Geemeedee

GREAT closing line. I'm so glad you decided to do a speedy update for this story. I was delighted to see that we may get more time with characters we know!

I really like how you're handling Aiden's situation! The rogue leader's treatment of him is not what I expected, which is great. He seems to have gotten smarter as the story goes on. :0) When the rogue leader was introduced, he came across as a not-so-savvy leader of a biker gang, running on animal intelligence (no pun intended). Now he's giving mini-speeches on Pearl Harbor tactics? I dig it, but I would've liked to have seen an inkling of his smarts and depth early on -- maybe a scene where he thinks about how he has to give his bored men what they want (hence the feral fights and Michael abuse)? If he wasn't such a heartless dick, I might actually like him. I look forward to his next move. Also, I'm sorry about my vague question about Michael in the last chapter. What I meant was, why hasn't his OLD pack mentioned him at all? He's been rogue for weeks, and everyone knows he wants revenge. I was surprised his dad, sheriff, etc., didn't think about him having some part in the attack.

AWWWWSOME.

I have to disagree with Rex. Efrain had been tied in knots for years over his sexuality. Can you blame him? Ultra-macho Latino heritage and a dad in the military? He's really lucky the family was so accepting. That said, the way they acted was insensitive and (unconsciously) cruel. Those guys sniggered like junior high schoolers at every innocent double entendre KNOWING Rain wasn't out yet, and had brought a guest home. That shit with the betting was wrong. Dude had been suffering over this and thinking he was gonna be disowned. You could argue that he should know his family, know his dad. But knowing how they feel about you coming home with a C+ is different than not ever coming home with a woman that'll bear grandchildren. They all need to apologize, and Rain and Cory have every right to stomp out if someone tells them to "get over it." They better have his fucking back if some second cousin says intolerant shit on Thanksgiving.

Nice chapter! I have three questions. 1) It's been weeks since the Alpha's son went rogue, correct? Why hasn't there been any mention of him? Wouldn't he seem to be a likely candidate for the attack? Ok, that's several questions. :0) 2) How did Darius keep the GPS on him when he shifted to lion? Is it on some kind of band that stretches and constricts?

I'm curious: what state is this set in? Just wondering how hard it'll be legally for Jared to get shared custody as a gay man. Especially if Carlt tries to claim he was having an affair with her brother. Also, is Craig adopted?

I hope Jerome still goes.

My first thought, "well, this is ridiculous." That went from 0 to 100 fast. But it's not surprising, considering they don't really know each other. The whole scene where Jerome was picking out baby names -- this relationship is more fantasy than reality, I think, for both of them. It'll be interest to see where you take this. My advice is to slow it down.

I really like how this chapter illustrates two facts. 1) You never know what's going on in someone else's relationship because they're the ones in it, not you, and 2) Domestic abuse can happen in any relationship, and not just in the "expected" ways (e.g., the bigger, better-looking person is the abuser). As for the situation between Indie and Jameson, wow, it didn't occur to me that it would play out like that. I mean, we knew Jameson cheated and got a chick knocked up, but the way that whole scene went down ... it was a tough read. (Which speaks to your talent.)

While I enjoy the budding romance of Nate and Bodie, I hope they go back to the sidelines and Mike and Kendall take center stage again. There's a baby, there's a wedding, there's a Christmas puppy, there's a move ... Let's get to it!

I'm so excited to see a new story from you! And it's refreshingly different from the current fare here. I mean, I dig the young-shifter-finds-his-mate and other stories focused on young and/or supernatural characters. But it's so lovely to sink into your captivating world of mature, down-to-earth, grown-and-sexy characters. And you can NEVER go wrong including a Marine. LOL

It'll be interesting to see if the pack ups its security now that Michael is officially rogue. I do think you could have played out his mental deterioration more once he got caught. He went from "I'm not a fag" to begging for brutal rape. To me, it would make more sense if he went from "I'm not a fag" to just completely shutting down after a couple of torturous confession sessions. Also, I'm curious if you'll have Michael's parents find out what happened to him. They'll wish they had given him a swift death after all. I don't think the spelling/word errors were more egregious than usual. We're getting to enjoy your talent for free, and solid editors *aren't* free. I can totally deal with grammar and spelling errors in a story that is a gift, not a purchase. Write on!!

I've read the rest of the stories in your series (I guess I kinda went backwards) and I enjoy the characters so much!! You've built a charming community. A couple things for if you decide to compile them all into a book: I thought vampires can't eat food. It makes sense that Thane eats, because he's half witch, but doesn't Harry only drink blood? (You mentioned him eating in this story.) Also, if Eddy is a witch, why didn't he heal his own ankle and eyes, and fix his own car? He didn't use any spells at all. I think you should explain why. And why didn't Thane use a spell to fix Eddy's ankle? Surely his mom taught him a healing spell or two. OR, he could've given Thane a little blood to help him heal faster.

Hmm. If Chris wants a fresh start, why is he charging that GPS unit so that folks assume Michael is there? Did Michael threaten his family? Anything less might get him banished. When Aiden proposed, my first thought was, "what about the ring? He can't afford a ring," then I remembered that shifters probably don't wear rings. Or earrings. Or bracelets. Because shifting.

I enjoyed the chapter, but a question: when did Diarmad tell Noel that most of the council was outside?

I'm glad you decided to continue with this story! I wanted to mention a timeline issue that bugged me. Marcus had court at 9 on Friday. The doctor's appointment was at 11. Then they had to go pick up the twins and hit the road. The drive was at least "two and a half movies" long. So there's no way they would have made it to Tony's parents by lunch!

I have one problem with this chapter: "Aiden also looked around, 'I have no clue. It was like the water was dancing in the air around us while we were kissing.' " He saw water droplets floating in the air, he and his man both got SOAKED out of the blue and they aren't curious or freaked about what happened? They looked around, but kept making out. Considering the weird recent incidents, you think they'd investigate and tell somebody. Their lack of concern is striking. Otherwise, I'm enjoying the story.

They plan to rape and murder a pack member's true mate in order to destroy that pack member. Sounds like cause for execution. Expel them and they'll just come back and try to overthrow current leadership. Nice twist and a helluva set up for the alpha.

I just read all 13 chapters in one sitting. Great plot, great characters. You're taking it in a cool direction that I didn't expect when I first started reading. Now the hard part: waiting for more chapters to show up!

Fantastic chapter. This answered a lot of my questions and concerns about the characters. I now feel on solid footing with this story. Well done.

Started crying in the very first paragraph. And kind of hate you for stopping where you did. :0)

Cosign on everything LitLover said.

finally. Finally. FINALLY. Bryan's gonna feel like the biggest shit ever shat when he realizes all that "odd" stuff Eddie's been saying over the years was really happening. Everybody's gonna need therapy after this is done. BTW, craftingmom, you'd be well within your rights to not have Wyatt survive this. Just sayin'. Not every story has to have a HEA, if you want a writing challenge.

I agree with Mr. Rex -- the clash of egos between two alpha males should be very interesting. Four things tho: -- I live in the Bay Area, and only people who don't live there refer to San Francisco as Frisco. We usually call it The City. -- I have a very hard time believing a guy studying neuroscience would take drugs, knowing what they do to the brain. -- I have a hard time believing someone studying neuroscience would have time to put in the training required to be a competitive skier. -- I have a hard time believing that the penis tuck required to wear a thin, skin-tight ski suit would then burst free to show a full hardon ... and that no one realizes Sabrina is trans. Best if luck with your story. I look forward to seeing where you take it.

This chapter is so bizarre. How could Jackie hide her malice for so long? (I would say post-partum depression, but it doesn't jibe.) If she was unhappy in her marriage, why didn't she just leave? But the biggest weirdness to me is the mother barring Jackie from the house and Mark not knowing she'd had a stroke. He didn't talk to his mom for five months? Not even on the phone? I hope Mark and Brent get to the bottom of the situation.