I was heading home after training when I saw my sister Cleo rushing away from the packhouse. Instantly I was curious why she would be there, especially looking as distressed as she was. I made an alteration to my path to walk over to her, and she was so lost in her own thoughts she hadn’t even noticed me approaching.“Alright Kiddo?” I asked, and her head jerked upward from staring aimlessly at the ground as she walked. I couldn’t tell if she had been crying or not, but she didn’t look her usual cheerful self.“Kiddo?” she scowled. “I am a couple of years younger than you, Kai.”“Still look up to me though, don’t ya?” I teased, hooking my arm around her shoulders to display our height difference before I ruffled her hair because I knew she hated it.She looked up at me and scowled even more. “Jackass.”“You okay though?” I asked, hoping she might actually get over being grumpy and tell me what was wrong.“Uh-huh.”Wonderful. My sister was not willing to open up to me. If anything, sh
I regretted mentioning the situation with Finn the moment I saw Kai’s face change. He was about to go into full on big brother mode. I hate when he did this. Kaleb did the same, despite the fact he was younger than me. Both so protective over me. When I didn’t need protecting, or at least not from Finn.I understood everything Finn was suggesting to me. And I guess in another life, I wouldn't have faltered in accepting everything he offered. He was a perfect gentleman. A perfect guy in my eyes. He had been around in my life for as long as I can remember and he treated me so sweetly. Like I was a princess or a precious gem, that he treasured. Always making me feel special. All the little smiles he gave me made my heart flutter, and had done for as long as I can remember.But, things weren’t as straight forward as that for us. As werewolves we were blessed with fated mates, and I know that so many in our pack would frown upon it if Finn were to take me as a chosen mate. And, if I were
I had seemed to ease the tension with Cleo a little as we walked home together. I had promised not to speak to Finn about the whole chosen mates situation, but that wasn’t to say I wouldn’t find time to address the issue with my Dad. It bothered me. I knew that Finn had differing views on so many of the traditional werewolf customs that we still followed as a pack, and I didn’t want him causing issues. He was one of my closest friends, not to mention his parents were my parents’ close friends too.But, all thoughts of talking to my Dad about that were gone the moment we stepped into our house, and the sound of my Mum sobbing filtered through. I looked back at Cleo, and I saw the instant look of horror upon her face. She had hoped things would have improved since she had dashed out earlier, but if anything I would say they had got worse…‘K, we should go.’ Cleo mindlinked. ‘They are clearly dealing with stuff. I don't think we should be here.’I looked at my sister in disgust. She was
I felt the wave of pain spreading through my body as my mind tried to register my Mum’s words. My Grandpa Trent was gone? I had only seen him last week… he had come to visit me while I was at training in the Warrior Facility. Yes, I had thought he looked a little frail, but he had told me he had injured himself when training, and would be back to normal soon enough; and me being me, had believed him. Plus, I assumed age was playing a part.He should never have had to continue his Beta role for as long as he did. But, Uncle Grayson losing his son had meant the two friends had come to a mutual agreement that they would stay in their Alpha and Beta roles until Landon, Uncle Grayson’s grandson, and heir to the Alpha title was ready to take over the pack. Admittedly, I think they had thought it might have happened before now, as he had approached 25.My ears rang with the sound of sobbing. Those of my Mum, who was now enveloped in my the arms of my Dad; and those of my sister who was bein
I sat in the lounge long after my brothers and my Dad had walked out to get things arranged for our visit to River Ash Pack. I don’t think I could describe the feelings running through my body right now. Hurt… yet numb… anger… distress… My wolf, Terra, was whimpering at the loss to our family too, and that only added to the chaos within my mind. Grandpa Trent was gone. And we didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.I saw my Mum standing from her place on the sofa opposite me. “Come on C-C, we need to get some things together. I want to get going as soon as possible.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. She looked in pieces, and I hated seeing my Mum like that. She was so strong. I know when she was a little younger than I am now she struggled, but when she met my Dad he brought out her strengths, and after being here in our pack, and having us she blossomed into the strong Luna she was destined to be.Seeing her broken like this did not seem right. But, even the strongest person h
The moment I heard my Uncle telling my Dad the news of Cleo’s grandfather passing on, I knew I had to reach out to her. She must be falling apart right now. And when she said she needed a hug, I was not going to deny her that. I felt closer to Cleo than any of our other friends. I couldn’t explain why. We had both struggled at times with low moods, and feeling anxious, spending time together chatting about things, and it had brought us both closer.She was like an angel to me. I knew she needed me, so I was not going to not be there. And the moment I saw her, I could see the pain within her eyes. I could only imagine how the rest of the family must be feeling; especially Aunt Lilah. Holding Cleo close to me I felt her body sag against mine, and knew she was relaxing. She needed comfort, and I was glad she had turned to me for it.I had wished so hard for this girl to be my fated mate, but fate had decided what my heart craved would not be my destiny, so Cleo was only ever to be my f
I felt beyond angry after having had a lecture from the senior staff of the pack. Not to mention lecture after lecture since, from my Aunt. My Uncle was away on pack business right now, otherwise he would be giving me even more sermons to add to the previously applied ones from every fucker who felt they had something to say. Yes, I should not be acting like that in pack… I should be setting an example… I was offered so much here and should not throw it back in their face… people look up to me…blah blah fucking blah…I only knew I would be receiving further admonishing when my Uncle did return home. No, I shouldn’t have flown at my cousin the way that I did. I fucking knew that of course I did. But he also knew what my triggers were. It wasn’t like we didn’t speak often enough about things. He knew my reasonings for not wanting to go back to River Ash.I avoided everybody for the rest of the day. Even missing training, which was not something I had ever done since I had arrived here.
I couldn’t bear to hear the two guys arguing. I knew Leo was defending me, which I truly appreciated, but right now, my focus was on my family, and the moment I saw my Mum step from the house I knew she was falling apart. Two guys having an argument, all but competing over me, which was all but the same as a dick measuring competition. Definitely not something I need right now.I saw the hurt expressions upon their faces, but they would have to deal with it. They were grown-ups, or they were meant to be, not that you would think so listening to them bicker. I made my way to join my brothers by the car. “We are sorted to go?” I asked, and they nodded. Kaleb wrapped his arms around me.“You okay sissy?” he sounded like he had been crying.I nodded, not wanting to get into a big discussion right now about everything. I could already see Kai eyeing Finn, and knew things were bordering on an argument if something was mentioned about earlier. Because the moment Kaleb learned about it too, h
Our day at River Ash had come to an end. A difficult day for so many. We had said our goodbyes and were headed to the cars. My Mum had decided to fix the cars home so that ours was just me, her and my Dad. I knew what she was about to do, and I did not know that I was ready for that. Isabella had headed off with Aria, and her family, which was unsurprising, they loved her even more since they discovered the two of them were fated. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Aunt Indie loved us all like we were her own children, but she was beyond happy to discover Aria had been fated for my sister, and I have to say I was happy too.I knew she would be cared for and have that support from them that she needed as well as from us. Jorge was staying with some of the guys to help clear up. They likely didn’t need to as River Ash would have warriors, and other pack members arranged to do it, but some of our younger warrior team decided to do the decent thing and hang back to help. Jorge being one. Ever th
I went from feeling good about everything to my whole body tensing in a matter of seconds the moment my wolf picked up on the scent of our mate. The scent that was so beautiful. Alluring… tempting… yet a scent that was able to make my heart feel like it wanted to shatter into a thousand pieces. I knew without raising my eyes that Cleo had to be on her way up here to see her father.It would not be me she had come to see. There would be no reason. But, I raised my eyes all the same, unable to resist the temptation, and Dex became excited, knowing she was close. My heart rate increased instantly, and my grandfather gave me a knowing smile. ‘Have you decided yet?’ he questioned, and I simply shrugged.‘Lan.’ He sighed. ‘What do you think that man next to you would say if he knew? The faith he holds in you. It took all the strength within me to hold myself back from telling him the additional connection our fami
The day had been a long one, and I had spent a lot of time with my friends, and my aunts and my mum. So many people had come and spoken to me, offering their condolences, many of whom I did not know in the slightest. But, I did as was expected of me and smiled, nodding in agreement, thanking them for their kindness. Wishing I could return home now. I did not want to be here any longer, surrounded by the reminder of the loss of my grandfather. I think it was beginning to hit me harder than ever.“Come on CC, let us go and find your Dad, we will be heading home, I think.” Mum spoke, alongside my Grandma.I looked towards her with confusion. While I would love nothing more than to curl up to hide within the comfort of my own bed, I had assumed we would be staying with my Grandma for a few days still. There were still things to be done. “We aren’t staying with Grandma again?” I asked.Mum stood a little straighter, like she was struggling with things a little and was preparing herself to
Today had gone as well as a funeral and a memorial service could be expected to go. Everyone had been respectful, and the patrols were going well, so the pack was well guarded. We had had no issues with visitors from outside packs, not that we had expected any. Beta Trent was well respected, and they were all here to pay their respects and say goodbye to a good man. As we all were.After that brief moment we had shared in our seats, I had barely seen Cleo. In truth, I didn't know how I felt about that, but she had been swept up in time with her family and her friends, I had assumed, and time with them was likely what she needed right now. Time with me was not. I did not need to mess with her mind any more than I already had. She needed this time with her family.I had said what I needed to, to Daxton and Kaleb, and I hoped they would do me the honor of joining me here to run the pack when I took over as Alpha in the near future. I was in no rush for an answer from them, but I could no
I saw the fear within Jared’s eyes, and I began to worry that this was all becoming too much for him. Yes, my Papi is more than a little protective, but I did not want him scaring away my fated mate before I had a chance with him! Had a she-wolf ever been rejected because of an overly protective father? I could well be the first if my Papi continued along this path I feared...“Papi!” I warned him. “Can you stop? You are embarrassing me. Yes, this is my fated mate, and I would appreciate you stopping giving him a hard time. We would have come to find you sooner, but he was on duty.”A light appeared within my father’s eyes, before he turned to Jared. “You chose to work today?” he questioned, and I saw a small smile teasing at my Mum’s lips.‘Ah, don’t think I don’t know what you were doing.’ She mindlinked with a chuckle. ‘That will impress him, and you know it.’Dammit, I had hoped that might go unnoticed… it certainly seemed to have gone unnoticed by my Dad, who right now is deep in
Sofia had forgiven me a lot easier than I had expected her to. I had been about to mark her without her permission. And that, in many cases, would be seen as forcibly marking, whether she was my fated mate or not. I could not rid myself of the sickly feeling within my stomach as guilt flooded my body. But, the urge from my wolf had been overwhelming. Combined with the need within myself. It was hard to describe…I am just glad she had stopped me when she did, and that she seemed to be so forgiving about it. I wanted the moment we mark one another to be perfect, like she had suggested, and I had been so close to ruining that. Marking her in the treeline of the northern forest of the pack was never going to be perfect...But, no matter how forgiving my sweet girl may be, I, however, am likely not to be so forgiving of myself. Although, right now, I had the bigger worry of meeting her family, and apparently her Papi, would want to kick my ass, and that is before he
His kisses felt so good. And our bodies felt so natural against one another. My wolf, Hera, was as giddy with excitement as I was. She wanted her mate as much as I did. I felt Jared move toward me suddenly, and Hera became even more excited. But something inside me shifted. This didn't feel right. I instinctively shoved him backward, knocking him almost to the ground. I clearly had taken him by surprise, because otherwise I would not be taking a man of his size to the ground with one shove…He steadied himself, initially doing all he could to avoid my gaze. The tension in the air was palpable... what had I done? Now Jared stood with sorry eyes looking down at me. Guilt. Remorse filled them, while my heart pounded in my chest. My wolf was whimpering at me that I had shoved my mate away. That I had stopped him from doing what I believe had been attempting to mark me. In no scenario had I ever imagined that I would shove my mate away when it came to him trying to mark me...‘What did you
This old fucker was beginning to piss me off. Implying my own son was not worthy of his daughter. No one should be considered unworthy of their mate. But, that aside, my son was of both Alpha and Beta blood. Who was this fuckwit to insult our family lines to say Kaleb was not suitable to be fated to Jessica?Just as I was about to argue back with the hollow-headed asswipe, Kaleb spoke, and my heart felt like it had been crushed. “I will be Beta then. I will be Beta of River Ash like Landon has asked.” I turned to look at him in shock, and could see Jake had done the same.‘Did you know about this’ my friend asked via our mindlink. I would like to think he would be able to assume from the dumb expression on my face I had no fucking clue.‘No.’ I replied, before looking at my son once again. He had been offered a role as Beta? That was a huge responsibility. An honor, in fact. One I can imagine his Grandfather
Okay, so Daddy turning up just as I was about to kiss Kaleb was not the ideal thing. And the fury in his tone told me he was not impressed. He was so grumpy! I had hoped we would be staying a little longer. My Dad was not particularly one for socializing. I knew that, so in truth, I was shocked he had agreed to come to the funeral at all. But, I knew that he and Beta Trent had been close through the training they attended over the years.And he was adamant he wanted to pay his respects. And he wanted us there, as his family, by his side. I saw it as a chance to get away from the daily drag of being in pack, so I agreed willingly, hoping I may even make some new friends. Never did I imagine I would be meeting my fated mate! I think once the ceremony was out of the way, my Dad had gone around and seen whoever he needed to and then planned to leave. He was here representing the pack, and needed to take the opportunity to chat to a number of people, and knowing my Dad, he would n