CLAIREI woke up the next morning groggy and disoriented. Even if I hadn’t totally adapted to London scheduling, I wasn’t completely on Texas time, either. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t crossed time zones before, but when I traveled for work, I drove. Something about the length of time it’d take to get from one job site to another made it easier to adjust, and it was rare that I was more than an hour from where I’d started. When I had to drive crosscountry, it took more than a day.After staring at the ceiling for several moments — or maybe minutes, time didn’t feel particularly real to me just yet — I finally reached over to grab my phone and check the time. I sighed. Better get up to check on Bella. I had no idea if she’d stick to Texas time, if she was still on London time, or if she was caught somewhere between, like me. At least I don’t hear her — yet. She’s probably still asleep.As I eased myself upright, I glanced over at Kaiser. He’d slept fitfully all night, tossing and turning.
“Anyway, her family was one of them, and we became fast friends. As you can imagine, there were several other pups my age in the pack, but as my father’s only son — an only child — and an alpha, several of them were…well, not terribly keen on being friendly. Having grown up elsewhere, Sarah never had reservations. She’d put me in my place if she needed to. She might have been the only one who did.“We stayed friends all through the years of school, and the moment I turned eighteen — I was two months younger than she was — I knew. She showed up for my surprise party, and I knew the moment I laid eyes on her. Sarah had always held a special place in my heart, but at that moment, I knew exactly why. I felt like I was the moon, and she was the Earth — no, she was the sun. She was the center of my…” He cut himself off, shaking his head.I frowned, not liking that look on his face. “What happened to her?”Nic gave himself a shake and looked back at me, the sad smile replacing the distant lo
Deep-set eyes, a clean-shaven face, an angular jawline that seemed chiseled from stone, an aristocratic nose that added an air of regal elegance, and lips pursed in a grim line. His brute features were what I noticed first when I laid my eyes on him, a striking blend of strength and refinement.He was the only man who went to the dancefloor without a mask, and for the first time in my nineteen years of existence, my heart leaped because of a male.Standing there amidst the swirling sea of dresses and suits, I couldn't help but feel a magnetic pull toward him. He was tall, towering above the crowd at perhaps around six feet, and his tie was loosely knotted as if he hadn't had the time to properly adjust it.As he stepped into the room, an almost palpable shift occurred. The atmosphere seemed to change, and most girls, even those who were already in the company of partners, couldn't help but turn their heads towards the newly arrived man. It was as though an undeniable aura surrounded h
It felt surreal.How I shifted into my wolf form for the first time, and how I recognized my mate’s scent all over me, everything felt surreal I almost couldn’t believe it.It was just yesterday when I ranted to my best friend, Winona, about how pathetic I was because I didn’t shift on last year’s blood moon even when I was already eighteen. All of the other debutants had shifted and most of them knew their mates already, but there I was, the pathetic alpha’s daughter who was believed to be a late bloomer."Your time will come, my dear. Don’t be disheartened," was what Dad told me.I was thankful he was such a supportive dad despite the pack’s expectations of me being his only child, but I knew deep down he was happy that I hadn’t met my mate yet because for him, I was his baby girl. But still, I couldn’t help but be disappointed with myself.Tonight, everything changed. I had changed for the better.Running away from the first district pack with my four legs was a lot more convenient
I woke up feeling the pain on my wrists. My body felt numb and my head was aching as I opened my eyes. The first thing I noticed was the tight shackles on my wrist. Second was the dark and dirty cell I was in.As I struggled to sit up, memories flashed in my mind. From sneaking into the first district’s mating ball, to returning home and finding out the sinister outcome of my uncle’s betrayal. The last thing I remembered was I got knocked down by Lucas.With my overflowing emotions, my anger got the better of me. I didn’t think about the gap of strength between me and Lucas. I was ready to die right there. I was ready for the worst. Why would I expect them to spare me if they had killed my dad anyway? My friends… they were all killed. How could Uncle Nick and Lucas do this?The sunlight from the small hole in the east wall of the small cell where I was imprisoned was my only light. I was still wearing the peach dress I wore last night but now it was marred with dirt and blood from my
Winona offered help to get me out of prison but I refused it. I didn’t want anyone to suffer because of me, so if I were to escape, I would do it alone. But I knew that escaping this deserted place was almost impossible unless I was taken out. Perhaps getting married off to the fourth district’s alpha wasn’t that bad.I had found my mate, yes, but being with him right now was not possible. That man was living in the first district. He could have recognized my scent that night but he didn’t know anything about me. Not my face, not my name. He knew nothing so how could I expect him to come running to save me? Besides, what if he was just an ordinary person? He could do nothing against Uncle Nick’s scheme so I’d rather have him out of this mess."Alpha Nicholas’ people will come here for you tomorrow morning, so you should be ready." The woman sending me meals was kind enough to give me a heads up. "Finish your food and rest."I didn’t say anything like usual and just started eating dinn
Kaiser’s POV“D o I look like a fool? Some weakling? You disrespected my mate last night, Kaiser. It’s like all this international travel has turned you into a spoiled little brat.”My skin pickled, and my wolf bristled. I could feel his hackles rise as he pressed against the surface again. It was all I could do not to let him jump forward — and Brock was making it harder and harder to remember why I wasn’t just letting him take control so that he could end this intolerable situation once and for all.I couldn’t, though. I couldn’t. If Uncle Gage had invited Brock to become a council member because he was going to support him, then the last thing I needed to do was lose control right in front of him, my stepfather. Then again, that was entirely too strong a word for what the man was. There was nothing paternal about him. He was just my mother’s shitty mate.But it didn’t matter how I saw him. All Brock cared about was what he saw and, to a lesser extent, what my mother saw in him. If
I was no longer watching the scene but had returned to my own body in an instant, suddenly acutely aware of the fingers tightening around my neck. In the past, when I was small, and my powers hadn’t come in fully, I had feared that one day Brock might kill me in his senseless rage — or, if not, leave me so badly injured that there’d be no chance of recovery.Now, the first time he actually attempted it — I wasn’t scared at all. My heart was racing as adrenaline surged through my veins, but…it wasn’t cold, paralyzing fear. I didn’t know what it was, but I wasn’t going to stand listlessly against the door in my own home while this man tried to choke me out.Everything moved all at once. I surged forward, my hands grabbing at his forearms to push the pressure off my trachea. The red flooded back, and I stopped resisting it, offering up a savage snarl as I blinked, allowing my alpha power to come forward. Brock all but roared in response, shifting his position as he tried to shift his wei
“Anyway, her family was one of them, and we became fast friends. As you can imagine, there were several other pups my age in the pack, but as my father’s only son — an only child — and an alpha, several of them were…well, not terribly keen on being friendly. Having grown up elsewhere, Sarah never had reservations. She’d put me in my place if she needed to. She might have been the only one who did.“We stayed friends all through the years of school, and the moment I turned eighteen — I was two months younger than she was — I knew. She showed up for my surprise party, and I knew the moment I laid eyes on her. Sarah had always held a special place in my heart, but at that moment, I knew exactly why. I felt like I was the moon, and she was the Earth — no, she was the sun. She was the center of my…” He cut himself off, shaking his head.I frowned, not liking that look on his face. “What happened to her?”Nic gave himself a shake and looked back at me, the sad smile replacing the distant lo
CLAIREI woke up the next morning groggy and disoriented. Even if I hadn’t totally adapted to London scheduling, I wasn’t completely on Texas time, either. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t crossed time zones before, but when I traveled for work, I drove. Something about the length of time it’d take to get from one job site to another made it easier to adjust, and it was rare that I was more than an hour from where I’d started. When I had to drive crosscountry, it took more than a day.After staring at the ceiling for several moments — or maybe minutes, time didn’t feel particularly real to me just yet — I finally reached over to grab my phone and check the time. I sighed. Better get up to check on Bella. I had no idea if she’d stick to Texas time, if she was still on London time, or if she was caught somewhere between, like me. At least I don’t hear her — yet. She’s probably still asleep.As I eased myself upright, I glanced over at Kaiser. He’d slept fitfully all night, tossing and turning.
A few hours later, we were boarding the private jet. Claire got Bella situated while I got our bags put up overhead, handing over Bella’s stuffed toy as soon as she sat down. Claire gave me a tired smile as she sat down next to Bella, opening the window blind for her to look out, even if there wasn’t much to see on the tarmac.“Are you okay?” I asked, frowning slightly as I sat down across from her.Claire tore her gaze away from Bella and nodded. “Mhm. It’s been a crazy few days.” She shrugged. “Besides, even shifters don’t heal overnight, not from something like this. If it makes you feel any better, I feel better than I did the first time I had the battery changed in my pacemaker.” She paused thoughtfully. “Or, at the very least, I don’t feel as taken off guard by it.”I hated to admit it, but that did make me feel a little better. “I’m sorry you weren’t able to just rest.” I sighed, certain that dragging Claire halfway around the world hadn’t done her any favors in the healing dep
“You know, as a pack wolf,” I growled back, feeling my skin prickle, “one would think you’d be able to read the room better.” “I’m trying to help you, Claire,” Viola hissed.I gave her a wicked grin. “I don’t need your help, Viola.”“If you would just—”The door opened a third time, and I braced myself, expecting Brock to show up or Gage to reappear. Instead, it was Kaiser. His eyes fell on his mother, and he scowled, a low rumble falling from his lips. “Mother,” he growled. She jumped as satisfaction flooded through me. “I thought I made myself clear.”She stood up quickly, brushing off her expensive dress. I hope the left leg snags, I thought, unable to deny myself a bit of pettiness.“I was just looking for Brock,” she said breezily, heading for the door.Kaiser said nothing else, staring daggers at the woman’s back as she disappeared back inside. Once the door shut again, his shoulders slumped, some of the tension in him unravKaiserng.I patted the empty spot on the bench next to
“I’m sorry, Kaiser,” he said, shaking his head. “I knew Gage was going to try and undermine my character. I didn’t think he’d come after you, too.”I shrugged. “I’d rather he’d say it to my face,” I replied. That much was true. At least I’ve always known Gage was a bit of a brat. If he treated his own sons poorly, well… Going after his brother or nephew just seemed like par for the course.“Still.” He sighed heavily. “At least that’s done. When do you want to return to Texas?”“As soon as possible. Project Night Moon is still running around, and Remus can’t handle that entire organization on his own.”My father nodded. “I’ll arrange the jet to take us back, then,” he replied, already fishing his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll send you the details as soon as it’s coordinated.”I raised a brow. “Us? Even after Gage just pulled this stunt? Are you sure you shouldn’t stay here?”The older alpha snorted. “Gage can suck a lemon,” he grunted. “I’ve put a few fail-safes in place over the past
The council had already assembled by the time I made my way downstairs, but at least I wasn’t the last of the twelve to show up. Several members of my family were on the council — my uncles Gage and Sam, myself, and my father, of course. That was a third right there. My father’s close childhood friend, Liam Black, was also a member. Uncle Sam had once confided in me that Liam was meant to be the pack beta, but Gage had gone on a tear, wreaking so much havoc that the rest of the council had begun to pressure my father to take Gage on as the pack beta instead.One could argue nepotism was alive and well here, but the members were chosen by the alpha. In the case of Liam and Gage, that was the best my father could do for his old friend. The members of the council were meant to advise the pack alpha, but at least in Longbow, they weren’t really a ruling force.Any wolf could be nominated, too, though they usually required the support of at least one current council member before they were
KAISERthe rest of the afternoon went relatively quietly, and that calm stretched into the evening. Uncle Gage had gone somewhere else, and Viola and Brock had gone to their own home. Or maybe not. I didn’t care where they went, but they weren’t at the Archer family estate, and that’s all that mattered to me.Claire had crashed sometime in the afternoon, and I let her catch up on some sleep. I had to try and plan for this council meeting. Even though there’d been some attempts to have it the night we’d arrived, I was rKaisereved my father had put his foot down. It gave me time to gather my wits, and whatever Gage was planning, he’d have to sit on it. I hoped that meant the man would be forced onto his back paws.Even though we’d gone to bed at a reasonable hour, Claire was still asleep when I woke up. When I peeked into Bella’s room, the little girl was hugging her stuffed wolf, mouth hanging open slightly as she remained in a deep slumber. I smiled a little at the sight before slippi
I was quiet for a moment and tipped my head. “Is that why you were in such a mood last night? Your mom?”“I wasn’t—” Kaiser stopped himself again. “Yeah.” “Yeah, me too.” I grimaced. Kaiser did the same.“I’m sorry. I was looking for you, but people kept coming up to talk to me. I didn’t think Viola would—” He shook his head. “I don’t know why I didn’t think she would. Of course, she would. I’m sorry, Claire.”I shrugged. “I…I would have appreciated a warning,” I said after a moment. He couldn’t control his mother’s actions any more than she could control his, after all, but she had caught me off guard. “So, thank you.”I reached over and squeezed his knee. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I could have explained how I was feKaiserng without yelling like that. Or cursing.” I gave him a wry smile, feKaiserng a little sheepish. I knew I could be a little crass, but I tried to reserve that for when I was trying to intimidate suspects — that wasn’t how I wanted to treat Kaiser. “It’s been reall
Claire's POVThankfully, no one had noticed when Bella and I snuck downstairs in the early hours. I barely had anything to drink, but I still felt like hell.All this traveling hadn’t exactly been great for the healing process, and the stress of meeting Kaiser’s extended family hadn’t helped either.I knew rest would do me some good. I also knew carrying around a toddler wasn’t the best thing to help me get back into fighting form as quickly as possible. I even knew it would be better if we got on UK time instead of some bizarre jet-lagged schedule, but…I was still seriously considering flying back to Texas. But a small part of me felt bad for abandoning Kaiser in what was clearly some sort of familial clusterfuck…I had to shake it off. I couldn’t make a decision based on Kaiser, especially when his mother had treated me worse than the dog shit she found on the bottom of her Louis Vuitton shoes. He didn’t even seem to think it was that weird. Admittedly, she hadn’t seemed to be parti