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
Introduction For the last century, we have had peace. Peace between the lycan packs, as well as peace with other supernatural beings. The Elder Council settles any disputes between the lycan packs, and other supernatural’s rarely attack us. But my pack was attacked a year and a half ago, and no one has ever told me why. We had no ongoing conflicts with other packs in the area, nor with any other supernatural creatures. To this day, the Elder Council insists we were attacked by rogues or a werewolf pack, but both are impossible. While some rogues will work together for survival, they only look out for themselves and take orders from no one. I know what I saw that day, and the attack was too calculated to be rogues. As for the werewolves, the sad tales of our wars with them can be found as far back as our history books go. Although we are both born of the Moon Goddess and are considered cousins of the shifter world, we’ve never been able to put our differences aside. We’re stronger a
Present Day I wake up startled and panting as the memories of my first shift start to slowly fade to the back of my mind. ‘What the fuck was that?’ Enyo asks. ‘That would be a nightmare, Enyo,’ I say as I breathe deeply, trying to calm my pounding heart. I wipe my forehead, and my whole body is covered in a layer of sweat as I remember the pain from that night. ‘No shit, sherlock,’ she says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. ‘Why are you dreaming of our first shift? That needs to be locked away and never thought of again.’ ‘It wasn’t all bad. Our first run was fun,’ I say as I get up out of bed to pee. ‘Okay, so remember that part and forget the rest,’ she demands. It’s my turn to roll my eyes. ‘Like it’s that easy,’ I huff. ‘Whatever. Happy Birthday, by the way.’ I stop washing my hands and look up into the mirror, my green eyes changing to blue as Enyo pushes forward. ‘Do you think we’ll find our mate straight away?’ She asks excitedly. ‘We don’t have time for a mate,’ I sigh
‘Is now a good time to say I told you so?’ Enyo asks, her hackles raised. ‘Not helpful,’ I tell her, my heart hammering in my chest as I turn slowly to face the house, finding an old man standing at the front door with a pump-action shotgun aimed at us. “Mr Stokes?” I call out, “My name is Athena Argos. I’m just here to talk to you.” “I know who you are, mutt. And you’re not welcome here,” he says coldly. “How did you even find me?” “Derek Williams gave me your address,” I say calmly, and the old man looks surprised by that. I raise my hands above my head and step around the front of the truck. “Mr Stokes, if you know who I am, then can you please tell me what you know about what happened to my pack? Derek said that you might be able to help me.” He studies me for a moment before responding. “Arrogant, little she-wolf. Just like that Alpha of yours,” he says as he spits on the ground. “Niko thought he was above it all. But we showed him,” he says as a cruel grin spreads across hi
‘Athena, it’s been two hours, and he still hasn’t called back. We need to get into his office and see if there is anything in there we can use,’ Enyo nags me. ‘I’ve left him voicemails. He’ll call back soon. He always does.’ ‘Athena, get the hint. He is not calling you back. So, let’s go around to the back door of his office and see if we can get in.’ I cave and get out of the truck and go around to the back of the building. I find the back door to Derek’s office and try the door handle. ‘It’s locked, just like the main door. What now?’ I ask Enyo. ‘Do I really need to answer that? Break it down!’ I take a step back and kick the door in, and I walk into Derek’s office, but stop immediately. The whole place is empty, besides Derek’s desk, a coffee table and filing cabinet. “What the fuck?” I say, surprised. I take a few more steps into the room to look around. Every drawer of the filing cabinet in the corner is completely open, and there are random pieces of paper spilled on t
3 weeks later I slam my fist down on the table in the motel room. “This is useless. We’ve visited five different packs, and no one will talk to us,” I say, frustrated and tired. ‘You can’t really blame them. From the little we have found out, what happened is a tragedy.’ “Well, someone needs to talk. How are we supposed to find out who did this if they refuse to talk about it?” ‘Who are we meeting with today?’ Enyo asks as I stand up and pack my things into my backpack, getting ready to leave. “The Moonstone pack. Let’s hope they’re willing to talk,” I say as I pick up my backpack, leave the motel room, and head to the truck and get in. I throw my gear onto the seat, start the truck, and head towards the Moonstone territory. # I travel south along the old highway until I finally come across the turnoff we need. I pull onto the old dirt road and find an SUV parked on the side of the road. The young guy standing near the vehicle waves me down, so I pull over and wind my window d
2 years ago ‘Let’s go down to the lake,’ Enyo suggests. ‘That training kicked both our asses.’ “Dad! We’re gonna go down to the lake for a swim. I’ll see you later!” I yell to Dad, who is training with some young pups. “Okay, sweet pea, I’ll see you for the afternoon run,” he yells back. I run into the tree line and strip down, putting my clothes in the small tool shed we use to store our things when we shift so we don’t shred our clothes. We quickly shift, and I let Enyo take control. She’s so graceful, considering her size. We run through the forest at full speed with little effort. Then, in no time at all, we’re jumping into the cool water of the lake. Enyo swims to the edge of the lake, and we shift. I dive back into the water, and I float on my back, enjoying the cool of the water and the sun shining down on us. ‘Do you think the training is going okay with the pups?’ Enyo asks. ‘If Dad needed us, he would have said so.’ ‘I know, but he seems to be slowing down a bit
Present Day I wake up to my stomach grumbling. It’s dark out, so I lean over and grab my backpack and get my phone out. Goddess, it’s 3am. I’ve slept for hours. I get up to pee, finding the ensuite on the other side of the room. When I’m done, I go to the sink and wash my hands as I look at myself in the mirror. My eyes are puffy and red from crying, the remnants of the nightmare still lingering in my mind. In the mirror behind me, I notice an oversized shower with various jets and decide to take a shower. I grab a towel from the cupboard near the sink, undress, and turn the water on as hot as I can stand. Water shoots out of the jets in all directions and standing beneath them feels like heaven. I wash my long auburn hair and feel slightly better afterwards. When I’m finished, I exit the shower, wrap myself in the large fluffy towel, and return to my room. I unpack my backpack and find the extra clothes at the bottom. I put on my workout shorts and top, my runners, and head downstai
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