I can’t catch my breath. I look at the Ikeda family. Mrs. Ikeda puts her hand over her mouth with tears in her eyes. Arnie and her husband comfort her.“Rin-” I’m going to protest her decision, but Bronx holds his hand up, hushing everyone.“Rin, I saw how scared you were of Ryuu when you came into my office and when you were in the Luna and Beta’s apartment.” Bronx bends his head down to look her in the eye. “Why would you want to go to Japan with him and your grandmother?”“When Luna Lenora comes to our class, she tells us to always be brave and stand our ground.” Rin twists her fingers. “And Sofu and Sobo Ikeda have Uncle Arnie to be with them, but Sobo Azuma only has me… and I guess Mister Ryuu now, too.”“That’s right, she does.” Milo steps forward and places his hand on my shoulder. “Is there something that scares you here at Blood River that would make you want to leave, Rin? Or maybe someone? Because if there is, we’ll take care of it right away. We won’t tell anyone you told
Milo’s POV18 Months Later“Alright, guys, no assignment this week.” Reggie announces earning a smattering of applause from the teams.“Actually…” Bronx comes in and drops a folder on the table. “Volunteer assignment through Mason, Stone, and Slater.”“Covert mission?” I grab the folder and skim through the pages. “Missing girls?”“Not just missing girls. Missing girls no one has reported missing. And from whose packs have had visits from our favorite bitch of an Elder wolf.”“How did you know they disappeared if no one reported it?” I flip the pages.“School attendance reports.” Bronx leans on the table.“Okay, so what’s the mission?” Reggie takes some pages out of my hand.“Go to Glitter and the surrounding areas. Make sure none of these girls are working in the club or turning tricks before we look further into Randall.”Reggie and I look at each other. The look in his eye is exactly how I feel. We burst into howls of laughter.“Bro, you’re fucking kidding me.” Reggie wipes tears a
“Where is she?!” Bronx yells. “I’m in the alley to the right of the building. She’s running away from me! Go to the left! Intercept her!” I sprint through the dark alley trying to catch the woman. “MINNIE! IT’S MILO! COME BACK!” The shadow turns a bend in the back of the building as it rounds the corner without looking back. “She’s behind the building! Lost eyes on her!” I call into the mindlink. As I round the corner, I run into a group of women standing on the corner of the block. Instinctively, I grab a brunette and shift my weight to break her fall before she hits the ground. I jump up and help her stand upright. “Sorry, are you okay?” “Yeah, hon.” She grins, exposing multiple missing teeth. “You looking for a date?” “Date? No. Sorry, ladies. I’m married…” I back away and turn to keep running. Bronx, Reggie, and James turn the corner on the other end of the building. What the fuck? Minnie is fast, but no one is that fast. I sniff the air. There are too many scents to focu
“YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT LOAD OF BULLSHIT, MILO?!” Leni rages, slamming her fist on her desk. “And you brought MY BROTHER with you to tell me this WHY exactly? You think it would somehow make me just… just forgive you? You didn’t even bother to come home last night! I’m just supposed to believe you were chasing someone you haven’t seen in literal YEARS down the alley of a strip club?”“Sugar, please, Iet-”“Don’t you dare ‘Sugar’ me, Milo Emory Stone.” She grabs a paperweight off her desk and points at the door with it balled in her hand. “Get the fuck out of my office. I’m locking sugar bowl the fuck up until further notice.”“Lenora, come on.” Bronx tries to defend me. “I know it sounds outlandish, but it’s true. Milo went outside to take a piss, and he called us to help track down Minnie. He wasn’t outside more than five minutes before he called us.”“BOTH OF YOU GET THE FUCK OUT!” Leni uses her Luna tone and throws the paperweight. The glass orb hits the solid oak door with
Lenora’s POVThe more I think about how badly I blew up, the more I realize Bronx is right. I was out of line and being unfair to Milo. I want to tell him how sorry I am, but he’s sleeping so peacefully. “Bronx was also right about our mate.” Justice sighs. “You need to be patient with him.”“Yeah.” I blink tears away. “You’re right. I flew off the handle. He didn’t deserve it. Neither did Bronx. Neither did that paperweight.”Bronx said Milo drank himself into oblivion before he passed out. Sure, he drinks, but not usually that heavily. I can’t believe Ghost didn’t want to go for a run before it came to that. Doctor Stanton recommended working out or going for a run when he was stressed out to burn off the extra energy. That usually helps him clear his mind and feel better. I’m such an asshole. I know he would never do anything to hurt me. Why did I lose my temper like that?“I think I’m going to ask our mate if he would be okay if I stop taking the fertility medicine, Justice.” I b
4 Months LaterI met Alpha Graham once. He was indifferent and unimpressed, but shook my hand anyway. I assumed it was because Randall had been talking shit about me. Connors’ wife though, complete ass kisser. Caroline was also insistent on introducing me to their son, Ryan, who would be their Alpha Scion when he turned seventeen, that I thought maybe she would ask if he could have an internship with the ranked members of Blood River. The kid seemed just as blase as the father. Someone you would call a wet blanket and not feel bad about it.We pull up to the Silver Moon packhouse and I curl my lip. They didn’t even send an Omega out to help us with our bags. Ashley and Reggie get out of their car and look confused as well. Marco and Arnie are our security guards for the trip. Tyree will come with Bronx tomorrow. They look around as if they must have missed a detail. Even our drivers look around, trying to figure out where they should park.“Four months of making us wait for a meeting
The girl’s bone thin hand trembles as she reaches up and slides the hat off. She clutches it in front of herself with both hands but doesn’t look up at me. Her greasy hair is in a bun on top of her head, but not tied off with an elastic. She bows her head, causing her long, greasy locks to cascade over her back and shoulders.“Shut the door!” Justice howls in a panic.This can’t be real. I blink hard and look again. This girl’s hair is sparkling silver. It’s not gray or salt and pepper like an elderly person. It’s silver. That’s impossible. Isn’t it? I reach behind me and grab the handle of my blade from my waistband, but don’t unsheathe it just yet. She is so frail I can’t see how she could be a threat. Unless…“Oh, I see.” I keep my voice calm and authoritative. “Now, don’t be disrespectful. Always look me in the eye when I speak to you.”When she looks at me, my heart stops. It doesn’t skip a beat. It actually stops until my mind comprehends what I’m seeing. Her hair isn’t the sta
After coming up with a plan of action for the morning, Ashley and I decide to take a walk around the packhouse to check things out under the guise of finding some hot tea.“This place is just… kinda creepy… no?” Ashley stays close to me.“It’s a little quiet for a pack of five hundred werewolves.” I look at my watch. It’s only ten-thirty p.m.Back home, pack members are just saying good night to each other and making plans for the weekend. There would still be plenty of people milling around and wolves howling outside, enjoying the warm August night. This place is like a ghost town. The few pack members we see don’t even look in our direction.“Let’s take the long way around toward the dining room. There is a door to the kitchen in there. There must be another entrance close by.” Ashley hooks her arm around my elbow as we wander through the halls. “Do you think that Kas girl will be there? Maybe we could ask if she needs help.”“No, Bronx is right. If we interrupt her work, it could s