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Chapter 48
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2023-08-02 04:41:34
Bab terkait
A Time for Strength Chapter 49
Milo’s POV—Flashback—One day, I wanna own a flower shop so I can give Mom flowers all the time. Fancy ones like Dad gets for her. I’m only ten, though. I gotta be older and have money for that, though. It only takes twenty minutes to get to the top of the mountain where the meadow is. I’ll get her flowers from there for now.Today is like a movie. The sky is so blue, and the air is like… it’s like when the teacher lets us go outside for recess. Like that. Oh waaaooooowwww!!! Check it out! The meadow is so pretty! There're red flowers and yellow and orange, purple and pink too. There are, like, millions of them! And a girl? I squint my eyes. Yeah. A girl, sitting in the middle of the field. I sniff the air. I can’t tell what she smells like.“Hello?” I yell at her. Her hair looks more red when the sun shines on it. She has blue eyes and as many freckles as the meadow has flowers. Her nose is kinda pointy and her mouth is dirty from eating wild berries. At first, she looks happy, bu
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-08-03A Time for Strength Chapter 50
“Ryuu, thank you for coming.” I shake his hand. “Thank you for honor to Dina-chan.” He bows to me.Lenora steps forward and hands him a bouquet of white and yellow chrysanthemums. “Ryuu, we have ordered a headstone, but we need to wait until the ground has settled for six months before we place it. In the meantime, we have a bronze placard with her name and birthdate being made. We’ll place that until we can install the headstone. It’s our tradition to not include the day she died, because we believe her spirit’s journey will continue. If that’s okay with you.”“Yes, thank you.” He takes the flowers and bows again. “I speak about her?”“You mean during the service?” Lenora smiles sympathetically. “Oh yes, absolutely. We would be honored if you would join us for dinner as well.”When we have the details of his visit solidified, we walk quietly and meet Bronx, Reggie, and the rest of the unit near Dina’s grave. The closer we get, the more difficult it is to breathe. Lenora takes my han
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-08-05A Time for Strength Chapter 51
Lenora’s POV“Miss Mason, welcome to MasonCo HQ. I’m Sonja. It’s so nice to meet you!” The bubbly receptionist comes around from behind her desk to greet me. “We are so excited to hear that we’ll be seeing more of you around here! I’m going to show you and your assistants around. This is Hana and James, I take it?”“Thank you.” I swallow back my jitters. “Yes, will they have their own offices?”“We have a bullpen situation for them outside your office, but we can get them their own if you’d like, Miss Mason.” Sonja looks worried.“No, that’s not necessary.” James gives her a charming smile. “As long as we are situated close to Miss Mason, in case she needs us.”It feels like the first day of school, except I don’t know anyone. That isn’t really true. Over two hundred pack members are employed by MasonCo. The rest of the employees are human. Yeah, I go to human places, but I don’t interact with many humans on a regular basis. I guess that changes now that I’m going into the office. Hon
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-08-06A Time for Strength Chapter 52
“Luna, you have no idea how much this opportunity means to my mate and me.” Sondi gushes as she collects her things to leave. “The Alpha and Luna from our old pack would have never trusted me to do something like this. Scott works in the hospital wing as a medic now, since there are no surgery positions open. We could really use the money to help bring our daughter here.”I feel my brow furrow. She’s separated from her child. Dad wouldn’t help them transfer their pup when he let them become pack members? That makes no sense.“Oh, you’re from another pack? Is your daughter with family back home?” I ask as I lead her toward the door. “What made you come to Blood River? The war?”“Oh, no. Our former Alpha, um, he sort of-” “Luna, security sensors are going off in several places in the building.” James bursts in. “Don’t leave your office. Lock the door. We’re going to check it out. Mrs. Eklund, you too. We’re on lockdown until we clear the building.”“We won’t go anywhere.” I take Sondi
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-08-08A Time for Strength Chapter 53
Tyree’s POV “Tyree! You’re gonna be late for your first day of work!” Mama hollers, then mumbles under her breath. “I can’t believe I’m yelling at a grown ass man.” “I won’t be late, Ma.” I call back. “I’ll be right down!” “Dude, come on. You wanna eat a cold breakfast? No one wants cold bacon.” My wolf, Slayer, begs me to hurry. I check myself in the mirror again and test out a polite fake smile. Bronx told me what Randall called me. It’s not the first time someone has called me that. I’m sure it won’t be the last. Lucky for me, I live in a pack that doesn’t tolerate that shit. Over at Silver Moon, if you’re fated to a mate who ain’t white, they make you leave. They don’t want no one mixing salt into their pepper shaker. Yeah. It’s like that. “If at any point you’re uncomfortable, give the word. I'll get the Council in here to get his nasty ass off of my pack territory forever.” That’s what Leni told me. Wait, she doesn’t like to be called Leni anymore. Lenora. That’s gonna ta
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-08-09A Time for Strength Chapter 54
Bronx’s POV“So… I can go wherever I want?” My heart feels like it might explode. “Well, to an extent. You still need to check into the Behavioral Health ward by ten p.m. every evening.” Doctor Tanaka writes in her folder. “I think we’ve done as much as we can on our own. We need to ease you back into pack life. We’ll meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, instead of Mondays and Thursdays to see how you’re adjusting. I know structure makes things easier for you, so I’d like you to find two volunteer opportunities around the pack to get you used to being around civilians again.”“Around civilians?” Saint sounds confused. “Lame. Unless our mate is a civilian. Cause if she is, game on.”“Saint, we talked about this. Being an Alpha means we’re responsible for a lot of wolves. It’s not just about being a warrior and finding our mate.”“Okay, but we still haven’t found her, so looking for her comes before other werewolves.” He argues. “Time’s a tickin’, motherfucker.”“Does Saint have some
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-08-11A Time for Strength Chapter 55
“Anything else I can help with?” I brush my hands on my pants and look around at the classroom.“I think that will do it for now, Alpha.” Mrs. Khan looks around, satisfied with the way her room looks. “Now Loretta and I can focus on making lesson plans for the first marking period.”“Glad I can help. I'll stop by next Tuesday to read to the class.” “Don’t be surprised if other teachers ask you to help during reading time when they find out you're doing it for us.” Mrs. Khan winks at me.“Alpha, can I have a word before you go?” Loretta takes a step forward. There’s a look of concern on her face.“Of course.” I wave her toward the door. “Let’s walk and talk, if Mrs. Khan is okay with you taking a break.”“Oh, yes, that’s fine with me. We’re way ahead of schedule now.” Mrs. Khan waves her hands. “Please, Loretta. Take as much time as you need.”I hold the door for Tyree’s mom and close it behind me. “What’s on your mind, Loretta?”“Alpha, first, I don’t know how to show you my apprecia
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-08-12A Time for Strength Chapter 56
Saint presses the wood deeper into the impostor’s neck, creating a thin red line of blood along the sharp broken edge. Half an inch and we could completely sever the artery. No one could save this bitch. I can’t let him kill her yet. She fucking deserves it, but we need to know what she did with Reggie and Minnie. We can make her life a living Hell until then. “Where is Reggie?” Saint’s lip curls in anger. I can feel his composure disintegrating. He wants the kill as badly as I do. The sooner she confesses, the sooner we can bleed her dry. “And what did you do with Minnie, you bitch?” “Saint, let me talk to Bronx. Please. Please, I’m not a witch or any other sort of shapeshifter other than a werewolf. And I don’t know where Minnie is, but I wish I fucking did, because she’s probably the only one who could talk sense into you right now.” The fake Reggie’s eyes squeeze shut. He tries to swallow, but the added pressure causes the skin to rip further open on the sharp wood. Bright red b
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2023-08-13
Bab terbaru
A Time for Strength Chapter 162
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
A Time for Strength Chapter 161
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
A Time for Strength Chapter 160
“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
A Time for Strength Chapter 159
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…
A Time for Strength Chapter 158
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
A Time for Strength Chapter 157
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
A Time for Strength Chapter 156
“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
A Time for Strength Chapter 155
“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
A Time for Strength Chapter 154
“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?”
