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Chapter 7
Last Updated:
2023-06-27 22:17:16
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A Time for Strength Chapter 8
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
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“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
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“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
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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
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“No, Milo.” Bronx returns my mindlink. “What the fuck?” “We see how much time you spend together. She’s kinda cute, you're both single, and you two get along well.” “It’s not like that.” “So what’s it like?” “I don’t know.” He sniffs the air. “Saint says I should take care of her. I agree with him. It’s like… I-I don’t know. It just feels right. Like it’s my job or something to protect her.” “Your job?” I furrow my brow. “Bro, your job is to find Sin and fuck him up so we can go home. That’s your job. If you’re saying she’s your job, you have a thing for her. Which means she’s a distraction. Fortier needs to reassign her.” “She stays with us.” He pulls something out of his pocket. “Have you ever heard of tiger nuts?” “What the fuck is a tiger nut?” I look at the few shriveled looking bits in his palm. “Other than her knives and her handgun, this is all she brought. No photos of family or paper to write home. Nothing.” He looks at his hand. “Try one. They’re honey roasted.” I
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Lenora’s POV“There has to be more to it.” I close the binder and fold my arms over myself. “We just let the Finance department do their thing?”“Well, ranked members provide oversight. Gammas build out the budget with input from all departments. They determine all personnel needs… raises, promotions, additional staffing, finding positions for omegas. Alpha and Luna approve the budget. Then Finance ‘does their thing’.” Mom uses air quotes. “Purchase orders are for everything from greenhouse supplies to fleet vehicles. That’s how we ensure we don’t go over budget. Even the kitchens and housekeeping have budgets to follow.”“I can explain it to you more, Lenora.” Ashley pats my hand to ease the tension. “I’ve been learning a lot about it from Gamma Carol.”“Okay.” I shake my head and sigh. “I have to get going. I only have half an hour to eat and change, so Becca, Ron, and I can go to the northern border for a guard house inspection. And I have trigonometry, history, and chemistry homew
Last Updated : 2023-07-02A Time for Strength Chapter 14
Dad cuts a crescent moon shape into his palm and places it on my forehead. “Lenora Jane Mason, do you and the wolf spirit, Justice, accept the honor and privilege by your hereditary right, the title and responsibility of Luna Regent Scion of the Blood River pack? Your acceptance will remain valid until the Moon Goddess provides our Alpha Scion with his fated mate. When that time presents itself, you agree to step down from the Luna Regent position to fulfill the role of Female Beta Regent of the Blood River pack?” “With the blessings of the Moon Goddess, I do, and I will.” The spot where his hand lays is warm and tingly. Blood drips down the sides of my face. “Then as Alpha Regent of the Blood River pack, I, Michael Andres Mason and my wolf spirit, Mace, bestow these titles and responsibilities upon you.” He looks at me with pride. The blood on my face pulls itself back up, disappearing into Dad’s palm and my forehead. His hand heats up and I feel pressure as blood absorbs into my
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I hold Mom’s hand until we get into the dining room, pushing the feelings of doubt and hesitation to the deepest depths of my soul. They try to fight their way back to the surface, but Justice pushes them back for me. When we get to the double doors, I take a deep breath. Mom squeezes my hand and opens the door for me. As we pass through the room, pack members whisper and point at us. I stop at the table where Elder Randall, the Alpha and Luna of Silver Moon, and the delegation from Ruby Hills are sitting. I bow low to them and murmur a thank you for joining us for the ceremony. When we get to the head table, I gather the bottom of my dress in my hand. Mom takes my other hand and supports me while I step on a chair, then up onto the table. “Lenora, what are you doing?” Dad tries to pull me down with a hoarse whisper. I swat his hand away and clear my throat. “May I have your attention, please? Everyone!” My voice booms in a tone I’ve never heard before. It reverberates off the wa
Last Updated : 2023-07-03
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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
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?”
