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Chapter 24
Dustin and Kris stayed in the den with us, though neither of them had anything more to drink. After another hour, my eyelids began to grow heavy. Dustin offered to bring me back to the packhouse, as it was nearly one in the morning. Figuring it would be late enough to avoid prying eyes, I let Dustin drive me.
The world pitched and rolled as I hopped out of the car. I pressed my hand against the cold paint, hoping to steady myself before I fell flat on my back. My legs felt disconnected from my body, moving with a mind of their own. Dustin ran around the front of the car, his hand grasping at my elbow to steady me.
"Thanks." I said, though it came out in a half-tired, half-drunken mumble.
"No more drinking with my sister." Dustin chuckled, his laugh thick and rich. "You can't handle it."
"I can to handle it." I snorted, placing most of my weight against Dustin as we hobbled to the front door.
Dustin wrapped
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Alpha Atlas Chapter 25
As it turns out, there wasn't much to be briefed on as Liam pretty much covered the basics. The Northern Star pack takes up most of Washington state, and suffered an attack a few weeks ago by a nameless beast. Nicki had little detail on the beast itself, but told me at least ten lives were lost in the fight. Liam had sent two warriors into the pack to aid with training, but their Alpha had requested a few more for defensive purposes.I rested my head against the cool window of the Ford Explorer Dustin was driving and fought against the remaining thud of my earlier headache. Nicki sat in the back seat, a pair of headphones on as she bounced around to some song I couldn't hear. If I closed my eyes long enough, I could pretend we weren't wedged in between two identical Ford Explorer's, and that this mission made some sense.I still couldn't fathom why Liam would send me of all people. He had been raised in this pack, surely, he could have sent Kris
Alpha Atlas Chapter 26
Shock, denial, confusion, understanding, and anger. Each emotion passed through me, twisting my insides, burning the backs of my eyelids. The plate I held in my hands clattered onto the counter, my fingertips stinging from the heat.Atlas had heard me that day, heard as I called out to him, begging him to stop. He had come here, looking for me. I didn't have a clue what to make of the information. If Atlas had come months ago, I might have leaped at the chance to see him. Now, now I wasn't so sure. Sure, he had come to Liam's pack after hearing my call, but why? I highly doubted he was concerned for my well-being.What brought anger crackling through my veins was Liam. The realization hit me like a blow to the head. He insisted on sending me to the Northern Star Pack, insisted no one else could replace me, that I was best for the job. I wasn't sure how, but I knew Liam had sent me away just in time for Atlas to show up. The feeling boiling in my
Alpha Atlas Chapter 27
One Week LaterThree Weeks Until the Advanced TournamentI glared at the note as it sat on my bedside table, hating it--hating myself for ruining my one chance at reading it. It was clear my Mom had written it before leaving the house to help against the rogue attack. In my blind rage that day, I knocked over a number of half-full coffee cups, soaking the note I had completely overlooked. It sat on the floor of the house for nearly a month, as it had taken me over a month to gather enough courage--or desperation, to finally visit.I wanted to scream, at my Mom and at myself. She always had a habit of leaving half-full coffee cups around the house, making a new one before she finished the first. The dark ink on the thin sheet of paper had ran, and long ago dried into a sticky, fragile mess. I could only make out a handful of words on the paper, none of which made any sense. It was clear she left the note in case something had happened to her, bu
Alpha Atlas Chapter 28
Three Weeks LaterThe Advanced TournamentAs I sat on the metal bench awaiting my turn, my stomach was absent of butterflies. I had trained relentlessly for this day, where I would finally become a warrior in Liam's pack. I trained my body and my mind until it's breaking point, and had reaped the results of my extensive training. After this, I would go through the brief ceremony that connected me to Liam and his pack.Where the Tournament had once been a festive occasion, it was now mixed with worry and loss. It had only been a month since the rogue attack, and this pack had changed during that time. More and more people were stepping up, joining training as they fought to protect their people. With all the new recruits, the Beginner's Tournament had taken nearly two hours to complete.My name was called and I stepped into the fighting ring, followed by my opponent, a large guy by the name of Kendrick. I knew at first glance that K
Alpha Atlas Chapter 29
Nothing had changed during my time away from my old pack. Everything about me was different, but the large town I stood in remained the same. The large, southern houses hadn't changed, with their long porches and creaking rocking chairs. The grass surrounding the houses was clipped short, a brilliant shade of emerald under the blistering sun. Kids screamed and laughed as they ran through a sprinkler in one of the front yards, and I remembered how Alyssa and I had once done the same. Dragonflies darted around, their slender bodies whizzing past my face. I stood in front of my old house, looking up at the freshly painted porch. On a rather boring day where the grief of losing my Dad had become too strong, Mom had insisted we repaint the porch. She let me pick any color I wanted, and grinned as I picked a light shade of lavender. I wasn't sure why the newly painted porch sent a shiver of pain down my spine. Part of me expected it to remain the same, that light shade of lavender.
Alpha Atlas Chapter 30
As my head snapped up and I looked into those painfully familiar eyes, I hurried to compose myself. Lighter than Liam's eyes, Atlas's blue eyes were nearing the verge of white--like a sky filled with fat tufts of clouds.My heart hammered in response, but I refused to look anywhere other than his eyes. I knew that if I traced the grooves on his face, or looked over each strand of platinum hair, that I would be lost entirely. I had never held so much hate for the mate-bond until now. Even after everything Atlas had done, the mate-bond was still working to pull us together. I clicked my teeth together and fought against the pull, grimacing when one of Atlas's blonde eyebrows raised."A stray kitten wandering around my house." Atlas commented, the corner of his sinfully full lips twitching. His voice had been everything I remembered, and so much more. His voice alone could be my undoing, if only he knew the right words to say. Deep, and somewhat ra
Alpha Atlas Chapter 31
Dinner finished quickly and I all but leaped at the chance to leave. Dustin enjoyed the irritated looks Atlas would give him if he got too close to me. I found the entire thing annoying, as I knew it was only the mate-bond tugging on Atlas's heart--or lack of. I could feel his eyes on me the entire time, even as we left the house.The empty house Atlas had placed us in was four houses down from his, and eight houses down from my old home. I had vehemently declined when we were offered a suite within the packhouse. Tyra and I walked down the street while Dustin pulled the car into the driveway. The house was only a quarter of the size of Atlas's home, but I could care less about looks. The outside of the house was painted a light shade of mint green, strange but it suited the old house nicely.The inside had been fully furnished, and I wondered who lived here at one point. Tyra bounded up the stairs and claimed one of the bedrooms, shouting that there
Alpha Atlas Chapter 32
Seems like partying isn't really your thing." A familiar voice called out.I turned and met Duke's hazel eyes, void of the malice that used to haunt me. Duke stood against the doorframe; his arms crossed over his chest. He watched me with that blank, guarded gaze. It felt like being looked at under a microscope, like Duke was trying to figure out what made me tick."How would you know?" I asked, turning my attention away from Tyra and Dustin. Tyra was dancing with a guy her age, dark hair and rich, golden skin. Dustin was still in the midst of a heated conversation with a group of guys. Duke was right, partying wasn't my thing."Well, you are just standing here." Duke shrugged; the corners of his lips twitched.The Duke I remember wasn't so solemn, so--in control. Duke had once been the worst of my bullies, constantly spilling a wide array of liquids on me. In sixth grade, he had spilled fruit punch all over my wh
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