Allie POVStella woke me, howling, the next morning. My head was throbbing with a migraine and she wouldn’t let up. She was trying to do everything in her power to get me to acknowledge the mate-bond ripping my chest in half, and go back to Josh.I convinced her to settle down long enough to go for a walk. She was desperate to shift for the first time. I could feel her need vibrating through me, but I knew I didn’t want to shift on my own.My father had never let me roam the pack freely before. Ellis was at least giving me more freedom, although I felt like I was being watched and had no doubt he had guards following me.I guess there was no reason for me not to mingle with the pack anymore. All the secrets they’d been keeping from me were out in the open now.The pack was so different from what I’d briefly seen in Teal Valley. There was no buzz or excitement, no pups running and playing outside. Walking past the shop fronts, there were no colourful signs in the windows advertising pa
Josh POV‘Josh, are you awake?’ came the mind-link from Dad, waking me from another shitty night’s sleep.‘Am now, what’s up?’ I replied, stretching.‘Come see me in Nate’s office before breakfast.’‘Sure, I’ll be down in ten.’I closed the mind-link, then showered, shaved and dressed quickly. It was longer than ten minutes, but no one came to hurry me up. As I stepped out into the hallway, Aster stirred in my mind and started going crazy.‘Mate!’ he shouted.I inhaled deeply. Allie. She was here.I followed her scent, racing down the stairs so fast I almost stumbled a few times, but I didn’t even care if I broke my neck, I just needed to get to her as quickly as possible. I reached the bottom of the stairs on the ground floor, where Dad and Nate were waiting on either side.“She came back!” I shouted, as her scent got stronger and my excitement grew. My heart felt like it was going to burst with happiness. She came back for me.“We need to talk to you first. My office,” said Nate.“N
Allie POV“Can I ask you a question?” asked Cole, walking alongside me.“Is it about Josh? Because if it is, I’d rather not.”The three of them snorted and grinned. They were taking me to another training field down the road so I could try to shift for the first time. When Aster had come to me, I could feel Stella trying to break through and force me to shift. She wanted him so badly.“Isn’t it hard to deny him, though?” asked the super huge blonde guy, who’d been introduced to me as Deacon, Josh’s best friend.“Yes, it’s hard. I fell in love with him before I even found out he was my mate.”“So wh
Allie POV My eyes opened to see that we were running. Fast. My wolf was breathing heavily as it ran, and its head was darting left and right as we bounded through the forest in wolf form. I could hear shouts behind me, but my wolf paid them no attention, focusing only on forward momentum. All of a sudden, she yelped and then howled as she hit the dirt, sliding along on her stomach until she came to a stop. I shifted back to human form and looked down at my right shoulder where the handle of a long spear was protruding, the cold metal blade lodged deep in my flesh. Only, it wasn’t my shoulder. It was masculine. I could see the veins bulging in the perfect biceps. A large, calloused hand reached behind my–or rather, his–shoulder and ripped out the spear, grunting through the pain. In an instant, we were up again, spear in hand, continuing to run like the wind. I could hear his footfalls, along with his laboured breathing. I heard a whizzing sound and felt a vibration through the ai
Allie POV “Your eyes look like the forest clouds,” said Cole, his eyes not leaving my wolf’s once. “You’re the Jade Wolf,” Nate said, echoing my mother’s words in awe. “What the fuck is that?” asked Cole. ‘Stella?’ I asked, my voice high-pitched and sounding weird. ‘It’s true,’ she replied, still sounding awestruck, but I could feel her deep excitement and pride come to the surface. ‘A Jade Wolf only manifests after you shift for the first time and you view your imprint.’ ‘What the heck is a Jade Wolf?’ I asked. ‘It’s us, Allie!’ She was so excited, but I was nothing but a ball of confusion. Being in wolf form, I couldn’t communicate with any of the guys. I wasn’t sure if I should shift back or stay as I was. Nate and Cole were still gawking instead of giving me some kind–any kind–of direction. ‘Let’s run!’ laughed Stella. Before I could argue against it, she leapt, sprinting across the field and into the forest line. I heard the pounding of paws behind us as she ran and wa
Allie POV After showering and dressing, I answered a knock on my door. I’d expected it to be Josh, but as I got closer, I scented Leo from under the door and immediately felt guilty about the way my shoulders had drooped. “Hi sweetheart, Nate filled me in on your first shift, and it looks like we’ve got some things to talk about. Shall we go downstairs?” Leo was always such a… a dad. He had such a reassuring vibe about him; the way he smiled, the way he held himself, the way he spoke. And from what Josh had told me about him previously, he was everything a person could want in a father. I followed him downstairs and back into Nate’s office. Nate was behind his desk with what looked like a textbook in front of him, his brows knitted together in concentration. He glanced up as I sat across from him with Leo. “You ready for a mini history lesson?” he asked. “Always,” I replied, a little too excitedly. One side of his mouth curled up as though he were trying to stifle a smirk. “Yeah
Allie POV For the next couple of days, my routine remained the same. Eating, training, studying and sleeping were the only things I had time for–as well as fielding texts and phone calls from Ellis. I was making progress with my training, but a few days would never be enough. At one point during training this morning, Max had spoken to me without venom or disdain in his tone, so I figured I was making progress, even if it was small. Josh and I would chat each morning over breakfast, but for the most part, we’d been avoiding one another. He was giving me the space I’d asked for, but I could also see the physical pain the incomplete mate-bond was causing him whenever we were together. Seeing it etched on his face was making my own pain increase tenfold, so the distance helped both of us cope. The knowledge that I could end that pain for him, and the conflicting desire to save him from any further pain if I died, was causing a war inside me. Gianna and Zoe were sitting eating lunch
Josh POV It all happened so fast I barely had time to register any of it. The pain etched on Allie’s face as she shifted back and fell to the ground made my stomach drop. A fury erupted within me as I watched Cole touch her, and then Mum and Gianna were whisking her away. As her scent passed me, a pure, unbridled wave of lust slammed into me like a truck. Aster was immediately pushing forward, wanting to shift again, but Dad was right in front of me forcing me to remain where I was. What the fuck was going on? ‘She’s in heat. We need to mark her and complete the mate-bond. It’s been too long,’ growled Aster. Heat? Oh, shit. When Dad finally let me go, I entered the kitchen and saw Zac helping Zoe take big bags of ice from the freezer. Gianna came downstairs and directed them up to Allie’s room. My mind was in utter fucking turmoil. How were they all so calm about this? It was almost like they were prepared for it. “It had to happen eventually,” Gianna said, patting my arm. “I’m
Allie POV Six years later… The jade green clouds were high in the sky and the sun shone brightly in Olive’s glade, as my family rained utter chaos on the poor unsuspecting forest. Really. Just pure chaos. But in the most lovely of ways. These picnics started off with just the Tanners, but had eventually expanded to include all four of the Alpha families from the packs bordering the forest, plus our fae friends. Bringing us all together as friends and allies. They quickly escalated into events of epic proportions as each of our young families expanded rapidly. Leo sat with Zac and Zoe’s youngest son in his arms. He was the newest grandchild, and number fifteen in total for the Tanners. Julie held a wriggling blonde toddler who was screaming for snacks. Josh and I named her Bree; he calls her Breezy, but really Stormy would be a more accurate nickname. What could I say? She was a girl who knew what she wanted. Queen Neva and King Roman sat alongside them with their new little pr
Allie POV One month later… My favourite moment had fast become Olivia’s late night feed. Sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery with just a dim lamp on in the dead of night, the packhouse completely silent, just me and her. She would look up at me with her big blue eyes, her perfect little hand curled around my finger. And her smell, oh man, her smell. We were all addicted to her. She had everyone captivated. Her dad especially. She couldn’t so much as whimper before he was picking her up, fussing over her. I’d found myself blubbering an extraordinary amount of times in these past few weeks, just from pure happiness, in total bliss, and drunk on love. “Hey, I didn’t hear you get up,” whispered Josh from the doorway. “Do you need anything? Snacks? Water?” He really was the best. “Yes to both, please.” He returned five minutes later and sat next to me, feeding me and holding the water for me, while I fed our daughter. “Can you believe we actually made her?” he asked, soun
Josh POV Several months later… “Have you seen Mum?” asked Allie, standing in the office doorway frowning. “She’s gone with Samson to visit Queen Neva.” “Again?” she snapped. Uh oh. I hopped out of my chair and put my arms around her. “What did you need her for? Is it anything I can help with?” “No, it’s ok. She was going to help me organise all the baby’s clothes.” I swept her feet up, picking her up bridal style. “Let’s go then.” “Josh, you don’t have to.” “I want to. You and Maggie have done almost everything else, I can help with this. Let’s go get snacks first.” That made her smile. She kissed me and snuggled her head into my neck. Her belly was now huge, and she was often tired, grumpy, and completely over being pregnant, but she’d never looked more beautiful. Watching our pup roll and kick around in there was the highlight of every day. I sat her down in the rocking chair, handed her the slice of banana bread we picked up in the kitchen, and she put me to work. I stac
Allie POV I’d spent all day with Mulberry and Spidey helping in the village gardens, and my eardrums still felt like they were bleeding after the moment I’d told her I was pregnant. Her squeal almost rivalled the ones Mum and Julie made when we told them. Aunty Mulberry was just as ridiculously excited as our family were. This baby was definitely one lucky and loved pup. On the way home, I stopped at Olive’s glade. The new saplings were thriving thanks to the extra care of the elves tending to them, and a little magic. It would take some time, but eventually these trees would be full grown, and the cocoons of the new dryad spirits would form. I couldn’t wait to meet them. I filled the watering can up at the lake and watered the saplings and pulled a few weeds. Sitting down, I looked up at the light green clouds and gave my tiny little baby bump a rub. My whole life had changed so quickly. I was still trying to adjust to having a life outside of the packhouse walls, yet here I was
Josh POV“Alpha?” I glanced up from the computer to find the head housekeeper standing in the doorway. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you have a moment?”“Come in, Laura,” I replied, gesturing to the seat across from me. “What can I help with?”“I don’t want to bother you or Alpha Allie, but the kitchen staff reported that trays of croissants had been made overnight and were left cooling on the benches this morning. Croissants that none of them prepared or baked. And the wait staff said all the forks in the main dining room have gone missing.”“Was the kitchen locked overnight?”“Yes, Alpha.”I let out a breath and ran a hand through my hair. These little incidents had started happening across the pack the moment Allie became Alpha, but they were now increasing in frequency, and a lot of pack members were now on edge. It wasn’t normal for the fae to be on our territory.Most instances were harmless. Some were good deeds, like the croissants, or doing housework tasks, and some were pl
Allie POV “Baby, sit still,” laughed Josh as I bounced up and down in the passenger seat of the car. “I can’t help it. Drive faster,” I whined. His wide smile told me he was equally excited as I was, he was just doing a better job of holding it in. It was the first time we’d ventured this far into the Jade Willow Forest since balance had been restored, and it was a completely different experience travelling by car. Most of the old highways and dirt paths had grown over after years of abandonment, the forest swallowing them whole, so it had taken some work from each of the four bordering packs to get them cleaned up and usable again. For now, it was just the main roads open, but over time, the rest would be unearthed again. The news from the fae closest to the Viridian Creek border, was that the fae were just as excited to have visitors again as the packs were to visit. Trades of supplies and products were already underway, and for the most part, the Obsidian Court was keeping
Josh POV The cold and damp conditions of the underground cells mingled with a fetid stench in the air that had my gut churning. This place was miserable, and pretty much summed up what I’d expect from Maurice Everett. I wasn’t unhappy with the fact he was now locked up in this hell he’d created. I squeezed Allie’s hand as we approached his cell and the guards nodded and moved to give us privacy. I pulled over two chairs and we sat, staring at Maurice, who was perched on the end of his bed. “Have you come to gloat?” he asked with a slight scoff. “I’ve come to find out what I need to know about the pack,” replied Allie firmly. “No one can recall seeing Beta Kyan in the last few days, and he’s missing from the pack mind-link, so I’m assuming he’s gone rogue–” “He is dead. He started sticking his nose in where it wasn’t necessary and made Ellis question some of my methods, so I got rid of him.” This guy was unhinged. A complete mastermind who managed to get away with his corrupt mo
Allie POVAs the life faded from Ellis’ eyes, I felt a surge of power run through Stella, right before the howls rang out from all around the pack, recognising the death of their Alpha.Stella raised her head to the sky and let out an almighty howl in response, answering their call and staking her claim as their new Alpha.Slowly, more and more wolves appeared on the packhouse lawn surrounding us. Those in wolf form continued to howl their loyalty to their new Alpha, and those in human form took a knee before Stella. A maid ran out of the packhouse with a dress for me to slip on as I shifted back.I felt his eyes on me before I spotted him pushing his way through the crowd and raced towards him, throwing myself into his outstretched and still bloodied arms. He burrowed his face into my neck as I clung to him tightly, kissing the side of his head.“You fucking did it, baby.” His voice was hoarse and littered with raw emotion. I needed to address the pack that had assembled, but I didn’
Allie POVEllis and my father were similar people. They liked control, and they liked to hold all the knowledge and power. For that reason, I knew Ellis was not happy at being blindsided by the fact that not only did I have a wolf, I was the Jade Wolf… and I was challenging him. I was certain it would be affecting every part of his being.He lunged at me, starting the battle, but I easily dodged. Nate said my best strategy would be to let him lead, watch his moves carefully, and try to spot any weaknesses that I could take advantage of later. Stella was light on her feet, so it was a simple task.Ellis’ overconfidence began to show. His wolf growled and snarled as it snapped its jaws at me, and his moves became sloppy as he interpreted my hesitation for fear rather than observation. He lunged again for my flank and Stella finally made her move, dodging left, then pouncing on his exposed neck. He evaded the hit to the neck, but couldn’t move quick enough to avoid Stella’s teeth as the