“You can’t blame him for moving on, Rachel. If you tell the truth—”
A scoff echoed in the night as she punched the air. “It’s too late. A month has barely passed and he’s sleeping with my best friend.” Rachel hit her chest. “It’s as if I meant nothing at all.”
His brow beaded with sweat. “Don’t go with plan b.”
“Once we’re done here, we’ll pay Tara a little visit. Introduce her to plan b as well.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “This is getting out of hand now. What if it doesn’t have to be this way? Okay, fine, you want to go ahead with plan b. But what about this, you erase his memory and start over, meet him all over again? A fresh start.”
She gawked at him. “You mean lie to him all over again. Besides, as if this doesn’t change everything. How can I be with him after he’s been with that traitor?”
On her feet, she clutched his arm, her bloodshot eyes bore into his. “There is no rectifying this. It’s over.” She sighed, more tears spilled. “Please tell me you have my back?”
“You know I do, but what if you regret this?”
A look as hard as stone overcame her face. Her sneakers crunched along dried leaves as she stomped toward the double-hung bedroom window. The colonial glass pane illuminated by the moonlight drew Rachel like a moth to a flame. Lucas sighed and patted the zip-lock bag in his pocket. A good thing plan b hadn’t fallen out. Rachel would burn him at the stake if he lost the concoction. Hours of hard work had been spent creating the spell that would erase Jeff’s memory. A great deal of that time involved Rachel’s blood, sweat and tears. The task had been exhausting, mentally, physically and emotionally.
The simple cottage home sat on a remote piece of land. Pleasant and cosy…so different from their own pristine two-story houses. The werewolf and his cousin were complete opposites. That hadn’t bothered Rachel in the slightest when she first discovered he was a werewolf. No, it took an utter betrayal to demolish her feelings. Hurt consumed her, even now with her chin up and shoulders straight, her bravery was a fake. The clenching and unclenching of her hands gave it away. His own palms beaded with sweat. He had no emotional investment in the situation, so he could imagine the toll this took on Rachel. She was about to face the guy she fell in love with for the last time. Lucas stopped beside his cousin, her gaze fixed on the home in front of them. Perhaps the reality of her decision had hit her and she grew uncertain.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
She licked her lips, gaze kept on the bedroom window. “Things will never be good between us. He’ll always hate me. Besides, he can easily move on without me. Tonight has proved that. This is the only way.”
Her voice, although soft, held a final tone that clenched his heart. Rachel was family. It wasn’t easy witnessing her heartbreak. She was terrible at hiding it from the others also, locking herself in her room, not eating much, dedicating all of her time to the Elite and spell training. Her parents assumed she wanted to hone her craft. Little did they know, her change in behavior was due to a werewolf.
He held his breath when her hands flattened on the glass, and prayed the window wouldn’t squeak. Thank goodness it hadn’t. Following Rachel’s lead, he hoisted himself on the frame and hopped inside the small bedroom. Scenarios ran through his mind of this ending badly. His aunt and uncle believed he took Rachel out to a concert to cheer her up. Neither of them knew they drove two hours from home to perform a spell on a boy who devastated their daughter.
The room was too dark to distinguish the color of the walls or the images on the pinned posters. Rachel ambled past the simple furniture decorating the space and stopped at the end of Jeff’s bed. He lay asleep beneath a Ferrari bedspread. Carefree, peaceful and unaware his entire life was minutes away from changing. The scent of sweat and sex still lingered in the air.
Rachel stared as though lost in a trance. If not for the reflection of the moonlight in the room, he wouldn’t have spotted the twisted expression on her face.
A groan brought his attention to the guy in bed, stirring and seconds away from awakening. Heart beating in his ears, Lucas snuck behind a curtain, and inched the material in front of him, but left a small gap to peek through. Jeff staggered upright and switched on the lava lamp at his bedside. His scrunched face looked as if it had the power to shoot fire. “What the hell are you doing here, Rachel?”
She played the calm and collected card well as she trailed her finger along the wooden acorn post of the footboard. “I’m here to grant your wish,” her voice aloof.
The werewolf fisted the comforter. “Leave now or I swear you’ll regret it.”
His threat didn’t shift a muscle in Rachel’s face. Instead, she took a step closer. “For the rest of your lonely life, you will wonder about me, you’ll try your damndest to find me and imagine having me.”
The fuming werewolf grit his teeth at Rachel’s soft-spoken words. Lucas braced himself, in case he needed to jump in and protect his cousin.
“But you’ll never know it’s me and never see me again after this night.”
“I don’t want anything to do with you. The fact you’re promising this is the last time I see you, is music to my ears.”
Her gaze focused on the silk bra that hung off his bedpost. Fire burned in her eyes. “Tell me, Jeff, is she a better lay than me?”
“What?”
“Tara, my best friend, the girl you screwed a few minutes ago?”
Jeff gave a nonchalant shrug. “Unlike you, Tara’s been honest with me, she sent me the diary, and yes, we’ve grown close these last few weeks—”
“She has not been honest with you. Instead, she’s stabbed me in the back and blindsided you.” Rachel laughed without humor. “But that’s what I don’t get. Your kind are meant to recognise their bonded. How the hell did you miss it?”
With a slow shake of his head, Jeff cocked a brow. “What are you on about?”
Her eyes never left his as she pinched the hem of her shirt and lifted the material over her hipbone.
Jeff’s gaze lowered to the exposed skin. His scowl deepened. “You still have that? Do you know how pathetic you look, walking around with a fake birthmark?”
Face contorted in pain, she flashed a miserable smile as fresh tears trailed her face. “It’s not,” she forced through clenched teeth.
The wolf snickered. “It’s not what?”
“Fake.” Her mouth trembled open as she let out a whimper. “That’s what makes this so sad.”
Jeff swallowed, eyes narrowed further. “You’re a liar!”
“Believe me, I wish I was. We may share the same mark, but you are the last guy I want to be with. Some stupid bond cannot fix us, not now. Whatever feelings I had for you are dead.”
The hard set of his features softened, and his gaze lingered from the mark to her face. Was that regret in his eyes? His fingers extended, perhaps to touch her, but he only managed to caress air as she backed away. A sob escaped her throat.
“Rach?”
From Rachel’s glare, she was still determined to go through with it. Lucas retrieved the bag from his pocket, and waited for his queue.
“Lucas, now!”
He rushed forward, dumped the powdery contents on Jeff’s head before the guy registered what transpired. The blue substance on his hair and bedsheets evaporated. Asleep, the werewolf sank back down against the mattress. As far as Jeff was concerned, tonight never happened, and Rachel, his mate, was a complete stranger to him now.
Rachel’s eyes sprung open. Her heart pounded in her ears, and her knuckles grew stark white from clutching the sofa cushion. She glanced at Ian and swallowed. Tears pooled in his eyes as he squeezed her hand.
“Rach, I’m so sorry.”
She placed her free hand over his own. “Not as sorry as I am.” Biting her lip, she looked to Lucas. “So, I do share his mark?”
“Yes, after that night we created a spell to hide it. The next day, we erased Tara’s memory as w
ell. Luckily for you, she was out with Troy Fuller. Two birds with one stone. Neither of them have any memory of you and Ian. You covered all your tracks so that Ian would never know who you were.”
Her bruised ego didn’t allow Ian the chance to prove himself. She dared another look at him and relaxed at the smile plastered on his face. Good. She wanted this more than anything. He was hers, always had been.
“You did everything in your power for me not to find you.”
“I was a teenage girl head over heels in love, and rightly so…I was your mate, but we both broke each other’s hearts and trust.” She stood, her legs shaky from the experience, and stared at Lucas. “Can we reverse your spell so that my mark may be revealed?”
“Witches cannot undo spells.” Lucas smirked, and folded his arms across his chest. “That’s why all those years ago, I designed the spell to be broken if Ian ever learned the truth. Lesson number one in witchcraft, never make anything permanent unless you’re willing to deal with the consequences. Although at the time you were dead-set on your decision, we didn’t know what the future held. When I placed a spell to hide your mark and block your bond, I made sure it could be broken if I ever shared with Ian that part of my memory.”
She grinned and hugged her cousin. “Thank you for not listening to me all those years ago.”
“You would’ve had my neck. So, as of five minutes ago, your mark should be as it was.”
Ian stood, tears brimmed his cinnamon eyes.
“I’ll tell the others the good news.” Lucas strode in the direction of Brianna and Tristan on the other side of the room.
Once her cousin left, she inched the band of her long skirt below her hipbone. The U-shape that marked her skin had to be the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Rachel glanced at Ian. Had he stopped breathing. He stared at her mark, eyes wide and very still.
“How does this make you feel, seeing your mark on me?”
A single tear ran down his cheek. He snapped out of his daze, then cupped her face. “This is everything I’ve ever wanted, but the fact it’s you makes this ten times more wonderful. After learning the truth about our past, I can see we were one chaotic couple. I obviously hurt you and you did the same to me. I’m terribly sorry for that.” He shook his head. “I won’t let history repeat itself. You’re mine, Rachel, now and always. Nothing makes me happier than knowing we are bonded. My birthmark may be on your skin…” He flattened her palm over his heart. “But you’ve left a permanent mark right here.”
She swiped away her own tears, her heart soared within her chest as though it would burst out and scream with joy. Before today she wasn’t sure she would live. Now she was about to start the rest of her life with the man she loved. “I love you to the moon and back, Ian Jefferson.”
He dragged her close, the erratic beat of his heart pattered against her cheek. “Speaking of the moon, on the next full moon we’ll perform the bonding ritual and bind us together once and for all.”
She shook her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but sounds like fun, Wolfy.”
He chuckled in her hair, and squeezed her closer. “It’s a ceremony. I trace my mouth over your body and you tell me where you feel I should mark you. From other woman in my pack, I heard it should be easy to locate, feels like a twinge.”
A twinge? That night by the tree, a strange spasm had occurred when he’d kissed the back of her leg. The sensation had been unlike anything she experienced. “I think I know where the spot is. I felt something the night we made love against the tree.”
His finger sealed over her mouth. “Don’t tell me. It’ll make it more interesting for both of us if I search for it.”
She leaned back and kissed him, tasting him and consuming the moment with a tangle of lips and tongue. With a breathless laugh, she lay her head against his chest. “Bring on the full moon.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Bring on life.”
A word about the author…
As a full time housewife and mother, Marianne Willis daydreams in her spare time and turns those dreams into novels. Happily married to the biggest smart-ass on earth, she lives in Sydney, Australia and can't imagine living anyplace else.
Aside from writing, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her church community. Lover of Lychee Martinis and antipasto platters, and a big fan of romance novels, chick flicks, and her crazy best friend, Marianne enjoys the real world as much as her inspirational imaginations.
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