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Chapter 55
Last Updated:
2023-08-12 23:38:01
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A 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
Last Updated : 2023-08-13A Time for Strength Chapter 57
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
Last Updated : 2023-08-15A Time for Strength Chapter 58
“Elder Randall, Luna, a treat for you.” An Omega comes into the room weighed down with another platter of snacks and flights of amber colored liquor. “We just received a delivery and wanted Elder Randall to get to try some rare bourbons before we offer them to the rest of the Council. Mrs. Miller put the brand and year for each one on the tray.”She sets the platter and long flight tray on the coffee table between Randall and me. She gives me a wink when she turns toward me to refill my wineglass. Then excuses herself from the room.“Wow, what a treat!” I feign surprise. “Elder Randall, you’re the bourbon aficionado between us. Why don’t you take the lead?”Randall’s eyes swim for a moment. He wipes his nose with his sleeve, then he picks up a glass. “Of course, Lenora. We’ll start with this one.”“He really is a vile creature, isn’t he?” Justice scoffs.“If there is a word worse than vile, he’s that word.” “A Stymphalist wandought.” She says, sounding disgusted.“Mmm, yeah… don’t ho
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I’m so stupid. Why did I have to know? Why did it matter so badly? It didn’t. I’m being jealous for no reason. It makes no sense for me to be insecure.I rub my fingers over the engagement ring on my hand. Milo has been nothing but loving since he came home. Hell. Even before then. I think about the letters locked in my desk drawer.“Hey Leni?” Bronx comes through a mindlink.“Now’s not really a good time, Bronx.” I sit on the counter and slump my shoulders.Today has been a roller coaster. I know I should have gone to the hospital wing to see him, but dealing with Randall took longer than I thought. Just another excuse. I need to suck it up and stop being selfish.“Mmm yeah. Milo was just here… umm… maybe you should go talk to him?”“Go talk to him?” I didn’t even hear him leave. “Where did he go?”I look at the clock. It’s ten-thirty at night. Milo left? The pressure of panic builds in my chest. I need him. He can’t just… go.“He said he fucked up and needed to go for a run.” Even B
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Outside the netting, I hear movements. I grip Milo a little tighter, praying he’ll wake up. Instead, he sighs contentedly and kisses my forehead. For the first time, I damn the medications that help him sleep through the night. “Justice? Can you tell what’s happening?” I try to hold still. “Can you feel it?” She whispers in my mind. “Mavri magea.” “What the Hell is mavri magea, Justice?” Every part of me wants to rip the netting off, but I stay in place like Hana warned. “Dark Magic.” She sounds like she’s in awe. “Lenora, don’t move. We're in danger.” She doesn’t come forward or help me heighten my senses. Is she enchanted? That would mean I am too, but I feel fine. “Dark magic?” I hone my focus to see if I can feel any magical effects. I can hear guard wolves in the distance growling at something and changing formation. I don’t smell any rogues. The air feels heavy and empty the way it did when the portal opened for Sin. Milo whines silently in his sleep and stretches his bod
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“Milo, it took two weeks to get this info?” I drop my forehead into my hands and look at the sheets of paper. “So you’re saying Paars and Minnie are what? Aliases?” “Hard to say.” Milo looks over my shoulder with his hands on the arms of my chair. “There’s no record of a Paars de Wees in Council archives for over a hundred fifty years. Before that, records are shoddy. There is a Wilhemina Visser, but she was born in the Netherlands over a hundred years ago in a pack called Vrede Berg. It doesn’t exist anymore. Merged with a larger pack eighty years ago. There is a record of her having a daughter, but I couldn’t find a name.” “Why would there be no registered names?” I sit back in my seat and brush my fingers on the underside of his chin, making him smile. Things have been different for us since the night in the meadow. Justice says it’s because I’ve stopped hiding and opened myself up to Milo. I mean, I’ve definitely been open to new things with him. Most of them require my legs to
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“Alright Luna, you have two calls this morning. One with a vendor for a new cafeteria food service and one with an existing client who would like to add additional services, but first there is an in person meeting with a potential client… a guy named Yee Walker. We have him in the small conference room on the third floor.” Carly hands me pages of information. “I blocked this afternoon out for uninterrupted work time.” “Uninterrupted work time?” I furrow my brow. “You’re falling behind on getting paperwork signed, but I’ll help you get organized. The digital signature system works well for pack business, so we are working with IT to integrate it for MasonCo.” “Um, shit. Okay.” I frown and look up at her. “Sorry.” “We can do a little more to help with administrative work, Luna.” Hana smiles at me sympathetically. “Thanks, Hana.” I tuck the papers into my folder. “I’m going to drop my stuff off in my office then go to the conference room.” “I’ll escort you.” James volunteers as we
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“Yeah. That’s the skin walker from the underground fight.” Reggie looks at the photos from the security video. “The audio in the file is corrupt.” James growls. “I guess if this guy is that powerful, we’re lucky to have video evidence.” “He said his name is Yee Naaldlooshii.” I pace behind the guys as the screen goes fuzzy. It clears up and Sin appears from behind the creature. “That’s not really a name. It’s the Navajo word for skin walker.” Bronx folds his arms over himself. “I guess if he’s old enough, he may not remember what his name was when he was human.” “Well, I don’t know if he’s still on Sin’s side after I called him out, but let’s assume he is.” I swallow hard. “And if that’s the case, we need to assume he is acting as Sin’s personal guard.” “If he is, then no one should try to attack Sin alone.” Hana speaks up. “A skin walker can curse the entire pack with a spell on one pack member.” “Sin told you he ain’t waiting to attack us?” Marco says, also watching the screen
Last Updated : 2023-08-22
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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
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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
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“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
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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
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“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?”
