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,
After washing her hair with Fern's help and bathing in the oversized bathtub in the bathroom that was connected to the luxurious room that was now her prison, Stella felt slightly more human than she had when she had first opened her eyes and realized that she was no longer on her pack's lands. Fern had brought her a pair of soft grey sweatpants and a t-shirt, and had helped her to make her way back to the king sized bed as she began to really look around the room for the first time. The room was the furthest thing from a prison in appearance that Stella could imagine, but she knew without a doubt that she was a prisoner there all the same. The bed was huge, with a golden Parisian headboard that arched above the head of the bed, and pale blue silk sheets. The walls were every bit as grand as the bed, which Stella couldn't help but think had been inspired by some European palace like Versaille, with more gold snaking its way up the high walls, and an enormous crystal chandelier domin
Alpha Vos,Attached are the pages of your father's journals that I scanned after you called me last night. It didn't take long to find them once you gave me the months and the years since he was always so meticulous and orderly and since you left his cabinet largely untouched after his death. I had my son help me with the lock because it was giving me a fair bit of trouble, even with the keys that were in your desk. I hope this helps with whatever you and Alpha West are working on. If you need anything else don't hesitate to call. I'll have my cell phone with me day and night.Please be careful.IrisVos hadn't gotten a wink of sleep, half an hour later, when he flipped open the laptop that he had brought with him to check his email. One of the calls he had made, when Luca was calling his mother, was to his personal assistant back home. Iris was an extremely efficient woman who had raised her children and watched her grandchildren grow and begin to find their own mates, and if the
"Look at that, it healed. I'm going to take that as a sign that the Goddess is in your corner today. Welcome to New York, Luna."Dani's eyes flickered open and she tentatively moved her shoulder, flexing it and then rotating it when she didn't immediately feel pain. Maybe it was a sign that the Goddess was blessing their mission. The thought was fleeting, as Dani's lips curved into a frown. It felt more likely that the Moon Goddess had decided to dangle a bit of hope in front of one of her least favored children before she was crushed completely, her life force snuffed out. Or maybe there was no Moon Goddess.Dani nodded towards Michael and Waylon as she pushed herself into a sitting position, brushing the back of her hand across her mouth, and checking for drool. She was surprised that she had managed to fall that deeply asleep with everything that they were about to face looming over them. However the sleep she's stolen on the plane ride seemed to be exactly what her body needed.