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Chapter 49
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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“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
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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
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“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
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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
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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
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“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
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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
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Lenora’s POV “Leni, you’ve got to be joking.” Bronx looks at me in disbelief. “You can’t do that.” “I can, Bronx. I don’t want to, but I can. If we let you take the lead and there are any incidents like the one that happened in the hall today or what happened with Randall a couple weeks ago, we’re all fucked. I wouldn’t be able to stop the Council from taking over the pack.” “So, what do you want me to do? Go to therapy? Take the stupid pills?” “The only way to reverse course is if you take your mental health seriously. We have seven weeks based on Ryuu’s warning. Two weeks after that is Randall’s last bullshit visit. If Doctor Tanaka hasn’t seen you change your attitude… like genuinely want to get better, making an honest hard working effort to focus on bettering yourself, not just going through the motions, then Ashley and I take it to the Council. She and Reggie would leave after Milo’s ascension. You would remain a member of the pack, but unranked. Even then, attacking any mor
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“Good Morning, Beta.” Sondi Eklund pokes her head into my office. “Would you be able to review these retirement package updates I’m proposing to the Alpha?”I look up from my spreadsheet and try to smile at her. “Of course, Sondi. Please come in.”“I already highlighted the sections in question.” Sondi comes in with her staccato, bird-like movements. “Oh, Beta Lenora, are you ill? Forgive me if I’m overstepping, but you look exhausted.”“I’m alright, Sondi. Being a new mom is exhausting.” I’m careful not to go into too much detail. Sondi and Scott still haven’t found their daughter. I don’t want to be insensitive. I quickly change the subject. “That and I feel like I’m running in circles trying to decipher some of the information on this spreadsheet. They’re supposed to be client names, but I can’t figure out how they’re coded.”“Would you like a fresh set of eyes?” She looks eternally hopeful. “I’m happy to help.”“Um, sure.” I turn the laptop to her. “I’ll look at these updates whil
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“Kaaas?! Are you sure you and Codi will be okay?” I yell into the living room. “I can call the daycare and see if they have someone who can come up.”“No, we’re fine.” Kas’s voice sounds strangled.Milo peeks his head into the living room and pulls back quickly. He doubles over in a silent laugh, pointing to the living room. I look out to see Codi had a handful of Kas’s hair in a death grip. Kas’s mouth is open in a restrained cry of pain, trying to untangle the chubby fingers from her sparkly locks of hair. I nudge Milo who’s on the floor in tears with his hand over his mouth. “Knock it off, Milo. She’s trying her best.” I pull him off the floor. “Kas, give her the rattle that’s on the coffee table. The one that looks like a tiger's face. She’ll let go in a heartbeat.”After a pause, Kas calls back. “Oh my Goddess, it worked! Thank you!”“Okay. We won’t be gone long. Mindlink if you need ANYTHING.” I walk to the living room and kiss Codi on her chubby cheek, then kiss Kas on her for
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“And this is the Alpha’s private archival library.” I hold up a slip of paper for Musu to read. “Memorize this number. It’s your personal access code and don’t share it. Understand?”“Yes, Beta.” She stares at the paper. “I got it.”“Good.” I punch in my code and let the door slide open. I step inside, motioning for Musu to follow. She steps in and looks around in awe.“The Goddess has truly blessed our Alpha.” She takes a few more steps trying to take in the library's beauty. “I’ve never seen a private collection this large.”“Well, he’s been collecting them since he was a child, and it has proved useful.” I clasp my hands behind my back and look around, then point to a book on a pedestal covered with a glass case. The page is open to the painting of The Moon Goddess with the Menae. “This is how we found out Kas is a goddess.”Musu looks down on the image and chuckles. “Is it inappropriate to say The Moon Goddess and Endymion were more like rabbits than wolves?”Justice lets out a wh
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Lenora’s POV“Delilah, if anyone asks, your family is from France. You went to culinary school there. That’s how you met James. Bronx gifted Kas private lessons. James was a security guard for Kas while she attended the school. You’re twenty-three-”“But, no, Carly Ann Miller, I am one hundred and-”“You. Are. Twenty-THREE. Delilah.” Ashley interrupts. “No arguing.”“You expect me to just LIE?!” Delilah holds her hands to her chest and looks mortified at the thought.“Yes.” Ashley, Carly, and I all say in unison.Delilah falls back in her seat, distraught.“It’s not that we want you to be dishonest, Delilah.” Ashley softens her tone. “It’s a matter of self preservation. For all of us. You included. Whatever technique you’ve used in the past to deflect attention won’t cut it anymore. You and Kas are going to be approached by paparazzi all the time now. They need to believe you’re human. We’ve given both of you believable, respectable human profiles. The fewer people trying to dig into
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“Alright, Big Guy.” I toss the plastic gun on the arcade game. “You win. I’ll never beat you at Duck Hunt. I’m out of cash to feed the machine anyway.”“I mean, you tried. I’ll give you some props, man.” Marco blows into the barrel of the plastic gun and looks at his watch. “It’s been two hours. That’s gotta be a good sign. Right? Musu woulda called me if Lenora chased her out.”“Yeah.” I pout my lip. “No mindlinks either. Down your beer. Let’s check on them.”Marco raises his pint glass and chugs the remaining beer. “Rita! Thanks, darlin’!” I hold up more than enough cash for our tab and toss it on the table. She gives me a thumbs up from across the restaurant. “Don’t be strangers!”“Ah man, that fresh air.” Marco takes a deep breath when we step outside. “Nothing beats summer in Montana except maybe spring in the Coven’s realm.”“Did you hear that?” Ghost gasps, suddenly at attention.“Huh? Hear what?” I shorten my stride and look around.“A warbler.”“Okay… and?”“They leave afte
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There’s a quiet knock on my office door. Instinctively, I look down at Codi. She’s still fast asleep. I set down the report explaining there were absolutely zero useful bits of information on Randall’s tape recorder other than rambling about a trip to Portland to see a warehouse or something.We still haven’t been able to determine the identities of the girls in the photos other than Evie. There was no rhyme or reason to the codes associated with each one. The unusual names don’t exist anywhere either. The team is still looking into it, but I’m not very hopeful. Randall sneaks under the radar on everything.“Come in.” I say in a hoarse whisper.Milo peeks his head in with a huge smile on his face. I put a finger to my lips and point to the travel bassinet next to my desk. He tiptoes in and silently closes the door behind him.“Hey Sugar.” Milo whispers. “Is this a bad time? Are you busy?”“I always have a minute for you, Milo.” I blush when he hands me a bouquet of wildflowers. “They’
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“Tyree, have you finished the sweep of Randall’s suite?” Milo paces behind his desk.“Just about Beta.” Tyree’s voice comes through the speakerphone. “He took most of his stuff, but there were a few things left on the kitchenette counter. A folder with some paperwork, an envelope, like one of those ones you mail photos in. Ya know? Feels like there’s something inside. And a voice recorder.”“A voice recorder?” Milo asks, confused.“Yeah. I don’t want to open anything or push play in case it’s booby trapped.” Tyree replies. “Fool me once.”“Good call. Bring everything to my office.” Milo pushes his finger into the desk. “I’ll get a forensics team to take it off our hands.”“Yes, Beta.”“Don’t let anyone in that room until they get a deeper sweep.”“Yes, Beta. Marco will stand guard. I’ll be up in ten minutes.” Tyree confirms and hangs up.“Milo, what do you think he was up to?” I bounce Codi gently in my arms. It’s not because she needs it. I have too much nervous energy to hold still.
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“An apartment in Paris? Who would have ever pegged your brother as a hopeless romantic?” Mom swipes through images of the apartment Bronx bought for Kas as a wedding present. “It’s absolutely gorgeous!”“Yep. She needs to sign some paperwork, but I don’t think she understands enough about real est-” I bite my lip and point at Dad who’s making wolf faces at Codi on the other end of the sofa. Mace tests out a growl to see if it will startle her. She makes a sound that could be a growl back at him.“So sweet.” Mom places a hand on her heart. “Meeting codi is all he’s talked about since we got the news that you were pregnant. So what's next? Have you thought about a little brother for Codi, maybe?”My heart squeezes. “Justice, what do I say?”“As much of the truth as you can.” She sounds unsettled. “We don’t really know anymore. Do we?”“You know how hard it was for me to get pregnant, Mom. Let alone survive Codi’s pregnancy. We haven’t really talked about having more yet. If the Goddess
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It’s been two days. Kas has isolated herself in her apartment, still convinced that she needs to hide herself away. I brought Codi up so she could snuggle with her niece in hopes it would lift her spirits. I let her take Codi to the bedroom while I go talk to Marco.“Hey, Beta. Everything okay?” He salutes me.“She’s not handling it well. Maybe I should invite her to go to the meadow?”“I wasn’t talkin’ about the Luna.” He lowers his chin. “You been avoiding me?”I immediately feel my face flush. “Wh-what? I-”“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like that. I know you’re busy with your pup.” His tone softens. “I need to stay in my lane.”“I mean, I-I guess I kinda thought, um, your mate wouldn’t want me talking to you.” I confess. “So… yeah. I guess I have been avoiding you?”“Ah, Leni, come on. I’m fuckin with you… kinda.” He looks sheepish. “Me and Musu was talking about our ranked members. I didn’t tell her about US, but I told her you and me grew up together and that we still close frie
