Kendra opened her eyes to see her adoptive parents hovering over her face, and the doctors poking around in places they shouldn’t. “Is there a problem?” Her voice cold, hoarse and weak shattered the silence in the sterile room, alerting everyone to her wakefulness. Her mother was the first to react. She looked up eyes wide, wet with tears and excitement. “You are awake!” She exclaimed the obvious in a soft voice.Kendra nodded, then asked. “What happened?” She looked from her mother to her father who stood off to the side watching her intently.Kendra couldn’t read the Alpha’s expression. His impassive mask made her squirm a little bit, though she fronted a brave face in the face of his stoic expression.Without reading her father’s face she knows he is angry with her about something. The Alpha always goes this cold and expressionless when he is mad at her for something.“You were attacked by rogues,” the Alpha answered, his flat and cold tone causing Kendra to wince inside. She r
Kendra scoffed at her mother’s words, shaking her head in disbelief. The idea of her ruling the BlackMoon Pack was absurd. The Pack would never accept an Alpha who wasn’t born into their Pack, no matter how long she had lived among them. The truth was simple—she wasn’t one of them and never would be. “You seriously think the Pack will just stand by and let Dad hand over the Alpha title to me when he retires?” Her voice was laced with bitterness. Becoming Alpha wasn’t something she even desired, but knowing how impossible it was regardless of her worth stung. For one to rule, you need to have the blood of the Pack running in your veins, and Kendra’s blood is from another Pack. The rule is for all the Pack, not just the Black Moon Pack. An Alpha retired from leadership at fifty, passing the reins to a successor. “I do,” the Luna replied calmly. “Your father is the Alpha, and the Pack will respect his decision. You are the rightful heir to his position, Kendra. You have earned
Dylan drove up to the Pack House and parked in the spacious driveway. The massive house loomed above him, its sprawling structure an imposing reminder of the strength and unity of their pack.Jake came down from the back of the car. Adira cradled protectively against his chest, looked fragile and small. Yet, Jake carried her effortlessly, his features unreadable except for the subtle tightness of his jaw.He walked away toward the looming structure of the Pack House and stepped inside. Inside, a handful of pack members lounged in the grand hall, their chatter tapering off as they spotted Jake. Some offered knowing grins; others murmured congratulations to him on finding his mate. Their voices were tinged with admiration, but Jake acknowledged them with a curt nod, his expression stoic. Despite his restraint, his chest swelled with pride. Being seen as Adira’s mate meant something to him, even if the bond wasn’t what they thought.He ascended the grand staircase, his footsteps heavy a
With his piercing and tattoos, Meredith doesn't see the redhead as worthy of her attention. Her parents will not approve of someone like him. They are friends because the redhead is friends with Jake. Meredith’s words stung like a punch to the gut. Nate’s easygoing smirk faltered for a fraction of a second before he recovered, his walls going up as quickly as her barbs had landed. He was used to being judged for his tattoos, piercings, and the rebellious edge that seemed to put people off before they even got to know him. But this… this was harder to brush off, even though he tried. “Don’t flatter yourself,” he fired back, his voice smooth but laced with hidden pain. “Hell will freeze over before I ask you on a date. I just thought you might want to hang out. But if you’d rather be alone, fine by me.” He turned on his heel, ready to walk away before the cracks in his façade became visible. “Stop!” Meredith’s voice rang out with commanding authority, freezing Nate mid-step. There
As the two women drove toward the supermarket, the tension in the car began to ease. Sheryl tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, humming to an R&B classic playing on the stereo. Finally, she broke the silence with a casual remark. “So, our kids are mates.” Grace blinked, turning to look at her friend. The words hung in the air momentarily before both women broke into identical grins, their excitement bubbling over. “I can’t believe it,” Grace said, her tone equal parts disbelief and joy. “The Moon Goddess actually paired them.” Sheryl laughed, her excitement infectious. “I know! I mean, we always hoped, but this… this is better than we could’ve imagined.” “It shows that they are meant for each other.” “I just thought of something,” Sheryl exclaimed, almost bouncing in her seat. “What?” Luna Grace looked at her best friend curiously. “Why don't we throw a party to celebrate them being mates,” Sheryl suggested, her expression excited that dimmed when she saw the hesitant
Let’s go,” Meredith snapped at Nate, her voice sharp with urgency as she moved toward the door, not sparing him a backward glance. She had to get to Jake—before their friend did something he would regret.It seemed that whenever their blonde friend was involved, their usually level-headed boy lost all ounces of rationality.Nate hesitated, blinking at Meredith in confusion. He wasn’t ready to leave just yet—hadn’t even processed what was happening—but the blonde was already halfway to the door, leaving him with no choice but to follow.He had to jog to keep up because, despite the heels on her feet, Meredith moved with the intensity of someone in a high-speed chase.“Hey, what is wrong?” Nate demanded when he finally caught up with her.Meredith didn’t slow down or acknowledge him beyond a clipped response, her voice tight with urgency.“We need to get to Jake before he does something stupid.”At the mention of their dark-haired friend, Nate’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching involu
Jake stilled, his vision red with rage. He glared at the older woman, suspicion creeping into his mind like a slow poison. Did she know that Adira wasn’t his mate? She couldn’t have. Adira wouldn’t have had time to tell her, and he was certain they weren’t close enough to share such a personal revelation. Yet, something in Kendra’s gaze unsettled him, like she held a secret he wasn’t privy to. Jake decided in that moment—one born from instinct and desperation. He would claim the blonde. They were already pretending to be mates for the Pack; what was one more person believing the lie? He straightened to his full height, forcing his expression into unwavering confidence. A smirk curled his lips, his voice laced with certainty. “And that is where you are wrong. Adira is my mate,” he declared boldly and possessively, as if saying it aloud would solidify the truth in the fabric of reality. Kendra’s entire being recoiled at the claim. Her wolf snarled a sound that remained locked be
The tension in the room was so palpable that a knife could cut through it. As Danny waited for the Alpha wolf to take the phone from his hand, he flicked a glance at his best friend to see how he was doing. The poor boy was almost purple, causing Danny to wince in sympathy, his expression crunching slightly. Trix let the blonde boy’s hand hang in the air for a few minutes longer, relishing the palpable tension. She has to teach the young wolves not to mess with her or her human again. Then she reached for the phone. “Hello,” she growled into the phone. Adira froze at the sound of her mate’s voice. “Trix,” she muttered in a low tone, her voice trembling slightly. Trix closed her eyes at her mate’s sweet voice whispering her name. A shiver ran down her spine, but she kept silent, waiting for her mate to speak. “Please, put him down,” Adira pleaded, her tone thick from the emotion clogging her throat at speaking to her mate’s wolf. Trix didn't speak immediately but
As Kendra predicted, Adira arrived at school late. The school corridors were empty of students except for the blonde. She makes her way to her locker, picks up her books, and heads off to her first period. There is a spring to her step and a happy glow that wasn’t there a few days ago. Anyone looking closely could spot that there is something different about the blonde. Meredith spots this difference as soon as Adira sits beside her as usual. The beach blonde narrows her eyes at her best friend and asks. “What is going on with you?” Meredith kept her voice low to avoid attracting the attention of the teacher droning on in front of the class. Adira plays the dumb card. She looks at her best friend blankly and retorts, “What do you mean?” Her voice was low as well. Meredith didn’t speak immediately, her grey eyes searching the blonde’s green ones as if looking for something. She felt in her gut that there was something different about the blonde, but
Kendra heard their mother long before she walked into her room. She has always been a light sleeper. As a warrior and a hunter, she trained herself to sleep with one eye open, ever ready for anything, even when asleep. The first thing that changed was her breathing before she opened her eyes. Her mother was just outside their door. Kendra moved her hand along the back of the young woman plastered against her side, soothing her back to sleep when the blonde grumbled as if disturbed by her nightmares. She felt her mother hesitate at her door before the older woman turned the handle and walked in. Kendra held her eyes closed and waited for the older woman’s reaction to the sight of her sister in her bed, plastered against her nakedness. She didn’t react like she had something to hide. Her sister sleeping beside her is all innocent, even though it is not unless they make it not so. Luna Grace doesn’t know how to interpret the sight before her. The s
While watching their Mother interact with her sister, Adira stares longingly, wishing things were different. She wants to be in her sister’s arms to assure herself she is alright, but she can’t because no one knows that she is her mate. When Kendra looks at her, Adira’s heart skips and her green eyes soften with tenderness as she silently coveys her feelings to the brunette. The stare lasts a brief second before Kendra looks away. She tries to rise from the couch, uncaring about her nakedness, when two warriors storm into the living room wearing urgent expressions, forcing her back to the sofa to hear what has the warriors looking like their houses are on fire. The warriors stop short to pay respect to the Luna and then ask after the Alpha when they don’t see his tall frame in the living. "He is in his office," Luna Grace directs, and they turn to leave, but Kendra speaks, stopping them in their tracks. "What is the
After her shower, Adira joins her mother in the living room. The older woman offers her a cup of hot coffee as she sits beside her on the sofa. "Anything?" Adira looks at her mother as she takes a sip, her still cold inside welcoming the warm heat of the coffee. Luna shakes her head as she peers into her daughter's worried eyes, her similar eyes reflecting the same emotion. "Nothing yet." Just as she finished speaking, the outdoors crashed open, and the warriors rushed in carrying an unconscious Kendra, the Alpha hot on their heels. The warriors gently set Kendra on the long sofa while the Alpha barks. "Can someone call the Pack doctor?!" Mother and daughter flew to their feet with confused, terrified expressions. They looked from passed-out Kendra to the Alpha, who stared at his daughter worriedly and demanded together. "Dad, what happened?!""Honey, what happened?!"The Alpha looked from his daughter to his mate, his eyes resting on her worried face. "Your stubborn, reckless d
Kendra looked toward the snapped twig, and glowing red eyes met her sharp blue ones. She quickly pushed her sister behind her as multiple big wolves prowled out of the darkness. Their glowing red eyes contrasted sharply with the thick darkness surrounding them. Kendra heard Adira whimper in fear and quickly reassured her without taking her eyes off the six rogues that had them semi-surrounded."Don't be scared. I will keep you safe."Her voice sounded confident and cold. Her expression was fierce. The one thing she will not take a chance with is the young woman's life behind her. She means too much to her.The assurance in her sister's voice settled Adira's nerves. Kendra's sharp mind assessed their situation. She wondered how the rogues could access their land without alerting the patrol. Secondly, she was outnumbered. Although skilled, she can't face off six rogues alone and keep her sister safe. She needed backup, and even though Kendra hated asking for help, she knew she needed
Adira stared at her father in disbelief, her eyes blazing with anger. "You can't force me to mate with someone who isn't my mate!" she snapped loudly, her fists clenching and unclenching in frustration. Alpha Conor stared at his daughter with a cold and calm expression, unbothered by her explosive reaction. She was young and didn't know what was best for her. If the moon goddess hadn't given her a mate, then Jake would be good for her. He knew his daughter loved the young man and was stubborn because he had asked her to mark him. "I didn't; you did," Alpha Conor replied in a leveled tone. He didn't shrug to show how much he didn't care about his objection, but the others felt his nonchalant reaction to his daughter's anger. That is not to say that Alpha Conor doesn't care for his daughter because that is far from the truth. The BlackMoon Pack's alpha loves his daughters so much, but he believes his daughter is too young to know what is good for her. Luna Grace was stuck between he
It is dinner time. Alpha Conor is having dinner with his family alone; the pack members stay away to allow the Alpha family some privacy with their eldest return. They were eating silently, with Luna Grace desperately trying to infuse conversation and liveliness into the meal, but everyone seemed lost in their thoughts. “Your sister found her mate,” Alpha Conor said suddenly. Kendra and Adira froze. Adira looked at their father sharply, wondering why he brought this up. Kendra kept her eyes on her food as she answered their father. “I know.”Alpha Conor nodded, then took a deliberate bite of his mashed potatoes, savoring the rich flavor. He followed it with a forkful of vegetables, a hearty drumstick, and a sip of wine. “And you?” he asked curiously, looking toward his eldest. The young woman had not told them about her personal life, and he was dying for information about her life in the city. Adira looked at her sister, interested to know if she was seeing someone.“No, I ha
“What do you think is wrong with Meredith?”Adira asked Jake as they bounded up the stairs to her room. She looked back briefly to see her boyfriend's reaction to her question. Her best friend has been acting weird these past few days, and her angry outburst is more than her usual cranky personality. Adira can't shake the feeling that more is going on with her best friend. If the blonde isn't talking to her, maybe she said something to their other friends.Jake stiffened at the mention of Meredith. He masked his nerves with a stiff smile on his lips. “Babe, you know how Meredith is? She is always like this when she meets someone new.”Adira shook her head. She believes it to be more. “I don't think...”Adira trailed off suddenly. They were at the top of the stairs and about to enter Adira's room when a sound in the adjacent room caught her attention. Jake noted Adira's frozen expression and asked. Is something wrong? He stared at the petite blonde before him with a frown between his
After what happened with her sister last night, Kendra woke up the following day and decided she had had enough of the hospital food. Her parents walked in on her, arguing heatedly with her doctor, who believes she is not strong enough to leave, but Kendra argues that she knows her body better than the fucking doctors. “What is going on here?!” Alpha Conor asked, looking from the doctor in scrubs to his fully dressed daughter. They both turned to the Alpha, a stubborn look on Kendra’s face, while the doctor looked frustrated and relieved to see the Alpha. He has never met a more stubborn young woman. “Please, can you talk some sense into her,” the doctor pleaded dramatically with the Alpha. Last night, she tore her stitches from doing God knows what! And this morning, she wants to leave. She is not yet strong enough and can barely stand on her own. “I can stand alright, thank you very much.”“What did you do to tear your stitches?” Alpha Conor asked his daughter in a calm voice.