Author POV -
Back at Twin Lakes pack, Dave was making his way down to the prison cells to talk to some of the rogues that had been captured when he felt his sister’s distress. Twins, like Mates, have a special bond that links them together, the closer the twins are emotionally, the stronger the bond between them, they are able to sense when the other is suffering physically and sometimes even emotionally. Since Dave and Daisy were about as close as siblings could be, their bond was still tethering them to one another, even across the great distance that currently separated them. Since the Moon Goddess had granted them the gift of mind link, they had worked hard to build a wall between them to soften the emotional connection they shared. This was not done because they wanted to hide things from one another, that was not something either of them had ever considered, it was because every little emotion ha
Dave POV -The prison cells are not designed to be a pleasant place, they are designed to make the prisoner uncomfortable so that they may suffer for their crimes. But I have to admit, the stench of the cells has always turned my stomach, it has done since the very first time I was dared by Jack to sneak down into the depths of the pack house, he even had me touch one of the bars of the cell nearest the stairs as a young pup.But they do have a purpose and for that, they are a necessary evil, I suppose. Walking down to the cells now, as Alpha, I thank my lucky stars that I have never been on the receiving end of this kind of punishment, though looking back I would not have blamed my parents if they had taken to locking me up, after some of the stunts I pulled with Jack and Jason and even with Daisy on occasion.
Dave POV - Many wolves are taught from a very young age, that rogues are cruel, vicious, unconscionable creatures with no morals. That they are criminals who have been banished from packs and have gone crazy from lack of companionship. That the rogue wolf has lost part of their humanity because they have been deprived of pack life. That they ought to be feared and avoided at all costs.All of the stories from when we were young tell of a wolves’ need to be a part of a pack. But the stories, passed down from father to son, from mother to daughter, they all tell us this, but they are old stories, outdated and incredibly biased, having come from those who did their utmost to destroy all rogues. The stories we were told growing up painted the rogues as the enemy, that becoming a rogue was the ultimate punishment and that to be confronted by a rogue would mean a bloody battle. We were taught that all rogues were a liability to everyone’s safety and should therefore be destroyed immediate
Dave POV -I call out to the person on the other side of the door to let them know they can enter.In walks Lee, with his arms laden with squishy toys and toy cars and a Connect four, he is followed by a woman who carries herself as though she ruled the world, head held high, hair neatly coiffed, clothes clean and clearly starched. It is Gail, the cook who chose to stay and cook for the pack despite all that had happened to her at the hands of those loyal to Ace. I see the pup’s eyes light up at the sight of the mountain of food she carries on a tray bigger than even I knew was possible. “Thanks, Lee, the toys can go in this corner, and Gail, this looks spectacular, could you please just put the tray on the table there, we will serve ourselves.” Gail places the tray down with a heavy thunk and with a small bow leaves the room. Lee dumps th
Author pov - After Dave finished telling the room about himself and Daisy he went on to describe the events that had led to him becoming Alpha of this pack. When he mentioned his previous rank of Beta, however, a ripple seemed to float around the adults in the room, almost like a small flutter of activity, which gave him pause.“Did you say you were Beta of that other pack?” One of the women spoke, interrupting his thought process. It took a minute for Dave to respond to the question, so immersed in his story that he did not immediately comprehend what had been asked.“Yes, I was Beta of the Rival River Pack, which lays just past the lake, it is where you were before you were brought here.”“But, that means…” Another voice spoke up.“Shhhh!” someone interrupted before they could finish their thought.“I’m sorry, I think I am missing something here, does someone want to fill me in on what the deal is? If you are worried about my ability to be the Alpha then I assure you, none of you a
Dave POV -After giving Lee my instructions and ensuring the rogues would be cared in my absense, I eventually found my way back to my office. Opening the door I rub at my temples, the headache forming behind my eyes letting me know that I needed to leave the lights off. I could not afford to get a migraine now, I needed to talk with Daisy, I needed to find out what had happened to her, I swear, if that pack did anything to hurt my sister, they would pay, I knew Jack would help me since my pack was not strong enough yet, but they would pay if they caused her harm, and I also needed to wrap my head around this so called prophecy that the rogues had been told was related to Ace. I knew there was something within their words that meant something to me, when they had been describing what they knew, what they had overheard as well as what they had been told, it had felt like Luca was running circles in my head, it was incredibly distracting, he was still going, even now, he had not calmed
Author POV - Dave steps through the door onto the decking behind the pack house. Marvelling at the amount of damage it had sustained in the short amount of time that Ace had been in control. He had not known Alpha Sven personally before their meeting which resulted in him being granted the position of Alpha, but he had always heard good things about the Alpha and Luna of Twin Lakes.It still surprised him that their paths had not crossed more, however packs tended to stick close to home a vast majority of the time, the few exceptions being the higher ranks when they decided to travel in the hopes of finding their mates. Dave and Daisy had discussed the option themselves while they were in Rival River Pack, but they had never gone further than simply discussing. So it wasn’t that surprising, he reasoned, that they had not met Alpha Sven.The decking that he currently stood on looked like it belonged to a dilapidated house in a region with notoriously bad weather, there were scratch ma
Dave POV - After getting Hank and Alice to the Pack Doctor my mood was sour, I knew exactly what I needed to say at the meeting I had called, but I would need to work on the delivery, I didn’t want it to sound like a ‘my way or the highway’ kind of situation, but at the same time, I didn’t want anyone to work out loopholes and punish the rogues for actions they could not be fully blamed for.This needed some thinking. As much as I would love to head to my office to work on what I was going to say, however, I decide to head to the common room, that way I will be seen and approachable by anyone who needs me. Grabbing a notepad and pen off my desk I hurry down the stairs from my office and take a seat beside the log fire happily burning in its grate.I sit there contemplating what I am going to say and staring into the flames I nearly crap myself when someone touches my shoulder. “Alpha, Sir,” Steve speaks quietly, as if not wanting to be overheard, but the room is deserted. “Everyone
Cassie POV -They got him, they really got him, I couldn’t believe it when Jack told me. Could it really all be over for us? Are we finally safe?I met Jack and the others at the border, anxious to see them all and make sure none of them were hurt. Thankfully other than a few scrapes that were close to healed, nobody seemed to be injured at all. This confused me, I didn’t imagine them being able to take prisoners without at least someone being seriously hurt. The rogues had come easily, though there were so many I didn’t know how we were going to hold everyone while they were waiting to be questioned. They did not put up a fight. They walked calmly, huddling close together as though for comfort, which gave me the feeling that they were terrified, but I also got a sense of relief from them too. The poor Pups, they all looked so frightened, their eyes
Dave POV - A cheer suddenly erupts from the crowd, clearly they are of the same opinion as us. As the crowd quieted once more the doors at the back of the hall burst open and Brian and Mark came striding in, followed by about 20 she-wolves that I didn’t recognise. They filed in but didn’t speak. I took this to mean they simply wanted to be here. Joe had arranged for three guards to be waiting by the prisoners so they could be brought out one by one. I turned to him now and nodded, he left and helped them bring in all three prisoners. Jack and Nick stepped up at that point, Nick took ahold of Ace and Jack took ahold of Maddie’s father. Joe stood with Maddie.“Please bring Ace forwards, Maddie will go last.” I say clearly and watch as her eyes scan the people in the room, widening as she realises the seriousness of the situation.Nick steps forward, forcing Ace to walk with him and they stand in the middle of the stage. “Ace, your crimes are as follows; Torture of pack members under
Author POV - The group of 5 made their way through the pack house and out into the darkening afternoon. A storm was brewing on the horizon and the wind was picking up, tossing leaves and debris from the construction sites about them. Nobody else was outside at this time, everyone settling down in the dining hall or attending to their duties. Steve, the head guard, leading the way with Daisy and Joe flanking their prisoner and Dave, defeated, following behind. Maddie, though captured and for all intents and purposes defeated, held her head high, spitting venomous words to Dave over her shoulder, sneering at him, hissing in a low voice that carried over the wind about his worthlessness, comparing him to Ace and finding him lacking. Daisy drops Maddie’s arm and quickly moves the scarf that Maddie was wearing as a fashion accessory up to cover her mouth, tightening it until only muffled grunts could be heard, she then returns to Maddie’s side and grins at the glare Maddie is sending her
Dave POV - I run through options in my mind, my link with Daisy open so she can hear what I am thinking. I could offer her the chance to leave and live, I could banish her, I could lock her up, but none of it seemed right, none of it felt right. How could I do that to the mother of my child? What would I tell my pup about their own mother? Would she even agree to leave the child behind?Of course she would, she is selfish, a pup would only slow her down, but, I know you don’t want to hear this, but, I don’t think we could trust her if we let her go, she would always be a risk to us, even without Ace around. She’s right, I know she is, but I can’t do it, I won’t. Not if she really is carrying my pup.I can barely breathe right now, the worry, pain, deceit clawing it’s way up my throat. But Daisy’s right, first we need to see how she reacts to what I overheard, then how she reacts to the direct accusation I plan to throw her way. Once we have determined her guilt we will cuff her and
Daisy POV - Dave is hiding away in his office, I saw Maddie in the kitchen and asked her, he is blocking my mind link and I swear to the Goddess I am about to explode on him… he can’t keep me out of the loop on these kinds of things, I’m his Beta, regardless of my personal life, the pack comes first. I convince Maddie to come with us, we need all hands on deck for this, and the three of us make our way to Dave’s office. I don’t knock, I just push the door open.Surprisingly, I see Dave startle and shove something under his desk. Confusion and alarm flitter through me when I realise what he did, is he hiding something from me? No, I am being paranoid, he had no idea who it was coming through the door, maybe he wanted to keep something hidden from the guards… but then again, even Maddie wouldn’t just barge in, everybody else would knock and wait to be permitted entrance, but why is he so jumpy?Dave quickly collects himself and glances behind me to see who I have brought up with me. Se
Dave POV - If Daisy were not otherwise engaged this would have been dealt with by now, as it is, I am glad that I was one of the 2 people to get stuck down here. Once Maria had moved across the gap to sit with me while we waited, we had talked a little, which was my failed attempt at distracting her. I had mind-linked a few of the guys that I knew were close by, but I didn’t want to ignore Maria for too long, so I gave them an idea of what needed to be done to get us out of here. I could sense Maria’s fear, this went deeper than I could understand, for Maria, this was a true horror, bordering on phobia based on her reaction.. During one of the long silences in which I simply held Maria’s hand for comfort, something else filled the silence. A muffled sound, like people speaking, but it was distant, as though through a wall. I gave Maria’s hand a gentle squeeze and whispered that I would be right back, then I focused my hearing, and my vision on the walls. I made my way around the edg
Maddie POV - I’m not sure how I feel right now, I’m almost 100% sure I am now pregnant, the nausea I experienced yesterday pretty much confirmed it. Its not like I can go to a doctor to check though, the last thing I need is for anyone else to know. They can have their suspicions, but until Ace is free I can’t risk them knowing. If people know, they will expect Dave and I to complete this damn bond and mark each other. Since I have no intention of allowing that to happen, I have to keep this a secret.Today I’m going to do it, I had to put off the plan yesterday thanks to the nauseousness, but I managed to sneak a few herbs from that new herb garden last night and they have eased the discomfort. Although I will admit that being forced to wait a day has actually made my plan much easier, no need to worry about Daisy and her lug of a mate, they are both too wrapped up in each other to worry about what I am up to. So I only need to get rid of Dave and the prison guards for long enough t
Maddie - Pride fills me as I listen from the other side of the door to the commotion, I did that, I created that distraction all by myself, my plan, my execution, my success. Turning from the door I follow the same path as before and make my way to Ace. I can prepared this time, I brought some decent food, a couple of candles for light and a book I know he likes to help him fill the hours while I execute my plan to get him out of here. “Ace, my love” I say quietly when I am only 1 cell away, “I don’t have long, but I have news, and I brought you some things” I pull level with his cell and light one of the candles so I can see him more clearly. He is stretched out on the cot, head turned to me, a small smile graces his handsome face. He stands up, moving like a liquid, and walks to the bars, careful not to touch them. “Maddie, You came back, and what news do you have? I am intrigued,” His tone gives away his true feelings, he misses me, misses my touch, I can almost feel his fingers
Daisy POV - Joe’s words seem to aim right for my heart, which feels like it is about to explode. I have no idea what he is talking about, not even an inkling, but when he suggested I might want to let him go, well that almost made me pass out right there on the spot. Mutely, I nod my head, agreeing that I will listen. I will not interrupt, I will hear him out, I will behave as a Beta should, with grounded reason and logic. I will myself not to vomit on our brand new carpet, and force my feet to take me to the table that is currently holding a vast array of food that my stomach recoils at the sight of. Changing course to avoid the food, I sit down on the sofa in front of the fireplace and curl my legs up underneath me, making myself as small as I can while still maintaining eye contact. Maybe, if I am small, the impact won’t be so big… I know, some logic that is right? But right now all I can think is that he is going to break my heart. Rip it from my chest, stomp on it and throw it
Daisy POV - I’m going to ask Joe tonight, I have it all planned. I spoke with Gail a little while ago, asking her to prepare a tray for Joe and I, so we can eat in our room. Her reaction was stranger than I had expected, the grin on her face when I put in my request spoke of something, though what I have no clue. Joe has been out all morning with the pack, training group after group, and I have spent the morning putting the finishing touches on our new suite in the new pack house. Not many people are sleeping there yet as the last of the paint is being applied and the electrics are being installed, so that should give us some added privacy, though every room is specially sound proofed, nobody needs to be able to hear their next door neighbour doing the nasty night after night….ya know… So I have had out bed built, as well as our other furniture, I have hung the drapes, installed the lamps, filled the bookcase, plumped the cushions, arranged photos of our loved ones, Joe had brought