(Aaron POV)Wednesday afternoon, I was in my father’s office going through reports of recent rogue attacks and sightings. Rogues were always a problem, but there was too much consistency lately. I thought back to my meeting Alpha Ryan; could White Howlers really be behind some of the attacks? If so, how would we prove it before it was too late?As I thought about the White Howlers’ pack, I started to think about Cassie. And how Cassie had been mated to Jason. And about my irritation when I saw future Alpha Danny giving her a lap dance.Urgh. Why was one woman taking up so much space in my head? I had not thought this much about a woman in years, if ever. Had I thought this much about Allison? Maybe? That relationship was so short-lived… and traumatic… that it’s hard to remember those kinds of details clearly.I had promised myself that I would stay out of Jason’s mate drama, and then I ended up telling him about Danny’s interest in Cassie anyway. As if Karma was telling me
(Aaron POV)Once we were safely inside the war room with the door closed, the human pointed to my father. “Who is he?” she asked, nervously.“My father.”“Ok.”“Before we get started, would you be upset if I react like a human for a moment? I don’t understand werewolf culture or hierarchy, and I suspect you will be upset by my reaction, but I don’t think I will be able to concentrate if I don’t do something first.”I looked at her puzzled. “Sure, go ahead.”The human slapped me hard across the face. “I am not a d—n hooker, and how dare you talk to me as if I was one.”My dad chuckled. “She did ask first, Son.”I sighed. “I know you aren’t a hooker, and I’m sorry. I had to come up with something quickly, and it fit the conversation we had in the car.”I gestured for her to take a seat, which she did.“Now tell me why you are here. You’ve been awfully cryptic so far. All I know so far is that you somehow know Cassie.”“My name is Maggie. I don’t know much, but I know Cassie a
(Aaron POV) I looked through the files on the phone, and found one labeled, “Play me.” I placed the phone on speaker, and did as instructed. There were parts of the audio that were easier to hear than others, but thanks to our werewolf hearing, we were able to make out almost all of it. My father and I took turns growling until we reached the part where Danny confronted Cassie, and then the growling was 100% me. When the recording was over, my father and I sat in silence for about ten minutes, with both of us processing our thoughts. My father was the first one to break the silence. “The Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes. That girl was specifically chosen to be part of our pack. Thank goddess she was in the right place at the right time, and that she was smart enough to find a way to get the information to us.” “Do you think she was sincere about being interested in Danny?” I couldn’t believe that was the first thing I said after listening to the audio, but it was almost as
(Cassie POV)On Wednesday night, just when I thought all hope was lost, my parents lit into me for an hour in front of my sister, Alpha Fred, and Danny. I had never been so grateful.Specifically, my parents were upset that I had slept in Danny’s room on Tuesday night. They told me that they did not care who he was; until he was my husband, I wasn’t going to be his “whore of the night.” They told me that, if I wanted to play that role, I could move back to the human town. Until then, while I lived under their roof, I was going to be respectful and follow their rules.To my surprise, Danny didn’t try to fight them about it. He simply kissed me on the forehead, promised me that we would be married soon enough, and told me and Alpha Fred had a lot of things to do anyway.After that crisis was diverted, Megan dragged me upstairs to her bedroom and locked the door. “What is going on between you and Danny?” she demanded.I desperately wanted to tell her the truth, but given Mike’s rol
(Jason POV) The past week has been one of the hardest weeks in my entire life. The last time I saw my mate she was angry and in tears because I blamed her for something she didn’t do; the last time I talked to my mate was by text message when she told me that she wasn’t sure how to feel; and the last time I had any type of contact with her at all was when I felt her kissing another man on Tuesday night. Since Tuesday night, I have been going out of my way to stay busy and avoid uncomfortable conversations with pack leadership about where things stand with Cassie. Right now, my plan –my only plan—is to attend her sister’s wedding and pray to the Goddess that she will talk to me. I feel like I’ve never had so much riding on a single wedding; not even the one involving Alpha Blake and Josephine. It's funny to think about how much I have changed in the few short weeks that I have known Cassie. Growing up, Aaron and I both “sowed our wild oats,” although in different ways. For me,
(Cassie POV)Finally, the day of Megan’s wedding has arrived. I am an absolute, complete, nervous wreck.Did Aaron get the package? Did he open it? Was he able to do anything with the information? Did I do enough? Should I have done more?Will anyone die tonight? Will Alpha Fred be successful in taking over Blue Moon pack? What will life be like there if he does? Will anyone survive?Will my mate be OK? I still don’t know what the future holds for Jason and I, but I do care about him. I don’t want anything to happen to him. How sad would it be for him to pass on before he’s had an opportunity to experience the love of a mate, whether that mate is me or a second chance.What will the future look like for other packs and the werewolf community generally if Alpha Fred is successful? Aaron’s friend, Alpha Ryan, is likely to be targeted next. Will members of his pack be hurt?The more I think through all these questions, the more I wish I had done something more to help. What
(Jason POV)It is a small miracle that I make it through the wedding ceremony without losing my s---t. I think the only thing keeping me calm about my mate situation is that I am distracted by whatever is going on with Aaron and our pack. Meanwhile, the only thing keeping me calm about whatever is going on with Aaron and our pack is that I am distracted by Cassie and trying to find an opportunity to approach her.With the ceremony complete, we follow the crowd of people to the area designated for the reception. As we do so, we engage in small talk with a few other alphas and betas in attendance. Aaron seems completely distracted now, even more so than he was before we arrived. His eyes seem like they are constantly scrolling through the crowd, and a couple of times I sense fleeting waves of worry emanating from him. A few times, I see him and Alpha Ryan exchange brief looks. I know they cannot mindlink because they are part of separate packs, but they seem to be communicating s
(Cassie POV)Doing the “grand entrance” into the reception hall with Danny glued to my side was torture. I still didn’t know whether Aaron had received the package, and even if he did, I didn’t know if there was a plan on how to deal with it. I was scared that Jason would believe that I welcomed Danny’s advances or that I encouraged them. At the same time, this was my little sister’s wedding and I knew how incredibly dangerous the situation was. Even if Maggie had failed in the mission I sent her on, I had to play along with Danny until I came up with a better plan.Had this been two months ago, I know exactly what I would have done: run away. In fact, had this been two months ago, I may not have even been here right now. It’s funny how quickly things can change. Instead of planning how to take care of myself, I find myself far more focused on how to protect the packs and people that I love and respect. I credit my mating with Jason for the changes in me. Although Jason and