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
As we walk through the side door and into the main hall, Jess and Jason walk in front of Cassia, while Tony and I walk behind her. Cassia begins greeting and mingling with people while the four of us keep an eye on her. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Harry talking to an older man, and when he notices me, he leads the man over to us. “Delta Athena, I’d like to introduce you to Felix Denning from the Shadow Rock pack,” Harry says. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Delta,” Felix extends his hand for me to shake. “You too, Felix,” I say as I shake his hand. ‘Where’s Damon?’ Harry asks over the mind-link, and after a moment, Leah responds. ‘He’s drinking at the bar with Alpha Costas,’ she says. “It’s safe to talk, Felix,” Harry tells him. “I’m sorry, Delta,” he says. “But as I told Harry, I wasn’t able to find out what Alpha Costas and Alpha Damon are up to. But I can tell you it isn’t good, whatever it is.” “Why do you think that?” I ask him. “Alpha Costas has been leaving the
Content Warning: Mention of r@pe “Fuck you, Damon. You’re a worthless piece of shit,” I snarl at him. Damon charges at me and backhands me across the face, splitting my lip. “YOU WILL ADDRESS ME AS ALPHA!” His Alpha aura radiates from his body as he screams in my face. I laugh in his face, and he slaps me again, making me laugh harder. “You’re no Alpha. You’re nothing but scum.” He raises his hand to strike me again, but Nick catches his arm. “How are you fighting his Alpha command?” Nick asks, eyeing me curiously. “I don’t take commands from filthy mutts.” Nick drops Damon’s arm and points to me. “Command her again,” he tells Damon. Damon lowers himself to my eye level. “SUBMIT TO ME!” He roars in my face, unleashing his full Alpha aura and shaking the vases in the room. When he’s finished, I look at him blankly and then laugh again. “Wow, that was a good one, Damon. It felt like you blew your entire load on it.” Damon steps back in surprise as he realizes he really can’t comm
Nick P.O.V I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and dial the boss’s number as I run to my car. “Yes?” “She’s the fucking Alpha!” I yell into the phone as I sprint to my car. “Get everybody here now. I’m pulling my men from the border, so they’ll have a clear run into the territory,” I say, and the line goes dead. I jump in the driver’s seat and start my car, mind-linking my warriors at the same time. ‘Everybody pull back, but do it unnoticed,’ I order them and tear down the road towards the main gate. “What about Cassia and Jess!” My wolf, Miko, howls in my head. “He needs to die for what he did to her!” “I have a feeling Damon won’t make it through the night,” I try to reassure him. I speed through the open gate and nearly collide with another car coming up the road, but I swerve to avoid them and re-enter the road as I speed away. # Athena P.O.V “What are you talking about?” He asks, his eyes filled with suspicion. “I believe you were involved in the attack, Alpha Damon,”
Catherine P.O.V “Do you think they’re going to find the Alpha tonight?” I hear one of the werewolves ask Leo, the Beta of the rogue pack. “Alpha Damon invited nearly every lycan Alpha and Luna from across the country for this mate ball. His bid for power has given us the best chance to find the Alpha once and for all,” Leo tells him. “What if the Alpha is a werewolf?” Another werewolf asks. The lycans in the room look between each other and we all start laughing. “As if a werewolf is going to be the chosen Alpha,” Rebecca, another lycan, sniggers. The werewolves glare and growl at us, but Leo lets out a roar, and the room falls silent. “We have never heard of a werewolf being one of the chosen. As far as we are aware, it’s only been lycan to have been chosen by the Moon Goddess,” he explains. “Then why are we even here? This sounds like a lycan problem,” the first werewolf says. Leo approaches him slowly, causing the werewolf to back up. “The chosen are a problem for us all. I
Alpha Costas falters slightly, as if he didn’t expect me to accept his challenge. But he recovers quickly, a smug smile returning to his face as he nods and turns to his men and starts whispering to them. I’m about to walk to Uncle Alex when I see Rich and Noah. I run to Noah, a big smile on my face, and I launch myself at him, hugging him tightly. “It’s good to see you too, Athena,” he chuckles as he squeezes me back. I pull back from Noah and hug Rich hard as well. “You guys timed your return perfectly,” I say as I pull back from Rich and smile at them both. “How’s your shoulder and back?” Rich asks softly. I lower my voice so that only they can hear me. “It’s healing, but it’s still pretty gnarly,” I grimace as I move my shoulder. “I don’t like this, Athena. There has to be another way,” Noah says, his eyes swimming with concern. “He’s vicious, Athena. Be careful fighting him,” Rich warns. “Athena, can we speak please?” Uncle Alex calls out. I pull Rich and Noah into a gro