Arla’s face lit up with a smile so wide it hurt her cheeks, and she followed after Alpha Lorenzo quickly. They entered the tree line and walked for around fifteen minutes until they came to a small, secluded clearing.
“This is where I shifted for the first time,” said Lorenzo, looking around with fondness. “I still come here when I need to think sometimes.”
He wandered over to a tree and checked a hole in the trunk where he kept spare clothes, making sure there was something suitable for Arla to wear when she shifted back to human form afterwards.
“Can you ask Maeve if she’s ready to give it a try?” he asked.
“I’m ready. I’ll take good care of you, Arla,” replied Maeve.
“She’s good to go,” Arla informed him, sudden
This is why she wanted to shift with me, thought Lorenzo. Werewolf law dictated that white wolves be protected. They were the rarest of wolves and each had unique abilities. A white wolf strengthened their entire pack and, as a result, they were both revered and hunted. There would always be those who let greed consume them and push them to break the law to take a white wolf for their own gain. “She is stunning,” said Marcel. “And she’s mine.” “She’s not yours yet,” replied Lorenzo with a troubled sigh, worry beginning to take hold. “But she’s definitely stunning.” Maeve stood tall and proud, tentatively stretching out her limbs and shaking out her pure white coat. The size of most wolves was in direct proportion to the
The following morning, Arla made her way downstairs to the Alpha’s office. She had never been in his office before, it had always been off limits. She couldn’t resist running her hands across the marble-topped wooden desk. It was stunning. “You like the desk?” he asked, noticing her fingers caressing it. “It’s absolutely gorgeous,” she replied, sitting down across from him, crossing her legs. A knock at the open door sounded, and Drew stood in the doorway holding a cup of coffee and a croissant. “Little lady, good morning,” he nodded his head at Arla before turning his attention to Lorenzo. “Shall I come back later?” “No, stay. Arla is involved in this discussion. Close the door please,” he asked, motioning Drew to
“As much as I hate to say this, because it is incredibly entertaining, you’re also going to have to keep this kind of behaviour in check in public, Arla,” Drew said, the smirk widening to a grin. “At the moment, you’re in direct defiance of your Alpha, and openly challenging him in a stare down.” No longer able to control his amusement, he burst into laughter. Lorenzo’s demeanour changed drastically, as frustration morphed to internal fear. He couldn’t control her. He didn’t want to control her, but he knew that in order to keep her safe, he may need to be able to bend her will at times, just like with any other pack member. The fact that he could order her to do something to keep her safe, and she could ignore that command, sent a thrill of fear straight down his spi
Arla once again enjoyed training in her human form. Jake and Milo paired her with people closer to her ability this time, and she was challenged much more fiercely than the previous day. She still shook her head thinking about Chloe’s abysmal efforts. She could feel eyes on her back throughout the session, and each time she turned, she saw Violet’s contemptuous glare. Arla hated to admit it, but Violet was an exceptional fighter; strong, light on her feet and quick thinking. Violet’s dad Alan had been one of Alpha Emilio’s best warriors, and now Alpha Lorenzo entrusted him with the training of the pack’s elite squad. It was clear he had done a lot of training with his daughter. She was impressive. With the extra training Arla had been given at the coven, she was ahead of most of the other she-wolves her age, but Violet was in a league of her own.
Arla left after the first session, grabbing her training bag and heading back to the packhouse. She met Drew at the back steps, and together they walked through the forest to the clearing. Drew was walking with a spring in his step, chatting Arla’s ear off the whole way there. His excitement at getting to meet Maeve was palpable, and Arla teased him mercilessly for it, calling him cute. They reached the clearing, and Arla’s nerves suddenly spiked. Shifting last night had been excruciatingly painful, but somehow it was made easier by having Alpha Lorenzo and Marcel with her. She adored Drew, she always had, but it surprised her how strong the urge to have the Alpha nearby was as well. “Are you ok, Arla?” Alpha Lorenzo’s voice came through the mind-link to Arla and Drew. He could feel a slight pull on their m
Maeve lunged at Dusk and sank her canines into his left foreleg, a gesture which Dusk repeated, biting her in return. Drew and Arla felt a bond form, like an invisible tether connecting the two of them, and their two wolves, together. “What the fuck?” shouted Lorenzo, opening a mind-link between the three of them. “Maeve just said ‘mine’, then lunged at Dusk,” replied Arla, her voice shaky. “What does that even mean? I can feel the bond, but I’m not old enough for a mate. We can’t be mates, Drew.” Lorenzo’s chest felt tight, his heart raced, and even though he was in the back of Marcel’s mind, he felt dizzy, as though the ground beneath him had given way, his entire world crumbling around him. Bond? Mates? Arla had to be wrong.
An entire month passed with Arla no closer to figuring out how to control the channeling of her wolf, and she was growing more and more frustrated each day. Alpha Lorenzo and Drew were taking turns shifting with her, and were both unbelievably patient, but she still felt like she was letting them down and wasting their time. They had an entire pack to run, and here she was, throwing an hour of their morning every day, right down the drain. To top it off, some of the pack members had also begun questioning why she was still absent from training in her wolf form. The smear campaign was, of course, started by Violet. Violet had casually asked the teachers at school how Arla’s tutoring sessions were coming along, and when they thought she’d be caught up. The confused looks on their faces had her questioning whether Arla really was being tutored.
“What the fuck, Violet!” Arla roared in pain. Milo blew the whistle again, loudly. “VIOLET, the session is OVER,” he yelled. “Oops, sorry Milo, I guess I didn’t hear it,” Violet purred at him, an innocent look plastered on her face. “No excuse. You will sit out of wolf training today and the Alpha will be notified. Get outside,” he shouted. “Are you ok, Arla?” “Yeah, I’m fine thanks Milo. I’m sure it will heal quickly, the pain is already easing up,” she replied, rubbing her face gingerly. “You don’t say,” he mumbled, his eyebrows raised as he watched her cheekbone and eye socket move back into place under her skin. The bright red mark on her face disappeared, along wi
Arla, Lorenzo, Lydia and the witches had assembled in front of the pack hospital, waiting for the return of the rescue party. The witches were abuzz with a mixture of nerves and excitement. For some, it had been many long months since they’d seen their loved ones, and they still had no idea the conditions they were kept in, how they were being treated, or if they were still alive. Milo exited the first van, approaching Lorenzo and bowing his head respectfully as the rest of his team helped the passengers alight. Lorenzo held out his hand to shake Milo’s, stepping aside as one witch cried out and ran to embrace her daughter. “There were three casualties in the cells, Alpha. We’ve wrapped them and transported them with us, they’re arriving in a separate vehicle shortly. I thought their relatives would want th
Arla entered the bathroom, stripping off her borrowed clothes and running the hottest shower she could tolerate. Stepping into the stream, she lathered up her body wash, watching the dried blood and dirt slide down her body and into the drain. She became lost in her thoughts as snippets of the battle replayed in her mind - the evil look in Alpha Anton’s eyes, her fear for Lorenzo and her pack, the strength and power she felt when she used the mate-bond, Maeve’s pain as teeth sank into her neck…” She screamed as she was pulled from her thoughts by a pair of muscular arms around her waist. “Sorry, sorry, I thought you heard me come in,” Lorenzo soothed, holding her close. “Drew! Violet! Lorenzo, we need to inform her dad,” she struggled against him, her fac
Arabella stalked her prey silently, creeping further out of sight. With teeth bared, she saw her opportunity and took it. Arabella flew gracefully through the air, her attention focused squarely on the neck of the white wolf whose back was to her. Her sharp teeth pierced Maeve’s skin like needles and the white wolf yelped in both surprise and pain. Arabella’s paws had barely made contact with the ground when she felt an intense pain tear through her body. It started at her neck, causing her to open her jaw in reflex, releasing Maeve, who backed away. The pain quickly radiated throughout her whole body as she was flung forcefully to the ground. Violet felt weak, her connection to Arabella fading, and when Arabella glanced at her paws, Violet saw she was lying in a pool of dark crimson blood. 
As they forged deeper into the forest, they finally spotted Alpha Anton, standing in human form and surrounded by witches, only a handful of whom Arla recognised. Where did he find these witches, and where are Sadie and Victor? Were they punished for my escape? The thought made her stomach churn violently, and her mind raced. The sound of Marcel pulled from her thoughts as he unleashed a loud, primal, Alpha howl. Marcel shook his head in confusion, turning to see the wolves from his own pack, along with Alpha Dominic and Alpha Roman, also submitting. Arla and Alpha Anton’s army were the only wolves seemingly unphased by it. “You issued a fucking Alpha King comm
The first warning siren sounded at five o’clock in the morning. Lorenzo and Arla sprang from the bed as the first rays of sunlight peeked through the curtains. They quickly dressed in the first clothes they could find, listening to the sounds of frantic movement below them in the house. “Alpha, incoming, approaching the western border. Forest is ablaze. There are too few of them for it to be the full attack,” came the mind-link from Eli. “Probably a diversion, only send enough teams to cover it.” “Yes, Alpha. I’ll keep you updated.” Lorenzo relayed the message to Arla as he pulled the curtains open and saw the smoke rising in the distance. He could feel the adrenaline begin to flow in preparation for battle. The responsibility on his shoulders felt immense.
Violet stood in the training hall with the rest of the pack’s warriors, waiting for the meeting to start. She had presumed the gathering was to announce battle plans, but had been surprised to hear people around her mentioning that the Alpha was going to choose his mate today. Alpha Lorenzo was six years past mating age and still had not found his true mate, so it made sense that he would select a chosen mate. Violet had no doubt in her mind that he would choose her. She had rejected her mate in order to be with the Alpha and was still feeling some of the effects months later, but her single-minded focus on becoming Luna helped distract her from the pain. The pain would all end once Alpha Lorenzo called her name. The hall quietened as the head warriors arrived, and Violet’s chest constricted painfully
After breakfast, Lorenzo and Arla joined the visiting Alphas and their delegates in the conference room. Some packs had brought their Alpha and Beta along, while other packs had left their Betas to run their pack at home and had bought a head warrior in their place. Alpha Lorenzo had called his senior team into the meeting, so Drew, Eli, Andy, Milo and Jake were all in attendance. Introductions were made and Arla hoped she wouldn’t have to refer to anyone by name, as she’d immediately forgotten half of their names and packs. The men soon settled down to business. “To bring you up to speed, Luna, our borders have been reinforced, patrols are more frequent, warriors from all packs are on standby and ready to fight when the time comes,” Drew informed her, enjoying watching her squirm uncomfortably when he called her Luna, and hoping that she wouldn’t make
They were almost out the back door when Millie’s voice called out. “Good morning, Alpha, Luna,” she said, bowing her head with an excited grin. “Good morning, Millie,” replied Alpha Lorenzo. He could sense her excitement, making him smile warmly in return. “You don’t have to call me Luna,” replied Arla, feeling embarrassed that this wonderful woman who had treated her like a daughter all these years was bowing to her. “Oh, don’t spoil my fun, I want to,” she said, giddy, reaching out and pulling Arla in tightly for a hug. “Congratulations darling, you will be a wonderful Luna.” Arla was suddenly hit with a wave of guilt. She had been so overwhelmed since she arrived back home, and then caught up in her bubble of love, th
Lorenzo opened his eyes slowly. His entire body felt stiff and sore, as though he hadn’t moved a muscle in quite a while. The early morning sun was streaming through the curtains, casting an orange glow over the room. Isn’t it night time? He thought, confusion clouding his brain as he tried to recall what had happened. Arla! He turned his heavy head to see her platinum waves fanning over his chest, and wiggled his fingers, feeling her small hand in his. He sighed with contentment and smiled to himself, the delicate sparks dancing on his skin where she lay. Fuck, he suddenly thought.