ADDIE POVI got off the bus in St. Louis. My seatmate was getting off and there was a driver change so I thought it would be the best and easiest way for me to disappear. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I had a nagging, bad feeling like I was being chased or something. I waited until the driver had disappeared around the corner and then I got off the bus, heading in the opposite direction.Night in St. Louis near the bus stop isn’t the nicest area of town, but with the afghan wrapped around me, I looked like I belonged. I walked and walked, not wanting to take the chance of being robbed while I slept. I kept heading east until I was standing on the shore of the Mississippi River.And here was a dilemma. Large cities are easier to disappear and hide in, but they’re also more dangerous. From my map study, I knew that there were lots of suburbs of St. Louis and some were quite large. They would probably be a little safer and probably offer more opportunities for employment t
EMILY POVI drove back to Michigan, my mind racing the entire way. I knew that Toby was sending me some backup and one of those warriors was Snap. I called him.“Hey, it’s Emily. I will meet you guys at the Four Seasons hotel. Grab a room for all of us. And I need you to do some shopping. Get a good computer and some sort of data plan. I am going to need your hacking skills.”He only grunted in an affirmative, but I knew that he was pretty excited about using his skills. I knew he works a lot with our IT guys, and he was getting really good at it. James used him sometimes in the field.I worked out a plan of action while I was driving and then I called my guys. Toby answered immediately.“The witch confirmed that she did the memory spell on Addie. The only other decent information she gave me was that they put her on a Greyhound.”“Did she confirm who hired her?” I could hear James howling in pain in the background. My heart broke for him.“She doesn’t use names. Descrip
ADDIE POVIt’s been a week since Jenna picked me up and took me home with her. I’ve been sleeping on her couch the whole time. I like Jenna but I don’t like her prick of a boyfriend. He keeps hitting on me.I got back to her apartment and tossed my bag in the corner of the room, sitting down on the couch. I just got done with my second shift of the day at the local grocery store as a cashier. I didn’t like the work, but they paid decently and gave me as many hours as I wanted. I was hoping I could get enough hours so that my first paycheck would enable me to get a room somewhere else, even if it’s in an extended stay hotel. I felt bad taking advantage of Jenna’s hospitality, and I was genuinely afraid I would say something to her boyfriend that I would regret.I leaned back on the couch and closed my eyes, running through my head the things I knew.When I first got here, I didn’t know a whole lot. I knew my name was Addie. I knew I was a werewolf. I knew that there was somet
JAMES POVI miss Addie. I miss her so damn much I physically hurt. Toby and Bryon, my Gamma, are the only two that I can even have near me. I have no patience for anyone else.In the last week I’ve had two more visions, and because of this I have Toby or Bryon with me all the time, even when I’m sleeping. We need as much information as we can possibly get, and my visions are giving us a little bit at a time. They are incredibly emotional and draining and I’m dreading having another. I’ve never seen my death before and to have now experienced it three times, well, let’s just say I’m over it.Our IT team is going over thousands of hours of footage, trying to see if we have had a breech of the borders. My patrol has tripled and warrior presence in the village has doubled. We don’t know what or who we are looking for, yet, but we are doing our best to figure it out.I had just come down to my office on Saturday morning when I felt the familiar feeling I get when I am about to have
EMILY POVWe got on a plane for St. Louis. Snap had managed to pull video of every stop and review footage. We saw her get off in Mount Vernon, but she got back on ten minutes later. He almost missed her getting off in St. Louis. She waited until everyone was off and then she slipped out. Snap watched footage until the bus left but we didn’t see any sign that she snuck back on.We were going off the assumption that she didn’t want to be found. From my conversation with the witch, we knew she didn’t have a memory, nor did she have money or other resources. I knew that Addie was used to living on her own without anything, but I also didn’t know how much of that life would be instinctual and come back to her. We needed a place to start, and St. Louis was going to be it.When we landed, we split up. Bruce and I were heading to the bus station to see if anyone remembered her, and Snap was taking James’ black Visa and heading to one of the nicer hotels on the river. Nicer hotels t
ADDIE POVThe hotel wasn’t as bad as I initially thought it would be. I dropped into bed, fully clothed, and slept off my headache. I had a memory come back but my migraine was so bad I couldn’t process it.The next morning, I took a shower and put on the black slacks and burgundy top that I wear to the grocery store. I rinsed out my second set of clothes in the sink, using the rest of the tiny bottle of shampoo that was provided. I checked the cash I had in my wallet and decided to go through the clearance bins at work and see if I could find some shampoo and maybe laundry detergent. I hung up my clothes and then left, locking the door behind me. I just had a short walk to get to work. It was closer than Jenna’s apartment had been to the grocery store but in an opposite direction.I thought while I walked. I realized that something had happened when I spoke to the front desk clerk. I used a firm voice and was very specific about what I needed, and to my surprise, he agreed.
ADDIE POVI wasn’t paying attention when I walked back to the grocery store, and I was surprised when a man stepped into my path. I growled at him.“You need to get out of my way. Messing with me isn’t a good idea right now.”He grinned at me. “I know. I saw. I followed you because I thought I’d need to help you. I was wrong.” He tipped his head to the side. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”I shrugged, pushing past him. “Here and there.”He reached out and grabbed my shoulder. I angrily turned, ready to fight again. He backed off, raising his hands up.“Whoa! I’m not going to hurt you. Quite the opposite. I want to offer you a job.”I put my hands on my hips. “I have a job.”He nodded, looking at my now dirty uniform. “Yeah, I see that. Probably pays, what? Ten an hour?”“Twelve.” I was curt. “I’ll pay you twenty.” He pointed. “Look. I’m not some weirdo. I own a kickboxing gym that’s at the end of the strip mall down there. I also teach self-defense c
JAMES POVToby’s plan was solid. We had to move fast because we had just one day head start. And our first step was to make sure that everyone thought Alice was dead.I wanted to get her out of the picture immediately and just put out word that she had a heart attack or something, but both Toby and Bryon nixed that idea immediately. We got Alice on the phone and explained to her what was going on. She agreed that it needed to look like Zoe was the one who managed to kill her or it would be too coincidental.We had the advantage that we knew Alice was going to be poisoned. We didn’t know if it was going to be through food, or maybe someone would ambush her and inject her. Both Toby and Bryon thought it would be through food. Easy to do, little risk, and would be easy to try again without suspicion if unsuccessful. We also knew that someone was on the inside working with Zoe and Danny. They were going to do something to our surveillance system to make it so that we don’t see
ADDIETwo months later, on the day of the full moon and summer solstice, I was dressed in a sapphire blue gown that was fitted on the top and billowed to the ground in shimmery waves. A laughing Emily was trying to help me with my makeup. Her growing belly was in the way, and Gracie was crawling around getting underfoot. Undeterred, Emily tried to add another swipe of mascara to my already heavy lashes. “Come on, Addie! It will make your eyes pop!”I laughed back at her. “My eyes will look like spiders if you put another coat on my lashes!” Tonight was the night of my Luna ceremony. Wolves from many of our cooperating packs were in attendance as well as all of the pack members from our pack. We had invited the Council members and were surprised when most of them accepted. Matthew and Jessie were also going to be there bringing their newborn pup with them. I knew that James had already spent time snuggling their baby boy and getting his fill of the newborn smells. I had bee
ADDIEAfter the excitement of everything, the next few months felt almost boring by comparison. We were busy, that was for sure. My Luna Ceremony had been postponed and we were beginning the planning again. We were also actively involved in helping Matt and Jessie build a new Packhouse before their pup arrived. The old packhouse was being turned into a youth center and dormitory for the continuing education prospects that Jessie wanted to bring to her Pack. In the days of Alpha Cole, it was decreed by the Alpha what the profession of the wolves coming of age would be. Jessie wanted to give them choices and equal opportunities. I was excited to be a part of that.Three weeks after we returned from our latest mishap in the city, Emily asked if we could have lunch in the village. I agreed, knowing something was up.“Do you want me to bring James?” I asked. “No,” she said, a sly look on her face. I agreed, letting her keep her secret for now. I would know soon enough.I met Jam
ADDIE I got into the car and looked James over, satisfied that he only had a few bumps and bruises but nothing was seriously hurt. I could smell the wolfsbane on his breath and knew he had been dosed but I could tell that it was slowly leaving his body. How is he? I asked Talia. Scout is weak but recovering. He will be fine, she answered. I gave a sigh of relief. Toby got into the driver’s seat and turned the SUV over, backing out of the drive. “Where to, Luna?” he asked. “Aren’t we waiting for the other warriors?” I asked, turning back to look at the house. He shook his head. “No, they need to do some cleanup. They are going to need to call the council for help. Vanessa went rogue and there is a lot that will have to be done to minimize exposure to the human world.” He had a look of disgust on his face. "First and foremost, they will have to figure out what to do about two human bodies. Old man and woman. They didn't even have a chance against her." I nodded, suddenl
ADDIE POVI walked out of the conference room with Roman and the other guard chasing after me, pulling along a reluctant Brad. Toby came, too, lips pressed together. I recognized the look. He hated the idea and wanted to set up a counterattack at the park at midnight, but he also recognized that my plan might work. It was fueled by pure rage on my part, but I was positive I would get James back.Alice had called ahead and worked her magic so by the time I made it to the front doors, a valet was there with a set of keys and an SUV was sitting in the drive up. I caught the keys as they were tossed to me and the warriors dove into the back seat, shoving Brad between them. Toby jumped into the passenger seat, buckling up as I started driving away.“What’s the plan, Luna?” Roman asked tentatively from the back seat. Toby glanced back at him but said nothing. “I know the area. It’s estates. I’ll find a spot to pull over and drop you and Brad off. We’ll meet up at the house, but I
ADDIE POV I was pissed. I’ve absolutely had it with Vanessa and Zoe and everyone else who felt like they had a right to mess with James and my happiness. I was going to end this and I was going to end this today. I commandeered an empty conference room and started organizing and planning. The first person to arrive was Alice who came through the door at a dead run. “How can I help?” she panted. I slid a computer over to her. “Figure out where Vanessa is. And, if you can, figure out how I can contact her.” Alice took the laptop from me and started tapping away, accessing the company files to find a current address. "She's moved around a few times. I don't think she's still at the address we have on file, but I'll have one of our security drive by and check." She picked up her cell phone and dialed. I started pacing, wanting things to move faster. Matthew came in to give me an update on Bryon. I listened and said all the appropriate things, but I honestly didn’t care.
JAMES POVWhen Bryon and I stepped into the elevator he remained stoic until the doors shut, then he punched me on the arm. “Your mate is one of a kind, you know,” he said, wistfully, with a smile.I grinned at him. “I know. You’ll get your mate, hopefully soon. And she’ll be pretty amazing, too.”He punched me again. “But not as amazing as Addie?” I laughed out loud. “As you said, she’s one of a kind.”He turned to face the door of the elevator again and he had his serious Gamma face on by the time the doors opened. One of the amazing things about Bryon is that he knew when to cut up and he knew when to be serious.I waved to the security guard at the gate. “Until next time, Alpha,” he shouted at me. “Hopefully never again,” I shouted back. “No offense, Jeff.”“None taken, Alpha,” he said, laughing. The double doors to the outside opened, and I heard a loud pop. Byron fell over beside me.It took me a second for my brain to register what was happening. When Bryon fell,
ADDIEThe trial was over for the witnesses. We were dismissed by the Council and the prisoners were taken back to their cells. The Council still had to work out some details, but they were taking a quick break.“I want to talk to Matthew for a second,” I whispered to James. He smiled at me. “Bryon and I will go get the car,” he said. “It takes a little bit of time to get it back from the valet so you have a few minutes.”I gave him a quick kiss on the lips and watched him step into the elevator with Bryon. I had to wait a few minutes; many were congratulating Matthew on the acquisition of the Hellroaring River Pack. He finally was able to break away and he came to me.“Addie!” He gave me a quick peck on the cheek. “I don’t know what to say. What a gift!”I grinned back at him. “Are you sure? I wanted to make sure you aren’t mad at me.”He shrugged. “I will probably step down from the council, much to the delight of some of our Junior members,” he smiled over my shoulder w
ADDIE POVI don’t much remember my hearing when I was being tried for killing Alpha Cole. I think I was pretty much in shock and willing to play the victim. It was one of the few times in my life that I left the fight to others and didn’t much care about my future.I felt no empathy for Zoe or Jackson as they sat in their chairs, glaring balefully at the others. The other Councilmembers were really good with their poker faces; however, most would have a flicker of disgust when their gaze would fall upon Jackson. Exploiting another Pack for their wealth was not unheard of, but it wasn’t something that a prim, proper, upstanding Councilmember would do under any circumstances. Jackson broke that law, and they would be forced to deal with him harshly.I wasn’t surprised, nor was I dismayed when I found that Jackson’s punishment was death. For the werewolf population to trust their leadership, it had to be above reproach. They had to show a unified front and discipline harshly.Matt
ADDIEI looked over at James. I didn’t know Dr. Joanna as well as he did, and I wasn’t as trusting as he was. It scared me that she knew about my gift, and it scared me that she had a gift of her own.“How does that work for you and for us?” I asked. Both of them looked at me with confusion.“James is unaffected by my gift unless he wants to be,” I explained. “He has to literally want to be controlled by my gift. Same in reverse. I have to want him to read my mind. You figured out my gift because you somehow recognized what I was trying to do during the battle. Can you use your gift against me?”Dr. Joanna grinned. “Don’t know. I haven’t ever tried. As you know, there’s not many of us out there.” I nodded, acknowledging that point. “I’ll try. Be prepared to duck.”She pointed to a paperweight on her bookcase and it came flying at me. I ducked but I didn’t have to. The paperweight struck an invisible barrier and dropped to the ground. I sucked in my breath. “That is s