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2024-10-29 19:42:56SERENA
“So I’ve gotta know… what’s the boy scout like in the sack?” Quinn asks leaning toward me and waggling her eyebrows.
“What?!” I blurt, cracking up into laughter while Brooke gasps and leans over to whack Quinn on the arm with the back of her hand.
The three of us are lounging atop the large king-sized bed in Brooke and Theo’s room in the squad barracks. Reid dropped me off here at the complex about twenty minutes ago, and we parted ways with a kiss that I swear I can still feel on my lips, like they’re bruised from our hot and heavy goodbye. The more things progress between us, the stronger the bond becomes and the more right it feels. Every touch, every kiss, makes this so much harder.
I don’t want to do this.
“So I guess this isn’t the kind of sleepover where we have pillow fights in our underwear and braid each other’s hair?” I chuckle, tucking my legs underneath myself and arching a
C.J. PrimerHell week has officially started. Buckle up, the ride is going to be bumpy! Please trust that the destination is worth the journey, and lots of questions will be answered by the end of the week. I'm not a monster, so try not to be too hard on me in the comments!
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Alpha Reid 18
REID“What kind of bug?” I ask, gripping the steering wheel as I drive down the forest road that connects the six-pack territories, on my way to the complex to pick up Serena.“It’s a fucking virus or something, I don’t know. IT has been on it since they found it this morning,” Gray replies, and I can hear the irritation in his voice as it comes through the speakers of my car. “They’re still working on it, but what they have figured out is that it was specifically designed to corrupt certain types of programs. They say it was aimed to take down our border security.”“And?” I bark, flexing my fingers around the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white.“And it’s a good thing that we’ve got some smart fuckers on our IT unit, because whatever server the virus was planted on is separate from the one that houses our security system. I gu
Alpha Reid 19
SERENA Did I really think I’d get away with it? Maybe. Admittedly, I didn’t really think things through, I just saw an opportunity and seized it. Of course it isn’t a far stretch for people to assume it was me, and they’re not wrong. I deserve to be yelled at. I deserve to be punished. Not protected. While Reid’s noble to stand up for me, I don’t deserve an ounce of his kindness, not after what I did last night. I couldn’t sleep afterwards- I snuck back into bed with the girls and spent the whole night agonizing over what I’d done, wondering what consequence my actions would have on these people who have been nothing but nice to me. When Reid said that whatever was on the thumb drive didn’t work, I nearly sobbed in relief. But then I realized that probably means I’ll have to try it again, and I’m not sure if I can. Even if I wasn’t currently the prime suspect, I almost didn’t go through with it the first time… how am I
Alpha Reid 20
REID The sound of screams wakes me from a dead sleep. I should be used to it by now- it’s a nightly occurrence with Serena sleeping in the room next door. I’m not, though, and each night of sitting by and doing nothing to intervene or comfort her is worse than the last. My wolf whines and paces, desperate to get to our mate and console her. If only I could fight her demons for her, find some way to rid her of the nightmares for good. Laying here and doing nothing while she suffers is excruciating, even moreso tonight than usual. Maybe it’s because we just fucked. Probably not the smartest move, given the state of everything, but it’s not like I set out after her with the intention to strip her naked on the lawn and give her the business. I can’t say I have any regrets, though, because that sex was fucking next level. I don’t know if it’s her or the bond or the chemistry between us that was always bound to combust, but just thi
Alpha Reid 21
SERENA As soon as I see Astrid standing in the kitchen, I know I’m screwed. I’ve avoided her for this long, but I suppose it was only a matter of time before I couldn’t anymore. I bet Fallon put her up to this, hoping Astrid could use her psychic powers on me to get the dirt. And since I’m basically grounded to the packhouse right now like a misbehaved teenager, I don’t have a good excuse to get out of this sit-down with her. The two of us head out to the patio and get comfortable on the sectional- well, as comfortable as I can possibly get considering I’m just a ball of anxious energy right now. The morning air has a chilly bite to it, and I wrap my hands around the paper coffee cup to warm them, trying my best not to look super fucking guilty in front of the one person who could blow my cover right now. I’m obviously failing at it because she’s watching me carefully, studying my every move as she sips her latte. “So…
Alpha Reid 22
REID After seeing Brock and Astrid out, I glance through the big picture window in the back of the packhouse to see that Serena’s still out on the patio. She’s curled up on the sectional with her knees pulled into her chest, brow furrowed, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. I’m not sure what she talked about with Astrid, but she’s obviously deep in thought, so I decide to leave her be for now. We need to talk, but it can wait a little longer. I stroll into the kitchen instead, grabbing the rest of the latte that Astrid brought for me and carrying it over to the sink to pour it down. As I go to pop the lid off, though, it catches on one side and I wind up splashing it all of the front of my white button-up shirt. Fucking great. I curse under my breath, pouring rest of the offending beverage down the sink and tossing the cup before I head upstairs to change. On my way to my bedroom, I pass by the door to
Alpha Reid 23
REID“So that’s all of it,” I sigh, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees and scrubbing a hand over my face.After Serena spilled her guts to me on the floor of my office, I asked the guys if we could meet up so I could disclose everything to them. I didn’t want to put her on the spot and make her rehash everything, so Brock offered up his place for us to gather and she stayed behind at my packhouse. Knowing I was dropping a bomb, I wanted to approach my friends with this before taking it to the six-pack council so we could get on the same page- and in the hopes that they’ll stand by me when I do have to break it to the council. As of right now, I’m still not sure how that’s going to go.It’s not just the five of us tonight- all of my friends brought their mates along since they’re also close to this situation, and because we’ve been trying to bring Chase int
Alpha Reid 24
SERENA I’m emotionally drained. Putting everything out there for Reid was a lot, and as cathartic as it was to get it off my chest, it was just as exhausting to rehash it all- I feel like I could sleep for a week straight. Now that everything’s out there in the open, it’s like I can think clearly for the first time in a long time. Clearly enough to realize that I should’ve done this sooner. I should’ve opened up and let myself trust Reid. As silly as it sounds, until that chat with Astrid, it never really occurred to me that I had the option of picking a side. That I had a choice. I had blinders on, conditioned to believe that there was only one way to save them. I’m still terrified that something could go wrong, but I believe Reid when he says he’ll do everything he can to get Olivia and my pack out alive. I hope he does, because if anything happens to my little sister, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. I’m not su
Alpha Reid 25
REID “Fuck,” I sputter as I hit the dirt, Serena’s forearm coming across my throat to hold me down. She leans her face in close to mine, a devilish smirk on her lips. “That’s twice in a row, tough guy,” she teases, waggling her eyebrows. All I can focus on at the moment is the way she’s straddling me, pinning me down with her lithe body resting on top of mine. The heat between her thighs is almost right where I want it- a few inches lower and she’d feel just how much. We’re both panting heavily from the exertion of sparring, but if it were my choice, we’d be doing something else to make us pant like this. I bring my hands to her legs, pressing my thumbs to her inner thighs as I run them all the way up to rest on her hips. “Guess you’re just that good,” I smirk. She leans in closer, her lips brushing mine as her long red hair drapes around our faces like a curtain. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say y
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Alpha Reid 44
SERENA“Alright, line up, let’s do it again!” I call out, clapping my hands together as the young trainees scramble to obey my instruction and get in line.I hear Fallon chuckle from beside me as she watches the kids practically trip over their own feet to take their places. “Hustle up!” she encourages, sliding me a smirk.It has been two months now since the war with the shadow pack. Two long, hard months of picking up the pieces and figuring out how to move forward, both as individual packs and as the six-pack alliance. We’ve banded together to fix some of the things that were broken or damaged in the attack. We’ve helped each other heal. We’ve planned for the future and taken on new challenges, like this weekend program that Fallon and I started for high schoolers interested in joining the squad someday.This youth training program was Fallon’s brainchild- she
Alpha Reid 43
REID “Yo, Reid!” Jax greets, waving an arm over his head from across the practice field. I haven’t been up here to the complex in nearly a week now, but we’ve all been slowly trying to get life back to some semblance of normal in the aftermath of the war with the shadow pack. For the squad, that means daily training, even though we no longer have any immediate threat to prepare for. The guys and I talked it over and it doesn’t make sense to disband the squad just because the shadow pack is gone. For starters, having a dedicated fighting force to protect the territory is a smart move in case trouble comes knocking again. It also provides us a pool of qualified candidates for selecting teams of enforcers to track down the splinter groups of rogues that used to be with the shadow pack. But most importantly, the warriors who live up at the complex eat, sleep, and breathe the squad life… they’ve selflessly dedicated themsel
Alpha Reid 42
SERENA After my family was killed, there were no funerals to attend. I never saw their bodies lying in coffins or heard anecdotal stories of memories from friends who came to pay their respects. When my parents and brothers were murdered by the shadow pack, they were just… gone. Instantly forgotten by the ones who took their lives, their bodies disposed of like trash. I was made to believe that I was the only one left to remember them. In those first few hopeless days, I felt like I was drowning in my grief. It was almost too much to bear, and I found myself wishing that I’d died, too. The days in that cell bled together into weeks and I lost pieces of myself with each one that passed. Then they brought my sister to me, and everything changed. Knowing that Olivia was alive, that some of my pack had survived the attack- that was all I needed to find the will to keep going. To survive. Even when I felt desperate, hopeless, I d
Alpha Reid 41
REID“Damn, Red,” I growl, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe of our bedroom as I peer inside at my mate. She’s standing in front of the full-length mirror, fussing over her appearance even though she’s a total knockout.Her eyes meet mine in the mirror. “Is it too much?”She turns at the waist to face me, and I can’t help my eyes from drifting down her frame. She’s wearing a tight light grey sweater dress and black suede thigh-high boots, her makeup impeccable and her hair pulled over one shoulder in loose red waves.“It’s too much,” she sighs, turning on a heel and stomping off toward the large walk-in closet that we moved her things into yesterday afternoon.“Serena…” I catch up to her in three long strides, capturing her wrist and yanking her toward me, spinning her into my chest. She lets out a little puff of air a
Alpha Reid 40
SERENAAfter leaving the council meeting in Riverton, we follow Beta Rob back to the packhouse in Norbury. I’m not sure what I expect, but when we walk in and I see Chase slumped on a couch in the living room, eyes glazed over as he stares blankly out the window, my heart sinks. What Rob said earlier was right- he looks like absolute shit. His hair is sticking out in all directions and his red-rimmed eyes have dark circles etched underneath from lack of sleep. He doesn’t even glance over when we walk in, and when Rob calls out to him, he doesn’t so much as acknowledge our presence. It’s like his body’s here, but his brain has completely checked out.“Wanna step into your office?” Reid asks Rob, turning and clapping him on the shoulder. “We can go over what arrangements you’ll need to make for the funeral, maybe Cy and I can take a few things off your plate.”Rob n
Alpha Reid 39
REIDThe events of the day replay in my dreams all night like a horror movie that I can’t turn off. I’m back on that ridge, watching as Xavier staggers toward Gray, lunging in a last desperate attempt to fight him off. I see Gray tear out his throat again, hear the gurgling sound as Xavier struggles for air, blood spurting from the gaping wound in his neck and staining the snow. This time, though, when I go to turn away, something gives me pause. I look back to see Xavier rise again, still bleeding from the neck but still very much alive. Everyone else has their backs turned, and I open my mouth to warn them, but no sound comes out…My eyes fly open, the sunlight pouring in through the window stinging them as they adjust to the brightness. My heart is racing, a thin sheen of sweat clinging to my brow. I reach in front of me, then behind me, my hands meeting nothing but the silken bedsheets. No Serena.I
Alpha Reid 38
REID I haven’t let Serena out of my sight since we left the bunker where her sister and pack were being held prisoner, and I’m not sure I ever will again. I thought I fucking lost her. I can’t even explain how desperate I felt in that moment; like my heart was torn from my body and locked behind that door with her. After we got everyone out, we brought in the bus that we had waiting nearby to load up Serena’s pack and bring them to our territory. Serena’s sister rode in the SUV with us and I don’t think Serena let go of her hand the whole way back. Then we got her pack settled into the bunkroom at the squad barracks and Olivia settled into Serena’s old room at our packhouse, since Serena wanted her close and she’s basically already moved into my room anyways. It's nearing midnight by the time we get everyone else taken care of and the two of us are finally able to turn in. “I need a shower so bad,” Serena groans as soo
Alpha Reid 37
SERENA When Reid tugs my hand, I quickly snap out of my own hesitation and back into warrior mode, hustling to get to the doorway with him before the shadow pack wolves catch up to us. Right as we slip through, I hear snarls from behind us as they’re thwarted by our friends who’ve shifted to cover our backs as we advance. “Brooke, any idea where this route leads us?” Reid pants as we continue sprinting down the corridor. “There’s an access door at the end to another wing,” she replies, her voice coming through the speakerphone in Reid’s pocket. “I’ll have it open for you in three… two…” I hear the latch to the door in front of me click right as I come upon it, yanking it open and stepping through. As soon as I do, a foul odor hits my nose- like mold and human excrement and death. I stop in my tracks, my blood running cold. “What’s wrong?” Reid breathes as he skids to a halt beside me. My jaw goe
Alpha Reid 36
SERENA “I don’t see why we can’t just walk up in there,” Theo grumbles. “Their boss is dead, what do they have to fight for?” “Now’s not the time to get cocky,” Reid warns, shooting Theo a look. “We need to stick to the plan.” Gray sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Reid’s right, we don’t want to take any chances. The most important thing is getting everybody out safely.” I nod emphatically in agreement as Reid slides his hand over mine, giving it a little squeeze. We’re gathered in the conference room at the complex, regrouping and getting ready to head out to the location where my sister and pack are being held. It’s about a forty-minute drive from here and if we leave soon, we’ll arrive before dusk. When Xavier drew his last breath up on that ridge, I let out a breath that I’d seemingly been holding for months. The shadow pack has felt like an iron fist around my throat since they crashed into m
