An awkward silence settled between Alec and I as we traversed the rough terrain. I wasn’t sure how far out he wanted to go, but with each step, we were getting farther from the entrance where I’d sensed Tyler. I was grateful for the distance. Especially since I was about to attempt to spend an entire night in wolf form. I had no idea how my wolf was going to respond. Since returning to human form, she’d made herself scarce.My connection with my wolf had been tenuous from the start, but I thought things were improving. I should never have involved magic in this mating bond. There was only one way forward and that was through my own grit and determination. I had fought my way out of hell my whole life but in the last few weeks, I’d let go of who I was. I was the girl who spit blood back in the face of my attacker. I wasn’t the type to take a back seat and watch the world pass me by and I needed to reclaim my identity. But this time, I was going to be able to have a chance when I fought
Remember what he did to us.I always felt a little crazy when I talked to my wolf, but it had helped in the past.He isn’t right for us. He hurt us.Sadness, deep and profound, gripped us. It was tangled with regret, desire, and longing. The emotions were intense and confusing, and I pawed at the ground, trying to shake some of the negativity away with movement.My wolf wanted to understand, but she was struggling. Tyler was connected to us, fated to be our other half.The fates made a mistake.I looked up from the ground and saw Alec’s dark gray wolf slowly approaching. My wolf backed up, then held her ground as she realized that Alec wasn’t a threat.He’s a friend, I assured her.My wolf seemed unwilling to go as far as claiming Alec a friend, but I could tell she was willing to concede that he wasn’t a threat. We’d run with him before, but things changed so quickly once I added magic to the mix.Alec’s wolf backed up and lowered his head, as if bowing. I was confused by the action, but
Shelia and I jogged through the woods, leaping over roots, and ducking under low branches. The way back to the cave felt like an eternity. Neither of us spoke, but the tension hung heavy in the air. As we neared the entry, I realized I wasn’t concerned about Tyler at all. At least I had that going for me.Instead, a weight settled in my stomach as I worried about Alec. I wish I could say I was equally worried about Kyle and Malcom, but I wasn’t. All I could think of was that I needed him to be safe.I told myself it was because last time we’d met Tyler, he’d nearly died, but I had a feeling there was more to it than that. It made me feel guilty. I was a terrible friend. Kyle had broken me out of captivity, and Malcom was literally blood. Why couldn’t I worry for them on the same level?“Stay close,” Shelia warned. “If you feel the urge to shift, run. You can’t risk completing that bond unless you want to be stuck with him.”“Oh, I’ll run.” It was good advice. The last thing I needed w
To my surprise, Kyle’s light gray wolf was the first to jump at the tree. He landed with all four paws against the trunk, causing the tree to sway. The branches shook and a few pinecones fell to the ground.I looked up at Tyler and noted that his smug expression was gone. He was gripping the branch tighter and actually looked a little nervous.I had no intention of letting Tyler try to break the bond again. He’d proven he couldn’t be trusted, but I needed him down from the tree. Then, my friends could do whatever they wanted with him. Any sympathy I had for him was buried deep within my wolf and as long as I didn’t shift, I wasn’t at risk of having an ounce of compassion for him. The only regret I had was that I couldn’t help. The threat of mourning him for the rest of my life was enough to make me hold myself back. It sucked, but the bond had been bad enough.“Alright, I’ll bite,” he said, his tone mocking. “Call off your dogs.”I ignored the insult at calling a group of wolf shifter
My wolf could feel Tyler. She was desperate to be with her mate. Reason didn’t matter, none of my human emotions mattered, she was determined to reach him.Every muscle hurt as I fought against my wolf. She was stronger than me and she was fully keeping me out of the discussion. With each footfall, I could feel Tyler getting closer, but I could also sense my friends.See? They are trying to keep Tyler from us because he’s bad for us.I changed my tactic, hoping the loyalty I could sense for Alec, Malcom, and Kyle could somehow sway her opinion.My wolf growled, pissed that there was a threat to Tyler. She picked up the pace. Everything I tried seemed to backfire. What was wrong with my wolf? Why had I shifted like that? I’d lost all control, forced to make the change.Star’s warning about magic having a price seemed so long ago. I should know better than to not take chances with magic. The gamble hadn’t paid off.My muscles ached; my lungs burned. I had never moved so quickly in my life
I crawled toward the wolves, giving myself more space between the drop off before trying to stand again. Nausea rolled in my stomach as I made it to my knees, but I fought against it. Ignoring the pain and double vision, I finally found my feet. Slowly, I walked toward my friends.“I can’t kill you myself, but I can watch as they rip you to pieces, you son of a bitch,” I said through gritted teeth.Tyler whined, his wolf looking up at me with sad, pathetic eyes. As if attempting one last time to pull me in.My nostrils flared and anger surged. I owed him nothing. “You should have broken the bond when you had the chance.”He moved faster than I anticipated and suddenly, Tyler’s wolf was on top of me, knocking me to the ground. His paws on my chest, he pinned me down. His jaws snapped in my face, and I winced, turning away from him. My wolf’s sense of loyalty to her mate was bubbling just under the surface. I could feel her desperation to connect with him. She wanted me to shift. She wa
My chest tightened and I squeezed my hands into fists. I didn’t want to watch, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. The two wolves circled each other. They were nearly equally matched. Alec’s wolf slightly larger than Tyler’s. After their last encounter, I knew Alec was the superior fighter. It didn’t surprise me after seeing how Tyler would default to those around him to finish his dirty work.Even though I was pretty confident that Alec could handle himself, I was still terrified. I didn’t want anything to happen to him and I hated that this whole thing was my fault.No.It wasn’t my fault. I was done with self-blame. I gave Tyler the option to break the bond. He brought all this on himself.To my surprise, my wolf seemed to be backing me up. She was ready to be done with all of this once and for all. I realized I was holding my breath and released it before forcing myself into a steady breathing pattern.It seemed like an eternity of glaring and snapping and circling before either wolf
“How long have you known?” My voice was breathy, coming out as a whisper.“I suspected during our full moon shift, but I didn’t know for sure until just now,” he confessed.“But Tyler…” I knew you could have another chance at a mate if your mate was dead, but it seemed impossible for me to have found a second when so few wolves even found their first.“He’s gone,” Alec said.I knew there were unfinished thoughts in that statement. Alec’s mate was also gone. He’d loved deeply and lost tragically. If anyone deserved another chance at happiness, it was him.Alec caressed the side of my face gently with his thumb. His touch was a balm, soothing and comfortable. I never wanted him to stop.“What does this mean?” I asked.“It means that if you’ll have me, we can complete the bond,” he said.“But we’ve already had sex,” I said.“You were fated for someone else then,” he said.“I hate to interrupt the moment,” Sheila cut in, “but did I just overhear that correctly? You two are feeling a matin
The entire household was buzzing as they finished preparations for the Solstice celebration. The longest night of the year happened to fall on a full moon, which meant one party of epic proportions.I took a deep breath as I prepared to greet the guests. While having the alphas of the packs for visits had almost become routine, this gathering was different.Alec took hold of my hand. “You’re going to be great. Nothing bad is going to happen. This is what you’ve been working so hard for the last year.”He was right, of course. And he’d been by my side for every step. I was truly grateful to have such a strong and supportive leader by my side. We’d found a balance in the last year, working together to improve pack relations and begin the process for positive change for all shifters.Tonight we took that a step further. While we’d been working to break down the years of animosity between us and the witches, our alliance was still in its infancy.Shifter and witches both held sacred conne
While my old pack was busy peppering Kyle with questions, I took Alec aside. “You doing okay?”“Yeah,” he said. “I know Kyle’s going to deal with this mess well.”“And you and I get to deal with the bigger mess,” I said. “If my uncle was authorizing Wolf Creek’s use of the toxin to take out their neighbors, what else don’t we know?”“I know Spencer said to give them a chance, but you sure you want a council that enabled that behavior to stick around?” Alec asked.He had a very good point. “I’m not sure I do want them around. But I do think we need to learn from them and find out what has been going on for the last few decades.”“You’re not out of the woods yet. You’re a walking target, you know that, right?” Alec asked.“I know. I wish I wasn’t used to it,” I said. “But at least I’m not alone this time. I’ve got you, Sheila and Malcom. And the four of us can work together to figure out who we can and can’t trust.”“They’re good shifters. Even before Malcom shared his story, I got the
“If it were me, I’d have a couple of guards escort him to his home and give him an hour to pack. Then, I’d kick his ass out.” Horace took a deep breath. “That toxin has been the black mark on my time of service. I would be honored if you’d allow me to help you destroy it.”“I’d like that,” I said.“Guards, escort him to his home. Check the roster for his inner circle, past and present. Kick them all out.” For once, the strict rules and lists for who was considered the alpha’s inner circle worked to my benefit. All packs had to keep records. As long as Ace has been in power, he’s kept track. The positions were valued but there were shifters who’d turned them down. Everyone knew working for Ace meant good things for your family, but it might cost you everything.A pair of my guards escorted Ace away. Several members of his inner circle followed him. Wolf Creek deserved a chance at peace.To my surprise, Viki, Ace’s wife approached me. She had yellow and purple bruises on her face, nearl
“Ace Grant, I strip you of your title and your role as alpha of Wolf Creek,” I said.“No, you can’t do that. You can’t. I earned this.” He stood, his hands balled into fists.For a moment, I thought he might charge me. My guards moved closer and Alec stood in front of me.Ace took a step back and Alec’s tension eased. He stepped aside, but stayed right next to me.“You stole the title,” I said. “You didn’t work for it. You didn’t earn it. You didn’t prove anything to gain it.”“He doesn’t even have a mark,” someone shouted from behind. The gathered shifters cheered in response.“Send him to the caves!” Another voice called. The cheers grew even wilder.I smirked, knowing I had been correct. I was never alone here, we were all prisoners.“Please no, have mercy,” Ace said. “I already lost my son. Isn’t that enough?”“You don’t want to be trapped in the caves?” I had no intention of sending him there, but I had to admit I was enjoying hearing him beg.“I didn’t betray anyone. It’s not a
Wolf Creek was ready to greet the royal family when we arrived. The entire pack turned out, everyone gathered in front of the barn as requested.I could see them waiting as we approached, careful to keep myself hidden from view behind the guards and accompanying council. I didn’t tell them why I wanted to return here, and I was certain they were expecting some kind of happy reunion.Alec was already seething with rage, the emotion far more intense than it should be. My wolf clawed at my chest, wanting to get out to comfort her mate. That’s when I realized I wasn’t just sensing Alec’s emotions, I was feeling his inner wolf. And he was pissed.My wolf was distracted by her mate. Her feelings toward Wolf Creek secondary to his discomfort. It was interesting that Alec’s hate toward Wolf Creek was two-fold. I could feel his personal vendetta against my old pack mixed with a need to protect and defend his mate. In a strange way, it was kind of sweet.“Let me take lead on this,” I said to hi
The four of us stepped through the double doors and the members of the council rose when they saw us. They had been seated at a long wood table, with a dozen chairs. At one end of the table there was a chair twice the size of the others. A crackling fire glowed in a wood fireplace behind it. The floor was dark wood and a red and gold rug sat under the long table. The chandeliers above the table were made of antlers, a very different aesthetic from the crystal I’d seen in the other parts of the home.“Thank you for waiting,” I said, trying to sound more calm and commanding than I felt in the moment.“Of course, your highness,” one of the men said.I walked to the larger chair and sat down. The gathered males took their seats. One side of the table was my family, on the other, the four males who made up my predecessor’s council. It was an odd arrangement, but if Spencer thought it was worth hearing what they had to say, I’d give it a chance.“We are honored that you’re willing to meet w
Breakfast with my friends felt familiar and safe. Sheila, Malcom, and Kyle had mostly waited to eat until we arrived. The guards stood outside the room, and at my instance, the staff was willing to leave the food and let us serve ourselves.To my friends’ credit, they all steered the topic of conversation toward random things that were unrelated to our current situation. It was as if they knew I needed a little break before I had to figure out how to do the job I’d committed to when I took down the old king.We ate till we were all stuffed and laughed at Malcom’s stories about trying to learn how to fix a car and accidentally setting it on fire. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I pictured Mario’s face. “I bet he never let you near his car again.”“Only if I’m trying to fix it. Driving I’m fine with. It’s when you give me tools that it causes an issue.”“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.“Your highness,” a male voice said.I turned and saw one of my guards. Malaki, I think.He was holdin
I stretched out my hand and he took it. The two of us silently followed Spencer. I didn’t need to look behind me to know that my guards were following me. It was one of those things I was going to have to get used to, I supposed.“Have you seen her this morning?” I asked.“Not yet,” Spencer said.“You think Star can help her?” I asked Alec.“If anyone has a chance, it’s her,” Alec said. “She figured out an antidote to that toxin. And you’ve seen what else she can do.”That was part of my concern. What if Star hadn’t been able to help my mom? If she couldn’t, I wasn’t sure anyone else could.As we continued down hallways lined with doors, and up a few flights of stairs, I considered what I would even say to her. Everything in my mind about my mom was so full of conflict. I wanted to help her, but she was also such a source of pain for me. She might not have been in control, but why did she have to do that to herself in the first place? Why did she flee to Wolf Creek of all places? Why
I woke to the sound of knocking. My eyelids fluttered open as a warm pair of arms pulled me tighter. A smile spread on my lips as the events of last night came flooding into my mind.Of course, the good memories of three rounds of fucking fantastic sex with Alec were followed by the memory of the challenge. I sat up, nearly elbowing Alec in the process.“What’s wrong?” His voice was groggy.“I beat the shifter king last night,” I said.He chuckled. “Yeah, you’re the queen. We already knew that.”“Right, but that means there are people expecting things from me.” I had ideas. Big ideas. Things I wanted to change, but I wasn’t sure what the protocols were or what hoops I’d need to jump through. Spencer had said he’d help.I glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was ten in the morning.Holy shit.They must have ended the party without me and nobody bothered us all night.I guess there were perks to being the shifter queen.The knock sounded again and I scrambled off the bed, grabbin