September 13th
Leo’s point of view
I sat in Cato’s room for half an hour. He’d passed out, but I put a bucket by his bed, laid his covers over him, and sat beside him stroking his hair. I was unwilling to leave him like this, but Madeleine’s face stuck in my mind. She’d be awake, no doubt crying.
When I pushed open her door, she was huddled in the corner, her cheeks tear-stained and her nose running. I sighed and crouched in front of her.
“He’s okay, Maddy,” I said, “Cato is fine. He’s tucked in bed and you should be too. It’s well past your bedtime.”
“Why was he like that?” she asked as I lifted her to bed.
“Sometimes big people make silly decisions. They drink things and smoke things that make them act strange and that’s what Cato did tonight. But he’ll be back to normal in the morning.”
“Why?”
September 13thLeo’s point of viewThe next morning Cato dragged himself out of bed at 11 am. He appeared in the kitchen and slumped at the kitchen table, bags like suitcases under his eyes and his face sickly pale.Ella rushed to him and lifted his chin, examining the bruise on his jaw.“Thank the Goddesses Dad found you.”He groaned and pushed her hand off him before resting his head on the table.“Why did you do this?” Ella asked, “I thought we were past the drugs and trouble?”“I don’t want to talk about it, Mom.”“Jess has left the pack,” I said, “And you’re upset, I get it. But last night is not how you should deal with it.”I poured the milk into the mug of coffee and carried it over to him. He refused to look up, even as I put my hand on his shoulder.“And next time you sneak out without telling us wh
October 20th - two months before Cato becomes AlphaCato’s point of viewOver the next weeks, I spent most of my time in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I kept the curtains closed and the light off. The lamp in reach of my bed emitted its dull yellow glow. My unwashed sheets slipped off my mattress, but I didn’t bother to put them back on, no matter how much they tangled around my legs. On my nightstand, my Mom’s book lay untouched, a bookmark wedged at the start of last chapter. A layer of dust had collected on the cover, only disrupted by the mug, half filled with cold coffee, I’d set there days ago.I hadn’t touched a single piece of homework on my desk. The post-it notes with to do lists and reminders curled and fell off the wall, gathering in a heap on the floor next to my discarded sneakers and rucksack.One evening as I lay, drawing circles on my crinkled sheets the door opened. I lifted my head briefly to s
October 20thCato’s point of viewI knocked gently on Lili’s door. Her snivels silenced and there were a few moments before she said anything.“Come in,” she called.Having never seen her cry, I had no idea what to say when I saw her tear-stained cheeks. She stood by the window, watching the soldiers milling on our drive, facing out into the forest for any movement.“We’re safe. He’s gone.”I stood next to her and together we watched the soldiers.“Who was he?” she asked, eventually.“We don’t know. We didn’t get the chance to get it out of him.”She sighed and pressed her forehead on the window.“I’m sorry. I panicked and forgot everything you taught me.”I put my hand on her shoulder, “It’s not your fault. He had your arms pinned and we hadn’t got to kicks yet.”&
October 21stLili’s point of viewFran, Marie and I usually walked to middle school together alone. But the morning after I was attacked in the forest, Mom came with us, along with three massive Stella soldiers.“How are we supposed to explain this to our friends?” I asked, as I looked across at Paulo, Mario and Gianni.They wore the Stella soldier uniform: black from head to toe and big combat boots.“You won’t notice us,” Paulo said, “We’ll be close by if anything happens.”“Maybe plain clothes may have been a plan?”“If anyone comes near you girls, we want them to know you aren’t unprotected. Any wolf should recognise the uniform and any human will-”“Think you’re a terrorist?”“Lili,” Mom scolded, “Until we figure out what happened yesterday, Dad isn’t taking any chances. So check i
October 21stLeo’s point of view“The same markings,” I said, crouched on the ground in a prison cell where the second man to attack Lili lay chained and unconscious.He’d been stripped of his shirt, revealing black tattoos etched over his body, identical to last night’s attacker and the one posing as the school nurse.“Have we got photos?” I asked Blair, who stood with his arms folded, staring at the man.“The tech team are running them through the database to see if anything flags up, but I doubt it. I’ve seen nothing like this before.”I sighed.“A new enemy. Just what we need two months before Cato is Alpha. We have enough trouble with the old ones.”“At least whoever is behind this isn’t very smart. Sending single men to attack Lili. And while she was with Cato?”“Either that or they’re warming up...&rdqu
November 20th - one month before Cato becomes AlphaLeo’s point of viewI sat in my office staring out of the window. The day was crisp and bitter, but the sun shone through the gaps in the trees, casting glorious columns of light. Sweet trills of birds filled the morning air, and the branches rustled in the gentle breeze.Everything was perfect.Too perfect.The door to my office opened and Ella walked in, holding a steaming mug of coffee.“Here,” she said, resting it on my desk beside me.I sighed and pulled her onto my lap, “Thank you, love.”She ran her finger along my cheek, “You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you?”“Two connected attacks and then nothing for a month,” I said, “Problems like that never sort themselves out.”“The kids are pestering to go out again,” she said, “Zac and Stef are d
November 20thLeo’s point of viewThe second Cato got home from school, I called him into my office. He stood at the door, his skin pale, his eyes heavy and his shoulders sloped.“Sit down,” I said, “We need to have a serious conversation.”He took a sharp breath and turned away.“Cato, it wasn’t an offer. Sit down. We can’t avoid this anymore.”For a moment, he stood in the doorway before he dropped his rucksack on the floor and sloped into the chair in front of my desk.“Whoever was behind last month’s attacks, has backed off.”He nodded, “Good.”“Not good,” I said, “He’s backed off because he’s waiting until you are Alpha. Whatever he wants, he’s decided getting it through you is his best bet. I don’t know how or why yet.”Cato sunk into his chair.“He&rsquo
November 20thCato’s point of viewThat night, I met Elias in the forest.“Why the fuck have you dragged me out this late?” he asked as I approached.“To celebrate.”“Celebrate what?”“You spending my entire Alphaship by my side... as my Beta.”His lips cracked into a smile. “You’re joking?”I shook my head.He tackled me to the floor and ruffled my hair as I laughed, “Me? How on earth did your Dad agree to that?”“Oh, it took some persuading.”“Well,Alpha,” he said with a nod. “It’s an honour.”“It means in four weeks, we both have to step the fuck up,” I said, shoving him off me and sitting up. “We’ll be in charge of this entire fucking pack.”“Here we go again,” he sighed. “Stop panicking about
December 23rdCato’s point of viewI stood by my office window in the base, my Dad beside me. In the street below, a nurse walked Adelaide out of the hospital. When she flew in from Vermont two days ago, she couldn’t walk, her skin sickly white and her body frail and weak.Now we watched as she sprinted across the street to where her father was standing. She leapt into his arms as he squeezed her tight and swung her around, kissing her head repeatedly.“You may come to regret letting him walk free, Cato,” Dad said, “But must say, I’ve never seen him love anyone, let alone that much.”I’d spent all morning speaking to Adelaide. Everything she and Luciano said matched perfectly, giving me no reason to suspect any malicious intent.“Maybe he had no one to love until Adelaide came along,” I said, “With no parents and you as his only friend, it must have been lonely.&rdq
December 20th Cato’s point of viewWhen Dad and I came home, I was greeted by Jess striding down the hall. She grabbed my face in my cheeks and kissed me, clutching my shirt in her fist.“Thank you,” she said as I pressed my forehead against hers, “I’m so glad we’re all safe.”I glanced over her shoulder. Her parents sat in the living room, wrapped in blankets, watching us.“Have you told them about us?”She nodded as she took my hand to lead me into the living room. My Mom and Grandad sat with them, steaming cups of coffee in their hands.“Alpha,” Jess’s father said, getting to his feet, “Thank you again.”I nodded, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile. The last time I looked into those eyes, he was punishing Jess and me for loving each other.“... I also owe you an apology. I sho
December 20thCato’s point of viewLuciano sat on the opposite of the table, his wrists shackled and four guards in the room. My Dad sat next to me, staring at Luciano, not saying a word.“Why didn’t you just ask?” I said.Dad scoffed, “Because he knew the answer he’d get.”“I would never refuse to help a nine-year-old with terminal leukaemia,” I said.“Then your father failed to raise you well,” Luciano said, his eyes shifting from Dad to me, “You don’t help your enemies.”“He has his mother’s heart,” Dad said, “She helped you even after you gave Andrea Martinez the coordinates of the bunker all our children hid in.”“And if she hadn’t, you would be drinking champagne with your Lunas tonight. But here you are in a dark prison cell with me.”I res
December 20th- at duskCato’s point of viewI walked through the forest with Elias and Milly, only our heartbeats pounding in our ribcages to fill the silence. After crossing the border, we soon reached the designated meeting point.“Are you ready, Milly?” I asked.“I haven’t used my powers for anything other than healing in years,” she said, looking at her hands, “Let’s hope it’s a force of memory.”Two figures emerged from the shadows of the trees, the fading light falling on their faces.“Good evening, Alpha,” one said.He looked as Elias had described. An unsettling smile and dark boring eyes. A couple of feet behind him stood Nicolos Jones.“Grandfather?”With his face stony and cold, he didn’t utter a word.“Your Grandfather has decided I can offer him more than y
December 20th Leo’s point of viewElla and I were in the kitchen opening a bottle of champagne, awaiting all our family and friends for a party.“Is that the one we’ve been saving?” she asked.I drew behind her and rested my hand on her hip.“Yes. We have a lot to celebrate. I have finally retired, our son is successfully Alpha, and has found his Luna. Elias is also remarkably alive and maybe won’t be an entirely useless Beta.”She grinned as I leant in to kiss her.“I also have a beautiful mate and a reason to celebrate every day.”Through her sheer cotton dress, my fingers pressed against her curves. I had to drag my lips away and take a deep breath.“If I touch you any more, I won’t stop.”She turned and rested her hands on my chest.Her lips were millimetres from mine as her fingers
December 20th Cato’s point of viewWhen Elias, Jess and I escaped the crowd to a quiet part of the forest, I lifted Jess and spun around. She giggled and grabbed my face, pressing her lips against mine.“My handsome Alpha,” she said, running her hands down my chest, “And Elias, you never told me you were going to be Beta!”Elias’s lips twitched, “Well, we were busy running for our lives.”I put Jess on the ground as Elias held his shoulders tense, worry etched on his face.“What?”“I found Jess in Vermont,” he said.Vermont...“Alongside men with dark markings on their skin like those who attacked-”“Lili,” I whispered, “The ones after something from Stella.”Jess nodded, “We didn’t know until it was too late. When the Alpha learnt of my relati
December 20th - forty-five minutes before Cato becomes AlphaCato’s point of viewAfter a lot of hugging, crying from Granny, and congratulations from my Grandads, my Dad looked at his watch.“Shit, we don’t have long,” he said.My Mom glanced at Jess and Elias, her eyes wide. The forest entwined with their hair, rips left their clothes in ruins, and mud and dirt covered them head to toe. She took Jess’s hand.“I have a dress that will fit you,” she said, pulling her toward the stairs. “Cato, sort your Beta out with a suit.”Elias and I ran upstairs. He just had time to wash the mud off his face, comb his hair and slip into one of my old suits.“Very dapper,” I said as he came out of the bathroom, buttoning his sleeves.He gave me a twirl, a grin on his face, “Do I look like a Beta?”I cocked my head and examined him.“M
December 20th - the day Cato becomes AlphaElla’s point of viewCato stood in front of the mirror, dressed in his finest suit as I tied his tie. I wound the silk fabric around and tucked it underneath, finishing with a perfect knot. After smoothing his collar and straightening his jacket, I looked up.“How are you feeling?” I asked.His cheeks were taut, a mechanical expression holding his lips, and his eyes glazed.“Like this is going to be the worst birthday of my life,” he said, not taking his eyes off the reflection in the mirror.It was 11 am. The ceremony was just after midday at the time of the solar noon, but still no sign of Elias.“He’s not going to be here, is he?”I shook my head as he took a shaky breath.“But everyone else is. They’re all waiting downstairs.”I walked with Cato to the top of the stairs. In the ha
Ten days ago...Elias’s point of viewThe bus left me in the middle of Vermont’s most remote forest.I’d been travelling for eleven days, avoiding towns and main roads so Alpha Loren couldn’t track me. I only turned my phone on to text home when I could get a fast ride away from where the signal would trace to, and every time I rode the bus or train, I covered my face with my hoody.My plan was against Cato’s wishes. The Alpha and Luna would never allow it either. But this is what Cato needed, and I couldn’t let them stop me.I glanced around. That was the final bus I needed to take, meaning my destination was a short walk away, yet there was nothing except a rusty bus stop sign and trees for miles. But the coordinates led me here. This had to be it. So taking a deep breath, I stepped off the single-track road and headed West.The trees loomed over me, casting distorted, shadowy shapes on the ground