Dani mentally patted herself on the back for not letting a single tear spill over as she said the last word. The older wolf let out a low whistle and shook his head. "You don't think the two of you can work it out?" He asked after a few moments of silence. Dani frowned and shook her head. "I only ask because he's going to a whole lot of trouble for a guy who's going to go along with what Alpha Harding wants and who plans on rejecting you. If he was going to do that he could just say the words and it would be finished and over with." Laying back flat against the seat, Dani closed her eyes. "I can't do it. I can't go back. I can't have him fight a war for me. I can't raise a family alongside Lyra Harding. I can't-" her voice trailed off. "But if Lyra weren't having his kids?" Waylon asked in a quiet voice. She was quiet for so long that the two men looked at each other and wondered if she had fallen asleep. "I don't see the point in thinking about things that won't happen. This is w
"Since your memories seem to be far clearer than my own, why don't you jog my memory. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be remembering.""We had a picnic that year to celebrate the opening of the week. My mom had spent all week planning it. Our house was tense. I didn't know that Dani was my little sister then. I wouldn't know for a long time yet. But her mom was having a really hard time back then and went on a bender. She dumped her on our front door with a little pink suitcase. I don't remember exactly how old she was, but five or six I think? That's got to be around right. I think she was missing her bottom two teeth.""Anyways, my mom told my dad to take her to one of the old ladies in town to watch her and he told that she could go fuck herself. He hadn't really spent any time with Dani and I guess he was curious what she was like. Fuck, she was just like him, except not evil. Stubborn and willful and clearly Alpha-born. I think he was proud of her after spending an hour wat
Teo was pacing back and forth across his bedroom. He'd been excused for the day by Lars, told to go home and sleep for six hours before he was expected back to work again. They'd all been working around the clock since the attack, snatching bits of sleep in rooms in the packhouse when they could afford to take them. And Teo knew that a six hour break was a luxury. But despite the fact that his body was nearly overcome with exhaustion, he couldn't sleep. He lay back on the twin bed in the undecorated room that he'd picked for his break and stared up at the smooth white ceiling. He was missing something. It reminded him of the time when he'd been wrestling with one of the bigger boys when he was still pretty small and he had dislocated his shoulder and his father had run across the exercise yard to pop it back into place. There was something that was just slightly askew in his mind and if he could only shift the idea, feel it move into place, everything would make sense and he could
When he returned he'd claimed his position as Beta. He'd stuck by Luca's side. But he hadn't been the same. There'd been some talk in the pack of his new, nearly silent personality, with occasional outbursts of rage. Most of the older wolves said it was because he'd grown up. When things were good with the pack, Lars was somber and serious. He didn't laugh. But he worked hard and he was devoted to his Alpha. And he was extremely devoted to Lyra who many assumed would someday be their Luna. Teo had hated Lyra. She'd acted like a princess who was above most of the pack. He'd been happy not to have to guard her, even if it was, technically, a big part of his job. Fuck. He cursed silently. It was all so obvious now. Teo would have been willing to bet his left nut that Lyra was Lars' mate. And had she rejected him? Not exactly. What she had been doing for the last twelve years was warping his soul. Lars had stepped into the position. He had guarded Lyra closely. They were often alone t
"I missed a call. I didn't even feel it vibrate." Luca frowned down at his phone, his mind still reeling with the pieces of history that they were beginning to put together from the year Vos' pack had hosted the yearly Alpha meeting. Luca's body was still shaking with anger, but at least he'd managed to convince his wolf that it wouldn't help anyone if he exploded out his skin right now in the passenger seat of the SUV.Luca pushed the phone back into his pocket. He'd already missed the call and the signal here was extremely weak. He'd check for a voicemail once it was stronger. Right now all he could focus on was what Dani's older brother had shared with him over the course of the previous two hours. And he had to admit as the days went on, he was beginning to view Alpha Vos as Dani's older brother because Vos was stepping into the role with more and more confidence.The night that Luca's father, the then Alpha West, had arrived with Alpha Harding at the Vos household, Vos' mother
Stella opened her eyes, blinking twice before closing them again quickly against the light flooding in through the window. Her entire body ached. She reached out with her mind, seeking the comfort of her wolf, but found only silence, an empty hole in her psyche where her wolf's presence usually filled the void. A wave of nausea rolled through her body, forcing her to push herself up onto her elbows, her eyes opening again, one hand shielding them from the light of the window.Someone had placed a wastebasket with a plastic bag in it right next to her bed and she slid down on her knees, emptying the contents of her stomach, which by now wasn't much more than stomach acid, into the bottom of the thin bag."Welcome back to the land of the living, Stella West." Stella froze, her fingers digging into the edge of the thin metal bucket as she realized that she wasn't alone. She wanted to stand and wield the small trash can as some sort of weapon, proving to herself and her weapon master th
"I'm going to tell him, Dani. If that's a problem then tell whoever it is that you're with to take you somewhere else. I don't fucking like West, but I sure as Hell am not going to lie to our Alpha. Even for you."Dani was sitting in the back of the luxury sedan, her fingers lightly running across the stitches that Michael had closed the wounds in her shoulder with, while Waylon took a turn driving after she had explained that her healing capabilities were not quite the same as other wolves. She squeezed her eyes closed at this admission from Kent, although she wasn't completely surprised to hear him say it."Honestly Kid, I'm surprised you haven't already told him.""Kid." he snorted and she knew he was probably rolling his eyes at the nickname that she'd called him since they were in middle school. "If it was anybody else I would have. But my wolf is just the tiniest bit protective of you too. And as you probably can guess he doesn't want to give you back to West either. Especia
"The fuck? Alpha commands don't work on your sister?" Luca slammed his hand forward, acting like he was about to chuck his phone out the window, but he didn't let it go, managing to get a hold on his temper in time to save the expensive device from hurling through the windshield of the car."Nope. It's one of the many annoying and special gifts that the Goddess bestowed upon the pain in the ass that is your mate." Vos had turned in the passenger seat to stare at Luca, his eyebrows raised as he waited to hear the fallout from the conversation that the other man had obviously just had."That was her." They had pulled off onto the shoulder of the road again and Luca was gripping the steering wheel so hard that Vos was honestly a bit worried it might crack in his hands."I sort of figured that part out. But go on. And maybe ease up on the car a bit so we still have a way to get around.""She's on her way to New York. She wants to save Stella and-""Kill Harding." Vos interrupted him,