“Hannah!” Cam called to me across the dining room. I waved her over and she sat down beside me. “So, Alpha Tristan’s birthday is tomorrow. I know you haven’t spent much time with him, but I thought you would like to go shopping for his party with me.”
“Oh, um, I don’t really have any money Cam. I don’t have a job yet. Barb offered me a position at the orphanage once I turn eighteen, but I’m not really sure if that’s still on the table since I’ve found a mate.”
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Court was boring. Tristan had said I wasn’t required to be there, but the pack lawyers had recommended it. Appearing in person, rather than just sending lawyers would make me look like I had my shit together for the judge. We spent most of the day waiting outside of the courtroom for our docket number to be called. Once it was our turn, things moved rather quickly. The judge swore me in, I attested that I had a place to stay and was able to support myself. It helped that they didn’t question where I got my money. I didn’t think it would look to good to tell them it all belonged to my mate. The judge looked over a few documents the pack lawyers had submitted, and my emanci
I found myself in Tristan’s office for the second time in as many days. This time the Luna of the Silver Moon pack was there as well. She had called Tristan and requested an urgent meeting after I had left his office the night before. She made it clear that I needed to be present the moment she arrived. Now I sat quietly with Cam, Jaxon, and Tristan, waiting for her to speak. “Alpha Tristan.” She started. “There are some things that you need to know about Hannah.” “Like how your mate lied about your pack trying for her emancipated minor status?” Tristan interjected.
Tristan, much to my surprise, had agreed to let me keep my plans with Toby, on the condition that one of the pack warriors escorted me. Judencia, for her part, had enough forethought to bring multiple vials of the nasty liquid meant to mask our scents. Taylor, the pack warrior Tristan assigned to escort me, and I had quickly downed them and pocketed the extras in case we needed them. We weren’t clear on how long they would last, but since both of us were wolves, we would be able to scent the moment we needed to take another round. I couldn’t contain my excitement as Taylor pulled into the parking lot of Toby’s apartment complex. I had decided to pass Taylor off as my long-lost cousin. I knew Toby had been curious ever since I had used family as the reason I wasn
Taylor had made excuses and whisked me back to the pack house as soon as I had stepped out of the bathroom. He had been silent for the duration of the drive, but I could tell whoever had been at Toby’s door had unnerved him. It took all of my self-control to keep from badgering him into giving me answers. When we finally pulled up to the pack house an hour later, I was surprised to see Tristan pacing out front anxiously. I had barely closed to car door before he had me in his arms, his nose pressed into my shoulder. I could tell he was trying to breath in my scent, most likely in the hopes of calming himself, but my scent was still hidden by the liquid I had drank earlier
I was reading Hannah’s text as the last of the guests left the party. She had texted saying she was suddenly feeling sick and was going home, I suspected it had more to do with Tristan than her actually being sick. I made nice with the guy for her sake, but I still didn’t trust him. Taylor had stayed behind to help with clean up and I caught sight of his firm ass, wrapped like a Christmas gift in his pants as he bent over to pick up trash from the ground. I turned away quickly to conceal my blushing face. “What are you thinking about?” Taylor breathed into my ear as he wrapped his arms around me.
Heat ripped through my body as the car raced down the highway. I had kicked off my heels and turned the ac on full blast in an attempt to soothe the fire coursing through my body. It hadn’t worked. I was panting, fighting against the urge to strip my dress off in the confined space of the car. Tristan, for his part, looked as distressed as one who wasn’t experiencing it could. His nostrils flared and his knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel. Somehow, he had managed to cut the hour drive in half. Jax jumped out of the backseat before the car had even stopped. By the time Tristan had put it in park, Jax had raced to my door and scooped me up in his arms, hol
Nausea washed over me, and my head throbbed even with my eyes closed. I silently cursed myself for over-indulging in alcohol at the party. I wasn’t old enough to legally drink, but Taylor had managed to not only secure booze, but hired caterers that didn’t ask for id. I groaned as my bladder expressed an urgent need to relieve myself. I didn’t want to open my eyes; I knew the headache would only get worse. My bladder threatened to release on its own, forcing me to open my eyes anyway. I gasped as I realized, I was not in my apartment. Instead, I was on a mattress on the floor of concrete cell lined
I woke to the morning light streaming through the window. I stretched slowly, feeling a pleasant ache in my nether region, reminding me that Tristan had finally and fully accepted me as his mate. Smiling, I rolled to my side to find him watching me. “How long have you been awake?” I grinned. “Long enough to wonder if you are a cat instead of a wolf.” He chuckled.
Thirteen years later. I watched as Dylan and Oliver sparred against Jax. They had really come into themselves as they grew closer to coming of age. Dylan reminded me so much of his father, while Oliver took after me in more ways than I liked to admit. I knew Tristan would be proud of our sons, they truly were future Alpha’s. My mind drifted back to that fateful day in the palace. My friends had sedated me and worked with Ivy to heal my mind. I hadn’t realized it until I had been pieced back together, but I had gone insane over the loss of my mate. I still missed him, especially in the moments that Dylan’s sheepish grin matched his own, but I was content with spending my days focusing on our children. I would see him out of the corner of my eye from time to time, watching us with love across his face before
I felt drowsy all the sudden, almost as if my food had been drugged. I squinted in confusion as I looked around the table. I had eaten from the same pan as Toby and Tyler, but they seemed fine. I stood, swaying as I moved from the chair, everything around me blurring together. “I think I need to lay down.” I slurred. Toby glanced up at me with a concerned look painted on his face. He wrapped his arm around my waist and led me to the couch across t
Taylor glared at the wolves blocking out passage into the palace. We had announced ourselves to them as friends of Hannah’s and were waiting for them to confirm. We needed her to accept our visit to be able to get to Liam and fill him in on the plan. He was an integral component, bring the only one with access to the substances that could subdue her. I wondered, briefly, how Pyotr was faring. His distaste for witches had been evident when he spoke of finding one to help heal Hannah’s fractured mind. He would do anything for Hannah though, so I had no doubts if there were witches to be found, he would come through.&nbs
When I heard the first rumblings that my little wolf had declared war on the witches, I was thrilled. I hated witches, even centuries later, for what they had done to my family. If they hadn’t threatened to curse my father, I wouldn’t have been turned and killed them. My kind in general didn’t have an issue with witches, often they worked together to subdue their prey, so it wasn’t surprising to me that many had worked to protect them from the little wolf’s wrath. It wasn’t until the shifter community began reporting missing shifters, that I became alarmed at her actions. The wolv
The old crone’s statement that I wasn’t a rogue became clear the moment I saw Liam. I felt the pack connection click into place and recalled that he had sworn an oath to me as Alpha. Excitement rushed through me as I realized I had an ally in the palace. I rushed to embrace the physician barely able to contain myself. “Liam!” I squealed. “What are you doing here?” “I’ve actually come to resume my position as roy
“I haven’t been able to get an audience with the King.” Judencia said. “Though I did get confirmation that Hannah is in the palace. The advisor said the King and Queen were reacquainting themselves with their granddaughter and would not be receiving petitioners until she was situated.” “So, what do we do then?” I asked. “Pyotr was pretty sure she had a vendetta against the King. Not that I give two shits what happens to a werewolf king, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be good for Hannah if she kills him.”
Tristan and I had decided it would be less suspicious if I approached the King alone under the pretense of accepting my place as heir. The guards had regarded me with suspicion, though I couldn’t blame them. The last time I had been at the palace, I had arrived with the head of the royal guard Alpha. I took a deep breath to calm myself and reached out to my mate through the mind link. I needed reassurance that he would find a reason to be admitted to the palace once I was situated. I needed him to poke around for information while I worked to get close to the King.&n
I sat on the barstool glaring at the bartender as Cam spoke to him. I was frustrated and angry, we had no leads on Hannah’s whereabouts, having been to the shifter bar three times in as many weeks. Taylor was mingling with the patrons, showing anyone who would listen the photograph of Hannah we had started carrying. “Hannah, where are you?” I whispered aloud to myself. “You know little wolf?” Asked a large blond man standing at t
My eyes burned where my tears welled up threatening to spill over. I stared at Pyotr in disbelief. “Little wolf must go back where little wolf belong.” He repeated. “Little wolf need doctor. Pyotr not skilled with little heartbeats.” His voice was sincere, and he face held only concern. Tristan placed his hand on my shoulder and nodded. I knew Pyotr was right. I couldn’t stay with him forever; I needed a werewolf physician to che