ONESSA WAS GONE. CYR sat in his office, bourbon in hand, drinking straight from the bottle.

“Una would be ashamed of you,” Alaric said from the door.

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Well, she would. If my sister is watching you from beyond, she’s pissed as fuck. Guaranteed. Screwing up your only shot. Onessa is out there, alone. Pregnant with your cubs.”

Cyr threw the bottle, and Alaric ducked. The sound of the glass breaking against the wall did nothing to calm the storm of emotions inside Cyr’s chest. He didn’t want to mar the memory of Una and his dead child by being with another woman. Tilly was right. Besides, he would have just repeated the horrific experience all over again with Onessa. He refused to suffer the loss. He wouldn’t go through that all again. It was better to lose her now rather than later.

“Onessa is better off without me. She doesn’t need me, and I sure as fuck don’t need her.”

“If that’s what you truly believe, brother, then I feel sorry for you.”

“Well, don’t.”

“Right. Well, in case you’re wondering, I put her in a cab. She’s on her way to a hotel in town. She couldn’t catch a flight out till tomorrow. If you come to your senses, she’s in room 309 at the Holiday Inn Express.”

“I’m in full use of my senses, which is why I’m gonna stay right here.”

“Suit yourself, idiot.”

Cyr stared at the wall in front of him. It was still wet from the bourbon with shards of glass wedged into the wall. I love you, Una. He did love his dead mate. But she no longer thrived in the land of the living. Had she and Onessa shown up to be mentored at the same time, what would have happened then? Nothing. Destiny would have found someone else for the human.

Why would the fates give him another shot at happiness? He didn’t deserve it. He’d pushed Una, wanting to make a family with her to continue his legacy. I’m sorry, beauty. She’d given in, and he’d thought only of himself.

With Onessa, she’d accepted him like Una had. Another human would have been broken by what they’d witnessed. But she hadn’t. She’d rolled with it. Even when he’d been nothing but a dick to her. Like Una, she’d sung to him. It didn’t matter when or where, if she was in a good mood or bad, Onessa was singing. There were nights when he’d come in from a run, and she would smile at him before turning back to the book she always read before bed. She didn’t mind if he laid down next to her in his cat form. She’d simply roll over and cuddle him.

Onessa didn’t put up with his shit, either. Una was quiet and would give him whatever he wanted. Life had been easy with her. Life with Onessa would never be easy. She fought him till the bitter end on things. Kept him on his toes. Argued with him when he made the sauce too spicy and talked him into adding an extra pinch of brown sugar. She hogged the covers, and had crept her way inside of his life without ever meaning to.

Cyr stood and rounded his desk, racing out into the kitchen where Alaric stood with the others.

“Tank’s full. Go get your girl, dipshit.”

He smiled. He didn’t need to be told twice. “Room 309?”

“That’s what I said. Good luck.”

Yeah, he would need it. It was going to take a lot of convincing to get Onessa to come back to his place. It would take a miracle for her to accept his proposal. But he wasn’t going to let her leave without apologizing and telling her how he felt.

When he got to the hotel room, he was hit with the smell of wet dog and cheap beer. Her door was partially ajar, and dread slid down his spine at the thought of not being there to protect her. Cyr pulled out his phone and called Alaric.

“Grab some of the boys. We have a problem.”

“What?”

“Beau has her.” Cyr ended the call and made another. He knew where she was and was pissed at himself for putting her in danger.

Beau answered on the first ring.

“It’s a shame I’ll have to rid her of your scent, but it will be fun.” Beau’s voice cracked over the phone. Cyr didn’t get a chance to say another word because the call disconnected.

“HE’S NOT COMING FOR you.”

“I just want to leave. I don’t know why you won’t just let me leave,” Onessa fumed. Her stomach hurt, and nausea was settling in, making her nervous. Especially being in the same room as Beau.

“It’s simple, Cyriaque killed my cousin. Eddy was a damn fool; he wasn’t the smartest, but he was still my kin. I could let you go, but you carry his offspring. Your scent is strong.”

“Please, let me leave.”

“He has to pay,” Beau said between thin lips. He stood over her, his form tall and imposing. She wasn’t prepared for the pain. Beau was in front of her one minute, and the next, he stepped back and struck her full on in the face. The sound of his palm hitting her skin echoed into the empty room she was being held in. She hadn’t been there long, but long enough for Ed to come up to her and sneer into her face all the things he had planned for her body.

“You’re a pig,” Onessa said after wiping the blood from her split lip.

“No, honey, I’m a wolf, and if you don’t keep quiet, I will hand you over to Ed. And after, I may keep you around for my own pleasure. I tried to be cordial. Cyriaque started this, not me.”

“Your cousins tried to rape me. Cyr saved me.”

“Maybe, but he didn’t have to kill Eddy.”

“So, it’s okay to harm innocents?”

“There are rules here.”

“Your rules suck ass.”

That got her another slap across the face. This one harder, and this time, not only had he rung her bell, she saw stars. Bright white stars.