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2024-10-29 19:42:56REID
I’m closing the front door behind my friends and their mates when I hear a creak on the stairs behind me. I don’t have to turn around to know it’s Serena- both because she’s the only person staying upstairs in my wing of the packhouse and because my wolf perked up as soon as her sweet scent registered. I keep discovering aspects to the mate bond that I never anticipated, like how my senses all seem heightened when it comes to her. I’ve been hyper-aware of her presence when she’s near, oddly attuned to her body language like I can almost read her well-hidden emotions.
I turn to look her way, my eyes wandering her form as she hits the bottom step. She’s evidently gone through some of her new clothes- she’s changed into a pair of navy blue high-waisted yoga pants and a white cropped hoodie, her long red hair swept up into a neat ponytail. I’m not sure how it’s possible for her to be
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Alpha Reid 8
SERENA“This is it,” Reid says as he turns a corner and I get my first glimpse of the squad complex. He told me all about this training facility on our way here, but even so, nothing could’ve prepared me for the reality of actually seeing it with my own eyes. His description didn’t do it justice- this place is absolutely massive, surrounded by imposing walls that tower nearly as tall as the trees that surround it on all sides.As impressive as it is from the outside, I can’t wait to see it from the inside- I’m antsy as Reid swings the Mustang into a parking spot up front beside a big black Escalade, shifting the gear into park and cutting the engine.“This place is incredible,” I breathe, craning my neck to look up at the structure through the passenger window as I unbuckle my seatbelt. “This is all just for training?”“Our full-time squad members liv
Alpha Reid 9
REID I don’t know what it is about a woman in red lipstick that I find so damn attractive, but when that flame-haired little vixen descended the packhouse stairs tonight in a tight little skirt and red lips, it immediately did something to my dick. I’ve been sporting a semi all night, barely able to think straight around Serena. Hardly able to breathe. I’m actually somewhat relieved when one of the girls suggests they go take shots and I’m given a little bit of a reprieve to collect my thoughts. “So how’s it been going?” Gray asks as soon as the girls are out of earshot, turning his attention to me. “Good,” I mumble absently, eyes glued to Serena’s ass as she heads for the bar. The crowd fills in behind her and I turn back to the guys, meeting Gray’s dubious stare. “Yeah?” he asks skeptically. I shrug. “Sure. I mean… as good as it can be going?” I scrub a hand over my face, chuckling wryly. “Fuck
Alpha Reid 10
SERENA It feels like electricity is crackling between us, and my thoughts are so clouded with lust that I can’t concentrate on anything but Reid- his heady scent, his dominating presence as he towers behind me. The growly baritone of his voice. I suck in a breath as his other hand joins the first, stroking down my back until one lands on each hip, squeezing gently. Then he moves them both down over the curve of my ass painfully slowly, his fingers toying with the hem of my skirt as my core starts to throb with need. I’ve never done this before- never even considered it. But when Reid asked if I wanted him to punish me, I came to the startling realization that yes, that’s exactly what I want. There’s no mistaking the way my body reacts to his, and I don’t want to think anymore, I just want to feel. Even if it can’t last. Even if it’s just for right now. “You sure about this?” he asks, and my body’s so on fire t
Alpha Reid 11
REID Using a pair of tongs, I grab the last piece of sizzling bacon out of the frying pan, adding it to the plate beside the stove that’s already piled high. Despite the chaos of last night, I had a fucking fantastic night’s sleep and woke up feeling refreshed, ready to take on the day. I came downstairs, started cranking Bruce Springsteen, and got to work making breakfast- my mom’s famous French toast that she used to make when I was a kid and two full pounds of bacon. I turn off the burner on the stove, nodding my head and singing along to the Springsteen hit ‘I’m On Fire’ as I head to the fridge to pull out a carton of orange juice. My favorite line of the song drops and I bust a little dance move as I turn around to set the juice on the counter, reaching into the cabinet overhead to retrieve a couple of glasses. Now all that’s missing is… I glance up toward the staircase, smiling as I spot Serena on the la
Alpha Reid 12
Serena“Fuck,” I mutter as I trip over a tree root protruding from the earth, coming down hard on a knee. I catch my upper body with both hands, skinning my palms as they slide across the hard-packed dirt of the forest floor. I’m tired and sweaty and exhausted, tears of frustration springing to my eyes as I struggle back to my feet. I’ve been out here for hours, trying my damndest to figure out where Reid and I first ran into each other the other night. Trying to retrace my steps, though at this point that exercise seems pretty fucking useless.It doesn’t help that I don’t know this terrain at all. I tried my best to study the map of the six-pack territory in Reid’s office last night, but I didn’t want to linger in there too long and risk getting caught- and it’s a lot different looking at something on paper than it is actually trying to navigate it on foot. The territory borders are fairly
Alpha Reid 13
REIDI look up from the open refrigerator as I hear the front door of the packhouse swing open, my wolf instantly perking up as Serena breezes through.“Hi!” she greets brightly, her delicious scent practically slapping me in the face as she pushes the door closed behind her. She’s wearing leggings and another one of those cropped hoodies that shows a tantalizing strip of her flat stomach- this one is light blue, the same hue as her eyes. Her hair is pulled back in two French braids, and I can’t help but crack a smile as I recall a joke that Theo used to crack about pigtails being used as ‘handlebars’.“Hey,” I call back to her, reaching for a bowl in the fridge filled with fruit. I select a juicy looking red apple and step back, the refrigerator door swinging closed as I step over to the sink to rinse the piece of fruit. “How’d it go?”I had some pack business to
Alpha Reid 14
SERENAThe moment his lips descended on mine, I was a goner.Damn him. Damn him and those ice blue eyes that seem have a way of staring straight through to my soul, threatening to steal my secrets.Damn the way his smile makes my heart stutter in my chest and his touch makes my skin smolder beneath his capable hands.Damn those soft lips and that demanding tongue that skillfully moved against my own and robbed me of every last ounce of resolve.Damn him for ruining me for all other men, because I know I can’t have him, and as long as I live nobody else will ever begin to compare to Reid Raines. I bring a hand up to my lips as I lay on my bed, tracing my fingers over them while my eyes slide closed and my mind drifts back to that moment between us in the forest- the moment when we both finally succumbed to the pull of the mate bond. In the days since it snapped in, we&rsquo
Alpha Reid 15
SERENA“So I’m thinking we should do an actual girls night,” Quinn suggests, eyes wide with excitement.After training this morning, the five squad leaders slipped away for another meeting. I headed to the dining hall to grab some lunch and was immediately accosted by Quinn, who ushered me over to sit with her and the other alphas’ mates. I appreciate that the girls are trying to be welcoming, but it isn’t exactly easy to hang out with them- they’ve all clearly forged this close bond with one another, while I’m just the weirdo on the outside looking in.“Because that worked out so well last time?” Fallon laughs, tearing the crust off of her grilled cheese sandwich and dunking it into her tomato soup.“Yeah, what if the guys insist on tagging along again?” Brooke sighs from her seat next to her sister. She follows suit in dunking a piece of crust into
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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
