Cooper’s POV
I have been listening to noises for hours, but I can’t see anything. I hate places like that. Either way, in my wolf form, someone or something would think twice before attacking me.
As soon as I heard a scream, I acted without hesitation. This land, maybe in an Alpha’s territory. But it is still classed as part of the Wolf Kingdom. As a prince, I can’t ignore someone’s cry for help.
Another scream guides me to where I need to go. I slow down when I catch a scent I know. A dirty smell, like burned oil combined with the rank smell of bad breath. “Rogues,” I tell Asher before I block him out. It’s common for wolves to share their thoughts with their humans, live, and see through each other’s eyes. But not me and Asher. He blocks me out most of the time, so I return the favor. We have never gotten along.
Besides, there is nothing I love more than killing a rogue wolf. I don’t want him to ruin my fun. Rogues have a little more fight in them compared to those stupid trainers Asher makes me fight at Alpha Academy. Who are constantly worried about getting hurt? It’s pathetic.
But this time. There is no one to stop me. I can get my paws dirty.
The screaming continues. It sounds like it is coming from a child. Just as I jump through a bush, I see the wolf stalking a young girl on the other side of a valley.
I recall how speedy the stream at the house was, yet it appears gentler here. I am assessing the dimensions of the valley.
I can do it if I run and jump. I know I can. Then I can kill the rogue. These are the thoughts that run through my mind as I stare at my prey.
But a yellow streak to my left caught my attention. I turned to see what it was. When I see a young woman running across a fallen tree. What is she going to do against a rogue wolf? I ask myself.
I watch as she sprints up onto a ledge on the cliff. Now I am curious about where she is going. Before she launches herself off it. Landing on the rogue’s back. Ramming something into the rogue’s neck. I hadn’t even noticed her carrying anything. They must be knives of some kind.
WOW, that was impressive. Her speed, her strength, her bravery. I am impressed.
The rogue is thrashing about with her on his back. He is going crazy. If the girl has got the daggers in the right place, he will die soon enough. I watched in amusement and horror as she was thrown to the ground. Backing up, I prepared to jump across the valley. I wouldn’t mind being a hero. I rarely get to do anything fun at the academy.
But I am too late. I watch as the rogue picks up speed towards her. I’ll never make it in time. She’s as good as dead right at this point.
Then the rogue collapses on top of her. I guess she didn’t need me after all then. Or does she? Because she doesn’t get up.
I cautiously made my way across the fallen tree, knowing it could collapse at any moment.
“ARRGGHH!” she screams, trying to push the rogue wolf off her. She is struggling to get out from under the weight of his dead body.
She notices me and yanks a dagger from the rogue’s eye. Brandishing it at me. Does she think I am a threat to her? She obviously must do as she waves the dagger in front of her. Trying to scare me away.
I bit into the rogue’s stomach, which was out of reach of her reach, and dragged its corpse off her. The taste of his fur and flesh in my mouth makes me feel disgusted. I hope Asher has packed plenty of toothpaste.
When the blonde heroine gets up, she looks at me and simply says “Thanks,” then walks up to me and rubs my head. “I appreciate the help.”
Normally, it is Asher who gets all the credit for our efforts. It felt great to be rewarded. I watch as she retrieves her blades from the ground. They are dripping in blood. Her facial expression tells me she’s as disgusted as I am.
“Best get these cleaned. You never know when I will need them again.” She smirks. Before she looks at herself, “Best get myself cleaned up at the same time.” Her clothes are soaked in the rogue’s blood. “I hope it is all his, anyway. Thanks again,” she says before walking towards the fallen tree.
As she walks across the tree, I can hear it creaking. The tree quickly gives way under her weight. She screams as she falls into the stream. She lands with an enormous splash. “Seriously, today is not my day.” She cries out, hitting the water.
I leaped down beside her to help her up. As she stands, I look at her. Her clothes are not only stained with blood but also completely soaked and are now clinging to her skin. I can’t help but snicker.
She sees me. “Who are you laughing at?” she says, splashing water at me. Oh, she never did. She did. I tried to splash her by jumping in the water, but it was all in vain, as she only laughed at me.
But I get my own back when she tries to climb the muddy bank of the stream. I bit the back of her trousers and pulled her back into the water. This time, I properly snickered at her. I can’t remember when I last had this much fun. Or if I have ever had this much fun?
She shivers, “It’s getting dark.” She says. Now I feel bad. If I could mind link her, I would tell her I was sorry, but I gave a low whine instead. She simply smiles at me and tells me she understands.
This time, I helped her out by pushing her up the muddy bank. I walked by her side through the forest. I wanted to guarantee her a safe journey home. It is my fault she has been there for so long.
I am shocked when she stops by a tree in the middle of the forest. “This is me. Thanks for the help. I would probably still have been stuck under that rogue.” She smirks before climbing up some wooden rungs.
She cannot seriously live in this tree, in the dark forest. “Asher.” I boom to my human. “Cooper?” he asks in a shocked tone.
“Make sure the girl is safe,” I told him.
“Cooper? You’re speaking to me with words.” Why is he so shocked? I can speak. I just chose not to speak to him, seeing he is a control freak. “Yes, make sure the girl is safe.”
Asher’s POV Cooper blocks me out most of the time when he’s a wolf. This time is no exception. I had no clue what he was talking about as I shifted into my human form. “Climb the damn tree. Check she is safe.” He barks at me. Cooper is talking to me in sentences. “Hey,” I replied to him. I tried to figure out why he was telling me to climb a tree. I’m confused about what Cooper values enough to have a conversation with me. “Quickly.” He then demands. “I am naked and shoeless. It’s going to take a while. Perhaps if you explain what happened, I could be more motivated.” Cooper and I are both stubborn. One of us is worse than the other. We never really got along in the early days. Which resulted in me blocking him out when I was in control and him blocking me out when he was in charge. This is an opportunity to build a bond between us. “Nice to hear your voice,” I comment as I climb. “Stop blocking me out. I might speak to you more often.” Cooper snaps. Ah,
Goldie’s POV I was about to strip out of my wet clothes when Asher showed up. He said Cooper we concerned about me. He’s such a sweetheart. Asher made it clear he wasn’t leaving without me. It felt nice that someone wanted to spend time with me because they wanted to keep me safe. I felt it would be nice to have some company, especially someone who made me smile and laugh. As it would take time to dry off and get changed, I opted to walk to his house in my wet clothes. I could get changed when we got there. I didn’t think about the time it would take to get there. We walked through the forest, Cooper by my side. He is a handsome black wolf. I wonder if he is an Alpha? I thought to myself. I find it kind of odd that they say Alpha wolves are black. My dad has a black wolf, but he’s a Beta. So, I think that is a misconception. Cooper’s soft fur brushed against my hand as we walked. He seems to like my touch and takes a small step inward. Then he intentionally walked int
Goldie’s POV I do my best to be as quiet as I can when I sneak into my house. I don’t want to wake anyone up, especially my step-monster. She needs as much beauty sleep as she can get. I carefully walked up the stairs and sneaked into the bedroom that Shannen and I shared. Shannen sits up as I gather my things for a shower. I can’t even imagine how bad I must look. Let alone how badly I must smell. Thankfully, Shannen doesn’t have a wolf, so it’s not an issue for her. I was expecting Shannen to say something to me. She always asks how I am when I stay out. But she says nothing. She just stares at me and smiles. I am about to say something to her to explain my appearance. But she holds her finger over her lips. Which means I need to be quiet. I nodded my head in acknowledgment. Kellie put a baby monitor in our soundproof bedroom. So that she can hear our conversations. She is out of order, and she looks for any excuse to argue with us. What are we supposed to do? “This is her
Shannen’s POV I am going to miss Goldie when she’s gone. For the past few weeks, every night when she’s home tucked up in her bed, I stare at her. If she caught me, she would call me a creep. She looks after me and protects me. We’re not related by blood, but we’re sisters in our hearts. I am also the one who comforts her after her nightmares and covers for her when she runs off during the night. I am dreading the day she won’t be here, and I stare at an empty bed. My rock will be gone. But I can’t let her see how upset I am, so I have taken to crying in the shower. She has her life to live. I can’t hold her back from her destiny. Her birthright. She will make a great Beta to an Alpha one day. I simply hope there will be a place in her life for Samuel and me. I refuse to let my mom believe she’s getting under my skin. Even though she has already started with snide remarks about my weight, my hair, and my intelligence. As if it’s not hard enough being the Beta’s daughter
Goldie’s POV I was so surprised by how long I slept. I felt so alive all day in school. If a good night can do that for you, I’m in! But I was so exhausted. I’m not surprised I slept for so long. I smiled, remembering why I was so exhausted. I grabbed loads of extra food from the school cafeteria at lunchtime. At least I won’t have to worry about what I’m going to eat over the weekend. Asher mentioned that he wouldn’t be sticking around. That was on Wednesday. It was now Friday. I had hoped he would be gone, so I could attempt to make the ruined house somewhat livable for Shannen. Or maybe Asher would still be there and I could have a dirty weekend. Either way, I am good. After school, I headed for my training session. I performed well, according to the head warrior. I was still completely alert, even after training. The head warrior organized a small celebration because it was my last session with him before I left for Beta Academy. Izzy and her dad are
Finley’s POV Cody enjoyed survival training. Only because he spent the entire time in his wolf form. He only allowed me to take over our body when I was working on the shack. Which was our apparent shelter. It honestly wasn’t even a shack, just some wood and a tin roof. But I had to refer to it somehow. At least it had a fresh water supply nearby. All I could do with the place was build a firepit for whichever of my brothers would arrive here next. Cody had a great time. He was able to run, hunt, and sleep whenever he felt like it. It made me realize how little time he gets as a wolf. He would have enjoyed it more if his brothers had been here with him. But while we are at Alpha Academy, there is nothing I can do about that. Maybe that is what survival camp is about. Forcing you and your wolf to bond. Not that we needed it, we’re on good terms. I’m currently waiting on the side of the road, waiting to be picked up. “I hope I’m picked up second,” I tell Cody. We’re tr
Goldie’s POV I was so comfy and warm that I didn’t want to move. Then something moved next to me. I woke up and couldn’t remember where I was. Asher was lying next to me, still sleeping. That’s who moved. Looking at his still face, I smirk as I remember what we got up to last night. This man has rocked my world twice in a week and I know nothing about him. Who is he? Maybe it’s best that I don’t know. That way, there are no complications. I looked around the room. It was light. I got to my feet and walked to the door, hoping it was early morning. But looking up beyond the trees, the sun was shining brightly. “Crap. Crap. Crap.” I shouted as I searched for my clothes. “What’s going on?” Asher asks. “I have to go.” I pulled on my top. “Go where?” he asks while shaking his head. “Home,” I said as I forced my feet into my sneakers. He takes hold of my hand. “Stay.” He pleads. “I can’t,” I answered him. Then he kissed me. His lips taste amazin
Dex’s POV As Fred’s car got closer, I saw Fin standing on the side of the road. “Be quick.” Fred snapped at me as soon as he stopped the car. Seriously, this man has no patience. Sibling separation will be among the matters I intend to tackle when I reconfigure Alpha Academy. Twins and triplets should have a say in whether they want to be separated. I know me and my brothers would prefer to be together. I climbed out of the car, and Fin stared at me. He looked serious, which was unusual for him. “Are you okay?” I asked. “Asher’s got questions to answer,” he says sternly, using his full name. “Ash? I saw him earlier. He was in such a good mood,” I comment. “Oh, I bet he was,” Fin answers with a smirk on his face. “Boys move it.” Fred hollers. “How was it?” I quickly asked Fin. “Fantastic,” he answers. His response left me so confused. Colt and I try to process the conversation on route. But none of it made sense. Why is he so annoyed at