I jog over to the training fields the next morning, trying to get my blood pumping after a terrible sleep. First, horrible nightmares of Andreas and Dad’s deaths, then they’d mix and form what I can only describe as a super nightmare that kept me up most of the night. Enyo yawns in the back of my mind, stretching and trying to give me some of her energy, but she slept as badly as I did. ‘Can’t we skip training?’ She whines. ‘Come on, don’t go soft on me now. This will do us some good. We haven’t had a proper workout since Catherine.’ Enyo growls at the mention of Catherine’s name, making me giggle. I feel a burst of energy, so I jog a little faster, making my way to the group of warriors stretching and getting ready for training. I make my way to the front of the group and stand next to Uncle Alex and Ryna, jogging on the spot and stretching my arms. ‘Where’s Alpha Damon?’ I ask Ryna. He snorts, ‘The Alpha hasn’t been to training in months. Apparently, now that he found his Luna,
I meet Ryna outside of the change rooms after having a shower and getting spare clothes to wear from my locker. I see him in the hallway talking to some of the older warriors, and he dismisses them when he sees me coming over. “Whatever has gotten into you, I like it.” “What do you mean?” I ask him as he opens the door for me, and we walk outside. “What you did today! Taking charge and putting Tony in his place! Revving the warriors up with your speech! I’ve never seen anything like it! You and Enyo absolutely mesmerized them!” “Well, if I want to be the Gamma once all of this is over, then I need to act like one. I’m not a little girl anymore. So, I need to stop acting like one.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders and ruffles my hair as we walk back to the pack house. “Just don’t grow up too fast, kid. It all goes downhill once you hit twenty,” he laughs. “Oh yes, you’re such an old man now. I can see the grey hairs coming through!” I tease him. “Hey!” He yells, feigning sh
I hear the creak of the cabin door and someone coming outside, so I pull away from Noah, and we both wipe the tears from our faces. “Sorry to interrupt, but Gino just sent me a photo of who the Alpha is meeting with,” Ryna says as he approaches with Uncle Alex and hands me his phone. I look closely at the photo and see that Alpha Damon is shaking hands with Alpha Costas from the Shadow Rock pack. “Shadow Rock is our biggest rival. Why would he be talking to their Alpha?“ I ask, surprise and suspicion lacing my voice. “Whatever the reason is, it can’t be good. I don’t see Alpha Costas making a peace pact with us. There’s too much water under that bridge,” Uncle Alex says. “Where did they meet?” I ask Ryna. “Decadence,” he smirks. “What’s Decadence?” Noah asks. “It’s a strip club owned by the Shadow Rock pack,” I explain. “On their territory?” He asks. “No, it’s in town. It’s considered neutral territory,” Uncle Alex explains. I stand there watching the guys speculate when a s
After having a long hot shower, I sit on the bed while drying my hair as Ryna brings in a tray with bacon, eggs, and coffee and sets it on the bed in front of me. “I figured you’d be hungry. Enyo refused to eat unless we let her out,” he says as he steals a piece of bacon. “What’s been happening while I’ve been… busy?” I ask with a flush, embarrassed by Enyo and the side effects of going into heat. “Nothing much, really,” he shrugs, taking another piece of bacon. “Hey! You should have gotten some for yourself if you were hungry!” I laugh as I take the tray away from him. “I wasn’t hungry until I smelt yours,” he says, pouting. I burst out laughing at his distraught expression. “Here,” I say, handing him the plate of bacon back. “Thank you,” he says with a grin. ‘What happened with Alpha Damon and Alpha Costas? Do we know anything more?’ I mind-link. ‘Gino couldn’t get into the club without being seen. They met for about two hours, and then Alpha Costas left. Alpha Damon stayed
“Thank you for taking the time to see me, Alpha,” I say as I settle into the leather chair in front of his desk. I clench my teeth to keep a smirk from forming as Alpha Damon does everything he can to avoid making eye contact with me. “Of course, Athena. How are you feeling?” He asks as he looks over the papers on his desk. “Oh, I’m fine, thank you. I felt a lot better after I washed off the grime from the bunkers’ cell. It’s filthy down there.” “Yes, well, it’s been a while since we’ve had to hold anyone down there,” he says as he shifts his gaze to his computer screen. “Of course. So anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I’d like to accept the position of being the Lunas Delta.” He stops what he’s doing and finally makes eye contact with me. “Really?” He asks. “Are you sure about that?” “Yes, of course, Alpha. I’m honored to be asked to protect Luna Cassia, and if you believe there’s any kind of threat to her, I’d like to start as soon as possible,” I say in a serious tone
I stare at Alpha Damon in disbelief. “Alpha! I wanted to question her! We could have found out who was behind the attack!” He growls and fixes his gaze on me. “There would have been no need to question anyone if you had done your job properly,” he snarls, his hot breath hitting my face as he stands over me. I hold my ground, straightening my back and returning the Alpha’s stare. I can feel his Alpha aura radiating from his body, and a small growl escapes my throat as he tries to make me back down with it. His eyes widen slightly when he realizes it’s not working, and that’s when I see it. A glimpse of fear. “Damon, this isn’t Athena’s fault. She protected me. They all did,” Luna Cassia tries to calm Alpha Damon by placing her hand on his shoulder. He takes a step back and places his arm around Luna Cassias’ waist. “Come, my love.” he turns his attention to the Luna. “Let’s get you back to the pack house.” He turns to Uncle Alex. “Get this shit cleaned up. We don’t need the humans f
Content Warning–Torture. “WHO IS YOUR ALPHA?!” the hunter yells. “I TOLD YOU! MY ALPHA IS ALPHA LEWIS OF THE SHALLOW RIVER PACK!” the man screams at his captor. The hunter turns and takes something from the table behind him. “YOU’RE LYING!” The hunter yells, and a scream fills the room as the hunter pierces the man’s skin with a blade covered in wolfsbane. “Please! Please! No more!” The man begs, his breathing quick and shallow. “My pack is the Shallow River pack. I was born there. My father was a warrior for the pack. We’ve never belonged to any other pack. I have no other Alpha but Alpha Lewis,” he whimpers. The hunter spits in his face and looks at him with disgust. “One of you knows who your Alpha is, and I’m going to get it from you one way or another,” the hunter says as he walks past the cages in the room. The hunter smirks as different colored eyes glare back at him. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” His evil laughter fills the room. “Now, now, Roy. You know they
‘Did Noah, Rich, and John make it out safely?’ I mind-link Uncle Alex as we sit in my newly appointed office. ‘I got them out at three this morning. They’re driving to St. Paul, then flying to Georgia from there.’ ‘Was this office swept for listening devices?’ Uncle Alex gives a nod. ‘There are two bugs. One is in the penholder, and the other is in the fake plant above the fireplace.’ I nod. “Thank you for meeting me so early, Uncle Alex. I thought we could go over the guard schedule for the Luna,” I say, acting naturally. “Of course, Athena. Who would you like to assign to your team?” He grins, already knowing the answer. “I’d like senior warriors only. I was looking at Leah, Luca, and James as a reward for their good work yesterday.” “Of course. I will advise them at training and have someone cover their patrol duties.” “I’d also like to take Tony on as a trainee. Do you know when he will be accepted as a full pack member?” “I believe that’s supposed to happen next week.” T
The early morning sun peaks over the surrounding mountains, spreading its warmth over our territory, but I don’t feel it. My breath is ragged as I run hard through the forest. Low-lying branches smack my face as I go past them, but I feel nothing. My only focus is to get to the lake. The lake will calm me before this rage swallows me whole.I finally see it in the distance, the lake that Enyo and I used to soak in after practice. Back when everything was right in the world. Before Daddy was murdered. Before I knew anything about the chosen.I don’t slow as I get closer. Instead, I brace for impact as I dive towards the ice covering the body of water. Enyo’s large, heavy body breaks through, and the iced water takes my breath away as I slowly sink to the bottom. I let the freezing water cool my heated body; the rage releasing from my body and my mind slowly clearing.I can hear shouts from above the water, but I ignore them. As the rage fuelled fogginess leaves my mind, I’m hit with a
“Alpha! Alpha, can you hear me?”I groggily open my eyes and see Leah hovering over me.“Alpha, thank the Goddess,” Leah says with a heavy sigh. “Don’t move, Doc Apollo is on his way.”I grab the back of my head, and I feel that my hair is wet. I look at my hand, and it’s covered in blood.“What happened?” I ask, lifting my head slightly and looking around.“You fell down the cliff side after the rogue charged you,” she explains.I look to my left and up the cliff side. “I’ve been saying for years there needs to be a railing put up there,” I say with a groan and try to sit up.“Please don’t move, Alpha. You fell a long way.”“I see that. But I’ll be okay,” I tell her, sitting up. Then I remember the reason I was in the forest. “Where’s Catherine?” I ask, panicked.“Gamma Michael and Gamma Cole have her in custody,” she explains.“And the other rogue?”She says nothing but looks behind me. I turn and see a young boy, his neck clearly broken from the fall. “Shit,” I grumble. “How did you
“Everything looks wonderful, Melanie,” I compliment her as I look over all the decorated tables outside of the pack hall.“Thank you, Alpha,” she says happily. “I hope you like everything inside, as well.”“I know I will,” I tell her with a big smile.She smiles back and bows before heading off to attend to her duties. Andreas comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, nestling his nose into the crook of my neck. “I can’t believe we pulled this off.”“The pack has worked hard. I’m so proud of everyone.”I see Rich and Noah in the distance, with the Cresent Warriors, and Michael and Beta Castor behind them. I take Andreas’s hand and walk over to them, wanting to keep the conversation away from others. “Still nothing?” I ask, disappointed.“I lost their scent on the other side of the mountain,” Beta Castor says with a frown.“Leah stayed at the Cabin in case she’s stupid enough to go back there,” Tony says.I nod. “We’ll pick up the search again in the morning,” I tell them.
“How is the feast coming along?” I ask Melanie, the pack’s head cook.“Everything is coming along nicely, Alpha. I’ve ensured there’s plenty of food for both packs, with extras.” She says with a proud smile.“You’ve done amazingly, Melanie. If there’s anything you need help with, please speak with Gino,” I tell her.“The Omegas are all taking care of everything, Alpha. They’ve been very helpful, as always.”“I’m proud of all of you,” I tell the rest of the Omegas and they all smile and bow their heads.“Alpha, I need a word with you,” Leah says from the kitchen door.“Of course,” I tell Leah. “Please excuse me, Melanie,” I smile at her.She bows her head and returns to her work, and I follow Leah into the dining room, where I find Rich and Noah waiting.“What can I do for our Epsilons today?” I ask with a smile.“We have a report from our border patrol, Alpha,” Rich says.“There’s been a sighting of a couple of rogues hanging around our borders,” Noah explains.I stiffen. “From the pa
Three hours laterWe watch as fight after fight ends, and the defeated warriors fill the sidelines of the training field, joining the rest of the pack in cheering and enjoying the spectacle.We watch Michael closely as he defeats opponent after opponent.“He hasn’t lost any of his strength,” Cassia says, and I think I see something flash in her eyes, but whatever she was feeling quickly disappears when she notices me staring at her.“Or his viciousness,” Ryna adds.“Nothing wrong with some viscousness in your Gamma, Beta,” Harry says.“As long as it’s towards our enemies...” Gino mumbles.I focus back on Michael as he defeats another warrior, trying to ignore the guilt I feel from Gino’s comment.“Maybe you should have just named him Gamma, Alpha,” Tony says. “He has the advantage of being a born Beta. I don’t think anyone will beat him.”“It is looking that way. But maybe that will earn him back some of the respect he lost.”“Doubtful. But we’ll see,” Ryna says.“Cole could give him
As I walk towards Ryna’s house with Andreas, I can’t help the pounding of my heart as I think of my best friend never forgiving me.I feel Andreas squeeze my hand tightly, and I give him a small smile as we climb the steps of Ryna’s small cottage. I take a breath as we approach the door and knock.Gino answers the door a few moments later, and I’m engulfed with the anger he feels as it radiates from his body.“He needs time, Alpha.” He says shortly.“I understand, Gino. But there are pack matters that need to be attended to,” Andreas says when I don’t say anything.“I will make sure that all pack matters are dealt with,” Gino responds, his glaring eyes never leaving mine.I swallow the lump in my throat and finally find the words I want to say. “I’m not here about pack business,” I say, my voice coming out as a squeak. “I came to apologize for everything that happened yesterday.”“It’s going to take more than apologies, Alpha,” Gino says angrily.“I know, but I can only start there.”
The Next DayAthena P.O.VI try to roll over, but I’m being held in place by Andreas. I kiss his arm and say, “Time to wake up, my love.”He groans and hugs me tighter. “No, thanks.”I laugh and try to roll over again. “If you squeeze me any harder, Andreas, I’m going to pee.”“Fiiiiiine.” He releases me with another groan before rolling onto his back and rubbing his eyes. “We can’t stay in bed,” I say as I get up and go into the bathroom. “We have way too much to do in the next few days. We still haven’t questioned the others we captured with Leon the other night. We have to get the pack house sorted out…”“I knooooow,” he says with another groan, cutting me off before I repeat the seemingly never-ending list of things we need to do.I giggle as I finish up and wash my hands before turning the shower on. I hear Andreas come up behind me, so I turn around and wrap my arms around his neck with a kiss.He smiles into my lips before kissing down my neck to my mark. He leaves a chaste kis
Somewhere nearby…I’m flung across the room as my connection to the Alpha is broken.“Master! Are you okay?” Alyria asks, running over and taking my arm.I look down at her bony hand on my arm, then at her. I glare at her and slap her hard across the face.“HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME!” I bellow at her.“I’m sorry, Master.” She whimpers, holding her cheek.“GET ME THE WITCH! NOW!” I yell at her, and she gets up from the ground and scurries from the room.“What happened, Master?” Wren asks from the corner of the room.“Her wolf broke the connection,” I explain angrily, standing and brushing off my clothes.“How? I thought the witch said she’d be locked away in the Alpha’s mind?”“I don’t know!” I yell at him, and he shrinks back in fear.“You called for me, Sir?” the witch, Elizabeth asks as she enters my office.I stalk toward her angrily. “You told me the wolf would be locked away in the Alpha’s mind. So would you care to explain to me how the wolf was able to break my connection to the Al
“MURDERER!” someone screams, and everyone falls silent, turning to where the scream came from. “Karla,” I whisper, my body suddenly shaking. She looks weak and sickly, her eyes red from crying. “WHY DID YOU KILL HIM?” she screams again, and I see Cassia running towards her. “Karla, why don’t we go back inside?” Cassia says softly, taking her arm. “DON’T TOUCH ME!” Karla shouts, pulling her arm out of Cassia’s grasp. “I WANT TO KNOW WHY SHE KILLED MY MATE!” The pack members begin whispering and pulling their kids behind them. “Karla, please, why don’t we go inside so we can discuss this,” Andreas says, taking a step towards her. He takes my hand to walk with him, but my feet won’t move. I’m frozen in place. No words are forming in my mind as I stare at the woman whose mate I killed with my bare hands. “Athena?” He says, looking back at me. “I… I…” I stutter out, but nothing else comes. “ANSWER ME, YOU FILTH!” Karla spits out, and Enyo growls. There are gasps and more whispers