He slammed into me at full force, his jaws snapping at my throat. I whined as I hit the ground under his weight. My shoulder was protesting in pain, and I heard the sound of my stitches tearing. I retaliated by scratching furiously at the wolf’s underbelly. The smell of his blood satisfied me, but it wasn’t enough to down him. He howled in frustration and sank his teeth into my wounded shoulder. Out of pain, I reacted by latching onto his front leg. I bit down and felt his bone crunch in my jaw. He let go and whined as he fell off me. I jumped to my feet and took my place in front of Hugo again. I only had a second to see his expression, but he was horrified. The snapping and snarling of the other two wolves brought my attention back to them. They growled, approaching very slowly. The golden wolf was limping, but he took his place in between them, teeth bared. I responded by snapping my jaw warningly. He snapped back. They moved closer and I was forced back furthe
“Insubordination is punishable by death, Natalia.” Cedric’s voice was dripping with irritation. “May I remind you.” I met his eyes. “I agreed to the union only after I graduated. I don’t care what kind of power trip you’re on, Shadowfang has fulfilled their debt to you.” He took a step closer to me, menace in his expression. He looked like he might kill me right then and there. I bit my tongue, wondering if I should’ve listened and obliged. To my surprise, Byron stood and put a hand on his father’s chest to stop him. When he spoke, his tone was cool and collected. “We agreed to this when we were very young, father. We have known our place since we were ten. Natalia isn’t opposing the union; she’s simply asking us to uphold our end of the deal. Redclaw and Shadowfang agreed to letting the youths graduate first. Pushing the date up is voiding the agreement.” Cedric’s face contorted to anger, before he calmed again. He
The bell yanked me from my thoughts and I shook my head out of the fog. I tugged on the shirt Zara had picked out for me that morning. It was an irritably low cut, skin tight tee that left little to the imagination. According to her, it was good to attract my mate before the union. Not that Byron didn’t already seem interested, but I wasn’t particularly comfortable trying to attract anyone. Luckily, the tee covered my bandaged shoulder well. It ached as I bent to pull my books out of my bag for first period. Someone burst through the door and everyone looked up. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Hugo give Mr. Hinge a shy smile and hurry to his seat. I caught sight of Damien giving him a distasteful look before returning to his notes. Hugo waved to the human boy sitting on his other side and hurriedly pulled out his books while Hinge started his lesson. I didn’t dare look in his direction, suddenly remembering our last encounter. I hadn’t
“Can I ask you something?” Hugo finally looked up from his computer. I peered at him. He hadn’t spoken for the entire thirty minutes we’d been at the library. What he didn’t know was I was as comfortable in silence as I was in the heat of a battle. Especially when I was sidetracked by my own wandering mind. “I think you just did.” He didn’t smile. “Are you effected by the full moon?” I tensed. He noticed and immediately began stammering out another sentence. “It wasn’t a full moon when you changed, but I thought werewolves only change during the full moon.” “Your lore gets more wrong than it does right.” my voice was barely above a whisper. He shifted in his seat. “So, silver doesn’t effect you either? Or garlic?” I could feel my canines sharpening. “Silv
The building on the outside wasn’t anything I normally would have looked twice at. It was old and worn, paint peeling and wood chipping. I double checked the address Byron had texted me, unconvinced this was the place. It wasn’t until I stepped inside that I was delightedly surprised. People were dancing on a large dance floor and music blared through speakers on an empty stage. There was a bar, where a few of Redclaw’s elders were stationed. I tensed upon seeing them, wondering what they were doing here. Byron caught sight of me and called me over to a table where our packs sat. My eyes never left the elders. Byron noticed me staring and laughed. “This is Redclaw’s territory, Lia.” I nodded. “It’s just weird, being in the same room with wolves that used to be our enemies.” “Relax, they’re just here to drink.” he scrunched up his nose. “You smell like human.
My mind reeled as I watched the Redclaw’s tear after him. His words continued to replay in my mind, banging against my skull. I was the street, the elder wolves came out from the club. The biggest, a graying man with a serious expression on his face, looked at me expectantly. “What happened?” Fyn took a step forward. “Rogue in the street. Byron and the others went after him.” The elder barely gave Fyn a look before he shifted into a copper wolf and tested the air. The other three elders did the same, and a second later they were after the intruder too. Fyn turned to me with clenched fists. “What the fuck just happened? He was right there and you didn’t attack him. What the hell were you doing?” I swallowed. “He didn’t attack me.” “He’s a rogue, Natalia.” Ash clenched his jaw. “Remember what the pack said
I made it to his house without so much as a whiff of the Redclaw wolves. I wondered if they had gone home to regroup right after we’d left. If they had, it would make my job easier going home. Redclaw owned the largest portion of territory in Mystic, so it made sense they didn’t have wolves to be everywhere all at once. Like the other packs, they prioritized their forest over everything. The part of the town they owned meant very little to them, therefor they were less likely to defend it. The rules for the town were different than the rules for the forest. Wolves from every pack were allowed in all areas of the town, whether or not it was claimed. This was determined when the packs first resided in Mystic. The only thing we weren’t allowed to do was hunt or defend in a location that was not our own, which usually wasn’t an issue. The town was considered a safe zone otherwise, but I’d already had an unpleasant encounter with Redclaw’s elders once
The next morning was a fog. I wasn’t sure what time I’d finally passed out, but it wasn’t early enough. My pack was just as grumpy as we trudged to our first classes in silence. The only thing keeping me awake was the news Byron promised to deliver about the rogue. I had to know what happened. I slid into the seat next to Hugo. He turned to me, face twisting in concern. “You don’t look so good.” I groaned. “All I want to do is sleep.” He scouted his seat closer to me and cleared his throat. “I called my dad.” I was pulled from the daze of tiredness in an instant. “What did he say?” The door to the room swung open and Damien walked in with Ava at his side. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of Hugo leaning over. It was then that I realized how close he actually was to me and how wrong it might look to someone like my intended mate's Secon
I was the last person to the lunch table that day. I threw my lunch bag on the table and sighed as I collapsed into my chair. The other wolves eyed me with a smile, having heard of Byron and I on the bleachers already. I shot the alpha a look and shook my head. He laughed and shoved a bit of his sandwich into his mouth. “Didn’t invite us to the party?” Mel winked. I flashed her my canines. “Watch yourself.” “Ease up, Lia. It’s not like anyone here is going to call our parents and tell them what was going on.” Byron smirked. “They’re all too afraid. I think if Hinge knew who he was coming up on he would have kept walking.” “Do you think Cedric and Chano would even care?” Ash took a bite out of his cookie. “I mean, the union is just around the corner, isn’t it good news you two are getting along?” “The union'
Hugo prepared to pounce again, steady and stealth. As little experience he had with this form, it came so naturally to him. I might have admired it, if he weren’t about to attack Byron. I snapped myself out of my daze, my instincts screaming to move. Move where? This wasn’t my fight. Hugo had challenged Byron for the pack. For me. This wasn’t the human; this was the wolf. Pure wolf instinct. Doc had said not to engage. Maybe engaging is what had prolonged Hugo’s conscious state. He was supposed to have passed out by now, but then again, he was not the average wolf. He was an Alpha. I wasn’t even sure that was possible, but everything about the midnight wolf told me otherwise. I watched his body tense, but just before he jumped, he slumped to the side with a whimper. Byron’s ears perked up, not understanding. The midnight wolf was Hugo again, and Hugo was unconscious. The episode was over. It took us all several seco
I was the first in the room, followed closely by Cass and Hanon. The other wolves, rogue or pack, didn’t move past the entrance. They peered in with morbid curiosity but couldn’t bring themselves to experience this up close. This room looked to be a second living room, with one couch and a tv set up on the opposite wall. Hugo had been set on the couch initially, but with all the thrashing and screaming, he had to be moved to the floor. “There’s a bed upstairs…” Hanon began, but Doc cut him off. “One hit from him in this state could be lethal. He doesn’t have control of himself. We can’t risk it, for the sake of everyone he will remain here.” Hanon nodded, but I was wondering how Doc knew that. No one else but Doc would come close to his son, except me. I knelt beside him and he handed me a warm rag. “Wipe his forehead but be watchful of his hands.”
The rogues had recruits come in soon after the fight had died down. The elders ended up trading places with my youths, having their wrists and ankles bound. My pack didn’t make a move towards me, but I could see they wanted to. I hadn’t moved from my place on the floor, cradling Hugo’s head in my lap. He hadn’t moved since the injection, but his breathing had gotten stronger. I could see the wound already working to heal. Whether or not he made it, my blood was a natural remedy for his wounds. Byron’s youths took seats on the stairs, watching the rogues warily. They weren’t bound, since they hadn’t made a move to attack. I wanted to know what he was thinking, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask. I’d come too far from the girl he thought I was, there was no going back. From the corner of my eye, I saw the rogues ease into the sofas. All except Doc, who sat near me, and my father, who’d taken to guarding the Redc
It wasn’t until I heard his voice that I noticed his scent entwining with the others in the room. There were so many werewolves in such an enclosed space, it had been so easy to miss at first. He stepped from around the corner. No one moved. This made him smile as he reached for the door. Several Redclaw elders entered, stone faced and ready. They were followed by the Redclaw youths and…my father. If I hadn’t been fearful before, I definitely was now. My father didn’t look at me; he looked through me. I heard commotion and seconds later, my pack was pushed through the door. They were not coming in willingly. This was a relief as much as it was horrifying. Fyn came in last, his bound hands tearing at the Redclaw elder that held onto him. I saw his nails slash across the elders face and bright red blood appear. Enraged, the older wolf shoved him as hard as possibly able. Fyn hit the ground with a sickening thud. My instinct was to rush to him, but I was
Doc hurried upstairs to retrieve the man I’d heard so much about. I didn’t know what made me more uncomfortable; Hugo walking home when Redclaw could be stalking for him at the very moment or knowing the man who convinced my mother to betray her pack and the Elites was right above my head. I tensed as the stairs creaked. It was almost dramatic, how his feet appeared, then his legs, then his torso, and finally his face. He was a broad man, every inch of him screaming Alpha. Equal. This was the silent confirmation. He was my equal. He was an alpha. An alpha without a pack. When he stepped into the living room and looked up, his face paled. It was such an odd sight to see. His face didn’t look like it drained of color very often. I watched him with unease. Doc and Cass stepped into the hall, leaving me alone with this man. He took a step towards me and I took a step back, my lip pulling in a snarl. He put his hands up, realizing his mistake, and nodded affirmingly. “You’re Natalia.” He
I knocked on the door for the third time. I knew it was only my impatience, but it felt like it was taking too long for them to answer. They had to be home. They had to be. I strained to hear past the door, but there was nothing. Silence. Deafening silence. My wolf paced in the corner of my mind, whining at the anticipation. Finally, I heard the latch on the door unhook and watched the knob turn. Doc’s face peeked at me through the small opening, but this wasn’t an invitation for me to come in. No, he was staring at me with confusion. “Natalia?” I froze. My heart stopped. The undeniable stench, foreign to an average human home, hit my nose like a warning. Wolf. Move. Trying to be as kind as I could manage, I shoved my foot into the opening and pried it open. Doc’s eyes widened but I kept going until there was enough room for me to slip in. I put my fingers to my lips when I saw him about to speak. He reached out a hand to grab me, but I shrugged him off and continued into the ha
It wasn’t until Byron leapt on me and I fell hard on my back that I realized what was happening. I shifted instantly; my wolf already prepared. This is what I’d been trained for. This is something I knew and understood. Attack. Fight. Defend. I ignored the pain from my fall and twisted my body, eventually getting a decent enough hit to Byron’s underbelly to make him jump back. He landed lopsided and scrambled to gain his balance again. It was only a few seconds, but it was enough for me to get to my feet and prepare for the second attack. It never came. Byron’s wolfish eyes met mine and he stilled. It was only then that I realized he hadn’t made a sound the entire attack. His lip wasn’t curled back the way mine was. His muscles weren’t tensed. In fact, he looked almost at peace. This unnerved me. He’s not your friend, Natalia. His thoughts came so clearly to me. Because yo
I shot out of my seat. “Excuse me?” My father raised a hand to silence me. “Cedric and I have been trying to put together a meeting to talk about the union. We didn’t think something like this would happen, but this has been planned a week in advance.” “Reschedule.” I gritted my teeth. My father’s eyes hardened. Even from where I stood I could feel the power coming off him. His wolf had awakened by the challenge, but my father was calm. He had many years on us and knew how to control himself better than we did.. “Not an option.” He said coolly. “We aren’t in any mood to see Redclaw today.” He shrugged. “That’s your issue, not mine. The union must be discussed. It’s business, Natalia. I have a deal to uphold.” “No, you mean I have a deal to uphold. You need me to hold this meeting and I’m telling you to reschedule.” “Luckily for me, you’re not my Alpha.” He
Fyn draped an arm over my shoulder as we pushed through the cafeteria door. It was a friendly gesture to us, but it drew a few eyes from surrounding tables. I saw Fyn smile, enjoying the attention. I glanced back enough to see Jace take Mel’s hand; the gesture was so subtle but I knew I was seeing the beginning of something. I caught sight of Byron, leaning back in his chair and smiling at Claire, who sat beside him. The Redclaw wolves didn’t look uncomfortable around Chelsea’s friends; the same group they’d spent most of the last three years with. This triggered me, knowing that they’d nearly torn into Shadowfang for befriending Hugo and his friends. So, only they were allowed to hang out with humans? Not likely. We came upon a table that was erupting in laughter. The group of humans were enjoying themselves and their break time. It was only the sight of us sliding into the empty chairs around the table that silenced them. I sat beside Hu