Nightshade is doing well so far. Can they keep it up? What's going to happen when it comes time for Faye to fight?
ELLE Kade and I both fought three more times, but they were no match for either of us. I earned additional points for a single hit takedown with a Luna. I knocked her unconscious without exerting any real effort. Did I feel bad? Hell no. Did I feel like I was flying on an adrenaline high? Hell yes. I did take a couple of hits, but nothing serious. Kade got a bruised rib, but it healed quickly. Apparently Tyre’s aura sped up his healing rate. Show off. We made it in time to watch Dante fight. He was up against Alpha Averson’s Beta. The Beta was trained just like any Beta should be, but Dante was a beast even by Alpha heir standards. His aura and strength would only increase once he took his title. ‘Byron said that they know who this prick is, and they intend to make him feel serious pain,’ Faye explained. I did not envy my brother’s gift. It was always turned on. I just hoped that once he found his mate that she would help to balance that out. Not certain if it would work out tha
KADE The games this year were nothing like before. It was largely in part by the rigorous training that Tanya, Gabriel, and my mate did with our team. Our pack always had an advantage in strength and training. However, it was nothing compared to what we all learned. I had never been the type of Alpha who refused to accept that I could benefit from somebody else teaching me something. Alphas were only as strong as their pack. Well, our pack significantly grew in strength with those two helping this year. There was no doubt that we would walk away with another victory because nearly every match of ours won. This was history in the making, and I could not be any prouder of our pack than I was right now. They fought as if their lives depended on it because they were fighting for their pack’s victory. Hell, even the itty-bitty pups kicked ass. Everyone had been shocked when two five-year-olds stood as victors against older contenders. The current rankings were: Nightshade – 559 points
KADE “So, essentially we have no leads, no idea where she is, or who the fuck took her?” My voice was dripping with the anger and pain that was tearing through me. Apollo scrubbed his hand over his face and sighed. I saw how this was weighing on him, and I really was not trying to be a dick, but I could not lose her again like this. The last time she was taken still haunted me. The things they did to her. The blood. Her naked and torn body chained to the wall. I felt hands on my shoulders, but I was just stuck in an endless loop of what was happening to her right now. My chest constricted as my breathing became erratic. Second by second, the panic lessened, and I could finally breathe. I looked up and saw Dante, realizing that he must have pulled that from me like how he pulled the pain from Elle’s dream that time on the jet. “Thanks,” I mumbled. “Anytime. We’ll find her, and whomever is responsible will wish they never even looked at her,” Dante promised. I looked around at t
KADE My father once told me a story of a magical village in the Scottish Highlands named Brigadoon. It remained unchanged and invisible to the outside world except for one special day every hundred years. Only on that day could the village be seen by outsiders. I never realized that was how my life was before I met Elle. I was a good Alpha, but the core of my being – the true inner-workings of Kade the man – was hidden away and invisible to everyone, which included myself. I never realized how incomplete and frozen I was. I never realized what I was missing. Then I met my mate, and it was like she could truly see what was invisible. She helped me to see and accept myself as well. She thawed me and made me whole. Then she was taken from me again, and I realized that I could not see who I was without her next to me. Waking up and realizing that she had been taken again made me fear that myself, much like Brigadoon, would disappear behind an impenetrable veil. We all kicked our asses
ELLE “We need to let you in on something before it’s announced later,” Kade said. Our people had all gathered together for a private breakfast. It was provided by the Board because they obviously felt guilty for what happened. Their delicious food would not buy us off, but we would definitely enjoy it. Not even monsters could turn down homemade cinnamon rolls. “Last night, Luna was kidnapped by some of the Alphas, Lunas, and one Beta from packs competing in the games. They had the help of security personnel to sneak in aerosolized wolfsbane and helped sneak her out of the territory. Luckily, we got there before anything serious happened. Luna proposed that their packs should still be allowed to participate after we determined that others from their packs were not at fault. However, those at fault were detained and will be answering to the Coverstone Council with Luna as the master interrogator. For those who didn’t know, she’s highly skilled in the art of interrogation.” All eyes t
KADE The Alpha category ended with Faye and Tyre as the winners. The four of us were extremely smug about that. Nobody stood a chance, and that was not us bragging about it. It was just how brutal our wolves were and how well they fought together. This was the final stretch of the fights. The Awards Banquet would be tomorrow which would also have a dance at the end of it. We sat down with seven new packs to discuss potential relations between us. All of them offered to host us if we ever considered them for alliances or trade negotiations. It was not them expecting us to give them something either. That was actually quite refreshing. “Where to, darling?” “Denny’s match is about to start, and I promised him we’d be there to cheer him on,” she said as she pulled me along. I chuckled at her enthusiasm, but mine was just as high. That little man deserved the gold because he was an excellent fighter. Paula and Jesse waved us over to the front where they were at. Denny smiled widely w
ELLE Everyone was eager for the Award Ceremony. We all worked our asses off this week. There were some minor injuries on our team, but nothing too serious. Kade and I were so incredibly proud of our pack. It was a safe bet that we would take first for a ninth year in a row. We had quite a few people who were the last contenders in their categories. “I love it,” I told Brianna as I took in bouncing curls she put in my hair. I donned a dark and light gray ombre beaded halter dress that ended a couple of inches above my knees. It was a gorgeous dress that cinched in all the right places. Tinsley did my makeup for me which included a double wingtip eyeliner with a mixed-tone gray and purple smokey eye. A light pink gloss over my lips finished it off. It was minimally classy. “Good to know. I think Alpha will too,” she said, winking. Everyone else agreed with her. “How about we go find out then if everyone’s ready.” Even my voice had a hint of the butterflies that were currently takin
KADE “I was surprised that you didn’t place,” I said to Dante. We were waiting for everyone to gather up before we went home. Nightshade set many records this year for the Alpha Games, and we could not wait to share the experiences and honors with our pack. “It sucked. I won the match against Gamma Jeremy, but I lost the next one because my gift decided to be an absolute fucker when it threw my opponent’s personal crisis at me. My split-second distraction was all it took for him to gain the upper hand. We always have next year.” Dante’s gift seemed more like a curse at times because he was always inundated with stimuli from everyone around him. It sucked. “Definitely always have next year. You did really great this year. It sucks that happened, but it doesn’t take away from how well you did,” I said. “Thanks, man. It means a lot to hear that from you. I picked up a little tidbit from the Board. Are you curious?” That question could be a double-edged sword. There was no telling w