I need to eat and get out

    of here. Maybe if I just ignore it, it will go away. There

    will be time to worry about Finleyter.

 Chapter 329

    **Archie''s POV **

    Something is wrong with Harper. She is trying to pretend everything is fine, but I can sense her growing anxiety. Was Dillon right? Is she nervous about bonding with us?

    I want her, badly. I''ve dreamed about her every single night for over a year, but I can wait as long as it takes until she is ready.

    Hell, if she is never ready, then I''d still be here, worshipping the ground she walks on. I am more than ready to take our rtionship to the next stage and be intimate with her, but just having her in my life is eno She is enough.

    In any capacity.

    Dillon waited at the table whilst I took Harper up to choose her food, and then he went to get his. Dillon casts me a worried nce when he returns to see Harper has barely touched the bowl of pasta she had cl "Don''t you like it? Do you want me to get you something else?" Dillon asks.

    Harper blinks her eyes, as if just returning from another ce within her mind, and looks at him. "No, this is fine," she half smiles before returning to pushing the pasta around her bowl with her fork.

    "You should try the cookies. They do a raspberry and white chocte one that is to die for. Do you want me to see if they have any?" He asks.

    "No, thank you. I''m pretty full already."

    "How can you be full? You''ve not even eaten half the bowl," I ask.

    "I''m just tired I guess," she shrugs, but her gaze briefly flicks towards the unbonded table before going back to her food.

    Dillon doesn''t miss it either and we

    both look at the long table at the back of the hall. Is someone making her ufortable?

    A few of the unbonded cast curious nces around the room. They''re probably wondering if their potential bond is in among the new students, but none

    seems to pay Harper much attention, except one. The troublemaker, Finley. Who beams at me when he notices me looking at him.

    Does he just recognise us from the corridor earlier? Or does he feel drawn to Harper? I really hope it''s not thetter. He doesn''t seem a good fit for our girl.

    Harper is confident in some ways, buttely she has be more introverted. Finley seems like he would draw too much unwanted attention, plus I doubt he''s a favourite of her parents.

    "Do you want to get out of here?" I ask, sharing a look with Dillon, whose expression has turned into a frown. "Yes please," Harper breathes, standing to leave.

    "Go. I''ll catch you up,¡± Dillon says, shovelling his spaghetti into his mouth.

    I stand and wrap an arm around Harper''s waist, guiding her out of the dining hall and back towards our apartment.

    "Thank you," Harper says with a sigh of relief, and her body seems to go from tense to more rxed with every step we take.

    "Why are you thanking me? What happened in there?"

    "For getting me out. I don''t know what''s wrong with me. Since we spent that time with the rogues, I''ve felt ustrophobic whenever there are to many people around I feel like everyone is watching me and it''s hard to breathe. Being here, with so many new people, is making it worse,¡± she admits with a tremble in her voice.

    "That''s understandable. We spent days being watched whilst in that group of strangers, but we are safe now and you just have to keep reminding yourself of that. We''ve only been here a few hours. It will get ea "I hope so," she says, attempting a smile as I unlock the door to our apartment.

    "What do you want to

    do with the rest of our evening? Should we watch a movie?"

    Harper nces towards her bedroom door with an unreadable expression before nodding. "Let''s wait for Dillon, though."

    Whilst we

    wait for Dillon to return, I scroll through the movie selection and Harper texts with someone on her phone.

    "I have a lesson with Sage during second period tomorrow. She says you and Dillon should attend with me." "Do you think she is going to confirm we are bonds?" I ask, hoping she says yes.

    I trust Harper''s judgement that we are bonds, but I want it confirmed so we can get rid of the uncertainty from others.

    "Who knows? She doesn''t like to

    give much away. I think she wants me to work it out for myself," she shrugs. The door to our apartment opens and Dillon walks in with his arms loaded with food he''s grabbed from the dining hall. He grins

    proudly as he dumps his haul on the

    coffee table in front of us.

    Iugh as I look at the food. He has brought cookies, fruit, bags of crisps and chocte bars. Harper leans forward and takes one of the cookies, nibbling on it, and I give Dillon a subtle nod of approval.

    I will need

    to make sure we get the kitchen stocked up for when she is too anxious to eat in the dining hall. I''m no chief, but I can make a few simple meals to keep her fed if needed.

    Dillon sits on Harper''s other side and

    I start the movie I''d chosen for us. I''d

    uT

    gone for one that looked girly and Harper seems pleased as she snuggles into my side. Dillon pulls her feet onto hisp and takes off

    her shoes, rubbing her feet and she lets out a moan that goes straight to my dick.

    Shifting slightly, I grab a cushion to cover myp and hope she doesn''t notice, I don''t want to make this awkward for her, but she can''t be making noises like that and not expect my mind to go straight to the gutt Dillon''s eyes meet mine over Harper''s head, and he gives me a knowing smirk. He can smirk all he likes. I can guarantee

    he is just as affected by her sound as I am.

    Adjusting my position so I can easily reach Harper''s shoulders, I massage

    them, drawing another small moan of pleasure from her.

    Dillon''s hands slowly work their way up her legs, massaging her as he goes. I watch her chest rise and fall, looking for any signs she is ufortable with

    this.

    When he reaches her thighs, her breath hitches, but she doesn''t tense. Instead, she hums softly and I can clearly see her nipples pebble under her t- shirt. She is enjoying it

    My hand moves from her shoulder, over her corbone, and my fingers skim over the swell of her breast. My fingers itch to tease her nipple through the fabric of her t- shirt, but I resist. If we move too fast, she might feel pressured into something she is not ready for.

    I move my

    hand back up towards her shoulder but Harper''s hand grips my wrist, guiding

    my hand back to her breast and I finally get my wish as I skim my thumb lightly over her nipple and I am rewarded with the most beautiful gasp from her sweet lips.

 Chapter 330

    ** Harper''s POV **

    Having Dillon and Archie''s hands on me is bliss.

    I had felt so out of ce in the dining hall, but here, with these two, I feel home. It''s as if their touch alone can strengthen me, and make me more myself.

    The guys don''t go further than touching. Archie

    grazes my nipple a few times, and Dillon''s hands approach my sex, but it doesn''t go any further than that.

    I''m sure this

    is their attempt to get mefortable with them, and it''s working. I feel we are one step closer to taking that step together.

    My mind drifts to Finley. Is he capable of being this patient with me?

    I should tell the guys about him, but I''m not ready to expand our group yet. I feel like if I admit out loud that Finley is mine, it will make it more real, and things will change. For now, I want to focus on the two bon I''m barely able to focus on the movie ying. It just bes background noise to my racing thoughts. I can feel the connection between the three of us growing

    with every light touch and shared look.

    I feel as though I have waited a lifetime to get to this moment. Living with the two men I''m destined to share my life with. A huge part of me wants to rush into this life. To give them everything. Another part of me

    Thest thing I want is for them to get bored with me, but then I think about my parents. They don''t seem bored with each other and they''ve been together for almost two decades. That is the kids of rtionship

    I do want children eventually, but I don''t want them too young. I want to have time with my bonds first before

    we expand our family and be responsible for another life.

    My mum was only 19 when she had me and I know she doesn''t regret having me, but she does wish she had me a littleter in life.

    "Are you okay, rebel?¡± Dillon asks with concern in his voice

    "Yes, why?"

    "The movie finished a few minutes ago and you are still staring at the nk screen," heughs.

    I blink my eyes and realise he is right. I''d been so lost in my own thoughts I''d not even

    noticed the movie end.

    "Sorry, I''m fine. I was just thinking."

    "What were you thinking about?" Dillon asks with a grin.

    "Everything, and nothing." I smile and then suppress a yawn.

    "Do you want to watch something else? Or are you ready to go to bed?"

    I hesitate before answering. If I''m honest, I need to go to bed, but I''m not ready to be away from my bonds just yet.

    "I am tired, but I could watch something else."

    "How about we all go get it that gigantic bed of yours and watch TV in there? That way, we won''t have to disturb you if you fall asleep," Dillen suggests.

    I nce towards my bedroom door with a nervous flutter in my stomach.

    "There''s no pressure to do anything but cuddle and watch TV," Archie adds, clearly sensing my trepidation.

    "That sounds nice," I nod. "But I want to take a shower first."

    "I want to shower, too. Just call for us when you are done," Archie says.

    I get up from

    m the couch and head

    into my room to find the box with my toiletries in. I had showered this morning, but since living

    underground with the rogues). ne

    being so filthy that my skin had felt like it would crawl off my body, I

    have to shower at least twice a day.

    I hadn''t had much time to explore the bathroom earlier, but I know it has an enormous bathtub and a shower cubicle. Carrying my toiletry box in, I dig out everything I will need and turn on the shower. The jets a not as good at the shower at home, but they''re not bad.

    The bathroom is stark white, with gold embellishments and a harsh fluorescent light. When I look in the mirror, I cringe. If not for my jet ck hair and blue eyes, I''d almost blend into the white- tiled walls. I really need to get

    some more sun.

    1 shower quickly and wrap a towel around

    myself before heading into my dressing room. I rarely wear underwear to sleep in, so that''s not a concern right now. My pyjamas are though.

    What sleepwear is considered appropriate when sharing a bed with two males? Do I risk overheating for modesty? Or do I go for my usual shorts and tank top set?

    I pull out my full length puffy pyjama

    set that I usually wear for movie nights with my family, then I shove them back, pulling out the shorts and tank top. On the rare asion I''ve worn the fluffy pyjamas to sleep in I''ve often woken up too hot, and removed them without realising. I definitely don''t want to strip off if Archie and Dillon decide to sleep in

    here with me.

    I feel a little self conscious in the skimpy sleep set, but these men are going to see me naked eventually so this feels like a logical step.

    I step out of the wardrobe, stride to my door, and open it. I call out that they

    cane in when they''re ready, and before they can respond, nerves get the better of me. Running to my bed, I quickly get under the covers with a barrage of questions running through my mind.

    What if they think my skin is too pale? Will they find me too skinny? Will they think my outfit is an invitation to explore further? Do I want them to think that? Why am I so nervous about this?

    I know Archie is just as inexperienced as I am in this department. Dillon has some experience, I''m sure

    of it, although he''s never mentioned it and I don''t think I want to know."

    Archie and Dillon walk my room, and my heart pounds as I look at them. They are both in shorts and a T-

    shirt, but they look drop dead gorgeous.

    Dillon pulls off his shirt and tosses it onto the floor before pulling

    back the covers and crawling in beside me. My mouth waters at the sight of him. His well-

    defined abdominal muscles make me clench my fists to resist touching them.

    When I feel the bed dip on my other

    side, I look to see Archie has taken

    his shirt off now, too. He is a bigger build than Dillon and his muscles are not as prominent, but he is as equally attractive. Sandwiched between the two of them like this is like a wild fantasy and absolute torture, all rolled into one flustered mess.

    I must be the luckiest woman alive.

 Chapter 331

    **Dillon''s POV **

    Harper is an angel, or maybe a devil is a more fitting description, because seeing her in these tiny pieces of fabric

    makes me want to sin.

    I feel bad for looking at her whilst she sleeps, but I can''t pull my eyes from her. She had fallen asleep about an hour ago. I know I should leave and go to my room, but she kicked off the covers and turned onto

    She is not very tall, maybe just over five feet, but sotnehow her legs seem to go on for miles in these short shorts. Her skin, like wless porcin, makes her look delicate, but I know my girl possesses great strength.

    Archie fell asleep around the same time that Harper did, and I feel sorry for him. He is missing this beautiful sight. If I wasn''t trying my best to be a man worthy of a woman like this, then I''d snap a picture of her look at it every day.

    Despite relieving myself in the shower earlier, my cock has remained rock hard for most of the evening. I crave her, but I want her to crave me just as much before we bond

    I know she is nervous about having sex for the first time. I am too, although I do my best to seem confident. The thought of hurting her terrifies me, and what if I do it wrong and she hates it?

    Harper moves again, rolling onto her back and damn, her tits are perfect. I can just make outs the small rise of her nipples through the thin fabric of her top and I lick my lips as I imagine sucking one of the sensitive buds into my mouth.

    Will she gasp as I do it, like she did when Archie had teased her earlier? Maybe she will give

    me

    one of those sweet moans like she had when I''d massaged her feet. That has to be my new favourite sound.

    My eyes travel up to her face. She purses her lips and creases her brow in a frown. Is something bothering her? Is she having a bad dream?

    Maybe she feels me watching her somehow. I should leave and let her sleep without me watching over her with my impure thoughts.

    I push the covers back and go

    to move, but before I can, Harper rolls towards me, her hand resting

    on my chest and one of her legs hooking over mine. She makes a small sound of contentment and now there is no way I am leaving this bed.

    I close my eyes, enjoying the feel of Harper''s body pressed to mine and listen to her steady breathing until it lulls me to sleep.

    When I open my eyes again, golden light filters through a half-

    open curtain. The room is quiet except for the -sound of slow, steady breathing.

    I''mid on my side

    in a ce I don''t immediately recognise. Then my eyes focus on the figure beside me and I smile.

    Curled next to me is Harper. Her raven hair spilled across the pillow and a strand resting against her cheek. She''s still asleep, peaceful, her breathing soft and even.

    I don''t move. I''m too scared I''ll wake her before I''ve had a chance to savour this moment. Instead, I just watch her in awe and disbelief. This beautiful woman is mine, and this is the sight I get to wake up to for t "You are so beautiful," I whisper, unable to stop myself from telling her, even if she can''t hear me.

    Harper stirs, and I hold still, worried I woke her, but she only snuggles closer.

    I reach up and brush the hair from her face, my fingertips barely touching her skin. She sighs, and this time, her eyes flutter open.

    "Hey," she says with a sleepy smile.

    "Hey."

    "Did you sleep?" She asks.

    "Eventually. You?" I ask, even though I know she did because I''d spent an unhealthy amount of time watching her do it.

    "Mm-hmm, pretty well, actually."

    Archie shifts behind her, and his arm wraps around her waist

    as he presses against her back with a mumbled" Good morning."

    Harper smiles, holding his hand over her abdomen.

    "This is nice," she hums.

    "Yeah. It is. I think morning cuddles should be the first rule of living together," I nod.

    Archie kisses her shoulder, and she closes her eyes with a contented smile. I lean forward, cing a kiss on her forehead, and she hums in approval. I wish we didn''t have sses today so we could spend all day like this.

    The three of usy there for some time in silence, just enjoying the peacefulpany and

    closeness. That is until Harper''s phone rings with the sound of her rm.

    She lets out a disgruntled groan before sitting up to look for the offending phone.

    "Where the hell is it?" she curses before crawling down the bed.

    My eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets at the perfect view of her ass as she crawls away from us.

    "Damn," Archie whispers, and we share a look that speaks a thousand words about the sight she just gifted us.

    Harper finds her phone in her walk-in wardrobe and shuts off the rm.

    "I''m going to take a quick shower before breakfast. Hopefully, we can get to the dining hall before it gets too busy," she says from inside the wardrobe, where I assume she is gathering her clothes for the day.

    "Okay, but if you don''t fancy facing the dining hall this moming, I can go down and bring us all something back,'' I offer.

    Harper appears in the doorway and gives me a grateful smile. "Thanks,

    but I think I need to face it. The more I go there, the easier it will get."

    I want to protect her and remove anything

    that causes her distress, like eating in the busy dining hall, but I also want to support her as she tries to work through any issues she feels she needs to face.

    Less than twenty minutester, I''m dressed in my uniform with my new red tie, and sitting on the couch with Archie. Harper emerges from her bedroom in her uniform, and I''m speechless. I thought no one could make a uniform like this look so

    damn hot, but Harper does.

    Her dark hair goes really well with the red tie, and the stark white of the shirt gives her a little colour to her skin.

    The ck skirtnds at her mid thigh and she wears ck socks pulled up over her knee, showing just a small amount of leg, as if trying to tease me.

    "Ready?" Archie asks.

    "Yes," she nods, blowing out a breath.

    I''m going to be the envy of everyone on the unbonded table when they see the beauty I''m having breakfast with this morning.

 Chapter 332

    **Harper''s POV**

    The dining hall is not as busy this morning. I suspect it will get more crowded as students wake up, but for now it''s manageable.

    We join the small queue together and I''m already missing my dad''s famous pancakes that he would make almost every morning for the whole family.

    Dillon stands in front of me, and Archie is at my back. Both of them keep checking

    on me. Asking if I''m okay and offering small touches. I love how attentive they are, but I so wish they didn''t feel the need to be this way. I shouldn''t be so on edge. This is where I''m supposed to be. There''s noth

    "What has four fingers and a thumb, but isn''t your hand?" A voice says, and I turn to see Finley has joined the queue behind Archie and is leaning around him to look at me expectantly.

    "Huh..." I frown at him. Is this a riddle? Or is he messing with me?

    "My hand," he grins, holding said hand out towards me.

    "Cut it out, Finn. She is not your next target to wind up," Dillon says, batting Finley''s hand away from me. Finley holds his hands up in surrender. "Woah, chill out, dude. I was just being friendly."

    "Well, go be friendly to someone else and leave my bond alone."

    "Some is grumpy this morning. Shouldn''t you be all full of joy whilst basking in your post coital bliss?" Finley grins and I feel a blush rise on my cheeks.

    "Finn," Dillon warns in a low growl.

    "Oh shit, you didn''t do it, did you? Why not? Couldn''t you get it up or something? Because damn, if she was my bond, there''d be no stopping me. Do you need a guy talk?" Finley spews the words so fast that m Archie wraps an arm around me, pulling me to his side.

    "What my bond

    and I do or don''t do is none of your business. Now please either go away or stop talking,¡± Dillon huffs.

    "Jeez, touchy much?" Finleyughs. "Girl, do us all a favour and get down to business with him before he infects us all with his miserable attitude."

    An awkward silence falls over us all, and my cheeks burn with heat. Is Finley right? Am I making my bonds miserable? Will I make him miserable, too?

    We reached the food counter and find a buffet, including hot and cold food. Dillon and Archie load their tes with scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage. I grab a fruit bowl, a yoghurt, and a blueberry muffin. My I know if I don''t eat, I''ll add more worry to my bonds.

    We find a table, and I sit between Archie and Dillon. There''s a tension as we eat in silence and I hate that I''m the cause of it.

    I feel eyes on me and I look up from

    my food to see Finley staring right at me. He grins when he sees I''ve noticed him, and then he puts down his fork to make a crude gesture. Forming a circle with his fingers and sliding another finger in and out of it with a nod towards Dillon

    I scowl at Finley, and then I burst intoughter because whilst he was busy trying to tease me, he didn''t notice the stocky blond guy

    approaching him from his left"

    The

    blond had pped Finley around the back of his head as he passed, making hitu choke on the food in his mouth.

    "That''s Chase. I''m pretty sure he will kill Finley one day," Dillon says with augh.

    "Didn''t Finley call the wolf chasing him yesterday Chase?" Archie asks, and I nod as I study Chase.

    Chase seems to ooze with

    dominance as he strides confidently

    towards the breakfast bar. His hair is

    golden blond. He has shaved the

    sides of his head short, to show off, I

    suspect, the tattoo starting just

    above his ear. It''s an intricate

    pattern running down his neck and

    below his cor.

    I can see him

    being a character in one of the human shows my mum watches where they wear leather and ride motorbikes. I wonder if he wears leather when he''s not in uniform.

    "That sounds about right. Chase

    has issues controlling his wolf, and Finley seems to have made it his mission to push

    his limits on a daily basis," Dillonments.

    I pull my eyes from Chase and look back over at Finley, who watches Chase with a devious grin, as if he is nning something. I hope I''m not around when he implements whatever scheme he is concocting. "What ss do you have first?" Dillon asks me and Archie.

    "We both have manifestation," Archie says.

    "That''s close to my first

    ss. Wait for me outside your door after the lesson and I will meet you so we can meet Sage together," Dillon says.

    I manage to eat the majority of my breakfast, which seems to please my bonds, and then we head outside for a walk before our first ss.

    Dillon shows us some of the academy we haven''t visited yet and introduces

    us to a few of his friends along the way before escorting us to our first lesson.

    A part of me is d that Dillon is a year above us so that he can help us get to know our way around, but I also wish he was in

    our year group, so we had the same sses.

    Our first ss is with an olderdy called June. She looks ready for retirement with her aged skin and hair that has long turned white, but her eyes are still bright and she is seems full of sprint. June guides us through some meditation and exins how

    will use it to help manifest our gifts in a safe way. She also says it can be used to establish a connection with our wolves.

    I''m excited at the

    thought of meeting my wolf and hope she is as strong as my mums. I''m also nervous about my first shift because I''ve heard it can be painful, and also trigger my first heat, which Lam dreading, especially now that I know Finley is one of my bonds.

 Chapter 333

    ** Harper''s POV **

    After ss, we wait for Dillon by the door. He rounds the corner a few momentster and I smile. I''ll never get bored with seeing his eyes light up whenever he notices me

    "Hey, are we ready to do this?" he asks as he approaches.

    "Yes, although I''m not sure what exactly it is we are doing? I admit.

    "I think she will confirm us as bonds, which means we get the rest of the day to ourselves," Dillon grins.

    "Do we really get the rest of the day off? We have not even had a full day yet," Archieughs.

    "Yeah, they prioritise

    bond group''s needs. When they are first identified, they can take time to... bond. They also allow us time off during our females heat. I''ve seen groups lock themselves away for a whole week during their female He talks about bonding and heat

    cycles so easily and I like that he isfortable with it, but to me, it''s such an embarrassing subject. I remember being shipped off to stay with

    my family as a child. Usually, it was just for a couple of days and then soon after my return, my mum would announce she was pregnant. At the time I didn''t know what was happening, butst year we learned a few days. I''m not looking forward to that happening to me.

    We arrive at the grand hall, where Sahe is waiting for us with a friendly smile.

    "Good morning, thank you all foring. I will try not to

    take too much time from your studies. I am sorry that I gave you a fright yesterday. That was not my intention and should have exined things better. I will

    correct that mistake today, but first I need to know if any of you have bonded yet?" she says, getting straight to it.

    "No, not yet," I shake my head.

    "That''s fine, so what happened yesterday was the tether between the two of you was interfering with my reading of Demi. This does happen from time to time, especially if I''m a little distracted. When that happe or hand to indicate for them to be removed from my space. Only a touch to the

    shoulder identifies a bond link. Until you have bonded, I think it is wise that you don''t apany me on any more readings. Please don''t feel pressured to bond until you are ready. There are things we can work

    "That makes sense. Maybe the staff should make sure the students are aware of the difference between a shoulder touch vs a touch elsewhere," Dillon nods.

    "Yes, I have already spoken to the headmaster about rifying this. Now what I need from the three of you for now is quite simple and can be done outside of ss hours. Harper needs to learn to navigate the a learns h move around. In her younger years, a seers bonds are

    her guides. As she learns to master

    her gift you will. needed in familiar ces, but your primary role will always be guardians of the seer," Sage exins.

    "Cool," Archie grins, puffing out his chest with pride.

    be

    I look at Dillon, who stands a little straighter. I had been worried they''d be annoyed that they had this role without asking for it like their choices had been taken from them, but my bonds seem honoured, which is "Tell me, Harper, how many bonds do you have?" Sage asks.

    I bite my bottom lip and nce at my two bonds.

    "Three," I admit, blowing out a breath.

    "Wait, what? Who is the third?" Archie asks.

    "Please don''t say Finley," Dillon groans, and I stay silent. I''m not ready to admit it either.

    "Interesting," Sage smiles. "What connection did you have with your third bond before you saw the tether?" she asks.

    "Nothing really. The first time I saw him he spoke to me, the second time I saw the tether."

    "Sometimes we can see them with just a look, sometimes itakes a touch, others it might need time

    to form a friendship first. That doesn''t mean the connection is any stronger or weaker, it is just how it works for us," she exins.

    I had identified Dillon and Finley with a look, but it had been different with Archie. I had known him

    long before my seer gifts manifested.

    Sage exins our assignment for the next week, which is to learn theyout of the academy, including all staff areas. The only ces off¡¢ limits to us are personal rooms, which are not needed anyway, as long as I know my way to each door. She says once I''ve fully bonded with each of my bonds I can start to apany her on her readings, and then I can attempt to do readings myself.

    We leave our one-hour session with Sage and head outside for our twenty-minute morning break. The atmosphere between me and my bonds is tense. I can tell they want to ask about my third bond again, which is understandable. He is going to be a part of their lives too, but if I admit it out loud, things will change, and I''m not ready for that.

    tel

    "I''m sorry I didn''t tell you about a third bond. didn''t want to destroy what the three of us have. I''m not ready to ept him yet. I don''t trust him the way I trust you two, and i

    want to bond with you both before we bring him in. If I tell you who he is, you''ll act differently. If it''s okay with you both, I''d like to tell you after we are bonded," I say as we sit on the grass beneath a tree and watch the other students walk by.

    "I understand, and I''m happy to wait," Archie says, taking my hand in his.

    "I''m not ready for things to change yet, either. Especially not if it''s who I think it is. Take all the time you need. I''m happy with the three of us the way we are,¡± Dillon says, taking my other hand.

    "Thank you," I breathe, d we are on the same page.

    The next ss I

    have is history, whilst both Dillon and Archie havebat. I haven''t decided on my career yet, so I am enrolled for general studies until my other gifts manifest. Both of my guys are taking the military path, so th training and they even have some sses together.

    The guys walk me to my ss and then tell me they wille back after my ss so we can go for lunch together.

    I hate having a ss alone, but when I walk in and see the familiar face of Demi, I smile and rush to take empty seat beside her.

 Chapter 334

    **Harper''s POV **

    Demi looks different today. She has a glow about her and her smile is brighter.

    "How is life with your bonds?" I ask.

    We texted yesterday, and she told me the names of her bonds, but I have yet to see them.

    "Oh moons,st night was amazing! I was so nervous but they were so sweet with me," she blushes.

    "So you bonded with all three?" I ask.

    "Yes," sheughs.

    "Did it hurt?" I whisper, ncing around

    to make sure no one is paying attention to our conversation.

    "A little at first, but then it was great."

    The tutor calls for our attention then, and the ss falls silent. I have so many questions I want to ask her, but they''ll have to wait.

    The lesson flies by and I find

    myself quite interested in the subject as we learn about our origins

    and how the four original bonded groups reincarnate as spark-

    bonded groups like my parents. It''s strange to think this

    is not my parent''s first life together. I wonder if they have been my parents before.

    Dillon and

    Archie meet me outside of my ss and we head to lunch together. This time we sit with Demi and her bonds, who all look good at her like she has just hung the moon. I''m so happy for her. I just hope my bond group can be as happy.

    I nce over at the unbonded table and watch Finley as he eats. He sits alone, focused on his food. He looks a little sad. Is

    he lonely? My heart squeezes with a need to go to him. As if sensing my staring, he looks up and his eyes meet mine. A small smile spreads over his lips as he cocks his head in curiosity. Then his eyes move to

    I look at Dillon on my left, and his face is set hard as he looks at Finley. Did something happen between them? I decide now is

    not the time to ask and give Demi my full attention as she talks about how much she loves her new

    apartment.

    After lunch, we all separate to attend our next two sses. By the end of the day, I have made the decision to attempt to bond with both Dillon and Archie

    by tomorrow. Demi looks happier since she bonded and although my bonds say there is no pressure, I can''t stop reying Finley''s words about making them miserable.

    At dinner, Finley is nowhere to be seen, and I''find myself a little

    disappointed. Despite my initial dislike of him, I keep catching myself looking for him in the corridors and the dining hall. I must be softening towards him. I suspect an underlying issue drives his behaviour, and I The dining hall is quieter this evening. Maybe everyone is tired after their first full day back after the summer break.

    "Where

    do you want to start learning theyout of the academy?" Dillon asks when we have finished eating.

    "I think we should start in one of the buildings I''ve not been in yet. Emerald dorms maybe?" I suggest and Dillon''s eyes flick towards the unbonded table. Is he looking for Finley? "Fine, let''s go," he nods.

    I can sense that he is not pleased with my decision, and I think he knows that Finley''s absence might be a factor.

    Dillon walks ahead and Archie wraps an arm around my shoulders

    as we follow him to Emerald''s student amodation building.

    The building is bigger than ours and a little more basic, but it''s still a charming

    ce withrge double doors that are arched at the top. Big cknterns

    hand on either side of the green door and Dillon twists the brass doorknob, pushing the door open.

    The hum of music I could hear from outside now res, assaulting my ears, and as we step inside, I realise we have walked straight into a party.

    The entrance hall is simr to ours in

    Ruby. A green carpet unner sits on top of the stone floor and leads straight to a stone staircase. The inside almost reminds me of a castle my mum had taken usto visit in the human realm. To the right is amunal area where students are dancing,ughing, and talking.

    "This might be a bad time to explore," I shout over the music.

    "Yeah. I didn''t know they were having a party, otherwise I''d not have brought you here," Dillon calls back.

    We turn to leave when a familiar face steps in front of us, closing the door and leaning against it with a grin.

    "Who invited Rubies to an Emerald party?" Finley shouts.

    "Oh my god, she''s the new seer!" a female voice shrieks and before know it students surround us as the music is shut off and the room falls into silence as all eyes look at me expectantly.

    "Sorry, we didn''t mean to intrude. We are here on a seer assignment. We wille back another time," Dillon says, trying to move to the door that Finley is still blocking

    "What kind of assignment? Are you looking for someone''s bonds?" a male voice shouts from somewhere towards the back of the room.

    "No, we are just here to learn theyout of the building, that''s all," Archie says.

    A few students groan and begin to move away.

    "Then allow me to be your guide," Finley offers.

    "She already has two guides," Dillon dismisses.

    "Two guides who don''t know their way around? What use is that?" Finleyughs.

    Dillon clenches his fists, and I reach out, cing a hand on his forearm. He shifts its gaze to mine, searching my eyes before he detes with a sigh. "Great, you boys stay here and enjoy the party. I''ll give our newest seer the guided tour, starting with my bedroom," Finley says with a wink.

    "Finn," Dillon warns. His tone is more animalistic than human, and I suspect his wolf is close to the surface.

    ¡°Chill, I was joking, let''s go," Finley says, holding up his hands in surrender before stepping around

    us to lead us up the stairs.

    I try to take note of each door as we

    Pet

    move through the upstairs hallway. Theyout seems simple enough that I''m sure I could manage it with my eyes closed. We head back

    down the stairs, and Finley guides us to the smallmunal kitchen and then to more dorm rooms. He exins that there are usually four unbonded in each small apartment.

    "Is there

    amunal toilet in the building?" I ask, as my dder calls out for release.

    "No, but you can use the one is my dorm," Finn offers.

    "Thank you," I smile as he unlocks a door and gestures for me to enter.

    Archie and Dillon attempt to follow me inside, but Finley steps in front of them, stopping them from walking through the door.

    "Sorry, but

    my roommates are a little territorial. You''ll have to wait out here," he exins.

    "Then you wait out here too,¡± Dillon demands.

    "Fine," Finley

    responds before closing the door and leaving me alone in the dark dorm room.

    N.O Darling Author

    Thank you for all your support. A second chapter will be publishedter today.

 Chapter 335

    ** Harper''s POV **

    Fear trickles down my spine as I stand in the dark apartment. I''ve been slightly afraid of the dark since living in those underground tunnels, buy I refuse to let the fear control me. I take a steadying breath and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. With every passing heartbeat, more and more of the dorm roomes into focus. The furniture and doors are just about distinguishable. This is almost like when

    I turn and see a light switch on the wall and flick it on, illuminating the ce with false light. The dorm''s furnishings are surprisingly good, arge couch and two armchairs all face a t- screen TV.

    The ce is cleaner than I''d expect, considering four boys live here. There are five doors leading from the lounge area and all of them are closed. I guess I''ll just have to peek into each one to find out which is t

    I gently grip the handle and push open the door. A sweet, woodsy scent hits my nose, stirring something deep within me. Though I haven''t been close

    enough to Finley to take in his scent, I know without a doubt this is his room. I quickly close the door and move to the next. I can tell immediately this is a bathroom by the humidity and the aromatic scent of sha for me to make out the pull string for the light. I turn it on and shut myself in the bathroom. I''m surprised again at the cleanliness. It''s almost too perfect. Maybe they have professional cleaners in to keep on top

    After using the facilities, I make sure to fold the towel back on its rail as neatly as I found it and I pull the light string as I open the door, only to find myself in pitch darkness once again. Did the bulb go out? Or is

    I will not let him scare me, so I step out of the bathroom and into the dark lounge area. I know my way back to the main door and my eyes are adapting to

    the darkness quickly. All my bravado flies out of the window when a huge, dark figure moves in front of me. A small yip of fright escapes my mouth and I take a step back on instinct.

    "Are you lost, little girl? Because you certainly don''t live here," a deep voice rumbles so low that I swear I feel it in my chest. If I hadn''t just been to the toilet, I might have peed my pants a little.

    "S... sorry... Finn said I could use the bathroom," I stumble over my words as my eyes scan wildly in the darkness to locate the voice.

    "Who we let in here is not that little fuckers decision," the voice growls.

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t know. I''m leaving now," I say, my voice much squeakier than I''d like.

    Something in peripheral vision catches my attention and my heart plummets into my stomach as I recognise the shimmer of a fourth bond tether. "Please, no," I gasp and then quickly cover my mouth with a shaky hand.

    "Are you scared, little bird?" the gravely voice says, so close to my ear that I feel the warmth of his breath and his spicy scent seems to surround me.

    I spin to face the threat. I don''t want him at my back. Now that I can make out his silhouette, it''s clear he is big. Not especially tall, but solid. I take a step back, but I''m stopped with a hand

    around my waist. The brute pulls me close and inhales deeply with a low growl.

    "My wolf likes your scent. Are you mine, little bird?" He asks.

    I''m too scared to speak. There''s something about this man that terrifies me, and I hate that. I am the daughter of the most powerful bond group in the realm. I am supposed to be fearless. "W... what is your name?" I stutter.

    "That''s not how it works, Princess. I asked you a question first and I expect an answer. Are you mine?" He demands, lifting my face with a finger under my chin.

    blue glow res from his eyes and I try to make out his features, but it happened

    too fast for me to get a good look at him.

    "Yes," I breathe.

    "Good girl. It''s Chase," he says and before I can even process his words, he has lifted me and is carrying me.

    My instinct is to fight his hold, but I already know

    it''s useless. I have no chance of breaking out of

    his arms. That feels like tree trunks wrapped around me.

    My mind conjures up images of the tattooed blond man I''d seen in the dining hall. Dillon had said he was called Chase. This has to be the same one.

    Chase carries me through a

    doorway and kicks the door closed

    behind him, and my whole body

    trembles as heys me down on a soft bed, and his big body presses mine into the mattress as he dies on top of me.

    ¡°Shh, little bird, it''s okay,¡± he whispers before soft lips press gently to mine in a brief kiss before he shifts down the bed a little to rest his head on my chest.

    Iy motionless in the dark with this

    immense man on top of me,

    cuddling me like I''m his long-lost teddy bear. Hadn''t Dillon said Chase had control issues with his wolf? Just how close is he to shifting right now? Will his wolf hurt me or will he recognise me as his mate, even though I don''t have my own wolf

    yet?

    "Harper?" I hear Dillon''s worried voice call out from somewhere in the apartment.

    I don''t dare respond, though. I barely even dare to breathe.

    "Harper," Chase hums, such a beautiful name.

    "Don''t go in there," I hear Finley warn a second before Chase''s door swings open and light floods into the room. Chase holds me tighter and lets out a warning growl and I look at Dillon, Archie, and Fintey. Pleading with them silently, I''m not sure what I want them to do though... Save me?... Get out?

    The only thing I do know is that Chase is right on the edge of his control and if he shifts, my bonds are in danger.

 Chapter 336

    **Harper''s POV **

    "Get out!" Chase growls.

    No one moves.

    The room feels like it is suspended in a breathless stillness as no one dares move or breathe. Chase''s growl rumbles against my chest, his head still resting there like I''m the only thing anchoring him to this world. I keep my arms stiff at my sides, unsure if touching hint would soothe or provoke him further.

    "Back up. Slowly," Finleymands, his voice tight with warning. "If we startle him, Harper''s dead." Great. That''sforting. My mate wouldn''t hurt me, would he?

    Chase inhales again, the sound almost a purr this time. "They''re scared," he murmurs, sounding pleased. His fingers tracezy circles on my waist, too soft for how rough his hands feel. "I like it when people fe I nce toward the door again, where my guys still hover. Archie''s fists are clenched like he''s holding himself back from lunging. Dillon looks ready to explode, but Finley''s calcted gaze meets mine. He is  I shake my head the tiniest bit. Not yet. Chase is my bond, he might listen to me.

    "Chase," I whisper, my voice barely audible.

    He hums again in response.

    "I''m... I''m not afraid of you," I lie.

    His head lifts slowly, eyes gleaming with the blue of his gifts. "No?"

    "No." I swallow hard. Trying to sound confident and failing miserably.

    He studies me for a long, quiet moment. Then his big body shifts to sit up slightly, still straddling my legs and pinning me to his

    bed. His expression is unreadable in the dim light, but there''s a flicker of something. Confusion?

    "Your heart''s racing," he says, pressing a hand over my chest.

    "I''m just cold," I say, hoping the tremble in my voice passes for a shiver.

    "You shouldn''t be cold," he says with a frown, like it''s a personal failure. "My mate shouldn''t be cold."

    Mate. He called me mate. That means his wolf must recognise me as his.

    I nce toward the others again and this time Dillon takes a careful step forward. Chase''s head snaps in his direction and a snarl tears out of him, his whole body vibrating with it.

    He''s going to shift.

    "Don''t," I beg, sitting up quickly and cing both palms on his chest. "Chase, please, stay with me. Focus on me.''

    His gaze flicks back to mine. I don''t know what he sees there, but the growl fades, and some of the tension bleeds out of his shoulders. "You smell like honey and coconuts," he says, breathing deeply.

    I don''t know what to say to that. So I just keep my hands on his chest and breathe.

    "Come on, Chase," Finley says gently from the doorway. "Let Harper go now. She''s tired, and you don''t want to scare her, right?"

    Chase''s jaw works like he''s fighting

    some internal war. Then, slowly, he

    shifts his weight off me. I sit

    up,

    careful not to make any sudden

    movements.

    "Don''t leave," he says, and it''s not amand, it''s more of a plea.

    "I won''t," I lie again, because I will absolutely be gone the moment he lets me.

    He leans forward and presses his forehead to mine for a second. "Mine," he whispers.

    "Yours." I confirm with a nod.

    Chase takes another breath and then releases me. I slip off the bed and move toward the door where the guys are waiting, their gazes fixed on my barely controlled bond on the bed.

    As soon as I''m out of arm''s reach, Dillon grabs my wrist and yanks me behind him.

    Finley steps forward, his yfulness gone and his tone sharper than I''ve ever heard it.

    "She''s not ready, Chase. She only joined the academy yesterday. Her wolf hasn''t even woken up yet."

 Chapter 337

    "I know," Chase says, voice distant now, like he''s already retreating into himself.

    I don''t look back. I don''t dare because I''m not sure what I will do. As much as he terrifies me, he''s also my bond, and it''s in my nature to want to be with him.

    Archie closes the door behind us and we

    all stand in the hallway for a second, dazed, whilst we process what just happened.

    "You okay?" Dillon asks, scanning my body as if checking for injuries.

    "No," I admit, voice cracking. "He''s my bond, and he''s insane."

    Nobody speaks. Not for a long beat. The

    silence hangs heavily between us until Finley finally exhales a low whistle.

    "Well," he says dryly, "that''s one way to make a first impression... congrattions, I guess."

    I''m still trembling, though now that Chase''s suffocating presence is gone, it feels like the adrenaline has nowhere to go. My head

    spins and my knees buckle. Archie catches me before I hit the floor and scoops me into his arms without asking. I don''t argue.

    "He could''ve killed you all," I whisper into his shoulder, my voice hoarse. "How are we going to form a bond group with him when he could snap at any moment?"

    "But he didn''t," Archie says, jaw clenched tight. His whole body is tense beneath me, his muscles

    coiled like a spring. "We will work it out."

    "I hope you''re right," I murmur.

    "Chase is intense, and he has

    some control issues, but he''s not a bad guy. I think having a bond will be good for him. As soon as you''re bonded, I think he might

    mellow," Finley says as we follow him towards the door that leads out of the dorms.

    "That doesn''t mean I''m ready. I don''t want to bond with him," I snap, too harshly.

    "No one''s saying you are," Dillon says quietly behind us. "But that doesn''t change what he is."

    I bite my lip so hard I taste blood.

    There''s no guidebook for this. No training to prepare for being physically imed by a near-feral stranger in a pitch-ck dorm room. This is not how bonds should be introduced. Chase didn''t exactly hurt me... but he didn''t give me a choice, either. What would have happened if the guys didn''te for me?

    "He didn''t shift though, which is a huge aplishment for him,¡± Finley points out, grabbing a nket from the couch where students still party. He tosses it over me whilst I stilling to Archie like a lifeline. "He was close, but he didn''t."

    "He was cuddling me like I was a freaking stuffed animal!" I burst out. "That''s not normal."

    "No," Finley agrees. "But it might be the only thing keeping his wolf calm. You might be the key to him finally mastering his control."

    Great. So now I''m some kind of emotional support person.

    Back at our apartment, Archie sets me gently on the couch and crouches in front of me, both hands on my knees. "Listen to me, Harper. You''re safe now. We won''t let him near you unless you say it''s okay. Got it?"

    I nod, barely able to meet his eyes.

    "Are you sure you saw the bond?" Archie asks softly.

    I want to say no. I want to deny it and pretend the shimmer saw was a trick of the light, but there was no light. I can''t lie again, not to them.

    "Yes," I admit. "It was a small shimmer, but it''s there."

    Finley swears under his breath and throws himself

    down on the couch, raking a hand through his light brown hair.

    I nce between him and

    the guys. Why is he in our apartment? Have they told him he is my bond too?

 Chapter 338

    **Harper''s POV **

    Archie and Dillon bombard Finley with questions about Chase, and I can''t listen anymore. I''m torn between fear, intrigue, a need to help my bond, who is clearly struggling, whilst protecting my others, and a ser Before I started the academy, I had been worried that extra bonds would cause an issue, but this is even worse than I had imagined.

    "I''m going to shower," I say, moving into my bedroom and mming the door shut behind me.

    Instead of heading to the bathroom, I pull my phone from my back pocket as sit on the edge of my bed. Hitting call on the contact of the only person I want to speak to right now, I bring the phone to my ear and "Mum?" Isay with a barely controlled sob as soon as I hear her voice.

    "Sweet heart, what''s wrong?" She asks, her voice full of concern.

    "I want toe home," I admit.

    "What happened?"

    "I don''t think I''m ready for this life, mum. My bonds are... they''re not what I expected."

    "Archie and Dillon?"

    "No, the other two."

    "Who are they? What did they do?" I hear my dad demand in the background and I curse myself for not making sure she was alone.

    "Are you hurt?" My mum asks, and I hear amotion outside my bedroom door.

    "No, I''m fine. Just a little shaken, I guess." I try to y it down as I move into the bathroom so I don''t have to hear whatever is going on in the lounge area.

    Thest thing I need are my dads showing up here, and I definitely don''t want them to know who my other two bonds are yet. I can''t imagine they are going to be pleased to know I have the academy troublema "Do you want me toe over?"

    Yes.

    "No, it''s fine. I guess I just needed to hear your voice,"

    "Well, you know you can call me anytime," my mum says.

    "I know, mum, thank you."

    "You never

    responded to my message about a shopping trip this weekend. Do you want to go? Just the two of us? We could have lunch at that pizza ce you

    like."

    "Sure, that sounds nice," I nod, even though she can''t see me.

    There''s a few moments of silence and then I hear the back door of my family

    home sliding closed through the phone''s speaker.

    "I''m alone now. What''s up?" She says, her voice lower than it had been.

    "I''m scared, mum. I don''t know if I

    can bond with them. I thought I was ready with Archie and Dillon, but now things are different, and I don''t know if I have the right underwear, and what if I''m making them miserable? How am I supposed to manage four of them? Will they..." I blurt like verbal diarrhoea that won''t stop until she cuts me off.

    "Harper, calm

    down. First of all, are you being pressured into bonding?" She asks.

    "No. Archie and Dillon are so patient with me. I don''t think ny third bond knows he''s my bond yet. My fourth is, well, he''s very aware and he basically just kidnapped me in the dark and took me to his bedroom," I tell her, my voice tremble as I tell her about Chase.

    "What did he do then? Did he force himself on you? Because that is not okay."

    "Not in the way you are thinking. He just... hugged me, and got all growly at my other bonds," I say, realising how stupid that sounds, now that I''m saying it out loud.

    "Is he older than you?" She asks.

    "Yes, I think two or three years older."

    Then he has his wolf. They can be possessive, but you need to set your boundaries with them. Be firm, Harper. You are the centre of your group, you set the rules. Even the biggest, baddest wolves will turn into "Okay, I''ll try," I breathe.

    "As for what underwear you wear, I promise you they won''t care at all," sheughs and my cheeks blush red. I hadn''t meant to mention that to her.

    "Um... thanks."

    "If this is bothering you, though, we can buy you some new sets this weekend, okay?"

    "Thanks, mum. I should go," I sigh.

    "Okay, darling, just remember you can call anytime, about anything. You don''t have to be embarrassed about anything with me. I''ve been through it all. When I joined the academy, my mum was sick and I remember how much I wanted to talk to her. I never want you to feel that way. Sleep well, we all miss you.''

    "Good night, mum. I miss you too," I say before ending the call.

    I feel so much better after talking to my mum. Just hearing her voice wasforting enough, but to know she is happy to talk to me about all the embarrassing stuff is a relief.

    I put my phone down on the bathroom counter and look at the shower. My n for when we got back was to shower and then maybe give this bonding thing a go, but Chase hadplicated things. With a determined huff, I pull off my clothes and turn the shower on. I''ll be damned if I

    let Chase ruin any more of my night. I''m going to bond with Archie and Dillon tonight

    I spend extra time shaving and psyching myself up

    for what I''m about to do. I hope Finley has left by the time I''m done. As much as I don''t want to send

    him back to the dorm with Chase, I''m not ready to have him here.

    Wrapped in a towel, I step out of the bathroom to find Archie and Dillon sitting on the end of my bed, both their gazes locked

    on me with a heated intensity.

 My Wolf 339

    ** Dillon''s POV **

    My mind still reels knowing that Chase is a part of our bond group. I thought Finley was a terrible fit for Harper, but Chase is even worse.

    I wish there was a way I could fix this for her. She is so sweet and quiet. Chase is an angry asshole with major control issues and Finley is a loud mouth that can''t keep himself out of trouble. How is this going to work?

    I guess I just have to trust in the fates and hope they know what they''re doing. Maybe Harper is exactly what Finley and Chase need. Maybe she is the only one who can tame Chase''s beast, because I''ve never seen hime back from being so close to a shift.

    Harper had done it though, she had done the impossible and calmed him enough to pull him from the edge of his control.

    Finley had shown a different side of himself tonight, too. It''s usually him that pushes Chase over that edge, but tonight he had seemed genuinely concerned for Harper and had tried to help rather than make things worse.

    He also hadn''t been keen to leave our apartment, especially when he heard Harper on the phone mentioning she has four bonds. Archie and I had to physically stop him from bursting into her room to ask if he was her bond. We had to bribe him with a seat at our table for breakfast to convince him to leave.

    After half an hour without Harpering back out of her room, we go to check on her and find her bedroom empty. The shower in her bathroom is running.

    "Should we leave?" Archie asks.

    "No, I doubt she wants to be alone tonight, plus she left the bedroom door unlocked. If she didn''t want us in here, I think she would have locked it."

    "True, let''s wait for her toe out and see if she wants us to stay or if she would rather be alone," Archie nods, taking a seat on the end of her bed.

    I move to sit beside him and blow out a breath. "How long do you think we have before Finley and Chase move in here?"

    "A few days at most. I can''t imagine either of them being patient about this," Archie sights.

    "Me either. They''ve both been waiting a few years to find their bond."

    "Are they in the same year?"

    "No, Finley has just started his third year here, and I think Chase is in his fourth." We hear the water shut off and go silent, watching the bathroom door.

    When Harper steps out of the steamy bathroom, I feel as though something has sucked all the breath from my body and all the blood rushes to my crotch.

    She has a white towel wrapped around her body, barely covering her. I gulp as my imagination runs wild with all the things I want to do to her. With just one small tug on the towel, she could be standingpletely naked in

    front of us.

    "Are you okay?" Archie asks, his voice sounding a little strained.

    "Yes," she nods, still standing in the bathroom doorway." you are willing, I''d really like to bond with you both," she adds, her gaze lowering as if she is ashamed.

    I have to fight the urge to jump up and run to her. I''m not sure about Archie, but I am more than willing

    "Are you sure?" Archie asks, standing from the bed and moving slowly towards her.

    Her eyes lift to meet his, full of determination, and then she nods. She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and when Archie leans down to kiss her; I be frozen in ce. Captivated by watching them make out.

    Harper moves her hand to the waistband of Archie''s pants and I almost groan at imagining her do that to me.

    When Archie''s hand works its way beneath her towel, Harper lets out a gasp, breaking their kiss.

    "Is this okay?" He asks.

    "Yes," she breathes.

    His mouth trails down her neck, peppering kisses as he moves lower and I can see his hand moving between her legs. Her eyes lock on mine and it''s the hottest thing I''ve ever seen.

    She stares into my eyes with a fierce heat as Archie pleasures her for the first time. Her eyes call to me like a siren, demanding I help her find her release. My body reanimates, releasing me from the crippling desire that was holding me in ce, and her eyes track me as I move towards her.

    "Can I get rid of this?" I ask, fisting the towel in my hands.

    Harper nods, and I don''t hesitate. I tug on the towel, letting it fall to the floor. Her body is even better than d imagined. Her small tits with pretty pink nipples are perfect. I move to stand behind her, checking out her round

    ass.

    "You are beautiful," I whisper against her ear as I press my body against hers and

    wrap my hands around her to cup her breasts.

    Harper leans back against me, spreading her legs a little wider to give Archie''s fingers better ess.

    "Tell me what he is doing to you."

    "He... he''s touching me."

    "How is he touching you? Tell me," I say as I roll her nipple between my thumb

    and finger.

    "His finger is circling my clit," she says.

    "Does it feel good?"

    "Yes, so good," she moans.

    "Is she wet, Arch?"

    "Dripping," he says, his voice low and husky.

    "Do you want his fingers inside you?" I ask.

    "Please."

    "Fuuuck," Archie groans as Harper sucks in a sharp breath

    "How does she feel?" I ask.

    "Perfect. She''s so warm and wet," Archie says and I let out a groan.

    "Can we move to the bed, sugar? I want to see what he''s doing."

    Harper nods, and Archie steps back. He looks down at his fingers as they glisten in themp''s light that casts the room in a warm glow. If those were my fingers, I would lick them

    clean. I wonder how she tastes. Will

    she let me taste her?

    I guide her to the bed, and she sits on the end. I try to ease her backwards to lie

    down, cing a hand on her shoulder, but she shakes her head.

    "I''m not being the only one naked. Both of you need to take off your clothes too."

    I look at Archie with a smirk and he shrugs, before pulling off his shirt and then dropping his pants without hesitation. I admire his confidence and Harper seems to appreciate it too, as she devours him with her eyes.

    I want her to look at me that way too, so I yank off my top, waiting until her eyes

    shift to me before I push down my shorts and my erection springs free.

    Today''s Bonus Offer

 My Wolf 340

    **Harper''s POV **

    I try not to gape at my bonds. This is my first time seeing any male haked, and their manhood is much bigger than I expected. It certainly didn''t look like this in the textbooks we had used in school when learning about anatomy and sex education.

    I have fallen for both of them and I can''t wait to fully bond with them. I want to experience that emotional connection with them.

    "Do you still want to do this?" Dillon asks gently, his voice low and warm.

    I feel no pressure or expectation from them, just a quiet intensity and heat between the three of us. I meet his eyes. Then Archie''s, and nod. "Yeah. I want this. I want you, both of you."

    My heart pounds in my chest, but not from fear. It''s excited anticipation and longing.

    I''m not scared anymore, not after seeing the way they look at me and how they constantly check that I''m okay and seek my permission. They make me feel confident and safe. I know they will be gentle with me, and stop if I ask.

    Archie moves first, lifting my chin with his hand and leaning down to kiss me. It''s soft at first, like he is checking onest time.

    I melt into his kiss, my handing up to explore his chest. He deepens the kiss and I feel my body rx; the tension leaving my shoulders, reced by a slow building heat that spreads right through my core.

    I feel the mattress shift behind me as Dillon moves onto the bed. The heat of his chest presses against my back and his hands slide around my waist, lips grazing the side of my neck. A soft gasp slips from my lips, my head tipping back as Archie pulls away just enough to watch.

    ¡°Let us take care of you, Cutie," Archie whispers, his voice rough and full of desire.

    "Please," I breathe.

    I want them, in every way, I need them.

    Dillon''s hands explore my body, his touch driving me wild as his hand dips between my legs.

    Archie watches Dillon''s fingers tease me for a moment before his mouth is back on mine, hotter this time, while Dillon''s lips explore the curve of my neck, featherlight and maddening.

    They move expertly together, like they''ve practiced this a thousand times in dreams and fantasies. They manoeuvre me, so I''mid t on the bed with one of them kneeling on either side of me. Looking down at me like I''m a feast.

    Goosebumps prickle across my skin from their gaze. They make me feel like the most revered thing they have ever seen. I feel wanted just as much as I want them.

    Archie leans down and kisses my corbone as Dillon slides lower, his lips brushing across my stomach. My breath catches as his hands part my thighs, and

    I feel heat coil low and deep. I reach for them both, ding my fingers through

    Archie''s hair while my other hand finds Dillon''s shoulder.

    Their every touch is careful, like they are learning me inch by inch.

    "You are so beautiful," Archie whispers before sucking one of my nipples into his mouth.

    I almoste off the bed when Dillon''s mouth explores between my legs. The sensation is like nothing I''ve ever felt before.

    "You taste so good, rebel," Dillon hums and I have to fight the urge to demand that he stop talking and continue with what he was doing.

    "More, please," I say instead.

    I feel like I''ming apart in their hands, and I want more I surrender, trusting them to catch me when I fall over the edge.

    The first orgasm rocks through me like a nuclear st, my body shattering into a million pieces and I think I''ve just found my new favourite pastime.

    Dillon and Archie shift positions, Dilloning up to kiss me, letting me taste myself on his tongue whilst Archie settles between my legs. Archie''s mouth licks and sucks at my clit whilst his fingers breach my entrance.

    Every inch of my skin feels alive and hypersensitive as they work me into another frenzy. Their mouths, their hands, the heat of their bodies tangled with mine until I am

    drowning in sensation, breathless

    and aching for

    more.

    When my second orgasm washes over me, I think I hear Archie tell Dillon I am ready. I''m not sure how they decide who will go first, and I don''t care. I just know I want them. Now.

    Archie crawls up to position his body over mine.

    "It''s not toote to change your mind,¡± he says as he looks down at me with emotion filled eyes.

    "Do you want this?" I ask.

    "More than anything, but I can wait as long as it takes."

    "No, I want this, Archie, please," I breathe.

    Archie smiles and then leans down to kiss me before he shifts to position his cock

    at my entrance.

    "Go slow, Arch,? Dillon warns as heces his fingers through mine.

    Archie nods, and I notice a slight tremble in his hand. It''s the only outward sign of nerves I''ve seen from him.

    He pushes forwards, his tip breaching me, and I whimper with need as my body stretches to amodate him inch by inch.

    ¡°Rx, sugar, you''re doing so well,¡± Dillon encourages.

    There''s a slight sting that blooms into pleasure as Archie begins slow thrusts.

    "Is this okay?" He asks, his voice strained.

    "Yes, gods yes, more," I pant.

    Encouraged by my words, Archie picks up some speed and within minutes we find euphoria toger. Arch copses on top of me, his head resting on my chest as our bond blossoms into ce.

    It''s like the world shifts. One second,

    I am just me, and the next, I feel him. Everything inside me pulls tight. My heart stutters. My lungs forget how to work. And then an invisible force, sharp and electric, binds our souls together for the rest of our lives. A huge rush of love floods me and I feel a lone tear roll down my face as I''m

    ovee with emotion.

    I''m not sure how long we lie there before Arch lifts his head to look at me with devotion. He kisses me before

    rolling off of me. Dillon leans over and kisses me. His hands caressing my body.

    "Are you sore? We can wait," he offers, and I quickly shake my head in protest.

    "I want you, Dill, now.''

    Dillon takes his time to pleasure me with his fingers before positioning himself between my legs and gently prates me, going as slow as Archie had as if terrified he will break me.

    I let at a moan at the feel of him, letting him know how good he feels, which seems to give him the confidence he needs to pump his hips faster.

    "You feel amazing," he says with a groan before he shifts position slightly, leaning back on his knees and lifting my hips up off the bed as he drives into me, sending me over the edge into oblivion.

    Dillon roars out his release right after me and I feel the bond. Not just in my heart, but in my bones. My blood. A sudden awareness, hot and overwhelming, rushing through me with the rity of a lightning strike. Archie and Dillon are mine, bound to me in ways I can''t put into words

    Will it feel the same with Finley and Chase? Can I be enough for them?

 My Wolf 341

    ** Harper''s POV **

    I wake up to warmth, skin against skin, Dillon''s soft breath on my shoulder and the bed a tangle of sheet and limbs. I never want to move from this happy little bubble.

    $

    I have Archie pressed to my front, one hand cradling my cheek as if he fell asleep staring at my face. He looks so peaceful with a soft smile on his lips even as he sleeps. Dillon is curled behind me, his arm draped over my waist and his face buried into the crook of my neck. I can feel the steady rise and fall of his chest, calm and deep.

    Between their bodies, I feel safe and surrounded by love and something even stronger, our bond. It pulses with a warm energy and the shimmering tethers are now solid.

    The stories I''d been told are nothingpared to this. I wasn''t prepared for how much they would make me feelplete. For how much my soul would sing for them, as if they had lit a new fire inside me. I am a different person today. (1

    They are mine, and I am theirs. We are a bonded group.

    I shift slightly, brushing my nose against Archie''s jaw. He murmurs something in his sleep and pulls me closer. Behind me, Dillon grips me tighter for a moment, afraid I might leave his arms.

    I examine the tethers between us again, mesmerised by them. This is real. There are no more doubts. No fear.

    The shimmering tethers that have not yet solidified fill me with longing and my chest tightens with an ache for them. I had worried I didn''t have enough love in me for four, but the tethers don''t lie.

    I won''t spread myself thin to satisfy them all. My heart will expand and strengthen. It will make room.

    I can love all four.

    Finley and Chase are mine. I''m not scared anymore. There is nothing that coulde between me, Dillon, and Archie. Chase and Finn will only strengthen us. We will all be equal.

    The two tethers seem to glimmer more brightly as I ept my fate. Two more threads waiting to be tied. Two more pieces of my soul, desperate toe home.

    I see things much clearer today. It''s as if bonding with Archie and Dillon has brought me rity, or maybe it''s my seer gift growing. Do seers see deeper than just bonds? Because I can see much more than a simple tether now.

    My wild and funny Finley. He will keep us on our toes and fill our lives withughter. In return, we will give him the attention he seeks and provide him with the eptance he craves.

    Chase is my fire eyed, feral chaos. He will bring us safety, our most fierce protector. We will gift him peace and the control he craves. We will ground him and free him of his heavy burden.

    I am so lucky to have these four men chosen for me. A small part of me felt guilty, like I was taking too much.

    Movement beside me pulls me back to the moment. Archie blinks sleepily at me, his thumb brushing my cheek. Morning, Precious," he murmurs, his voice rough yet impossibly soft.

    "Too early. Don''t move. You''re warm." Dillon groans behind me.

    I chuckle, and in that moment, surrounded by their love, I feel almost whole.

    "We should shower before we go for breakfast," Archie says with a displeased tone, as if getting out of the bed is

    33

    thest thing he wants too.

    "Definitely," I say with a sigh.

    I''m not ready to get up either, but I am eager to see Finley and Chase.

    We eventually extract ourselves from the bed and the guys go to their room to shower whilst I use my own. I thought I might be sore today, but I''m not. Maybe my wolf is closer to awakening than I thought Rapid healing is one of the first signs of getting our wolves.

    $

    I walk to the dining hall with my handsced witly my bonds. I think we all have a little extra spring in our steps today. Both my guys look happier and have a glow about them that wasn''t there before. Did I give them that? I hope so.

    ¡°I should have mentioned this earlier, but we kind of agreed to let Finley have

    breakfast this morning," Dillon says, looking a little guilty as we walk into the hall.

    "That''s fine. I want him to eat with us. Chase too," I say with a nod.

    "Really? Are you sure?" Archie asks.

    "Yes. Things are much clearer today. Finn and Chase belong with us."

    "Well, I''m d you havee to terms with it. I will always support any decision you make, and if you ept them in our group, then so do I," Dillon says.

    "I feel the same," Archie nods, and a weight lifts from me.

    As long as I have their support, then this should go well, right?

    My eyes scan the hall for my other two bonds, and I feel deted when I don''t see either of them. I already knew they weren''t here because the shimmering tethers pointed in a different direction, but I had hoped I was somehow wrong.

    "Don''t worry, we can wait for them," Archie says, leading us to an empty table.

    We don''t have to wait long before I see Finley''s mousy brown hair over the top of a group of students. I know it''s him by the way the tether linking us moves with him. When his facees into view and his eyes find mine, I'' smile and give him a small wave.

    I had been so eager to see him, but now he''s here, I feel shy. He strides towards

    us with determination and takes the seat opposite me.

    "Now, before you get angry at me, you should know my hearing is very good, and

    I wasn''t purposely trying to listen to your conversation on the phonest night," Finley says.

    "Okay... Good Morning, Finley," I say, not understanding where he is going with this. What had I said on the phone that he heard?

    "Oh. Good morning," he says, looking a little awkward now "So anyway, I heard you say you have four bonds and I only know of three, so I have to know Am I the fourth? Because I have the strangest feeling that I want to be near you ever since I first saw you, and I know I''m.

    "Yes," I cut him off. "We are bonds," I nod and lean over to put my hand on top of his on the table.

    His eyes go wide as he looks at me, and then a huge grin spreads over his face.

    Finley springs to his feet, his eyes trained on the unbonded table. "Did you hear that, losers? I have a bond and she is the hottest woman in the realm," he

    announces.

    A few peopleugh and soine taunt him, cheering about being relieved he will not

    be on their table anymore. One part of me wants to silence him and hide from the unwanted attention. Another part realises his excitement and pride at publicly iming me.

    "Finn, sit down,¡± Dillon says quietly.

    "Sorry. I got excited," Finley says with a grimace when he sees my flushed face.

    "It''s okay," I smile as he sits down, reaching over the table to take my hands in

    his.

 My Wolf 342

    Harper is mine.

    My bond.

    My girl.

    My heart.

    My future.

    Her beauty entranced me from the first moment I saw her. I almost got my ass bitten by Chase just because I couldn''t resist the urge fo stop and admire her for a moment, I should have known then that she was mine. No other female or male has got my attention the way she did. She is so small and dainty, but I can see a fire behind her eyes. She is a fierce warrior hiding in the most beautiful little body. A true wolf in sheep''s clothing. She hides her strength so well that even she doesn''t see it, and I''m here to help her discover herself. I''ll draw her out of the shadows she tries to hide herself in..

    "Are we going to eat breakfast or just sit here while the two of you stare at each other?¡± Dillon says, snapping me out of the hypnotic trance I''d fallen into as I stare into the eyes of my bond.

    I think I love her already.

    "I wanted to wait for Chase," she says, her voice soft and sweet like smooth caramel.

    "I don''t think Chase ising," I say, hating to see her face shift from hopeful to concerned.

    ? ame.

    "Why not?" The other guy asks. He is new and I can''t remember his Alfie maybe? I''m positive it starts with

    an A.

    "He left early this morning. Most likely with his mentor, who is trying to help him maintain control," I shrug.

    I don''t know how to feel about being in a bonded group with Chase. He and I have a love/hate rtionship. I love to taunt him into losing control, and he hates me for it. If I had known we would be bond brothers, I wouldn''t have tormented him. Now I''ve set myself up for a lifetime of revenge. If I''m going to survive this, I''ll need to up my game.

    I''m also worried about Harper. I''m not sure if she is ready to tackle Chase and his issues. She is a delicate little flower right now that needs care and attention to bloom. Chase has the potential to break her before she has a chance to grow to her full potential.

    I barely eat any breakfast. I''m too enraptured by my bond''s beauty to focus on anything but her. I think she just became my next unhealthy obsession. Or maybe she is the first healthy one I''ve found.

    Whoever said running was healthy doesn''t have my obsessive issues. I ran and ran. Three times a day if I cou'' skipping meals and sleep to run. I ran myself right into the infirmary for a week. Apparently, I was suffering...n malnutrition and exhaustion. So yeah, no more running for me. It''s a dangerous activity.

    Whilst I was in the infirmary recovering, I had been so bored I was annoying all the staff. A nurse had introduced me to true crime podcasts from the human realm to keep me entertained, and so my next hyper fixation had been born.

    The lengths those violent criminals go to in order to evade capture are shocking, and their behaviour is wild. That obsession had spiralled into unhealthiness for me, too. I devoured podcasts and intensely researched each case,

    neglecting sleep and other basic needs.

    Harper will be myst obsession. This one will be lifelong. I can''t wait to learn every single thing about her. I''ll need to get some notebooks to track her eating habits, sleep schedule, heat cycle and all that stuff. Then I''ll need journals to document all her likes and dislikes. Her needs and wants. She is going to be my best project yet. By the time I''m done, I''ll know more about her than she will.

    "Finn!¡± Dillon says, his voice raised.

    "Huh," I blink at him.

    "I said, what ss do you have first?"

    "Oh, I can''t remember. I''m going to skip it, anyway. I need to go shopping for stationery," I shrug.

    "I love stationery. There''s something so satisfying about a crisp, new notebook and pens and pencils that write so smoothly you want to work just to use them,¡± Harper says with a glint in her eyes.

    Interesting.

    "Would you like toe with me?" I ask.

    "I wish I could, but I can''t skip my ss. You shouldn''t either," she says, giving me

    a disapproving look that reminds me far too much of my mother when she would chastise me.

    "Fine, I''ll go after sses," I say, unable to do anything that might disappoint her.

    "You can''t go then either. You need to pack your stuff and move into our apartment," she says with a shy smile.

    "You''re ready for me to move in already?"

    "Of course, isn''t that how things works? I''ve identified you as my bond, and now

    we move in together," she shrugs, like it''s no big deal.

    I look at Dillon and... Arnold?... and they both nod their approval.

    This is huge for me. Whenever I''ve been assigned a dorm room, all my dorm buddies have groaned and requested a move. Now, here is my bond and her sidekicks, and they want me to live with them.

    "I guess the stationary can wait until tomorrow then," I grin, trying not to get up and start jumping up and down. I know that would embarrass Harper.

    "You will need to let Sage know about Finley and Chase. I''m sure she will want to

    meet them and have the guardian talk with them too," A says.

    "I will," Harper nods and pulls out her phone from her bag

    "Sage the seer?" I ask and Dillon nods.

    I want to ask more, especially about the guardian stuff, but wait for Harper to finish on her phone.

    "Good morning, sir," I hear a student say across the hall, and I look up to see two

    of my nemesis. Mr Collins, the headteacher, and his sidekick and number one asshole tutor, Mr Marshall.

    "Crap," I curse and lower my head, hoping they don''t notice me.

    "What''s up?" Harper asks.

    <{Ou

    see those two staff members that just walked in? They''replete dick heads and they hate me. I managed give them the slip

    yesterday, and I suspect the et

    here

    looking for me," I exin, trying to make myself seem as small as possible.

    They won''t spot me here, they''ll be focused on the unbonded table, expecting me to be there. They have no reason to look this way if I keep quiet. Dillon snorts augh and I lift my head a little to scowl at him.

    "What''s funny?"

    "You''ve got zero chance of avoiding them," he says with augh, and Harper lets

    out a disgruntled groan.

    "Mr York," a voice says behind me before I get the chance to ask my bond what''s

    wrong.

    I straighten in my seat and ster on the most innocent smile I can muster before turning in my seat to face the biggest pains in my ass.

    "Good morning, Sirs."

    Mr Marshal Means in close, trying to intimidate me as he gets to my eye level. "Care to exin to me why you are eating breakfast with my. daughter?" He whispers low and my heart nearly stops in my chest.

    Oh, fuck no.

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