"I don't know about this Axel..." I whisper as he picks the lock of his father's office."Don't worry, I've been doing it since I was ten." He brushes off my concern with a wink and gets back to business."I thought you could just tell him you want to look over them, not that we have to break in!""All the reports are in his office and they can't leave his office. Pack safety. So if you don't want to spend some quality time with my dad, let me focus.""I was standing accused of treason yesterday and now I am breaking into the Alpha's office. This can't end up well." I complain, terrified of returning to that dark and moldy dungeon."Only if we get caught!"Judging by my luck, the Alpha will have a nightmare about not watering his plants and will come to check up on them the second we get in. I point this out to Axel, but he rolls his eyes saying his dad has plastic plants.Finally, a click from the door almost gives me a heart attack, but Axel turns around, proud of his work.The offi
"Honey, I'm hooome!" Axel shouts as he comes in, with a satisfied grin on his face. "Damn, that's fun to say!""Glad you are living your patriarchal dreams, but I must warn you there is no after-work snack waiting for you in the kitchen. And the house is full of those damn pages everywhere." I answered, pointing at the mess around me."What do you mean there is no snack for me? I am looking at her right now!" His cheeky joke actually makes me laugh. "How are those reports looking?""I don't have great news..." I answered, looking down at my notebook."Rogue attacks are very chaotical. People spent years trying to figure out patterns, but there are simply none. Don't get too upset.""Oh no, I found the patterns, but they are... not good news."This gets his attention fast and his demeanor changes as he takes a look over my notes. I move some of the pages so he can sit down and discuss them together."What's this?" He asks after a few seconds of confused silence."I suck at taking notes
"Alpha!" Both me and Axel greet him as he puts his phone down."If it isn't the heroic couple." I believe he tried to sound genuine, but god damn did that come out sarcastic. And exactly because he attempted to be nice, I am so much more convinced it won't be a good discussion. "Take a seat. Rose, Axel told me you were the one that figured that the rogues would attack yesterday.""I just thought of looking for a pattern when Axel mentioned the attacks can't be predicted." That and the moon Goddess appears in my dreams and gives me advice lately like a fairy godmother, but I'm not going to say that out loud. Not that they would believe me anyway."Yes. In the reports that you too stole from my office the other day."All the blood drains from my face as I sneak a look towards Axel, but my mate seems quite pleased with himself."I see that old age didn't make you senile, father." he says, and I almost choke with my own breath. I expect the Alpha to be outraged, but instead, he bursts out
"Did you just lie to your Alpha?" Axel asks as we come out of the Alpha's office the next morning."Alpha is for werewolves. If he is acting like a peacock, I can treat him like one, right?""What have you become?" Axel asks, amused, and I return a smirk.Truth be told, I was shitting myself, but the old bastard was questioning what else I found in the reports so he could take credit himself for the ideas when he would meet with the Alphas in the north. The Whiteclaws are a very influential pack, one of the oldest in the country, so once they took the situation seriously, many others followed their lead. Now a meeting is in order, something that hasn't happened in hundreds of years."I told you, I don't mind you taking credit, but him... I'd rather go back to the dungeon." I explain as we get into the car to drive back to the little house. I caught a glimpse of Caroline when we drive by the training grounds, but she turns around fast when she sees Axel. I throw him a questioning look,
#Axel's perspective#"I will try to hint at this, Rose, but... It took them so long to admit that the attacks are a problem, even though endless packs fell in the last years. To accept there is any pack in the world that would work with the rogues... It would shake the foundation of their beliefs." I shake my head as I paced around the room."Their beliefs is the root of those troubles. The distance between packs, the distance between members of the same pack, between us and the rogues. Instead of a community that was created for the survival of everyone, it became the rule of the strongest.""Because that's what is needed to survive...""No, that is the easy way to exist, not what is needed to live, to thrive."We are running in circles at this point, with both being right and wrong at the same time. And I get what she's saying is right in a way, but just because it's right, it doesn't mean everyone will jump to accept it. Yeah, the weak will, seeing an opportunity, but the strong? T
" Another attack was prevented before it even happened. Goddess bless our future Alpha." Mrs. Tensel tells her friend.I smile as I pass by. It's been three months since we lost any warriors to the rogues and the moral of the pack increased tremendously because of it. That, and their trust in Axel as a leader."My day just got better." Axel smiles when he sees me in his room. I didn't catch him when he returned from his border duties, but that's no problem, as I caught him right as he got out of the shower, which is a treat for the eyes."Mine too. I heard some old ladies talking about how great you are. And not just them, the whole pack can't stop praising you. My mate is such a catch." I laugh and wink at him, but even though he smiles too, he seems a bit uncomfortable.I don't want to ruin the mood so I say nothing. In the last month, he has been uncomfortable every time the mate thing comes up and I am tired of asking why, only to start a fight with him arguing that it's only in m
#Axel's perspective#After half an hour talking about what kind of scented sheets each Alpha will have, I lost all my enthusiasm for this ceremony. For the love of the Goddess, we all spent some nights in wolf shape, sleeping in the forest. Is it really necessary to act like a spoiled princess now just because they can?"I know what's on your mind, but keep your opinions about it to yourself. This is not just about you becoming the Alpha, it's an opportunity for life-saving alliances that you will never have again." Father comments once the Beta gets out. He lights a cigarette, which is rare, and leans back on his chair. "Sometimes appearances matter more than facts.""I thought we were done with this conversation." I roll my eyes, but he puffs the smoke in my direction. He started doing that lately. Small things to show me that he is still the Alpha, clinging to the feeling of power for a bit longer. Harmless thing really, but I can't help but feel a bit sorry for him. It's pathetic.
"Armani, really?" I whisper to my mom, but she hushes me up. Goddess forbid one of them hears us making fun of their tastes and start a war over it.The Alpha holds his head so high I almost laugh. Goddess knows how he doesn't trip as he walks. Axel is standing next to his father to greet the esteemed guests one by one as they get out of their fancy cars in their fancy suits. The Alpha ceremony is tomorrow, so today, we celebrate the former Alpha's life before he steps down from power. An impressive event and an excuse to showcase money and power in front of others.I look around. The whole pack has to be here, grouped in different classes, careful not to touch each other. Omegas, exhausted after having to do most of the preparations, have to sit at the back, with their heads down, ashamed of their lack of power. The families of warriors in front of them. Then the warriors themselves, the gammas, the Beta's family and then, finally, the Alpha. The difference between rogues and packs i
"Damon! We really need to hurry!" I try to sound assertive, but it sounds more like a moan. His hand is roaming under my shirt , leaving a burning sensation of pure desire on every inch of skin he touches. I get drunk with his smell, his presence, his love. So much so, that it worries me what I will do when the mate bond finally snaps into place. Will we ever leave this room?But to find that out we really need to leave. Like five minutes ago.I manage to peel Damon off of me with the promise of tonight being our first time as mates and with that we are out the door to Caroline's Alpha ceremony.We drive by the southern packs that managed to rebuild most of what was destroyed in the war. By how things are going, they will become fully independent again in less than a year."The road helped a lot of them connect to resources." I say, proud that we could make it real. My grandma started it by telling me how nice it would be to be able to just drive to her cousin's pack in the north. Wit
Werewolves don't fight in daylight. I think it's one of the first things I remember my teacher saying, way before I could truly comprehend the meaning of it. It was fine until a century or two ago when, if any unlucky human saw anything they would have been considered mad, but now, with phones and cameras in everyone's pocket?We are wolves in the shadow, humans in the light.We were. Until this war. Until the rogues broke every rule we have ever been taught and we had to push ourselves out of everything that felt right in order to defeat them.Once the sun starts to rise, and the piles of bodies gather around the open field, every instinct screams at me to run. To hide. I see everyone around me feeling the same, everyone remembering what we've been taught. Except our enemy, who teached their children that victory must come at any price.I see people so tired, they can't maintain their wolf form. They fall on their knees, so tired they don't raise their heads when the enemy bites off
"This time, everything will work perfectly." Damon seemed confident, even though that never happened before. And I really, really wanted to believe him, mostly because I needed to, but also because he made it seem so real. Like we had a chance.But that chance slips a little bit through my fingers with every look the council throws at each other. Or even worse, with every look they sneak in Thomas' direction. Waiting for him to take a decision, to take the lead. And unfortunately, Thomas is not desperate, he is young and has all the time to be cautious and smart about his decisions.After a bit of bickering, the king explains his reasoning in an avalanche of ill-fitted sentences."It would be unwise to march, while we lose the base." Someone comments."This is absurd!" Thomas finally bursts and shouts at his father. "Damon doesn't have enough men to take over the pack. We left enough warriors there to make sure of that. We can't march back, wasting everything because you got informati
On the second night of the funeral march, once we reach the fourth pack that abandoned their territory, I see Thomas starting to put things together. His father calmed down a lot and is now advancing slower, making sure the sentinels spread in between the bases and the army can maintain the pack link and keep the communication open. No shadow of the Strychnos plant.That's not good."This doesn't feel right." I say to Thomas as we find ourselves walking next to each other."Why are you scared? Even if it's a trap, your mate will protect you. No one will jump to punish a Moon Priestess.""Yeah... But..." I let the silence speak as I look at the ground. I know Thomas looks at me so I brush my hair off my face so he can see my teary eyes."But you're not sure." Thomas tries to sound sympathetic, but I would be a fool not to feel the satisfaction in his voice."He is my mate, he would... protect me.""You know, every time you say the story of your past life, there is one detail that doesn
Caroline is standing so close to me, I can feel her breath on the back of my head. The king wanted her to be on the other side of the little funeral march as Damon called it, but Caroline looked ready to snap a few necks before she would be separated from me."As long as my pack stands, she is my Luna! It is my duty to protect her or die trying!" None of the men in the office questioned her determination, so she was allowed to act as my bodyguard if it came down to it."Wish you'd have been as determined in the last life too." I can't help but clap at her as we make our way to the MoonWalk pack's borders."Yeah... me too." She answers, to my surprise. Usually, when I make remarks like this she counters with the fact that I wasn't powerful or useful enough to be accepted, let alone respected as Luna. She must sense my surprise because she's quick to explain. "I know. That's what I thought all my life, but... I know Omegas who wouldn't have betrayed the pack for all the power in the wor
"Your friend was put in another room." Thomas is by my side when I wake up, gently pressing an ice bag on the left side of my head. But even with that, I can feel every second of Caroline's training throbbing in my head. I bite my lip as i get up and make sense of my surroundings, mostly of the little silver bracelet that stands as proof of the fact that I am not a good liar. If I would have, the king would have trusted me by now."It's fine... I deserved it." I tell him as I grab the hand he offers to help me stand up. He holds it for a second longer than he should and I realize I was staring at him. Well, not at him, at every feature that reminds me of Damon."I'm sorry about earlier. I just... A lot of things happened at once and...""It's ok." No it was not and he is a piece of crap, but if I can't fool the father maybe I can the son? "I was surprised since you said you have a girlfriend and you know... I have a mate.""Yeah... She really doesn't want to be involved with this so s
"I haven't seen you freeze like that since you got a wolf." Caroline snarls at me as she closes the door after us."I wanted to test something.""And?""And it confirmed that the off feeling I had about Thomas was because he was… interested not because of something more sinister." I answer while trying to use the pack link to tell her that she can't, in fact, trust Thomas. But despite everything, I am still blocked."Remind me to complain about this logistics flaw to the Goddess. She can't lock me out forever." I say to Nala, but the ancient she-wolf is not in the mood for joking."She has enough on her plate. You need to find a way to return to the meeting and warn them!""She can't see what is going on?""To make your mate's prison stronger, she locked herself in too. They have no connection to the outside. The only reason you were able to wake up was because I pulled you out by force." Nala explains and my last hope of a plan finally working, as Damon promised, gets tossed down the
I am shaken awake by Caroline, who has a terrified expression on her face. I almost jump out of bed when I see her, but as soon as I open my eyes, she sighs in relief."You sleep like you're on fucking drugs!" She snaps after I ask her what the hell happened. One second I was sitting with Damon in front of a very angry gathering of Alphas, the next, I am pulled back by Nala in a panick.I hear a loud bang on the door before Thomas' voice comes through, full of annoyance and urgency."Listen here, you little pack girl, you have one minute to wake her or I'll..." He doesn't get the chance to finish that pseuodo-threat because I open the door."What the hell happened?""So you're not in a coma.""Oh, come on! I am a good sleeper, but this is ridiculous. And it's not even morning yet!" I point at the pitch black sky outside, wondering how on earth did they figure everything out so fast."Apparently, some Alphas, if not all of them are in some type of coma. Our spies reported that they wou
The Alphas who agreed to help from the start moved closer, pushing the rest to the side so we can discuss a thing or two. I can see Axel with the corner of my eye, but I don't have the courage to face him yet. In the explaining that I did earlier, I had to mention a few things that involved him in the past life and I know he is hurt, but... this requires a longer and more private conversation.Fortunately, everyone is so caught with the entire war thing that no one thinks to ask why Damon stands next to me instead of my mate.Everyone but Luna Karina. When everyone spreads out for a small break, she approaches me with a stormy expression. Damon takes the hint and walks away, all the eyes following him like he's a jailer. With a straight posture and a half-smile, I can see he's enjoying it more than he should, though."I tried to break through this dream a few times. Just like the other Alphas surely did too. I tried to connect with anyone from my pack to try and wake me, but that was