Dear awesome/amazing/patient/forgiving reader: I'm so sorry I've been gone for so long! I meant to update, but I got burnt out and started a new fully-time job and things got super busy. Days turned into months and I swear I never meant to make you wait this long. 

Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? I'm willing to grovel. Update. Cry. Anything! Just please tell me what I can do to say I'm sorry! 

Logan

Mate, my wolf greets Saffron's groggily.

Instead of running into my arms, she freezes in the doorway, one paw poised in mid-air. She gapes at me, as much as a wolf can gape, while I try to figure out what's wrong?

Also, where am I? And how did I get here? This room looks vaguely familiar, but it's hard to focus. Hard to think.

Logan, Saf whispers, and just like that, she's all I can think about. I want to hug her. To thread my fingers through her soft silver fur, hold her close, and never let go. She's mine and she's everything I've ever dreamed of.

My mate. My Saffron. I need to go to her but I can't move. Why can't I move?

I remember a Rogue... what was his name? Keith? Kurt? Kyle! He pointed a gun at me, and then... then... something hit the back of my head! I jerk at the memory and pain pulses behind my left eye in sharp reminder. My arms and legs throb, too, and I freeze in horror. Did I get shot? Am I bleeding?

I look down in a panic, but instead of bullet wounds, I find ropes. They bind me to the chair, holding me in place.

"Fffff." My attempt to swear nearly makes me choke on my own spit. The Goddess-forsaken Rogues stuffed a gag in my mouth!

Then, another sound registers, footsteps racing down the hall.

Rogues! I cry, struggling against the ropes. I have to protect my mate. I have to save her.

It's just me, Jess shouts. She races into the room, takes one look at me, and pushes past my dazed-looking mate. My ex is dressed in the same clothes as the guards, and kind of looks like them, too: dirty, skinny and half-starved.

Her face has lost a lot of its roundness and the pink in her cheeks has been replaced with gray. When she gets closer, I realize the gray is dust, which coats her from head to toe. I also get hit by a massive wave of B.O. that puts the boys locker room to shame.

I can barely hide my grimace. I tilt my head away from her and hold my breath as she works on the ropes. Then I hear another set of footsteps and Amaryllis staggers into the room: a very naked Amaryllis carrying her mother in her arms. I avert my eyes, which is why it takes me a split second too long to realize that the woman's bleeding.

Mrs. Jones! I cry. What happened?

I'm... fine... she whispers, but she doesn't sound it. She's no longer the vibrant woman who helped me get here.

She needs a doctor, Amaryllis cries.

I tried calling for help. Jess whimpers. But I couldn't reach anyone.

It's the challenge.

What challenge? Saffron asks though she's still looking at me kind of strangely.

I'll explain on the way. I stagger to my feet and remove the stupid gag. "We need..." I try to say the words aloud but my throat is dry and it just leads to a loud coughing fit. We need to go. We can get Mrs. Jones to Dr. Dev. and stop the challenge before it's too late.

There's no time. Saf shakes her wolfy head. It'll take over an hour to get there, and she...

Can she last twenty minutes? I ask, taking a car fob out from my pocket.

I feel a wave of pleasure at the look of relief on my mate's face. Then, I take a step and almost crash headfirst into the table. Pinpricks travel up my legs as the blood returns to my limbs. I lean on the back of the nearest chair to keep from falling and waved on my feet. My head throbs, the floor starts to swim and my vision blurs.

"I got you." Jess's voice sounds far away and distorted, but her B.O. is like a punch to the fact that brings my senses flooding back.

I nearly gag as she scoops me up, bridal style, and races to the door with me in her arms. I want to tell her to put me down—not just because of the smell, but because I'll never live this down—but I keep my mouth shut. If I try to walk, I'll just slow the others down.

Saf races off, taking the lead. Amaryllis, with her injured Mom in her arms, follows and Jess and I bring up the rear. My ex starts to slow, her breathing heavy, and I realize that whatever she's been through since she's disappeared has weakened her.

She pushes through it with staggering steps as I shout directions to get us out of the building and into the parking lot. I squeeze the fob and the tail lights of a large jeep flicker on and off.

Logan, can you drive? Saf asks me as she lopes up to the jeep.

Yeah. I nod, which causes a wave of dizziness. No.

"I'll drive," Jess shouts. "Help me get him in the car."

Saf races up to the passenger door and hesitates for a split second before shifting. Suddenly, my mate is as naked as the day she was born, her long hair trailing down her back. I avert my eyes as she throws the passenger door open and keep them closed as I listen to her scramble into the back. I resist the urge to spin around and check out her breasts, but I still end up with a hard-on.

"Logan, catch." Jess tosses me her phone as she slides behind the wheel. I fumble with it as she peels out of the parking lot, while my mate murmurs soft, comforting words to Mrs. Jones. She explains something about removing the bullet and I silently promise to destroy whichever Rogue shot her.

Outwardly, all my energy is focused on dialing. Father, then Mother, then Jasper's father, and finally Dr. Dev. I work down the chain of command, each number drilled into my head during hours of pack training.

"No one's picking up." I glare at the phone.

"I told you," Jess wails, hitting on the gas. We're already going over the speed limit, and the car lurches as it accelerates.

"Careful," I warn as the phone rings. "How are you doing, Mrs. Jones?"

I spin around and barely pay any attention to my mate's naked form. Her breasts are partially covered by her beautiful, brown hair but there's so much blood I can't even enjoy the sight. Mrs. Jones is halfway across Saf's lap and my mate is examining the gaping wound at her abdomen. Blood gushes out and even though I'm a Wolf, and I've hunted down prey, I still gag. I can't help it. It's different when it's human flesh.

"Put pressure on the wound," I order.

"Not yet. I need to remove the bullet first." Saf doesn't look up from what she's doing. When she starts to stick her index finger inside Mrs. Jones's bloody flesh, I spin around so fast I almost get whiplash. Bile rises up and I swallow hard several times to keep it down.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I frown.

"Yes," Saf says resolutely as she concentrates on what she's doing. I remember that nonsense Father said about my mate in his office, about her having medical training. His accusations that she's some trained assassin. I know none of it can possibly be true, but I feel a sliver of doubt.

Then, Mrs. Jones starts to scream. Her shrieks are raw and filled with pain and I wish I could cover my ears and make them stop. I'm so focused on the sound that I stay on the phone long after it goes to voice mail. Then, Mrs. Jones lets out another shriek, this one so loud that Jess swerves into oncoming traffic.

"Watch out," I cry.

The phone slips from my fingers as I reach for the steering wheel. A small red coupe is heading straight for us, honking for all it's worth, but I'm completely useless. My reflexes are worse than a human's. Whatever those Rogues injected into my bloodstream, it couldn't have come at a worse time. I scream as the coupe slams on the breaks, too slow to avoid head-on collision.

❀ Sorry to leave you with another cliffy! Please don't hate me! I'll post another update next week.❀ 

❁ Are they going to crash??? They're Wolves, so maybe they'll be okay? I don't know. Pray to the Moon Goddess with me?

❁ Who's your favorite STAWP character so far? No, this isn't because I'm deciding who to save. Maybe. I don't know. *backs away slowly*

❁ You know the challenge they're trying to stawp? I mean stop? What do you think is happening over there? Anyone else really, really worried? Not that I'm saying you should be. *turns around and runs*

❀ SPECIAL BONUS:❀  I wrote a book with my bff while I was away. It's mature and VERY different from STAWP: no werewolves, more steamy scenes, a college campus, and a whole lot of romance. It's going to be on sale on Amazon (Kindle Unlimited) BUT you were so patient with me while I took forever to update on Wattpad that I want to give you a free copy as thanks. No strings attached, just a lot of gratitude for your unwavering support and encouragement over the years. If you want a free copy, sign up at miameade.com/freebook and I'll email it to you a few days before June 17 (the day it's published!)