~Cory~ A throat clears in the distance and my eyes shoot open. I stand up straight and look towards the doorway to see the Alpha watching Zahara and I. I haven’t had much interaction with the Alpha all the time that I’ve been here. I’ve mostly spent my time with Zahara or Luna Amara. Truth be told, I’m intimidated as hell by the Alpha. I know I’m weak and Zahara can do a lot better than me. I fully expect her father to demand that she rejects me and I guess I figure that the less he sees me, the longer I can put that off. Zahara turns and looks at her father. “Sorry to interrupt Bean, but can I speak to the both of you? In my office?” Zahara nods and Alpha Bryron turns and heads up the stairs. I sigh and Zahara looks at me with a smirk on her face. “Come on, let’s go.” Zahara grabs my hand and we head up the stairs to her father’s office. We make it to his office and the door is open. Alpha Byron is sitting at his desk, waiting for us. We w
~Zahara~ This is an interesting development. It never crossed my mind that Cory has a pack just like I do. I knew his father had died, but I guess I never thought about all that would be tied to that. The Wild Tail Pack is actually Cory’s birthright even though Laslo is calling himself Alpha. As nervous as Cory is about running a pack, I’d do anything to get him what is rightfully his. This new development filled my mind while I showered. There has been so much going on from finding out about the pills Cory had been given, trying to help at the Winter Pack, Laslo still coming after me, and this new information. The shower proved to be extremely relaxing and exactly what I need. I didn’t want to stay too long because I did leave Cory with my father. Don’t get me wrong, my father is a great man. He is kind and gentle. The fact remains that I’m his daughter and Cory is my mate. Kind or not, a dad is a dad. I finish in the shower and step out, wrapping my t
~Zahara~ As soon as the door closes I huff and hear a chuckle behind me. “I swear, Lennox, you have the WORST timing……always!” Lennox gets closer to me and throws his arm around my shoulder. We head down stairs to get to my father’s office. “Don’t be mad at me, Z. It wasn’t my idea to meet right now. You know I hate to be a cockblocker…….well in your case, a puss-blocker.” Lennox starts to laugh and I elbow him in his ribs. “Shit Z, that hurts.” I turn to Lennox and smirk in satisfaction. We walk into my father’s office and he is talking to Simeon, our Beta and Lennox’s dad. Lennox and I sit on the couch in the office and wait for our fathers. “Guys, how did your trip go?” My father looks between Lennox and I, awaiting our report. Lennox launches into the issues that we had to help the pack with and the training that we helped with. “We have always had a good relationship with the Winter Pack and we hope that you two can continue that once we
~Cory~ I feel sparks on my cheek and my eyes shoot open. Zahara is lying next to me, stroking my face. I look around my room and quickly realize it’s Zahara’s room. I never left her room when she left to meet with her dad. “How long have I been out?” “Not too long, though I have to admit that I have been watching you sleep for a while. I didn’t have the heart to wake you……you looked too cute.” I can feel my cheeks heat up at this revelation. I swear Zahara has the most beautiful brown eyes. I could drown in them. They always seem to look through me and see something in me that no one else has seen. “We need to talk.” Immediately I can feel my stomach coil tightly. Those are not the words that anyone really wants to hear. I look at Zahara, not knowing what to say next. I try to find an answer in her eyes, but there is nothing there other than love. “What do we need to talk about?” I maneuver so that I’m on my back, staring up at the ceiling. Zahara shuff
~Nona~ I’ve had my freedom for a bit now, but it isn’t real freedom. I can’t leave this damn house. The only freedom I feel is the fact that I’m no longer chained like an animal and Zora has finally come back. She is as torn as I am though. She feels the mate bond fully, but hates Nero as much as I hate Laslo. They are holding us here against our will. Laslo comes and goes and when he’s here, the mate bond wins out and we have our way with each other. When he is gone, I reflect on my situation and I feel sick to my stomach. In reality, I’m feeling sick in real life. I have spent so much time bending over the toilet, emptying my stomach. I know what this could be, but I don’t want that to be the case. I don’t want to be tied to Laslo forever. I want to gather as much strength as I can and reject his ass. I just can’t find that strength in me. Zora can’t find it either. She has been so quiet and so defeated. We have always wanted our mate, but never under any circum
~Zahara~ Cory completely freaked out when I told him we need to introduce him to the pack. I know how nerve racking that can be, especially under these circumstances. I know he is afraid of how the pack will receive him, but he has to have faith that he will be welcomed with open arms. Cory and I spent the night in bed, but we just held each other and talked. I always enjoyed talking to Cory, even when it was just a short homeroom class in high school. We would discuss anything and everything and I always felt so at ease with him. It probably should have occurred to me that he was my mate, but I had no idea. We decided a short announcement at dinner the next day would be enough of an introduction. I don’t want to over do it for Cory. He is still very timid about a lot of things and I don’t want him to spiral out. My parents agreed that a short introduction at dinner would be the best way to handle this situation. I had some reports to finish u
~Lennox~ Zahara stares at me, waiting for me to tell her what’s going on. I have to admit that I don’t really know what to say. I know Cory has had no formal training and that his world has been forced down for so long. I also know that Cory is of Alpha blood, but I wasn’t prepared for what happened. I wasn’t prepared for what I experienced today.*Flashback* “Good job, Cory. Make sure you put your weight on that back foot and put all of your power into your swing.” Cory is taking direction really well, I have to say. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. He is used to taking orders and his Alpha blood makes him a bit of a natural. Cory is a quick study and that will make this process so a lot smoother. Cory continues to practice the moves I have been teaching him when we are interrupted by the last voice I really want to hear. “Well look at what we have here boys……the wolfless wonder!” Shit……the terrible trio. How isn’t that they made their way here? We are
~Zahara~ I did not expect to hear what Lennox just told me. He said that Cory’s Alpha aura is stronger than my own and I know mine is pretty strong. He fought back and broke Frankie’s bone; that, alone, is crazy and so not like Cory. He is usually meek and quiet, letting things happen around him while he tries to zone out. I guess having his wolf wake up is changing a lot about Cory and I can’t really be mad about that. Lennox leaves me after telling me everything that happened with training. I am tempted to find Cory and check on him, but I decide not to. I don’t want him to think that I need to check up on him constantly. I want him to be bold and make choices on his own. The more I think about what Lennox told me, the more I believe this may actually be for the best. Word will spread about what happened with the terrible trio and that will bolster Cory’s image with the pack. They won’t see him as some weak, wolfless person. They will see him as str