We make it there in record time. A warrior is at the backdoor of the packhouse, holding out shorts for myself and Lennox. We grab the shorts, placing them on as we walk. We are led up the stairs and to an office that has been torn apart. My warriors made good work looking for any and everything that could be hidden here. “Cory?” I look up and into the eyes of a man I haven’t seen in a long time. He could have been a second dad to me if he had been given the opportunity to do so. He was always sent away on diplomatic missions, and I always suspected that was because it was found out that he was trying to help me with food, chores, and anything else he may think I needed. “Beta Cyrus.” He grabs me and engulfs me in a bear hug. I haven’t laid eyes on him for so long, and he was truly missed. “When I heard you were gone, I hoped that wasn’t true. I hoped that you had gotten away from your horrible family and found a better life for yourself.” Cyrus
~Laslo~ I left the ladies alone after that. I just couldn’t stomach arguing with either of them anymore. I spent a few hours making sure everything was taken care of at the satellite location and getting in contact with my people at home. I needed to make sure everything was still running smoothly. Hopefully, it won’t take long to get Zahara to get on board and then I can bring her back as the Luna. In the meantime, I will have to go back home to keep up appearances and make sure everything is okay.Alpha, we just got word that Elder Langston has been on the premises. What is he doing there? Has he been to the cells?No, it seems the cells have been untouched, but he is asking about you and his people. I sigh. I wasn’t ready for this yet, but I guess it’s good that I get to dictate the narrative.Make the call….better yet, make it a video call. Let’s go ahead and get this over with. Hopefully, we can get him to go home quickly. I make my way to the SUV we have in
Time went by fast but slowly at the same time. I tried to sleep and eat, but the anxiety of what's to come took over. I'm beyond ready to start this because I will have my mate back when it's over. I will be able to breathe again once I get my mate back. I head downstairs and out the door to meet with everyone else. Lennox is waiting for me with Elder Langston, Beta Cyrus, and a bunch of our warriors. We have a plan and are ready to go with it. It will take us about 45 minutes to get to the area of caves. We plan to travel in three groups and come from different angles. The plan is to take the site with as little bloodshed as possible. The only blood I want spilling is Laslo's, and I want to take care of it myself. We divide into groups, and half of us in each group shift into our wolves. The rest of us get on all-terrain vehicles to back us up. They will stop a bit away from the area and pick up anyone who tries to flee. We start to run, and I
~Laslo ~ “We’re under attack.” “FROM WHO?!” I growl out, shaking the cave and causing dust and pebbles to rain on our heads. “I…..I….I’m nnn…nnot sssssssure.” Pathetic! I push past the weak wolf with the intent of seeing what the hell is going on. I turn to Zahara, seeing her bent at the waist and breathing heavily. “We will finish this later.” I head down the hall and watch people running back and forth in front of me. I have no idea who is attacking, but I plan to find out. “Laslo!” I see my mom at the cave entrance, and she looks distraught. “What the hell is going on, mom?” She looks outside the cave, at me, and back again. “It’s Ash Band. They found us.” I growl ferociously, and those around me still look fearful. “Take care of Nona and Zahara. I will handle this; it won’t take long.” I can’t believe that weak fucker actually found me and came out here. What did he expect would happen if we met
~Zahara~ Laslo left the room quickly, and that propelled me to try to get out of these restraints. I have to get myself free before Laslo comes back, or I’m sure that he will try to finish what he started. I don’t know how long he’ll be gone, so time is of the essence. I twist and pull, trying my hardest to loosen up the ropes around my wrists. These ropes seem to be expertly tied. The ropes are as tight as when I first got there. Damn, I wish I had Aria right now. I could be out of this quickly by just extending a claw and slashing the ropes. I shake that thought out of my head and focus on the task at hand. The hallways are filled with the sounds of people crying and screaming. I want to know who’s attacking. Maybe it’s actually my pack; if it is, I know I will be out of here soon. If it isn’t my pack, I need to get free, so I can defend myself if needed, but these damn ropes won’t budge. GRRRRRRR! I can hear screams, ‘stop
~Cory~ Laslo came at me quickly, throwing his fist at my face, but I was able to dodge it. That didn’t deter him, as he threw an elbow back and was able to connect with my ear. We kept going like this; Laslo coming at me and me dodging his attacks. Laslo quickly became angered and shifted into his wolf. I spent some time fighting his wolf in human form, and that seemed to anger him even more. I have never been in a position to fight back or to defend myself before, Laslo always having an advantage over me. Now I know who I was always meant to be, and that isn’t someone who is supposed to be a punching bag. Once I shift into my wolf, things get more interesting. Laslo is coming at me again and again while I try my hardest to cut him off. I want to end him, but I don’t want it to be quick. There is no enjoyment if he isn’t able to fight back a bit. Laslo is fighting back. He continues to swipe at me, and each connection is a new sting. I can feel
~Cory~ I’m so so tempted to end him right here and right now. Laslo is passed out, and it would take nothing for me to snap his neck this way or even rip his throat out. A hand into his chest, going for the heart, would work as well. Something in me is telling me that isn’t the way to go, that I need to be better about this. I let Laslo drop to the floor and get some warriors to fit him with silver chains so he can be transported back. Nona is still holding onto my mate, and it's a bit troublesome. I want nothing more than to rip her from Nona and truly show her how much I missed her. It is a struggle to hold myself back at this moment, but I really don’t have much choice. “What are you going to do with him?” Nona is using a whispered voice. A part of me doesn’t understand why she should care, but then again, it makes sense. They were fated mates, and that is something hard to turn off. Yes, they rejected each other, but those feelings can still linger to
~Zahara~ Cory is so much stronger than he realizes. He keeps getting thrown curve balls, but he rises above and makes it out the other side. I’m not sure how I would have handled all that Cory has had to deal with. We sorted through the presented evidence, which is all compelling. Elder Langston has gone through it and has alerted the other elders. Everyone now knows what happened to former Alpha Brian Williams, and it’s tragic, to say the least. He picked a woman who he felt would make a good chosen mate. He accepted her son and treated him as his own. The minute he brought in his own son, there was an issue, though. From the information we gathered, it looks like they decided to end the Alpha’s life because of Cory because Cory exists. His existence is a reminder that the Alpha created a child with someone else. The thing about it is that he met his fated mate. The fact that they didn’t immediately choose each other is a testament to his loyalty and se
~Third Person~ Four months have passed quickly, and so much has happened. The Wild Tail pack quickly got over the loss of their known leaders. Everyone wasn’t on board with Cory as Alpha, but no one felt strongly enough to voice their opposition. Cory and Zahara made some changes to how the pack treated others as well as how they went about daily life. Cory’s hope was to have everyone feel welcomed and everyone works together to keep the pack going. Even pack members who are against Cory can’t deny the benefits he was bringing to the pack. Cory and Zahara officially take over the Ash Band pack as well. Things continue to go smoothly there as they had before. Flora decided to stay at the Ash Band pack, there being too many negative memories back home. Flora and Maurice found a few common interests and are rarely without each other. The elders took Frankie because of his crimes against his Alphas. Len and Justin were given the opportunity to do better and o
~Zahara~ Elder Langston had his people take away Margaret and Gunner. He had them get rid of Laslo’s body. There were some wet eyes among the members and a lot of distrusting looks thrown toward Cory. I understand that years-long misinformation can’t be fixed in a matter of minutes, but at some point, they will have to let certain things go. I stay near the stage in case anyone had any questions, but no one is approaching me. Cory is off speaking with Elder Langston while his people take care of the cleanup. This entire situation has been crazy but necessary in the end. There is no way that Cory and I could enjoy our future with any of this hanging over our heads. I hate that Cory had to lose so much, but I will be sure to try to make up for it for the rest of our lives. I notice Lennox sitting in a chair, leaning back, looking up at the sky. He has been quiet since we returned, and I’m not sure what’s going on. I should probably talk to him, but before I
~Cory~ I have to say, as surprised as I am, I'm ecstatic for Cyrus. He is a good guy and has always tried his hardest to do right by my dad and me. I'm glad that he finally gets to have his happiness. As great as all that is, it's time to face the crowd. Zahara and I walk outside so we can address the pack. They were told to meet for an announcement, and it seems that everyone has gathered. It's hard to look out into the crowd. I have known everyone here for some time, and they haven't been the best to me. Some of the pack has treated me indifferently, not really doing anything against me or helping me. Others got their jollies from treating me horribly, and I will never forget that. Zahara and I stand off to the side, surveying the group. Lennox and Elder Langston are standing on the small stage that was put up for this. We are in the back of the packhouse, where there is way more space to fit all of the pack members. We watch Bryn and Cyrus walk by, wea
~Zahara~ Cory is so much stronger than he realizes. He keeps getting thrown curve balls, but he rises above and makes it out the other side. I’m not sure how I would have handled all that Cory has had to deal with. We sorted through the presented evidence, which is all compelling. Elder Langston has gone through it and has alerted the other elders. Everyone now knows what happened to former Alpha Brian Williams, and it’s tragic, to say the least. He picked a woman who he felt would make a good chosen mate. He accepted her son and treated him as his own. The minute he brought in his own son, there was an issue, though. From the information we gathered, it looks like they decided to end the Alpha’s life because of Cory because Cory exists. His existence is a reminder that the Alpha created a child with someone else. The thing about it is that he met his fated mate. The fact that they didn’t immediately choose each other is a testament to his loyalty and se
~Cory~ I’m so so tempted to end him right here and right now. Laslo is passed out, and it would take nothing for me to snap his neck this way or even rip his throat out. A hand into his chest, going for the heart, would work as well. Something in me is telling me that isn’t the way to go, that I need to be better about this. I let Laslo drop to the floor and get some warriors to fit him with silver chains so he can be transported back. Nona is still holding onto my mate, and it's a bit troublesome. I want nothing more than to rip her from Nona and truly show her how much I missed her. It is a struggle to hold myself back at this moment, but I really don’t have much choice. “What are you going to do with him?” Nona is using a whispered voice. A part of me doesn’t understand why she should care, but then again, it makes sense. They were fated mates, and that is something hard to turn off. Yes, they rejected each other, but those feelings can still linger to
~Cory~ Laslo came at me quickly, throwing his fist at my face, but I was able to dodge it. That didn’t deter him, as he threw an elbow back and was able to connect with my ear. We kept going like this; Laslo coming at me and me dodging his attacks. Laslo quickly became angered and shifted into his wolf. I spent some time fighting his wolf in human form, and that seemed to anger him even more. I have never been in a position to fight back or to defend myself before, Laslo always having an advantage over me. Now I know who I was always meant to be, and that isn’t someone who is supposed to be a punching bag. Once I shift into my wolf, things get more interesting. Laslo is coming at me again and again while I try my hardest to cut him off. I want to end him, but I don’t want it to be quick. There is no enjoyment if he isn’t able to fight back a bit. Laslo is fighting back. He continues to swipe at me, and each connection is a new sting. I can feel
~Zahara~ Laslo left the room quickly, and that propelled me to try to get out of these restraints. I have to get myself free before Laslo comes back, or I’m sure that he will try to finish what he started. I don’t know how long he’ll be gone, so time is of the essence. I twist and pull, trying my hardest to loosen up the ropes around my wrists. These ropes seem to be expertly tied. The ropes are as tight as when I first got there. Damn, I wish I had Aria right now. I could be out of this quickly by just extending a claw and slashing the ropes. I shake that thought out of my head and focus on the task at hand. The hallways are filled with the sounds of people crying and screaming. I want to know who’s attacking. Maybe it’s actually my pack; if it is, I know I will be out of here soon. If it isn’t my pack, I need to get free, so I can defend myself if needed, but these damn ropes won’t budge. GRRRRRRR! I can hear screams, ‘stop
~Laslo ~ “We’re under attack.” “FROM WHO?!” I growl out, shaking the cave and causing dust and pebbles to rain on our heads. “I…..I….I’m nnn…nnot sssssssure.” Pathetic! I push past the weak wolf with the intent of seeing what the hell is going on. I turn to Zahara, seeing her bent at the waist and breathing heavily. “We will finish this later.” I head down the hall and watch people running back and forth in front of me. I have no idea who is attacking, but I plan to find out. “Laslo!” I see my mom at the cave entrance, and she looks distraught. “What the hell is going on, mom?” She looks outside the cave, at me, and back again. “It’s Ash Band. They found us.” I growl ferociously, and those around me still look fearful. “Take care of Nona and Zahara. I will handle this; it won’t take long.” I can’t believe that weak fucker actually found me and came out here. What did he expect would happen if we met
Time went by fast but slowly at the same time. I tried to sleep and eat, but the anxiety of what's to come took over. I'm beyond ready to start this because I will have my mate back when it's over. I will be able to breathe again once I get my mate back. I head downstairs and out the door to meet with everyone else. Lennox is waiting for me with Elder Langston, Beta Cyrus, and a bunch of our warriors. We have a plan and are ready to go with it. It will take us about 45 minutes to get to the area of caves. We plan to travel in three groups and come from different angles. The plan is to take the site with as little bloodshed as possible. The only blood I want spilling is Laslo's, and I want to take care of it myself. We divide into groups, and half of us in each group shift into our wolves. The rest of us get on all-terrain vehicles to back us up. They will stop a bit away from the area and pick up anyone who tries to flee. We start to run, and I