“Dad!”
“Don’t ‘Dad’ me. You reek of sex, Leni. I don’t smell blood, so I’m going to assume it isn’t your first time. Is there any chance you’re pregnant? Be honest.”“No.” I say with a defiant growl.“Sass me again and it may be the last thing you do, Lenora Jane Mason.”No one calls me by my real name. Everyone calls me Leni. Dad has only used my FULL name twice in my life before. Once when I was ten and I told Bronx I hated him and once when I skipped school to go to the mall with Ashley after she got her driver’s license. I shrink back and soften my tone. “Dad, I’m not pregnant. W-we’re careful.”“I need you to be one hundred percent certain, Lenora.” He says with anger and disappointment mixed in his voice.I’m not sure what kind of answer he’s looking for more than a simple ‘no’. How detailed am I supposed to get? The more I say, the more likely he’s going to shift and go murder Marco before Bronx gets him to the packhouse. “A hundred percent certain? We use protection every time. That’s how certain I can be.”“I’ll have your mother make an appointment so the clinic can confirm.”My face flushes again. “Dad, it’s nobody’s business except Marco and mine.”“For your information, it is my business.” Dad grips a tree trunk. His wolf's claws extend into the bark, marring the wood. His voice is rough when he speaks again with Mace trying to take control. “You have no clue what goes on behind the scenes, Leni. Especially for Marco Sanchez and his family.”“I know you work hard, and when Bronx gets home, you’ll be able to retire. If he gets himself killed, I’ll take over. That’s the plan, right?” I pause. “Wait. Did you say Marco and his family?”Dad drops his shoulders and gives a dry laugh over his shoulder. “Marco's parents are from a small pack. Did you know that? They only had sixty pack members before the war started.”“Okay? And?” I shake my head, confused.“The Elder Council ordered every pack to send ten percent of their members to serve in the war. Hidden Glen argued about sending six wolves. The Council punished them and ordered them to send ten instead. They’ve sent nine so far. All of them died. Three women, six men. Marco’s uncle and cousin were both killed in a werebear attack six months ago.”“H-he didn’t tell me that.” “Why do you think that is?”“I don’t know.” I wrap my arms around myself.Marco and I tell each other everything. Why didn't he tell me about this?“Marco's uncle was Hidden Glen's Alpha. His cousin was Alpha Scion. Their Beta died two years ago, but they are so small, they didn't need a Beta anyways. Marco’s brothers don’t have Alpha blood. Javier is too old to go back and take over the pack. Marco is the only other werewolf in his father’s lineage with Alpha Blood.”“What?” My brain tries to catch up. “D-does Marco know?”“Yes, and he doesn’t want to be the Alpha of Hidden Glen when he gets back. Blood River is his home. I spent four months calling in favors and pulling strings to keep him here.” Dad sighs heavily. “Marco is serving in the war on behalf of Hidden Glen so they can meet the Council’s quota. In exchange, the Council is going to help them find a new Alph-”“O-okay, so he gets to come home. That’s all that matters.”“One mouth, two ears. Shut up and listen.” He gives me a dangerous glare. I press my lips together and avert my eyes. “Because of the deal, Blood River is one warrior short of our quota. Bronx is going back in my place. We don’t have enough trained warriors to send anyone else, and Bronx refuses to let me go. Milo and Reggie are going to protect him.” I put my fingers over my mouth. Words try to form, but they come out as random sounds. Bronx is going back for Dad? Of course Milo and Reggie Slater are going. They are Beta Scion and Gamma Scion. They would do anything for Bronx. All this is because of Marco?“There are Elder Council members who don’t want Blood River to succeed, Leni. What we’ve created here goes against everything the werewolf community has ever known. Some of those crusty ass old men think it’s dangerous to pay an omega for working. Imagine the audacity when your mother and I started paying them above minimum wage with free housing. They want to disrupt the progress we have made, and I will fight tooth and claw to prove them all wrong.”“Send me instead of Bronx.” I cry out. “I can fight for Blood River, Dad. Let Bronx become Alpha now like he’s supposed to.”“Too many wheels are in motion, Leni.” Dad holds his hand up and continues. “But what do you think would happen if Hidden Glen found out Marco had a pup? Especially if its mother is the daughter of an Alpha Regent? You think they would wait for genetics testing to see if it is a boy with Alpha blood? Of course not. They would say I tried to doublecross them. They would demand Marco come back and bring his pup with him to secure their future.”I look up and gasp. Why would he have put his future at risk? He must not have considered us having a pup was even an option. I didn’t… until now.“I would have to go to Hidden Glen to be Luna.” I murmur. “Leave my pack?”I can’t leave. Can I? Under the blanket, I cover my stomach with my hands. Have Marco and I been careful enough?“Yeah. Leni, I won’t stand here and pretend things are perfect with our pack, but not every pack is as democratic as Blood River. Your mother and I have worked our asses off to make this place fair for all our pack members. Places like Hidden Glen… they don’t. The Sanchez family could only leave because Javier was the Alpha’s brother and there wasn’t a ranked position for him. Their Luna does as much manual labor as any of their omegas. They don’t have enough wolves in their pack for ranked members to have any special privileges. Shit. They don’t have enough members to have more than a rundown packhouse and a few outbuildings.”Dad looks defeated. He paces a few steps and kicks some pebbles with his bare toes before he continues.
“If you have Marco’s child, you would no longer be in line to become Luna Regent of Blood River. There would be nothing I could do about it. You would have to leave and take over as Luna of Hidden Glen right away. Once you’re there, hope Marco makes it home. Otherwise, you would be on your own until your pup is old enough to take over. We wouldn’t have a Luna until Bronx finds his mate. If Bronx dies, Milo and his mate would ascend to Alpha and Luna.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” My voice hitches. Why am I crying? When did I start to cry?“Shit, Leni. Wait for your fated mate. I’m pretty sure your mother and I have told you at least ten thousand times. Maybe it should have been ten thousand and one. Adult games lead to adult consequences. We trusted you to be responsible… to respect the Moon Goddess’s will.”I look away from his disappointed expression. “Why didn’t Marco tell me?”“Marco doesn’t want people to know he’s an Alpha. You know how shy he is. Bronx, Milo, Reggie, your mother, me, and his parents are the only ones who know. And now you. If I catch wind that ANYONE else finds out, I’m coming for your ass. I won’t apologize for trying to protect any members of my pack, even if it’s from my own daughter. Got it?”“Yes, Sir.” I use the corner of the blanket to wipe tears away. “So you’re not going to kill him?”“Oh, don’t worry. He’ll get more than a piece of my mind.” Dad rubs the scruff of his chin. “He might wish I killed him.”I try to breathe, but my lungs won’t cooperate. “What about me?”“You? Oh, you’re grounded, young lady. Indefinitely. I don’t care how old you are.” He glares at me. “Bronx will escort you to the Mating Gathering. If you find your mate, we need to explain the situation to him and hope he won’t reject you. Most male wolves don’t want to come between another wolf and their offspring. Aside from that, as long as your mate isn’t some sort of raging maniac, if you DARE reject him, you’re going to answer to me. Your wolves will get to spend a couple of chaperoned hours together, then Saint will bring your wolf home.”Regret settles in my gut. It never crossed my mind that my mate could reject me.“If you don’t find your mate, you shift like you’re supposed to, get your wolf’s photo taken, shift back, and Bronx brings you home. Period. End of story. You keep your ass in your bedroom until your mother takes you to the clinic for a pregnancy test. After that, you and, Goddess willing, Bronx’s mate’s full-time job will be to take Luna Regent lessons from your mother. Step one toe out of line, and those lessons will be from the inside of a dungeon cell. When your brother gets home, he can decide what to do with you.”“Can I at least say goodbye to Marco?”“Have you lost your fucking mind, Leni?” The growl in his voice rumbles the ground.“Mom says the answer is always no until you ask.”“You didn’t need to ask. The answer is a resounding FUCK no.” Dad snatches me up by the armpit. “Get in the damn truck.”“Leni? It’s Ashley. Can I come in?” The soft knock on my bedroom door is unwelcome. Ashley isn’t the one I’m angry at, though. I roll over, staring at the door. Should I answer her? I guess I should. She knows I’m in here. “Come on, nerd. I brought you luu-unnnch… it’s a ham sandwich with diii-jjjoooon… on a crois-aaannnt.” Her voice gets higher pitched with a sing-song tone. “Carly snagged some jalapeno kettle chips, tooooo!” I can’t help but smile. Ashley loves making people happy. Of course, she would bring my favorite food. The fact that she got our friend Carly involved makes it that much more her style. “Come in, Ash.” I sit up and rub my eyes. They still feel puffy. My nose is completely stuffed and my throat is raw. Mom didn’t say a word to me when Dad dragged me into the apartment. She just stood by my bedroom with her arms crossed, glaring at me until I closed the door. She and Dad had a hushed conversation about what happened, and he left again. I didn’t really sleep a
— Flashback— “All of our intel shows they’re gathering traction with the propaganda they are feeding the locals in Eastern European villages. Larger packs are being influenced as well. We have to act now or war is imminent.” Daddy walks back and forth. He sounds angry. “Mama, why’s Daddy mad?” I pull on her shirt, but she doesn’t look at me. “Mike, you sent for the kids?” Mama interrupts him. He stops talking and gives Mama lovey dovey eyes. That’s what my big brother calls it. I bet if those old men weren’t here, Daddy would give Mama a big kiss. Then Bronx and I would say EEEWWWW! Then Daddy’s wolf would chase us away. “Gentlemen, you all know my Luna Regent, Sandy. Most of you have met my son Bronx, but only a few have met my daughter Lenora.” Daddy picks me up and kisses my cheek. I try to show him the picture I drawed of me and Mace, but he doesn’t look. “Say hello to the Elder Council, my sweet girl.” “Daddy! Loooook!” I hold my picture up higher. I don’t want to say hell
“Leni, time to wake up.” Mom rubs circles on my back through the covers. “Happy birthday, honey. I didn’t get to speak to you last night before Saint took you home. How do you feel?” “Sore.” I groan into my pillow. “That can happen after your first shift.” She tugs playfully on my ponytail. I hate when she tries to pretend everything is hunky dory when it’s not. She and Dad always preach telling the truth, but the last couple of days have shown me they hide the truth more than anyone I know. “Your wolf will heal you. I saw how beautiful her white and tan coat was when you shifted. What’s her name?” “Her name is Justice.” I lift my head and squint in the bright room. “What about my back?” “Ahh, what a wonderful name.” Mom quips, then pauses. “What about your back? What happened?” “Bronx pushed me and I hurt my tailbone yesterday. It still hurts.” “Well, I’m sure whatever happened with your brother was an accident.” She dismisses the incident. “It doesn’t matter if it was an ac
Milo’s eyes flash to black and Ghost growls dangerously. “Mate.” I suddenly feel like prey. I take a slow step back from the menacing wolf. Can I get in my room fast enough to close the door? As if he was reading my mind, he grabs my arm and yanks me to his chest. His razor-sharp claws grow out of Milo’s fingernails and dig painfully into my arm. He buries his nose into the crook of my neck, breathing in my scent. My feet are glued to the spot, but I want to run away. At the same time, I feel like I want to stay here with him. I want to be closer to him. What am I talking about? Marco Sanchez is supposed to be my mate. I hate Milo Stone and he's currently assaulting me! “MILO, STOP!” I cry out and push on his chest. “LET ME GO!” “Mmm.” Justice coos. “He’s so romantic.” “Justice, it’s not ROMANTIC! He’s ATTACKING ME! Do something!” I scream at her. “Say ‘mate’. He’ll calm down.” She muses, as if she is completely unaware that blood is pouring out of my arm. “You need to acc
Mom helps me into my room and lays me on my bed. I don’t think I could manage to do anything else, even if they ordered me to.I hear the howls of the pack saluting the warriors as they leave. I try to howl with them, but I can’t stop crying. I clutch my aching heart and whisper a prayer to the Moon Goddess to forgive me and to send my mate back safely.Ashley appears in front of my face. She’s even more of a mess than she was earlier.I lift the covers and she joins me, back in the faux safety of my duvet fortress. Justice and Zinnia sulk along with us. We stop pretending like we’re going to be okay and cry ourselves to sleep. Everyone leaves us alone. Someone knocks on the door around dinnertime. They slide a tray of food into the room, but don’t come inside. Ashley crawls out of bed and takes a few bites, then abandons it. She comes back to bed so we can console each other until we cry ourselves back to sleep.Justice wakes me up when Dad comes in the middle of the night. He kisses
“Lenora, this brownie is delicious. Are you sure you don’t want a bite?” Ashley mumbles with her mouth still full.“Bitch, you’re worried about a brownie right now?” I push open the garage access door. “I’m wondering how we’re going to figure out where Milo’s car is?”I have no clue where to begin because the pack garage is massive. Three levels are the entire footprint of the packhouse.“You mean YOUR car? He gave it to you as a gift.” She slows down and looks up and down the aisles. “What would he have bought you for your birthday if you weren’t mates?”“He wouldn’t have got me anything. I don’t think he even knows when my birthday is.” I shrug. “Before today, I’m sure I was just Bronx’s little sister. I’ve only ever thought of him as Bronx’s obnoxious friend.”“Let’s seeeee…” Ashley turns in a circle while she walks. “His parents are Betas, so it makes sense for it to be on the first floor? The second floor only has pack fleet cars. Then again, he was away for six months and he’s al
“ASHLEY! Hold on!” I grip the wheel tighter and swerve into the wrong lane to avoid the collision. There’s too much traffic. A minivan is going to hit us head on. I jerk back too soon. The front corner of the third police car hits Ashley’s door. Her window shatters into a million pieces. She screams and puts her arms up to protect her head. We bounce off the front of the cruiser and hit the side of the minivan. “Don’t stop, Lenora!” Justice commands. “Keep going!” I press my back into the seat and turn the wheel until I’m able to straighten out the car. When I have control again, I look in the rearview mirror. The two police cars that were chasing us are still close behind me. “Shit shit shit!” I look forward, focusing on not hitting any more cars. “Ashley, are you okay?” “I think so?” She looks up with blood trickling down her face. “Lenora? What happened? Are you okay?” Dad asks. “Dad, another police car just hit us! And I-I hit a car. I don’t know if they’re okay. What shou
Milo’s POV“Hey Sanchez, got a minute?”“Yes, Beta?”“Nah, bro. I don’t want it to be like that for the next nine months. We’re all the same here. No pack ranks or any of that bullshit.”“Alright. Qué pasa, Milo?”“I-I wanted to say I hope there are no hard feelings over Leni.” Why is this difficult? I was sure of what to say five minutes ago. “Obviously, no one planned it to be like this.”“No hard feelin’s.” Marco tries to smile. He can’t hide his disappointment, though. “Just make me a promise?”“Okay?”“Make her feel special, like every day, all the time.” He looks at Bronx, receiving orders, and motions with his chin. “Everyone gets worked up over what he’s got goin’ on. They forget her. She says it’s fine and it don’t bother her. It’s bullshit. She don’t like opening up to people. She’ll tell ya it’s cause she likes privacy. That’s bullshit too. Trusting people ain’t her thing. She thinks people use her to get to Bronx. She’d rather be alone than used.”“Bro, yeah. Of course I c
Lenora’s POV“You see?” Musu puts her hands on her knees and pants. “A few hard workouts every week are all you need. No?”I lower myself to the floor with a groan and roll onto my back. “I don’t know about that, but I’m definitely too tired to worry anymore. I guess now that my back doesn’t hurt, I have to make up for lost time.”It’s been over a month since I tried to explain to Milo why Randall criticizing me was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Between Justice trying to stop me and Ghost… Well, I don’t know if Ghost was trying to protect our secret from Milo or if he truly doesn’t understand the gravity of the continuation of my life, but I failed miserably at trying to explain. Justice has even resorted to ignoring me unless she absolutely has to engage with me.When I got back from checking on Musu, Milo began to treat me differently. It’s like he was actually noticing me for the first time in a long time. He has been extra sweet and thoughtful. More than usual, I mean. He
Milo’s POV“I expect better from you, Bronx.” I let Ghost snarl at him. “Fuck off.” He murmurs with glazed eyes from the gurney.I don’t care that we had to drag him down to the hospital wing to be sedated. He’s gonna get an earful from me. He hasn’t been taking care of himself. He’s gotten angry with MasonCo employees for no reason and handing down unnecessary write ups to directors for various departments in the pack. The past few weeks, he has been more and more irritable. I know for a fact he’s been making excuses and dodging his therapy appointments. I bet he hasn’t been taking his medications either.He even left Codi’s birthday party early when his mom mentioned she was looking forward to Bronx and Kas giving Codi cousins to be best friends with. Kas laughed it off about it not being the right time for them to start a family because Bronx is so busy he couldn’t even stay for the entire party, but you could see how much it upset her that he walked out. I’ve also seen him brush
“As you know, the Goddess Project is funded with Council historical research funds and a MasonCo private client project. From a business aspect, what we have found so far, we consider a success. From a personal aspect, I cannot begin to express my disappointment in what we have found.” Bronx lowers his chin and looks around the room.“Disappointment?” Elder Karthik picks up his folder. “What do you mean?”“When you see the footage, you’ll understand.” I make eye contact with as many Elders that will look at me. I make a mental note that the ones who won’t make eye contact also happen to be on one of Randall’s ledgers.“We’ve included dossiers on the women we have confirmed in your folders. The details that we cannot confirm are from new individuals or the women we have found already are on a separate punch list. We are working on either matching them up to one of our suspects or identifying a new one.” Bronx looks around the room at the Council and motions to Elder Henri. “My Betas an
Lenora’s POV“Milo, get the camera!” I gasp. “Hurry! Come on, Codi. You can do it, my big girl!”“Mamamama mmmama!” She squeals and lets go of the side of the sofa.I want to reach out and grab her before she falls, but her pediatrician says to let her try to do things on her own.Doctor Berra told me she understands why it’s so hard to let our children become independent, but I don’t think she understands at all. She says bumps and bruises are a part of our pups growing up. I thought I wouldn’t be around to kiss every one of them.Ghost, Justice, and I are the only ones who know that I shouldn’t even be here to watch my baby girl wobbling next to the coffee table. He doesn’t seem to understand the significance of my presence after her birth, though. He’s just grateful that I didn’t die. I’m not supposed to be alive to watch her gripping onto the tiger rattle and flailing her arms with a huge smile while her daddy cheers her on as she takes her first step… and her next… and her next…
Musu’s POV“If you have photos or videos-” I tap my fingers on the keyboard.His muffled voice sounds like he’s speaking to someone else.“Ilya, I will hang up and remove you from my call list if you don’t take this seriously.”“My apologies, Miss Goba.” His gruff voice is thick with phlegm. The sound of it makes my stomach churn. “I just got another tip for you.”I roll my eyes in frustration. I hate this part of my job. Greedy, underhanded, low life creatures. That’s who I have to work with to get what I need. I suppose it could be because he’s part warthog, but I believe it is more because he’s a chauvinist pig. If Marco ever found out the things Ilya had proposed to me, he would find himself squealing, not me. That much I am certain of.“This man is a fraud, Musu.” My wolf Mercy is ready to hang up. “Move on.”“I need to know you are good for the money.” Ilya snorts.“I’m done with these games, Ilya. You already know my employer has deep pockets for useful information.” I let my a
Kas turns on the nightstand lights in my bedroom and turns off the overhead light while I wait impatiently for her to be ready. Her movements remind me of a bird who can’t decide which branch to sit on. When the lighting is just right, she looks around the room and breathes a sigh of relief.“Okay, Lenora. I’m just going to place one hand by your tailbone and the other on the middle of your back. All you need to do is close your eyes and clear your mind.” She smiles at me with shining violet eyes as she mimics the placement of her hands in the air. “It won’t take long. Fifteen minutes tops.”I take a deep breath and shake my hands out. “Okay. So, just sit cross-legged on the floor?”“If that’s the most comfortable position for you. I just need to put my hands on your back.” Kas gently pulls me down. “This won’t be like when I helped you and Codi. It should feel… relaxing. Some people say they feel a warmth spread out from my hands, so that’s not unusual, but if you feel any pain say s
“Oh! That must be my mom. She’s bringing snacks.” Carly hops up to open the door.I roll my eyes, but deep down I appreciate the effort she’s put into making me feel comfortable while Milo is out of town. I groan as I stand up, feeling the strain on my lower back. Justice slipped when we were conducting perimeter inspections earlier in the day. Even with as fast as she can heal me, aggravating the old injury takes longer for the pain to subside.“Sorry, child.” Justice frowns. “I should have been more careful.”“It’s alright, Justice. Neither of us could have known how easily that bit of river bank would give way.” I secure Codi in her bouncy chair and let her kick her legs happily so I can greet people.“Hello Beta!” Mrs. Miller comes in with one of her employees, carrying several giant platters covered with lids. “I put a little of everything for you ladies. Hot wings, salami, cheese, crackers, fruit and dip, chips, salsa, guacamole… Oh, popcorn. Extra butter, salt, and garlic. Just
“I think I cracked it, Sugar!” Milo bursts into my office with his arms raised in victory.Musu turns to look at him and tilts her head. “Good morning, Beta.”“Oh. Sorry.” He drops his arms. “I didn’t realize you ladies were meeting right now.”“It’s alright, Milo. We were just talking about Paars. Musu is going to look through Bronx’s library and see if she can find anything helpful.”“Look for Paars in the history books?” He stops short and tilts his head. “You think she has something to do with the Menae?”“I think a female wolf who makes people sick just by being around them is something to consider. Oh, Alpha Lowe left me a voicemail. She skipped town like she said she would. Gone with the wind.” I sit back in my seat and fold my arms over myself. Having to keep everything Justice has told me a secret is so frustrating. “Musu, I think we’re done for the day. If you come up with anything, please let me know.”“Of course, Beta.” She stands and bows. “Beta Milo, it was good to see y
“Hi Alpha Lowe!” I wave to him from under the beach umbrella.“Beta Lenora!” He waves and makes his way across the pebble beach.“Please sit with us.” I motion to the spot next to me in the shade.He lowers himself to the ground with a groan and props his arms on his knees. “Beta Milo is at my sister-in-law’s house looking around Brianna’s room now. It was making me too nervous. I had to show myself out.”“Yeah. A lot of our clients feel that way. It’s a necessary intrusion, unfortunately.” I frown. “We’re going to do everything we can to find her. I can’t think of better trackers than Milo and our Gamma Reggie. We’ll find her. We’ll bring her home to you.”“Thank you.” He looks out into the calm ocean. “She has the most beautiful blue eyes. They’re so full of hope and innocence and her smile lights up the room. It’s been so hard on everyone to not know what happened to her.”I nod silently and look out into the distance with him. “Alpha, are you aware of my past with Elder Randall?”