I stand on the front steps of the packhouse and look out at my pack. Everyone is staring back at me. The energy in the air is palpable. I take a deep breath in. Everyone’s scents combined creates a sweet, mellow taste on my tongue that I’ve never noticed before.“Justice, what do I say?” I swallow back the panic building in my chest.“Inspire them.” Her confidence flows through me. “Give them courage.”“Alright, everyone. Remember the basics. Shifters who share a body with an animal spirit have reflexes that make them faster. Werewolves, werebears, weretigers. Don’t forget werefoxes. They may look like children, but they are most definitely NOT little kids. They are twice as fast and just as vicious as any other shifter. Witches, vampires, and dragons are morphers; they only have one consciousness. There may be a first wave of vampires at nightfall. Don’t look them in the eyes. Don’t give witches time to finish a spell. And dragons can breathe fire even if they are in human form. Oh,
“Maris, Tyree, where is Elder Randall? Our unit needs to get in position.”Maris comes through the mindlink. “He will be down in a moment, Luna. He asked me to take him to the hospital wing first so he can make sure the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma are not interfering with pack operations.”“Oh, for fuck's sake.” I drop my arms to my sides. “Alright. We’re going to go. James will hang back and escort him when you get him downstairs. Tyree, you’re standing guard at his suite?”“Yes, Luna.” He says. “I’m going to help Maris clean his quarters as soon as she comes back. From what I can see, he trashed the room.”“Trashed it?” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “You’re joking?”“I wish I was. I assume there’s something he wants to hide, but can’t. He doesn’t have time to get rid of… whatever it is, so he created a diversion.”“Got it.” I purse my lips in frustration. “Well, I know we’ve got the right people on the job.”I cut the mindlink and curse under my breath. It is becoming more and more diff
“Lenora, pull it in!” Justice demands. “You cannot let the death of one Omega be your undoing. Harness your emotions right now!”I’m short of breath even though I’m sitting still. Justice is pulling on my spirit, trying to pull me back. I look around at the people tending to me. Their wolves have taken control. Low growls of anger rumble the truck. I close my eyes and focus before they all lose control and their wolves go feral. As my anger gets swallowed down, the growls around me fade. When I look at everyone again, their human spirits are in control, but they look like they’re ready to fight an army of rogues. “That, Justice.” My eyes dart from James to Hana. “How do I harness that? How do I keep them angry, but in control at the same time?”Justice bristles. “Having control of others is dangerous, Lenora. It’s intoxicating and addicting. Let them choose, child. Let your actions make their loyalty to you their choice.”I don’t understand her lecture, but it doesn’t matter. Reaper
Mike Mason’s POV— Flashback —“Look, Bronx, this is your baby sister, Lenora.” I stroke his dark hair out of his eyes and sit next to Sandy. “What do you think?”I observe him to see what his reaction is to our precious new pup. Bronx does what he always does. He takes his time to assess the situation, then looks at his mother for reassurance. They have the same green eyes, Sandy and Bronx. He always has something deeper in them, like his mind is always churning. He just turned four, but his eyes are so serious. Smiling doesn’t seem to come naturally to him. It took a while for us to get used to it.“Baby?” Bronx looks into the blanket and frowns. “How?”“How?” Sandy chuckles and leans back on the pillows. “The Moon Goddess sent her to us so we could be her Mommy and Daddy and so tou could be her big brother. Remember we told you she was in my belly? That’s why it was so big. The doctor helped me get her out when there was no more room in there for her.”“Baby eat my sammich?”“No,
Lenora’s POVHana points to a light growing brighter in the distance. It must be Sin’s portal. The smell of ozone is heavy in the air. We just need confirmation it was him and not another creature.“Luna, Sin is inside pack territory. He can’t portal out.” Dad’s voice fills my mind. “Be on the lookout. We’re going to press forward. If we don’t cross paths, we’ll meet you at the packhouse.”“Thanks, Dad. We see the light from his exit point. Be safe.”“You too, sweetie.” He quickly cuts the link.Hana motions to Scorch so he will move toward the portal, then drops out of the tree. I watch while she does a quick sweep. She silently signals me it’s safe, giving me the permission to drop as well. Justice stays close to the front of my mind, but remains silent.It’s dark in the cover of the trees, but it doesn’t matter. Justice’s wolf senses are all heightened. We stalk forward following Scorch’s scent deep into the woods, ducking under branches instead of touching them, and trying to step
“Surrender?” His posture relaxes. “Why on Gaia’s green Earth would I do that? Silly child. Between this conquest and the army I’ve already amassed, no one will stop me. The Council has no war to fight after tonight.”“You won’t take Blood River.” I snarl, feeling the hairs on my arms stand on end.“Who’s going to stop me? You?” He holds his hands out to the side and shrugs. “I’ve already taken out your brother and your parents are about to die along with their little band of hopeful hearts. And you’re next.”“Do you understand how many of our kind have died because of your insane cause?” I plant my feet into the ground ready to swing at him. I imagine Bronx’s voice barking in my head to have patience. Reaper should be here any moment. “Exposing ourselves to humans? That would cause mass extinctions.”“The Council is wrong. They’ve brainwashed you, Lenora. We can live in the sunlight. Shifters can dominate over humans.” There’s a dangerous glint in his eye. “We are apex predators. We c
I grip my fingers into Reaper’s fur with one hand and pull myself onto his back. Pain sears through my shoulder, making me groan. He whimpers at the sound, worried about his Luna, then lets out three quick howls to let others know where we are.“I’ll be okay, Reaper.” I grimace. “Justice will have it healed by the time we get to the packhouse.”The sound of paws surrounds us as guards and warriors find our location. Mace steps forward and nuzzles my cheek while Mom shifts back to human form. His silent whine is a foreign sound. Mace doesn’t whine about anything.“Leni!” Mom runs over and places her hands on me gingerly. “Look at me, Honey.”When I look at her, I see double. Behind her, other guards and warriors have shifted into human form. They are standing over Sin’s body, confused about his appearance.“It was all a glamor.” I feel my words slur. “Just a fucking disguise.”“Luna Lenora killed Sin!” Someone cheers. “We’ve won!” “We need to get you back to the packhouse for medical
“We killed so many werewolves, Bronx.” I cry into his shirt. “It’s not supposed to be like this. You should never have to kill your own kind.”“Lenora,” he puts a finger under my chin and lifts my head, “nothing about war is easy, but it’s over now. You ended it. Sin’s creatures are scattering. Rats jumping ship. Most of them probably never wanted to be there in the first place.”“Do you think any of the witches that Mom and Dad’s unit killed were the one who attacked you?” I let him wipe away my tears.“No clue. That’s for me to worry about.” He clears his throat. “I’m sorry, but I need you to change the subject before Saint loses his shit. I understand why you can’t control your emotions right now, but he’s real mad that you’re this upset, and there’s no one here for him to take it out on.”“Um, okay. What do you want to talk about?” I wipe my tears and take a deep breath.“I have to wait for the Council’s nod before I can say I’m acting Alpha. Regardless, you’re still our Luna unti