ASTRID
I squint against the sunlight spilling in through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the hallway as I step out of my bedroom, stretching my limbs. It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day in Denver, but I can’t fully appreciate it until I get my morning coffee. And speaking of, I can already smell it brewing. I breathe deeply as I pad barefoot down the long hallway, following my nose to the packhouse kitchen.
“Good morning!” I chirp as step through the doorway, finding my brother Cole and his beta Sam, perched in their usual seats at the table closest to the coffee pot. I reach up to sweep my unruly curls into a messy bun as I approach them, securing my hair atop my head with an elastic.
Upon my entry, Sam shoots up from his chair, tossing a smile my way as he heads for the coffee pot on the counter and starts pouring me a cup. By the time I reach the table, he’s back, holding the mug out in my direction.
“Thank you,” I breathe, taking the coffee from his hands greedily and bringing it to my lips. The hot liquid warms my insides as I swallow it down, my eyes sliding closed. “Mmm…”
Sam chuckles, slipping an arm around my shoulders and dropping a kiss atop my head. “Morning, lovely,” he murmurs, his voice still gravelly from sleep. He steps back over to his chair, sinking down onto it as I take my usual seat at the end of the table between Cole and Sam, sipping on my coffee.
Despite all the craziness that happened last night, it’s nice to wake up to the same ol’ morning routine I’m used to- sitting with Cole and Sam and sipping coffee in my pajamas in the packhouse kitchen. Given the impending attack from the shadow pack, we’re dealing with some heavy shit right now. Our defenses need to be shored up and big decisions need to be made. We’ve always had a motto in this house, though: the worries of the day can wait until after we’ve had our morning coffee.
“How’d you sleep?” Sam asks, picking up his own cup. As he looks over the top of it at me, a wisp of steam curls in front of his face.
I sigh, leaning back in my chair and pulling a leg up underneath me. “About as well as you two did, I’m guessing.” I dart my eyes between the two of them, not missing how heavy their eyes look this morning. During our pack’s full moon run last night, we were alerted to multiple border breaches- scouts from the shadow pack infiltrating our territory. Needless to say, we were all a little too amped up to get much sleep after that.
“Maybe you should’ve taken me up on that offer to cuddle,” Sam teases, waggling his brows and flashing me a devilish grin.
“Maybe,” I snort, and my brother rolls his eyes beside me.
The dynamic between Sam and I would probably seem a bit strange to an outsider, like we’re a little too close. Too familiar. And in a lot of ways, that’s probably true. Cole, Sam, and I grew up together in the packhouse, and the three of us were basically raised like siblings. My brother Cole is five years older than me, Sam two years younger than him. My father was the alpha of our pack, and Sam’s was the beta, hence the cohabitation. As children, the three of us played together, got into mischief, and fought with one another. I always looked at Sam like another brother… until I didn’t.
When we were teenagers, I suddenly started to see Sam differently. He was my first crush, with his bright blue eyes, golden hair, and sharp jawline; broad-shouldered and boyishly handsome, a dead ringer for Sebastian Valmont from Cruel Intentions. It turned out I wasn’t the only one whose feelings had shifted, and we endured an entire year of ‘will they, won’t they’ before actually admitting our feelings for one another and dating.
A year in, I turned eighteen and the full moon confirmed that Sam and I weren’t fated mates. Up until that point, we’d convinced ourselves that we were, so the realization was a huge blow- we didn’t know how to get past it, so we broke up. A couple of years later, though, we drifted back together again and dated for another year. It was easy to do, because things with Sam have always been comfortable, familiar. That second round lasted until I was twenty-one, when we mutually split, deciding we were better off as friends.
I’d like to say it was completely over between us after that, but in the three years since, we’ve slipped up and slept together a few times. What can I say? Old habits die hard, and it’s almost too easy to fall back into something that’s so familiar- especially when you live under the same roof. Despite our slip-ups, the two of us have an understanding and we don’t expect anything more from one another. So yeah, to an outsider, this thing between Sam and I might seem weird- but for us, it works.
“Have you heard back from Gray?” I ask, sliding my cup onto the table as I turn to my brother.
“Mm,” he nods, swallowing down a gulp of coffee. He turns his dark eyes to me. “He called shortly after you went to bed last night. They’ve agreed to send their warriors here to fight.”
A sigh of relief slips past my lips as my head falls back. “Oh thank god.”
“Do we know how many?” Sam asks, sitting up straighter and leaning his elbows onto the tabletop.
“Over a hundred,” Cole supplies. “And they’re going to take in our pack members that can’t fight so we can get them out of the territory and out of harm’s way.”
I quirk a brow. “Really? That’s so… generous.”
Sam brings a hand to his chin, squinting. “Too generous?”
Cole cracks the hint of a smile. “You two are far too suspicious for your own good.” His gaze slides between Sam and me. “Hasn’t it ever occurred to you that they need our help, too? We know how large the shadow pack has grown… let’s face it, neither of us stand a chance unless we join forces.”
I grab for my coffee mug again, wrapping my hands around it and shrugging my shoulders. “I guess that’s true. And I’ve never picked up any weird vibes from them… then again, I’ve only met Theo and Brooke, and what was going on between them at the time overshadowed anything else.”
I glance up as a few of our pack’s warriors shuffle into the kitchen, helping themselves to coffee and breakfast. I haven’t made it over to the buffet table yet, but the metal trays of food lined up on it are practically calling my name. The packhouse here in Denver is huge, and it’s always busy- not only do Cole, Sam, and I live here, but also several of my brother’s advisors and about twenty of our pack’s warriors. Then there’s the live-in staff, including our chef, who cooks a feast for breakfast and dinner daily, and two maids who do laundry and keep the place tidy.
I sip down some more coffee as I watch the warriors slide into seats at another table across the kitchen, eyeing the bacon, eggs, and toast piled on their plates.
“What’d you get from them?” Sam asks, touching my arm to get my attention.
I turn back to him, setting my cup on the table in front of me again. “From Theo and Brooke?”
Sam nods.
“Just their connection,” I say with the wave of a hand. “I felt it the first time they came to visit, and it was way stronger the second time. And that’s when Brooke told me the fated bond had snapped in between them.”
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I’m not your average werewolf? When I was little, I started to realize that I was different- that I could sense things about situations and people that others couldn’t. Sorta like gut feelings, only they always turned out to be right. My parents picked up on it, and that’s when they told me that I had a gift, one that must’ve been passed down to me from my grandmother; I’m an ‘intuitive’. My grandma was also a seer, but I’ve never had visions manifest, just the feelings. I can’t control how or when they happen, they just do.
“And you never picked up on any reason not to trust them?” Cole arches a brow in my direction.
I give a little shake of my head.
“Good.” He tips back his mug, gulping down the rest of his coffee and setting his mug on the table. “So as I was saying, every able-bodied pack member will stay to fight, while those who can’t will seek refuge with the six-pack.”
I nod slowly, eyes wide. Allowing the reality of the upcoming battle to settle over me.
On my other side, Sam slurps down the rest of his coffee, rising to his feet and reaching over for Cole’s mug. “Want some more?”
Cole gives him a nod, then looks back to me.
I blow out a breath, reaching for my own cup again. “So what’s this exit strategy look like?” I ask as I raise it to my lips.
“Gray and I briefly discussed it,” Cole replies. “Each of the six packs are going to take people in, so we’ll split ours up into six groups and send them in waves, so there isn’t one big mass exodus from here that’ll draw attention.”
I nod again and Sam returns with their fresh cups of coffee, passing one to my brother and settling back into his chair.
“But I’d like someone to go down there ahead of time. be there when our people arrive to be their point of contact and get them settled in,” Cole continues, staring at me intently. “Someone the pack trusts.”
“You mean me,” I mumble, glaring at him over the top of my coffee mug.
He nods.
I’m not thrilled about the idea- being away from my pack in the weeks leading up to the biggest battle we’ve ever faced is fucking less than ideal. I’ll miss out on crucial strategy sessions with the warriors, intel gathering with our IT specialists at the hive… basically everything, if I go. But at the same time, Cole’s right- someone has to do it. The pack knows me; they trust me. I’m probably the best person for the job.
Damn him for being right.
I heave a sigh, setting my cup back on the table again. “Yeah, I’ll do it.”
“Atta girl,” Sam grins, placing his hand over mine and giving it a squeeze. He flicks a conspiratorial glance in Cole’s direction.
I glance between the two of them, shaking my head. “Oh please. You guys knew I’d say yes.”
“I mean…” Sam sucks his bottom lip between his teeth, looking from Cole to me before chuckling. “Yeah, of course. Who else would we send? The pack loves you, you’re like their unofficial Luna.”
I turn to Cole, who shrugs and says, “you know it’s true.”
“You know,” I sigh, pushing off of the table to rise to my feet. “Someday you’re going to have to get an actual Luna.” I smirk at my brother, tossing him a wink before spinning around and heading for the buffet table.
I load up a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast and return to my seat between Sam and Cole, sliding back into my chair. I pick up a piece of bacon between my fingers and start nibbling on it when I catch Sam trying to steal a piece off of my plate, swatting at his hand.
“Go get your own!” I laugh, scooching my plate farther away from him on the table.
“C’mon,” Sam urges playfully, tilting his head and giving me puppy dog eyes. He knows damn well that the face he’s making always works on me.
I roll my eyes, giggling softly and moving my plate back toward Sam to give him access. “Fine.”
He grins triumphantly, snatching a piece of bacon from my plate and taking a bite.
“You two done?” Cole teases, helping himself to some of my bacon. “Can we get back to logistics for this evacuation?”
“I don’t know, can we?” I arch a brow in Sam’s direction.
He shrugs, swallowing the bacon he stole. “Of course, Alpha.”
I throw him another exaggerated eyeroll, picking up a piece of toast and turning to Cole again. “Go on,” I say, smiling sweetly.
Cole chuckles, leaning back in his chair. “Alright. So once we identify and split everyone up, I think we can send the first group as early as this weekend, and then stagger the others three or four days apart from one another.”
“So when do you want me to go?” I ask between bites of toast.
“When can you?” Cole fires back. “Tomorrow? The next day?”
I shrug. “Sure. Probably the day after tomorrow. Then I can get the lay of the land a few days ahead of the first group arriving.”
Sam places his hand over mine. “Do you want to take anyone else? Chris or Sasha maybe?”
He’s referring to two of Cole’s advisors that reside in the packhouse, but I give a little shake of my head. “Nah, they should be here for strategy sessions. I’ll be fine on my own for a few days until our pack members start arriving.” I flash him a smile, then turn back to my brother. “Well I guess I should get packing, huh?”
I push my chair out from the table, rising to my feet. Before I go to walk away, though, Cole reaches out for my arm.
“Astrid.”
“Yeah?” I ask, looking down into his dark eyes.
He presses his lips into a tight line, giving me a little nod. “Thank you.”
In my brother’s eyes, I can see his apprehension hidden just under the surface. He conceals it well- if you didn’t know him, you’d think that he has it all together, all the time. He’s tight-lipped, all business. He’s a pro at remaining calm under pressure. I know him better than anyone, though, and I can see it- the little sliver of hesitation beneath his cool exterior. He’s scared of what’s to come. And I’d be a fool if I wasn’t scared, too.
BROCK“Is she gonna be here soon?” I ask, agitated, as I glance down at my watch.Jax looks my way, arching a brow. “Why, you in a hurry or somethin’?”I blow out a breath, kicking at the ground on the practice field where I’m waiting with Jax, Reid, Gray, and Fallon for the Denver Alpha’s sister to arrive. “I’ve gotta get back to Riverton. I’ve got shit to do.”“I’m sure it’ll still be waiting for you when you get there,” Reid chuckles, stepping up beside me and clapping me on the shoulder. “Besides, what could be more important than meeting…” he trails off, squinting, looking to Gray over his shoulder. “What’s her name again?”“Astrid,” Brooke supplies, approaching us with Quinn in tow. Quinn immediately makes a beeline for Jax, slipping under his arm and winding her own
ASTRID When my brother said he was sending me up here, he conveniently forgot to mention how fucking hot the guys who run the security team are. I’m talking breath stealing, heart stopping, reality defying hotness- when I got dropped off here, I had no idea I was practically stepping into a Chippendale’s calendar. Sure, I might’ve been a little resistant about leaving Denver and missing out on battle preparations there, but now that I know I’m going to be shacking up with a Jason Momoa lookalike for the next few weeks? I’m suddenly okay with it. I just met Brock, but I can already tell that he’s the strong silent type. I try to make conversation on the ride over to Riverton, but all he gives me in return are grunts and one-word answers. It doesn’t bother me, though- we don’t really know each other yet, and I’m sure he’ll warm up eventually. I’ll just kill him with kindness until he does. We arrive at the packhouse in R
BROCKI slept like shit last night. Something about that girl being here under my roof has both me and my wolf on edge, and I woke up with the sunrise to let him out for a run this morning. I feel marginally better when I return, pulling on a pair of grey sweatpants that I left hanging off of a tree branch behind the packhouse and tugging them on.When I walk into the packhouse through the door off the back patio, I immediately hear Astrid’s airy little giggle and I’m right back where I started. Annoyed. I take a couple of tentative steps forward so I can see into the kitchen, spotting her perched on a barstool at the kitchen island wearing a tiny pair of shorts, one bare leg crossed over the other. A baggy sweatshirt hides the rest of her slim physique, and her curly hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She’s clutching a steaming cup of coffee in both hands, still giggling softly.Br
ASTRID “So this is the hub,” Quinn says as she leads me into a large room full of desks and computers. “I’ve heard that ours is puny compared to Denver’s, but what we lack in size we make up for in heart.” She spins around, a goofy smile on her face. “That was really fucking corny, wasn’t it?” “Nah,” I laugh, waving her off. “I liked it.” “Astrid!” Brooke calls, beckoning me from the back of the room. Her glasses slide down the bridge of her nose and she pushes them up with a finger. “C’mon.” Quinn spins back around, leading me toward Brooke. I was grateful when she found me on the practice field this morning- as much as I’m enjoying this little push and pull with my broody roommate, it’s nice to talk to someone who will actually talk back. Training with the squad was a lot of fun, and I even learned a couple of new moves from Fallon. I’m no stranger to combat training; we start young in Denver, so I’ve
BROCK I wake up panting, my body covered in a thin sheen of sweat that has the sheets sticking to my skin. The dream I was having felt so real- the shadow pack showed up without warning, ready for war. They outnumbered us four to one, and while we kept going down, they just kept coming. I was fighting off three wolves at once when I woke with a start, blinking into the darkness, realizing it was just a dream. I take a few deep breaths, throwing the sheet off of my body and staring up at the ceiling while my eyes to adjust to the dark. I bolt up in bed when I hear something downstairs, looking quickly to my alarm clock for the time. It’s the middle of the night- nobody should be awake right now. Is my mind playing tricks on me, or did I hear something? My wolf is on high alert and when I hear another sound, I’m out of bed in an instant, moving toward the door of my bedroom silently. Creeping through the hallway
ASTRID “Good morning, Alpha!” I greet cheerfully as I spot Brock descending the stairs. He looks up at me as he hits the bottom step, grunting something muffled and barely audible in his typical response. It’s only my third morning at the Riverton packhouse, but one of these days I’m going to get a solid ‘good morning’ in response, damnit. I feel like I’ve already fallen into a routine here- instead of my morning coffee with Cole and Sam, it’s morning coffee with Jared and Brent every day before catching a ride with Brock up to the squad complex. Then it’s training with the six-pack’s security squad in the morning followed by afternoons with IT. That routine changes today, though, because the first evacuees from Denver are set to arrive and I’ll be welcoming them. “Coffee?” Jared asks as Brock enters the kitchen. “Please,” he growls, running his hands through his hair. The man’s ha
BROCKThe first members of Astrid’s pack arrive in Stillwater around 9 a.m., and she immediately snaps into action, greeting them on the packhouse lawn. I hang back inside the packhouse and just watch her work. I’m not sure what I expected, but I quickly see that Astrid’s a natural leader and she’s good with her pack- really good. It’s clear from the moment they arrive that they all respect and adore her.Not that I’ve changed my mind about her, but it does strike me how Astrid basically acts like she’s her pack’s Luna, and her pack responds to her like that’s what she is. One of the little kids actually slips up and calls her Luna at one point, but she just laughs it off and ruffles their hair, leading them inside. She glances my way as she makes her way back in, eyes searching mine like she’s still trying to figure me out.Good luck with that one, s
ASTRIDI’m sinking a spoon into a container of yogurt when I feel it- the full-body tingles that have started hitting me more and more frequently when Brock’s around. I’ve never had my intuition be so persistent about a feeling before, like it won’t give up until I’m able to work out what it means. I usually pick up my ‘intuitive’ feelings about people when I touch them or when I’m right in front of them, and they don’t typically repeat whenever I’m in their proximity. With Brock though, it’s like the rules have suddenly changed- I don’t know what to expect from my intuition anymore, and it’s making me wonder whether my gift has gone haywire.I spin around, peering through the dark toward the staircase. I still have the refrigerator door propped open with my hip, and it’s giving off enough soft light to cut through the darkness and illuminate the
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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