Reese’s POVThe days passed swiftly and if it weren’t for the King’s presence, Reese would’ve thought that everything was fine. Troy had held a pack meeting out in the open in front of the packhouse, with the King standing on his right and Reese standing behind them.The pack had rallied behind Troy and members that had been abroad or working in other cities had all returned home. Celebrations were limited although Troy had made provisions for the Luna Blue Moon feast.Reese was filled with nervous excitement. As the pack’s Luna she’d have a twenty minute head start before Troy would shift and start to hunt her. The objective was for her to run and for Troy to find her and mate her.It signified a bountiful year for the pack and was seen as disastrous if the Luna outsmarted her Alpha. Reese was very worried about that because Troy had been avoiding her, sleeping in the guest room and leaving before she even woke up in the mornings.The whole pack would congregate in front of the packh
Troy’s POVTroy’s days were filled with meetings, checking border security and running the perimeter with the warriors. He ate in his office and at night he’d stand at their bedroom door and watch Reese for a few minutes as she slept.He’d already heard the first rumours. Omegas talked and people knew he was sleeping in the guest room. He’d have to squash it and soon. He couldn’t have people whispering about their Alpha and Luna. Amber had already started that shit and the consequences had been dire.Katherine hadn’t heard from her yet and Troy had to wonder if she hadn’t left the country, knowing that the plan was insanely stupid. More reports were coming in from other packs with sick wolves and the total number of deaths had risen to ninety-four from across the world.It didn’t seem like much considering there were a few million wolves in the world, but any loss was considered big in their world. Having something like that on your doorstep and not knowing what to do about it, was st
Reese’s POVShe was still on their bed, naked, shivering and feeling sated. Troy was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head lowered into his hands. It was the first time they’d been alone in almost a week and Reese wasn’t sure what to say to him.“What the fuck were you thinking?” Troy asked her.“You weren’t complaining when you were sticking your cock down my throat,” Reese said and sat up on the bed.“If you need to be fucked, send me a text and I’ll oblige,” Troy said.“Fuck you!” Reese yelled and pushed him off the bed. “So you can jerk off in the shower but I can’t do the same, you fucking hypocrite?”Troy had managed to regain his balance and he looked at the anger swirling in Reese’s eyes. He was being a hypocrite and she clearly had no idea how strongly he’d reacted to her masturbation session.Troy took a deep breath and counted backwards from ten. “My wolf marked you, Reese. That means the bond flows stronger into me. You made me fucking cum in my pants … in front of Drak
Troy’s POV“Drake?” Troy questioned as he stood in his towel in front of Drake.“Warriors spotted a group of rogues near the border.”“Shit,” Troy said. “I’ll be there in five.”Troy hurriedly pulled on sweatpants and walked out of the Alpha Suite with Drake. On the patio, he shifted and immediately caught the scent of rogues as Drake undressed and shifted to join him. His paws thundered underfoot as he ran through the forest towards the border.Two trackers and four warriors stood near the border line, already shifted into their wolf forms. They bowed their heads as Troy walked up to them.“Report,” Troy said through their mindlink.“A pack of five rogues, Alpha, they ran the moment they saw us,” one warrior said.“Let’s go,” Troy said and started running.The four warriors, two trackers and Drake followed behind Troy as he picked up their scent and raced ahead. Troy ran faster, aware that the rest of them couldn’t keep up with him, Drake was the closest as he dashed through the rive
Reese’s POVReese went with Drake and the Red Moon pack to the Beta House. She mindlinked Russo to find out where he was. The Beta House was surprisingly clean and five minutes after they walked into the house, warriors and Omegas arrived with food, clothes and toiletries.They stocked the house as Drake showed them around and Reese wondered again why he wasn’t living in the beautiful house. It was fit for an Alpha and the Red Moon Pack members were astonished at Troy’s generosity.“We still celebrate the Luna Blue Moon feast and ours is tomorrow night. Alpha Troy has extended his invitation to your pack to feast with ours,” Drake said.“We’d be honoured to attend. We also used to celebrate the Luna Blue Moon feast,” Rico said with a sad smile.The front door slammed open and Russo strode inside as they all looked down from the second floor landing.“I’m fucking sorry, Reese! Can’t believe I overslept! Oh, we have company …” Russo stopped walking and his eyes darkened.“Russo …” Reese
Russo’s POVThe sun and the sand had ways of beating down on a man. The dunes shimmered in the oppressive heat. Russo lay on a rocky outcrop and he could taste the sand in his mouth. The dunes were far behind them now and the sun would only set in three more hours.They had located a rogue group of wolves that had entered one of their camps and gotten their hands on weapons that even they weren’t supposed to have. They had to destroy the weapons along with the rogue group before questions that nobody had the answers to were asked.Sweat trickled down his back, down his forehead and into his eyes, but he never moved his hand to wipe it away. He had to keep his focus on the building a few hundred yards in front of them. His men were on a lower level, getting some much needed shut eye and Russo kept watch.He loved the army, loved the routine and the discipline and the missions they went on saved actual lives. He missed pack life too but the army felt like home. There were too many memor
Troy’s POVTroy stayed with Russo until the sun rose before he left his friend. He had a lot on his plate and work waited for no Alpha. Upstairs in his apartment, he showered and dressed in a suit. His gaze lingered on Reese as she slept and he sighed.Troy headed back downstairs to his office and sighed when he opened the door and found Max sitting on the sofa. He looked worried and Troy was instantly on full alert. The steam was still rising from the cups of coffee as Troy sat down.“You look like shit,” Troy said.“What do you know about the rogues you found yesterday?”Troy shifted in his seat and looked intently at Max. “He claims to be the deposed Alpha of the Red Moon Pack and the last survivors. Russo confirmed it, he knew the former Gamma of that pack.”“Are you sure they’re the last of Red Moon?” Max asked him.Troy had never seen Max look so conflicted and he had to wonder what the hell this was all about. Max was always clear-headed, firm in his decisions and he never ques
Troy’s POVAfter Rico left his office he knew Max would question about this domination fight, Russo’s involvement in Dustin’s death and his imprinting. Troy could feel the headache pulsing at his temples and he was over tired and the day was far from done.“Dustin disobeyed orders and Russo didn’t know he’d gone off on his own. The rogue group caught him while Russo retrieved the stolen weapons. They wanted the weapons in exchange for Dustin. They had snipers on his other team members. Russo chose his team and they shot Dustin,” Troy said.“And the imprinting?”“She’s Dustin’s sister. The commanding officer of their squadron told them that Russo left Dustin to die, he didn’t tell them anything else,” Troy answered him.“I respect any decision you make here, Troy. This is your pack and you’ve always done what’s best for them. I’ll support your decision about the domination fight. We don’t need any bloodshed, not right now,” Max said.“I went to go see Russo this morning. His eyes had t
Reese’s POVWhen the air fryer pinged, she pulled the drawer open and turned the basket over onto a bowl. She started grinding up the dried petals. Russo just watched her as she kept it up until the petals were ground into a fine powder.She mixed it with a little water and mixed it until it was a smooth paste. She didn’t let up or rest once, she just kept on working. After an hour, she was finally happy and she sat down on the swivel chair and wiped her forehead with her arm.“What now?” Russo asked her.“Now we administer it and wait. I should’ve known sooner, Russo, so many people died because I couldn’t figure this out,” Reese said.“Let’s go see if it works,” Russo said and stood up.He carried the tray with the small bowls Reese had separated the paste into and they headed back to the infirmary. It was nine pm and the streets were quiet as Reese power walked to the building in front of them.She headed straight for Troy’s room and Russo placed the tray down on the trolley table
Reese’s POVFor a few moments outside of Troy’s room, Reese couldn’t move or breathe. She wasn’t sure what it was but she was certain that maybe their baby had something to do with Troy wanting to get better. It was one of the biggest blessings for an Alpha, a son to take over from him.“Let’s get you back, Reese. It’s been a long day for you,” Russo said.“I want to check in on Max as well. He has no family here and Troy would want me to,” Reese said softly.“A quick check in, you need to go rest, this emotional rollercoaster isn’t good for the baby,” Russo said.Reese gave him a small smile and nodded her head. She did feel tired and the constant hope and worry were wreaking havoc with her system. She wanted to take a long, hot bath and sleep. Every night she had the same hope, that Troy would magically be awake the next morning.Russo led her just three doors further and opened the door. Max lay alone in the room, looking much the same as Troy had. His oxygen had lowered to 39% and
Reese’s POVNothing changed over the course of the next week and Reese felt like there was nothing more she could do to help. She’d exhausted all her options and every mix she could think of had no effect on the patients.Her stomach had gotten a lot bigger over the last two weeks and she’d felt her baby move. Dr Tyrell came up to the Alpha Suite, after Russo had made sure that he was completely sanitized, to do ultrasounds and check on her.They had over fifty people in the hospital now as the flu spread and Reese cried herself to sleep every night. She was the key, so why wasn’t she finding it? She was pissed off at the world and her biggest fear was that Troy would die.Russo had limited her to one visit a week and she was due to go see Troy again after lunch. News had spread and the whole pack knew that Troy and King Maximilian were in isolation rooms and that they were stable for the moment but incapacitated.Drake hardly seemed to leave the office and a conversation with Emily h
Reese’s POVThe combinations she’d been working on had kept Max from deteriorating further but it wasn’t healing him. It kept him in a sort of limbo and Reese was grateful for that at least. It gave her some time and she spent every free hour in the lab.Reese pushed herself away from the microscope and her hand rubbed over her chest. Russo was at her side instantaneously, his hand at the small of her back.“What’s wrong, Reese?”“I don’t know. It’s a weird sensation …” Reese turned wide eyes towards Russo. “It’s not me, it’s Troy, something’s wrong with Troy!”Reese was physically lifted from the floor as her legs automatically started moving towards the door. “No, Reese! I can’t let you expose yourself!”“Russo! Put me down immediately!” Her nails clawed at Russo’s arms but he held firm.“Not a chance, Reese! You are my first priority. Troy’s in good hands!”A scream tore from Reese’s throat and her body sagged against Russo’s. He didn’t let go of her, he just tightened his arms and
Reese’s POV“I’m okay, Reese, I promise. It’s just a cough and you know Tyrell. He’s going to monitor me and everything will be fine,” Troy said.“I’m coming to see you,” Reese said.“No! You are not coming anywhere near this infirmary. I’ve given Tyrell permission to intubate me the moment I collapse. Keep yourself and our baby safe, promise me, Reese.”Reese tried not to cry but the tears didn’t obey her silent order and they ran down her cheeks unchecked. “I will, I promise.”“Good. It’ll only be for a few days. Drake will be acting Alpha and he has orders to lock you in our suite if you don’t do this for me, okay?”Reese nodded her head, knowing full well he couldn’t see her and she clenched her eyes tight. “Okay,” she finally whispered.“I have to go now,” Troy said with a sigh and the call ended.Reese sank down against the wall and lowered her head to her knees and cried. In that moment, she hated Amber with everything in her. It was her fault that Troy was sick, her fault that
Troy’s POVTroy ran down the hall when he reached the other side of the floor and the door opened as he neared. Max was sitting on the couch, fully alert now with an oxygen mask over his face. He was a little pale and his hands shook but otherwise he looked okay.Max pulled the mask away from his face and looked at Troy. “I’m not going to the infirmary.”Troy gritted his teeth as he looked at his long-time friend. “Yes, you are. You are not dying, Max. I won’t allow it!”“If I get any worse, I’ll go but not before it’s absolutely necessary,” Max said.“Fine,” Troy relented and leaned against the wall.The other men in the suite didn’t look pleased but they refrained from saying anything because Max was their King and his word was the law. Troy didn’t like it one bit. Max needed to be monitored because he couldn’t let Max die on his watch.“The moment he so much as wheezes, I want him in the infirmary, you hear me?” Troy’s eyes darkened as he looked at each man.“Yes, Alpha. I’ll drag
Reese’s POVThe week progressed slowly and then on that fateful Friday morning all hell broke loose. Amber was the first one to die from the flu. Her body was moved to the morgue and Dr Tyrell had taken precautions even in the autopsy room and wore protective gear to do her autopsy.They all knew the cause of death would be carbon dioxide poisoning. It had taken Amber eight days longer to die than victims from other packs and that was due to Reese’s plants. She hadn’t liked Amber, but she hadn’t wanted her dead.Troy hadn’t reacted, at all. He nodded his head and went to his office. Reese felt morose and knew that he had to feel something. She was sure that he was hiding his emotions so as not to upset her but this wasn’t something she’d be jealous of.He’d loved her at one point and they had been mates with no rejection between them. She wished he’d talk to her and tell her how he felt. She watched him every night as he ate. The exhaustion was there because Troy never stopped.He wor
Drake’s POVThe days seemed to drag by. Work was trickling to a slower rate although they were kept busy with conference calls and meetings over Skype. They still had business dealings out in the world and they couldn’t just stop working. Humans weren’t affected by this flu epidemic and it made things difficult for them.At night he’d lie in bed next to Emily and think about the rising numbers of deaths in other packs and wondering what made them so special to hold the key. He’d already figured out that Reese would somehow come up with a cure.It was taking time though and he was worried about the sick warriors they had in the infirmary. He didn’t want any of his people to die, except maybe Amber. He didn’t care if she died, not after the shit she pulled.He shifted on his side and stared into Emily’s open eyes. Her hand cupped his cheek and he gripped it tightly. “What’s bothering you?”Drake sighed internally. “Besides the cock talk? Not much, really.”Emily smiled and his heart flu
Reese’s POVRusso dressed Reese in a rainsuit with a mask, a plastic shield over the mask and a hairnet. She had to wear medical grade gloves and make her way to the lab in the mornings. She tried to stifle her laughter as Russo trudged behind her, the plastic of his own rainsuit squeaking with each step.“What’s the hairnet for?”“I have no fucking idea but it covers your hair, don’t bitch about it,” Russo said and adjusted his own hairnet.Reese laughed as she stopped inside her office and Russo started disinfecting everything. He did that every single day, even though nobody else came into their office or lab. She felt fine and even Troy had been cleared by the doctor.The number of sick had risen to twenty, all of them warriors that had worked shifts in the dungeon and had had contact with Amber. She was their patient zero and for now it seemed that the many respiratory plants were helping and the patients in the infirmary weren’t doing too badly.“All clear,” Russo said and took