Andreas P.O.V “You…” I gasp in disbelief. “Hello again, Andreas.” The man who has been hunting me for the last five years stands and walks over to where I am handcuffed to a chair. “You’re behind all of this?” I ask, looking around the room and at the six large steel dog cages lined up along one wall. “I’ve been looking for you for a long time, Andreas,” he says, ignoring my question. “What made you come out of hiding?” I glare at him, refusing to talk. “It was Athena, right? She somehow found you, and you two were working together?” A small growl escapes my throat at the mention of Athena. ‘Keep it together, Andy. They can’t know she’s our mate,’ Ares warns, and I take a deep breath to try to calm myself. “You’re mistaken if you think she’ll save you. She isn’t even looking for you. As far as she knows, you’re dead.” His icy grin sends chills down my spine, and my stomach drops, as I think back to the day that feels like forever ago. “You’re little show… The camera…” The ma
Content warning: hints of r@pe and abuse. I softly knock on the door of the Lunas’ room, and I hear her say, “Come in.” I enter and close the door, lowering my head in submission to her, then sit in the chair beside her bed. “How are you feeling, Luna?” “Oh, I’m fine, thank you, Athena,” she says, but her cheeks flush and her hands nervously play with the blanket that covers her. I take a chance and reach out to place my hand on top of hers. Her hands stop fidgeting as she looks at me, her eyes welling up with tears. “You can trust me, Luna. I promised I would protect you,” I say, trying to comfort her with my touch. She takes the hand that isn’t holding mine and covers her eyes as she sobs. I get out of the chair and sit beside her on the bed. Jeopardizing my position by doing this without her permission, I lean in and hug her tightly. She gasps softly in surprise, but then hugs me and sobs into my shoulder. My heart breaks for her. ‘We can’t just use her for information, Athe
‘Delta, Alpha Damon is heading this way, and he looks pissed,’ Tony mind-links me. ‘Doc, I need you to run interference with the Alpha for a minute,’ I mind-link the Doc as I stand from where I was sitting on the bed. I take a washcloth from the supply cart in the room, go into the bathroom and run it under cold water. I turn back to Luna Cassia, who gives me a confused look as I give her the washcloth. “Alpha Damon is on the way. Clean your face so he hopefully won’t notice you’ve been crying,” I tell her, and she quickly wipes the cloth over her face, her hands shaking as she does it. I squeeze her shoulder reassuringly, and she takes a deep breath, trying to compose herself. “Move out of my way, Doctor! NOW!” I hear Alpha Damon yell, and I dash to the corner of the room and stand at attention, my eyes finding a spot on the wall to focus on. The door slams open, and Alpha Damon enters, his gaze fixed on his Luna. “You weak, pathetic…” He stops speaking when I growl unintentionall
The Following Week “How long until they get here?” Ryna asks. “Uncle Alex said they were about ten minutes away,” I say, eager to see Jason and Jess. ‘Have you spoken to Noah recently?’ I ask through mind-link. ‘Yeah, I spoke to him yesterday. They thought they were being followed just outside Minot, but he said that Rich managed to lose them. They’ve been changing cars every two days and taking as many back roads as possible. They’re flying out of St. Paul’s today.’ ‘Great. Make sure you call him later to make sure they got to John’s grandmother’s house safely.’ ‘Will do.’ I stand up from behind my desk and walk towards the door. “Come on, let’s wait for them outside,” I say, and Ryna and I go outside to wait on the porch for Uncle Alex, Jason, and Jess. ‘Who has eyes on Damon?’ I mind-link the Crescent Warriors. ‘He’s in town. We have two warriors following him. He’s meeting with Alpha Costas again,’ Leah lets me know. ‘And the Luna?’ ‘In her office, I’m standing guard with
Cassia stares at me with her mouth open. Kneeling next to her, Jess asks, “Cass? Are you okay?” “I… I don’t believe you,” she says as she breaks down. “That would mean I’m mated to a monster!” “Look at her aura, Cass. She’s not lying,” Jess says softly, rubbing Cassias’ back. Cassia’s eyes meet mine, and she studies me for a moment. “Oh Goddess,” she sobs. “What if you’re wrong? What if he didn’t tell anyone about the warehouse? What if it’s all a coincidence?” “No one else knew, Cass. I don’t have any doubt in my mind that Damon is involved in my mate’s death. That he’s responsible for a lot of what’s happened to this pack,” I say sadly. “Do you know anything that could prove any of it, Cass?” Jess asks. Cassia shakes her head. “No. He never tells me anything. I’m surprised he even let me help organize the mate’s ball. He thinks Lunas should be seen and not heard…” she hiccups as she tries to hold back more tears. “What about his visits with other packs?” I ask. “What can you
Harry places my clothes on a desk in the small guard office and then exits so that we can shift. When I’m dressed, I walk into the bunker’s main area, where everyone is waiting, and everyone falls silent. I stand there awkwardly, shifting my weight from foot to foot while everyone stares at me. ‘Remember that dream you used to have about showing up to pack school naked? This kinda feels like that,’ Enyo laughs, and my cheeks go red. “How did you command me like that, Delta?” Harry asks, breaking the silence. “I… I don’t know. It shouldn’t be possible,” I say as I run my fingers through my hair. The door swings open behind me, and Ryna, Uncle Alex, and Jason enter but stop when they sense the tension in the room. “What’s going on?” Jason asks. “Athena can Alpha command,” Tony blurts out with excitement. “What?” Uncle Alex gasps. I pinch the bridge of my nose. “It wasn’t an Alpha command,” I say with an exasperated sigh. “Then how do you explain your command being stronger than
Day of the Mate Ball “This is outrageous! I want to see my mate, NOW!” Damon screams in my face. I smile at him as I wipe droplets of spit off my face. “I’m sorry, Alpha. She doesn’t want to see you before the ball. She wants her dress to be a surprise,” I lie. “I haven’t seen my mate since Laura died, and I want to speak with her! Two weeks is too long!” He yells. “She’s been very busy with the final preparations for the ball, Alpha. Don’t you like what we did with the pack hall and the beautiful canopies? I think the fairy lights will make everything look magical when night falls,” I say with an innocent smile. “Yes, everything looks very nice,” Damon says, his teeth clenched. “However, very important people are attending this event, and I want to ensure that everything runs smoothly.” “I can assure you, Alpha, that Luna Cassia has meticulously gone over every detail. To be honest, she’s been running us ragged,” I chuckle. Before he can respond, I hear a window upstairs slide
‘Is everyone in position?’ I mind-link the Luna Guard and Crescent Warriors as we walk through the back door of the pack hall. ‘Yes, Delta.’ ‘Gamma Alex, are the rest of the warriors in position to support Nick’s men?’ ‘Yes, Delta. Everyone is in position. Now stop worrying and try to have some fun tonight,’ Uncle Alex tells me. I take a deep breath to try to calm my nerves as Cassia passes me a glass of champagne. “Here, Athena. We might not be able to get drunk, but this will help take the edge off,” she smiles, clinking her glass with mine and then Jess’s. “Cheers,” I say with a smile, downing the glass in one gulp. Tony puts his hand on the small of my back and asks, “Are you okay?” “I’m fine. I’ve just never had to give a speech in front of so many people before,” I explain. I pull the stage curtain back slightly to peer out at the people who have arrived already. “You’re going to be great, Athena,” Tony chuckles lightly. “If it helps, just picture them all naked,” he say
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