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2024-10-29 19:42:56ASTRID
“No way, you’d love it here!” I laugh, looking at Sam’s smiling face on my computer screen. I’m so thankful for video chat- it’s tough being away from the people I love back in Denver and seeing their faces on a regular basis makes the distance easier to bear.
“If you say so,” Sam chuckles, rolling his eyes. “We just miss you back at home, that’s all.”
I heave a sigh, sliding off of my bed and picking up my laptop, holding it in front of me as I walk out of my room and head down the hallway. “I miss you guys too. You keeping Cole out of trouble?”
“Always,” he laughs, running a hand through his golden hair.
I pad into the kitchen on bare feet, rounding the island and sliding my laptop onto it, spinning around to pull the fridge open. “Good, you better,” I say as I take out a bowl of grapes, tearing one from the stem and popping it into my mouth as I spin back around.
“The last group from h
C.J. PrimerHope you enjoyed this extra-long chapter! I'll be posting the last chapter for the week tomorrow. While I've managed to get bonus chapters up every weekend so far with this book, that isn't likely this weekend due to the holiday. It's important to me to devote that time to my family. Thanks for reading, and Happy Holidays!
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Alpha Brock 25
BROCK “So we’re looking at a week to ten days,” Reid sighs, cracking his knuckles in front of him and leaning back in his chair. “Meaning we should’ve already sent the first half of the squad down there.” The five of us squad leaders are gathered in the conference room at the complex, and the tension in here is so thick that it’s almost suffocating. “So let’s send them in the morning,” Theo suggests. “We already split ‘em up, told them to be ready at a moment’s notice…” “We’re gonna have to,” Gray agrees. A grim silence settles over us, because this right here, this moment, is when it becomes real. We’re sending off our warriors, knowing full well the real cost of war. That some of them won’t be coming back. It’s a reality that, fortunately, our squad has never had to face until now. As the leaders, all five of us feel responsible for the squad members, so the thought of taking casualties is a h
Alpha Brock 26
BROCK Considering the fight in Denver that’s looming over our heads right now, I have no right to feel so damn content. Yet here I am, waking up with Astrid’s scent all over my sheets again for the third morning in a row. Grinning like a fool when I hear the shower turn off, because I know it’s her that’s getting out of it. I blink the sleep from my eyes as they adjust to the light, glancing toward the bathroom door. Anxiously waiting for her to step through it looking like the angel she is. Astrid emerges a minute or two later with nothing but a fluffy white towel wrapped around her body- an angel without wings. Her eyes instantly lock with mine, her lips tipping up into a smile as she runs her fingers through her damp hair. “Good morning,” she coos softly, her eyes sliding down my body. I’m naked underneath the bedsheets, my dick getting harder by the second as I watch her watching me. So I kick off the sheet
Alpha Brock 27
BROCKI should’ve known that things were going too well. Whenever that happens, it’s only a matter of time before something comes along to fuck it all up. That something in this case is pretty boy Sam from Denver, showing up and putting his hands all over Astrid like he fucking owns her. Like he’s got a death wish.My wolf hates the smug little fucker. I’d love to teach him the hard way that I don’t tolerate other people touching my things. At this point, the only thing preventing me from tearing his stupid face off is the fact that Astrid cares for him- and the whole alliance with the Denver pack, of course. Can’t forget that.Sam has spent the entire day glued to Astrid’s fucking hip, so we haven’t had a moment alone to discuss why the hell it is that he showed up here. I can only go off of what she’s told me in the past- that her and Sam grew up together, that they u
Alpha Brock 28
ASTRID I’ve never seen Brock like this before. His eyes are wide, feral, without a trace of humanity left in them. His pain and anger are swirling around him like a category five hurricane, threatening to destroy everything in its wake. Including me. Something about tonight brought his past pain to the surface, and I feel like he’s taking it all out on me- like I’m being punished for someone else’s sins. So, as he completely shuts down and starts to walk away, I blurt out the one thing on my mind. “I’m not her, you know.” Brock freezes in his tracks. Slowly, he turns to look at me over his shoulder. My lips part to speak again, my voice shaky. “I’m not Annalise.” His eyes shoot daggers through me- they’re so cold, colder than I’ve ever seen them. Detached. “No,” he growls cruelly. “You’re not.” His words slice into me like a hot blade, spilling my guts
Alpha Brock 29
BROCKI heard her come in. I’d been laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, going over the events of the entire fucked up day in my head. Replaying everything that went down at the bar. Trying to rationalize why I flipped the fuck out on her. And then I heard the front door swing open and her high heels clacking on the tile in the foyer.After I left the bar, I shifted and ran back to Riverton. I drank too much to drive, and letting my wolf out helped calm me down. The problem is, once I was calmer, it started to sink in that I was probably rougher on Astrid than I should’ve been. Damaged people only inflict damage on others- and I guess that’s me. When pushed to the brink, I demolish everything in my path.I don’t even know why I decided to get out of bed and go downstairs. I guess just to make sure she made it back safely? I certainly didn’t have any intention of trying to talk to her about w
Alpha Brock 30
ASTRID Damn it feels good to be home. As soon as we pull through the main gate and onto my pack’s territory, I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. This is the longest I’ve ever been away from Denver, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t glad to be back- though I wish it was under better circumstances. When we pull into the packhouse driveway, I’m practically bursting at the seams with excitement, a total contrast to the somber moods of the other three guys in the car with me. I get that we’re here for a battle, and I’m just as nervous as the rest of them for that- but right now, I’m just excited to see my brother. We all pile out of the vehicles and grab our bags- Brock grabs mine- and we’re escorted inside by packhouse security. When my eyes land on Cole waiting in the foyer, I practically tackle him with a hug, earning one of his rare smiles. My brother is typically all business in his role as Alpha; f
Alpha Brock 31
BROCK“I want you where I can see you.”“No. You’ll get distracted.”“Bullshit. I’ll be more distracted if I don’t have eyes on you.”“But Brock…”I shake my head adamantly, tightening my grip around Astrid’s waist. “But nothing. It’s either take a position where I can see you or sit this one out.”“You know I can’t do that,” she sighs.“Then you know what you have to do.”“Ugh!” Astrid groans, throwing her hands up. “You’re exhausting.”I know I’ve won, but the victory is hollow. I hate that she’s going to be on the battlefield at all- but since she’s insistent on it, I at least need to have her somewhere that I can see her so I can protect her if necessary. The thought of any harm coming to Astrid has me see
Alpha Brock 32
ASTRID As I slowly come to, my ears are ringing and my head is pounding. I’m somewhere cold and damp, and a quiet groan slips from my mouth as I force my eyes open. I’m lying on a concrete floor… but where am I? What happened? My whole body feels impossibly heavy, my head throbbing in pain. I try to shuffle to an upright position, but my body is so weak. My limbs feel like they’re made of lead. I try to draw on my wolf for strength, but I can’t sense her at all. I reach for her in the recesses of my mind, but it’s just dark; vacant. My hands and feet are tied together with heavy ropes. It takes a great deal of effort to shift my body upwards, using the cold concrete wall at my back for leverage. My head hurts so bad. I reach behind it to identify the source of my pain and find that my hair is coated in something sticky, though it seems to be mostly dried. I pull my bound hands back in front of me, looking down
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Alpha Brock 44
ASTRIDI have no business being this happy when there’s a war on its way, yet here I am, flitting around the ballroom of the lodge on Brock’s arm with a permanent smile etched on my face. I’m overwhelmed by the number of people that came out to celebrate with us tonight- not only from all six packs in the territory, but from Denver, too. Even my parents showed up, shockingly tearing themselves away from their vacation home in Arizona to make the trip here to meet Brock.Hundreds of people are here in the ballroom tonight, and once dinner is over, Brock and I are constantly being tugged in different directions to chat with our guests. Brock gets pulled away by the guys for a while and I get distracted with the girls, sipping on too many glasses of champagne. The bubbles tickle my throat and go to my head, and I’m even more giggly than usual, lost in laughter as Quinn tells the story of when she and Jax were
Alpha Brock 43
BROCK “Don’t be nervous,” my dad mumbles under his breath, setting a hand on my shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “Who says I’m nervous?” I grumble back to him. My old man’s right, though- I can’t stop fidgeting as I stand in front of him and my mother beneath the arbor behind the packhouse. It’s set atop the little hill by the treeline, and it’s dripping with greenery and florals, a perfect backdrop for Astrid to take her vows and seal herself to the pack. Being here right now feels a little fucking surreal, considering the messy path it took for me and Astrid to find each other and be together. Still, I wouldn’t trade a single day with her for anything. If these past weeks together have proven anything, it’s that fate doesn’t make mistakes- she’s truly my soulmate. Tonight, she becomes my pack’s official Luna, and I couldn’t be prouder. The whole pack is here for the ceremony, gathered on the lawn behind the
Alpha Brock 42
ASTRID Planning a Luna ceremony in the span of a few weeks is no easy feat. Well, I take that back- the ceremony itself is relatively simple; it’s just the pack gathering, me taking my vows, and performing the blood rites that bind me to the pack and their land. It’s an intimate event for pack members only. The celebration afterwards, however, takes a lot of planning and coordination, because it’s like a giant wedding reception complete with cocktails and dinner and dancing and a million little details. Invitations to the post-ceremony celebration are extended to other packs in the area, and my family and friends from Denver are traveling here to celebrate with us. Pulling together an event of this magnitude under a time crunch has been a challenge, to say the least. It’s not like our lives haven’t been crazy enough lately. Preparations for the war with the shadow pack have been nonstop at the squad complex, and it’s all hands
Alpha Brock 41
BROCK “Damn, we must be the first ones here,” I say as I pull up to the curb in front of the Stillwater packhouse and cut the engine. True to his word, Gray called a council meeting the day after I returned from Denver. This time, though, we’ve got a few others joining us in addition to the council- Brooke and Quinn, because they’re leading the charge with IT these days, Astrid, because she’s our connection to our Denver allies and has the most information about the shadow pack through her visions, and Fallon, because she wasn’t about to sit this one out while everyone else’s mates participated. Jared’s on the council as my beta, but he had some business to attend to, so he told Astrid and I to go ahead and that he’d meet us here. “Didn’t Gray say six?” Astrid asks, unbuckling her seatbelt. I glance down at the clock on the dashboard, which reads 5:45 p.m. “Yeah, which is more like six thirty in alpha time. Can
Alpha Brock 40
ASTRID Brock’s closet is definitely not big enough for the both of us. I started moving my things in today, and I’ve basically taken over most of the space already. I already knew I owned an exorbitant amount of clothing, but next to Brock’s minimalistic wardrobe, the sheer volume of what I have is a little embarrassing. He hasn’t teased me about it, but I caught a few raised eyebrows and sly glances pass between him and the guys as they lugged all my stuff upstairs. Something I didn’t expect upon returning to the Riverton packhouse is that it already kinda feels like home. I really settled in here over the past month; I’m comfortable in the space and I have a good groove going with all of the guys. That’s not to say I won’t get homesick for Denver at some point, but for now, it has definitely eased the transition. That, and being with Brock- because as long as I’m with him, I’m home. After unpacking, we have dinner wi
Alpha Brock 39
BROCK“You glad to be back?” Astrid asks from the passenger seat as we roll back into the six-pack territory a few days later.“Yeah,” I admit, blowing out a breath. ‘Glad’ is an understatement- I’m fucking ecstatic. Relieved. Eager to return to some semblance of normalcy after the roller coaster ride I’ve been strapped into since leaving this place over a week ago. After experiencing the highest highs and the lowest lows, I’ll happily settle into something more mundane.“How about you?” I ask, flicking her a sideways glance. She’s wearing black leggings and her white Estes Park sweatshirt, her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun. As much as I love when she’s all dressed up, I swear she’s prettiest when she’s casual like this. Her natural beauty is beyond compare.Astrid turns to look at me, her face lighting up with her smile.
Alpha Brock 38
ASTRIDI’m sure Brock’s friends will be anxious to hear that he’s awake and well, but for right now, I want to keep him all to myself for a little while longer. I’ve been waiting all my life for my mate, so I feel like it’s okay to be a bit selfish… and besides, he isn’t exactly clamoring to leave this bed right now, either. Not when we’re both basking in the afterglow of our lovemaking and fresh markings. I can’t remember ever being this happy.Brock holds me close and we both doze off, and by the time I wake again the sun has gone down. I lift my head to see that he’s already awake, just watching me. It would be creepy if it wasn’t for the unbridled adoration in his eyes. Swoon. What is it about a tough guy softening for you that’s just so damn irresistible?When he sees that I’m awake, Brock angles his body toward me, running his han
Alpha Brock 37
BROCKDarkness. It’s all-consuming, and it keeps pulling me under. Every time I start to come back into myself, it sucks me into its depths again. Fuck, maybe I’m dying. Maybe this is it for me. Nothing has ever come easily to me, so it’d make sense that death wouldn’t, either. She’s the only thing keeping me anchored. Some part of me can sense that she’s near, and I keep reaching out to tug on the bond between us, trying to pull myself back to her somehow.Peaches. The scent tickles my nose, along with something else- strands of hair, as soft as spun silk. I bury my nose deeper, inhaling her into my lungs, into my soul. My eyes fight to adjust to the light as I blink them open. My limbs feel heavy. I wiggle my fingers and toes, testing their dexterity as my mind slowly clears out the fog, waking up.My left side is cloaked in warmth- Astrid is curled into my side tightly with her head r
Alpha Brock 36
BROCK The corners of the room are dark; only the floor in the center is bathed in moonlight. That’s where I find her, lying there in wolf form, honey brown fur soaked in blood. She raises her head weakly, her eyes colliding with mine, and I feel it- the mate bond snaps into place, the strength of it nearly knocking the wind out of me. My adrenaline surges, my hair stands on end- all of my endorphins seem to release at once, bathing me in a feeling of pure euphoria. I found her. My mate. Both of our wolves tuck away almost simultaneously, the air shimmering as we both shift to our human forms- me, still standing on top of the door I knocked down, and Astrid, lying on the concrete floor, struggling to push up on her arms. She’s bleeding, badly injured, but her lips draw into a weak smile as she gazes back at me. “You came,” she whispers hoarsely, and my heart swells in my chest, feeling like it coul
