They were foolish if they believed for one moment I was going to sit around and wait for each of these cars to filter through this pack gate and be granted access by the guard on the gate, who in all honesty was unlikely to even allow us to enter their pack once his suspicions were raised. The head of the werewolf council had already spoken to him and demanded to meet with the Alpha. That in itself would be causing tremors of unease to spread through the pack.And hearing the call between Landon and his cousin, to be updated with the chaos that had already begun the moment that evil bastard had realized his soon-to-be-wife had left him, sent me tipping over the edge. I needed to be in there. I needed to get to Bella and be close to her, so I knew that, if nothing else, I could try to defend her. I knew that I might well stand no chance against the Alpha, but I had to at least try. She was the she-wolf the moon goddess had chosen for me. The one my wolf was crying out for ever
I saw the anger in the Alpha’s eyes as we turned around. I had said the wrong thing without even knowing he was there. Totally caught up in the rush to get to Bella I had spoken to Kai in the assumption that the Alpha would be on his way to the gate to meet with our arriving posse. Or, moreso the leader from the werewolf council that was demanding to see him. But, unfortunately, he was here instead. Glaring at us... demanding answers... had he worked out why we were here?My gaze met Kai’s and I saw the same nerves there. But that passed quickly. Kai shrugged. “Nobody you know.” He smiled. My whole body felt like it wanted to slump down in deafeat at the point. Nobody he knew? Was Kai intentionally trying to piss him off further? He knew who this guy was right? Not to mention, we were in his pack for fuck’s sake. I am pretty damn sure he knew every single person, and then some…The brow of the Alpha raised as he pouted a little angrily. Shit. I didn't like that look. He looked like h
The moment he had mentioned the small army we had waiting outside his pack gates I knew we had to be decisive. No more of this being polite shit. Landon and I were Alphas. Or soon to be. Admitedly younger and less experienced than the one standing in front of us demanding answers, but we shared Alpha blood all the same. And, I knew for a fact when we both stood up to be Alphas, we would be ten times the Alpha this man had ever been. We were capable of standing up for ourselves and we should not be bowing down to him. This man was the reason my fated mate was not by my side right now, and I was not going to let that go.I slackened my control over Nyko and in that instant he was surging forward. He wanted out to play... he wanted to make this man suffer for taking our mate. He wanted his revenge. And, I wanted him to shift. I knew that was likely the only way I was going to reach my mate now. This dick of a man was hardly going to escort me to her. If anything he would do all he could
I sat with my arms hugging my legs, my knees pulled to my chest, absoluotely terrifed as the banging on the door continued. Joey had looked at me, his fingers upon his lips. But I looked at him with concern. “Should you not answer.” I whispered. “They know you are home today.” I told him, my mind already overthinking how whoever may be at the door would be thinking if he did not answer them. After all, they knew he was in.His shoulders sagged, and he nodded. “Hide. Please.” He whispered, as he slipped up the stairs we had only moments ago come down. He sounded as nervous as I was feeling which told me he was overthinking this as much as me. Whoever this could be could be here to turn his house upside down in a bid to find me. In a bid to take me back to their Alpha so I could be his prisoner once again.I listened carefully as again that pounding on the door turned into what sounded like a kicking. Were they attempting to kick the door down? Any hopes I had of that being Kai and Lan
I watched as the Alpha was bundled into the back of one of the cars, albeit angily, but I stood to one side contemplating simply walking away. The need to go and find Bella becoming overwhelming. Nyko whimpering at the thought we did not know that she was okay. There were still warriors out there hunting her. Hunting for her at the ruthless Alpha’s orders. And, who knew what those orders may be.I edged away from the group, my Dad and my Uncles all stood talking next to one of the cars, no doubt discussing what was about to come, or praising how well their plan had come together. I just hoped their chatter would be enough to distract them long enough for me to make my escape... Suddenly there were footsteps to the left of me as I moved along the path heading toward the house I hoped was the one Landon had pointed out to me where I believed Bella to be.“And where do you think you are going?” Uncle Gabe’s voice held a teasing tone as he disturbed me, my shoulders sagging as I turned to
We reached the packhouse and it was sheer bedlam. A packhouse I was more than familiar with, but never in all my visits had I seen it in such chaos. The Alpha family descended upon the lounge in which we were seated, demanding answers, until they realized we had been escorted here with the Werewolf Council. I think at first glance they believed that River Ash and Midnight Forest had invaded their pack.The moment they heard what had happened, and the potential trouble they found themselves in, they were suddenly less argumentative, and more cooperative with the Council members. I hung back, knowing these people had been extremely welcoming to me in the past, and I did not want them to feel I had thrown that back in their face; yet I knew this issue needed dealing with appropriately and punishment should be given.But, I still found myself shocked as the Alpha was injected with wolfsbane to put his wolf out of action, especially when he had not even attempted to fight b
We stood by the front door, knocking, and waiting. But there was nothing. I realized there was a chance it may take a little while for them to answer if she was hiding, but there had been nothing. I looked to my Uncle, whose gaze had fallen to the floor awkwardly. He was chewing his lower lip anxiously.We must only have knocked a couple of times, but time seemed to have been dragging before I heard a heavy sigh from the man by my side. “Look, Kai, we are only drawing attention to ourselves here, not to mention to Landon’s cousins if anyone happens to be watching us, so perhaps it is for the best that we head back to the packhouse.” Uncle Gabe suggested. I turned to him angrily, before beginning to walk away from the house, already thinking where may be best to look.“You think she has gone?” I threw the question toward him.“Well if she was here I would assume she would have answered by now.” He explained, and my shoulders slumped in response, knowing he was likely right. Or could sh
Joey led me into the packhouse, a nervous expression upon his face. He did not need to say a word, I could sense his unease from where I stood. “Joey, I can go in alone. Nobody needs to know you were involved.” I whispered, as we passed into the large foyer. I hated the idea of this man suffering because of me. He and his brother had to be two of the sweetest men I had met, putting everything on the line just to help me.“We got this far, didn’t we?” he smiled, albeit a little nervously. "I am a warrior, Bella. I do not walk out in the middle of a mission. I see a mission through."I could not help but smile at his words. A sad smile, admittedly, but a smile all the same. This man was too kind, and deserved a lifetime of happiness. I hoped nothing bad came for him. “They surely wouldn’t punish you with the council here would they?” I asked, my mind having gone over the many possibilities of the outcomes
Today had been wonderful. Everything you want from an Alpha ceremony. And, as a mother. I have never felt more emotional as I have sitting and watching as my eldest son was formally made Alpha of the pack we called home. A pack I had become a part of all those years ago. A pack that had welcomed me with open arms and made me feel like one of their own. Meeting Knox was a turning point in my life that I had never expected considering the events that had led up to it. But, looking back those events were things that needed to happen to bring me to him. Bring me to appreciate all that he is and all that we share.In the home that we built we created three truly amazing children and they all now have fulfilled lives in wonderful roles within their packs. But, more importantly, within my mind, I am happt to be able to say that they found happiness. They found their fated mate, and fate was kind. The mates by their sides treat them wonderfully and appreciate them for the truly wonderful, cr
Sitting down as the event drew to a close, I was able to look across to where the kids all sat. Not that they were kids anymore. No. They were all full grown adults, all with mates of their own now, and hell, the scarier thought was, soon enough they could have kids of their own. The pack was also now fully in their hands. As of today, I was a former Alpha. And dang, did that feel strange to think. A little emotional, I have to say.As a young upcoming Alpha, I had been filled with anticipation for the day I took over from my own Dad. Never thinking of the day I would hand over the reins to my own son. It had been hard. But it had filled me with pride too. Emotion hit me in a whole different way.Maybe I was getting soft in my old age. Gabe passed me a beer. “Looking a little misty eyed there old guy.” He winked playfully, making the others laugh.“I swear fuckface, I am never too old to put you on your ass.” I tell him with a smile. "And, if I am not mistaken you are the same age."
Thankfully the celebrations were quietening a little, and the amount of people coming to greet us was lessening. As I looked across to Bella walking by my side, my poor mate looked shattered. “I think I am calling it, beautiful, we are going to go over there.” I motioned to the large group of chairs that were pulled together where all my closest friends were now gathered. “And chill out with the people we should be enjoying the day with.”Bella smiled back at me. “That sounds good to me, babe.” She winked. “Though, if I fall asleep on your shoulder, do not blame me.”I found myself chuckling. “I think after the amount of polite conversation you have had to endure today I could forgive you that.” I offered her a playful nudge with my elbow. We had barely stopped, other than for food and drink. We most certainly deserved a break.“Even if I drool on your shirt?” She teased, m
Rocky and who I could only assume was his new mate had rushed off to leave me standing with this beautiful blond haired goddess my by side, and suddenly every ounce of confidence had seemingly slipped from me. My wolf was spinning around within my mind like some hyperactive puppy, and my mind seemed unable to function like a normal person… heaven help me, my fated mate was likely to think I was broken.Lyra looked over at me with those almost hypnotizing eyes, and offered me a warm smile. “Are you okay?”I nodded, apparently unable right now to do much else other than to admire the she-wolf I had been blessed with for a mate. Her honey toned hair was in a sleek bob, cut off at her shoulders. She was dressed in the cutest little combination of a simple black, fitted pencil skirt and a pale pink tank top. And those damn perfect silvery gray eyes were almost magnetic, because they sure kept attracting my gaze…“Luca
That smell was divine, and I knew in that instant what it meant. All thought of my drink being spiked were gone. The weirdness of my wolf made sense. My mate was here and I had to find her, but then an unease settled over me as I recalled my brother saying he had felt the exact same way and panic settled too, as my eyes slowly moved back to meet his. His dark eyes mirroring my own.“What the fuck?” He questioned.“I swear to the high heavens Luca, we best not share the same mate.” I snapped. “Sharing toys and having your hand me downs was bad enough, I am damn near certain not sharing a mate!”“Erm, excuse me, do you not think I feel the exact same way?” My brother’s face screwed up in a disgust. “I shared a bed with you once on holiday because there was nowhere else to sleep, I never intend to do that again. Waking up in a pool of your pee was far from a pleasant experience.”
There were people everywhere now. Many of whom we did not even recognize. Not that it mattered, it was not down to us today to be meeting and greeting. We had done our expected bit. We had been there as family and proudly supported Kai as he was made Alpha, and now was our turn to enjoy ourselves. And enjoy ourselves we were doing. Drinks had been flowing. More than a little freely...I had lost count the number of drinks we had drunk, but that was why there was so many drinks laid out. They were there for people to help themselves to. Each time we finished a drink my brother and I replaced it swiftly with another. Rocky and I were walking over toward the table where the drinks were to grab yet another. We had spent a little time with family, a little time with friends, some time with the warriors that were currrently off duty, and now we were wandering looking for any available she-wolves to work our charms upon. There were still many hours of the celebration to enjoy, so we
It was hard to know where to look, there was so much going on. The party was in full swing now, and I think it was safe to say everyone was enjoying themselves. Aunt Lilah had outdone herself in organizing the event, as she always did. And, I knew that it was something people would be talking about for some time to come.These were the sort of events I loved to come to. Where the entire pack came together to celebrate. Although, I was doing very little celebrating... well, in the physical sense at least. Under strict instructions from the pack doctor to rest, I was sitting down with my feet up, enjoying watching people drifting by, drinks in hand. That was about as exciting as my evening was going to get. The joys of pregnancy.But, I had Dario by my side. My handsome, and ever attentive mate. Though right now his eyes were anxiously darting my way every few minutes. Ever since I had suffered unexplained pains and some light bleeding and had to be rus
I had to admit, I was more than a little surprised at the invite to attend the Alpha ceremony with Kent today, but he told me he was bored of playing third wheel to Joey and his new mate, so I guess I kind of understood that. Most of my friends had been settling down with fated mates in the last few years so I did sort of understand how he felt.Joey and Kent were some of my oldest childhood friends, and I love them dearly. Seeing Joey all loved up, was taking some getting used to, I have to admit. Both guys had always been so dedicated to their warrior training, and had never really mentioned mates. But, Angel was a sweetheart, and seeing her with Joey and you just knew they were meant for one another. They were the sweetest couple.Visiting them in River Ash for a few days had been fun, their pack is so nice, and hearing the excitement in both Joey and Kent’s voices as they talk about their new roles in pack tells me that their moves there wer
The formal part of the ceremony was over, and it had been great. I was now officially the Beta of my pack. Beta of Midnight Forest Pack. Damn, that sounded good... but, ceremony complete or not, my duties were evidently far from finished for the day. Uncle Knox had told Kai, Finn and I that it would be best for us to circulate as many of the attending guests would be wanting to meet the new leadership team, and that meant us all taking the time to chat and get to know the leaders of the other packs across the country. It was going to be a long, long day...I had already began over recent years, to begin to learn names of packs and their Alphas, Betas etc, but I did not realize just how draining having to make irrelevant conversation with somebody you don’t even know could be. Thankfully, my Dad was by my side, clearly a seasoned expert in this role, and I was taking his lead. But other than a short break to grab a beer earlier, I think I was beginning to falter. It was