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2024-10-29 19:42:56“Rough night?” she had asked me that morning when she saw my black hair messy with sleep and the crease from my pillow imprinted on my face, just below my cheekbone. “Did you dream of the girl with the ghostly eyes?”
I’d rubbed my face with my hand. It wasn’t uncommon for Mom to let herself into my cabin while I slept. It used to annoy me, but I had given up on telling her to keep away long ago. Besides, her visits didn’t interfere with my duties, so there was no reason for me to fuss about it.
“It’s too early for this, Mom,” I’d said with a sigh.
She had grinned, and her teeth shone in the morning light. Her hair was pushed back from her face; her small hands wrapped around one of my larger mugs. “I disagree. Now is the best time to talk about your dream while it’s still fresh in your mind.”
Reluctantly, I had admitted that yes, I’d dreamed of the girl again, and no, I was no closer to figuring out who the hell she was. As always, it was too dark in the dream for me to make out any details of her face. That last bit was particularly frustrating for me. I had perfect vision during the night as well as the day; why would these dreams take that ability away from me? Just to keep the identity of the girl a secret? Why?
“Ah, well, these things tend to be part of figuring out your divine destiny,” she’d said. “As you get closer to realizing your destiny, I’m sure your dreams will give you a little more to go on than just a beautiful girl whose face you can’t see.”
I’d glared into eyes that were as green as mine—but at the moment, hers were more playful. “Mom, be serious. You know I don’t believe in that destiny shit.”
She’d brushed past me, unbothered by my bad mood. “You’ll understand better eventually I’m sure, my dear. You’re on the cusp of something wonderful.”
I wasn’t so sure. Destiny had dealt me a shit hand a long time ago. There was no way it was making its way back around to grant me something good now.
“I don’t know, Mom. Maybe the dreams are telling me I need to put my plans into action.”
She’d paused, her shoulders stiff. “Maybe you’re right,” she’d said, the smile gone from her tone. “And if that’s the case…well, know that you’re not destined to be the same disaster your father was.”
I didn’t like to argue with her, but that was another subject that we disagreed on. Dreams, destiny, disaster…all of these things held the same negative connotations for me. Why should I let myself dwell on the “could be’s” when I had a pack to take care of? I was the one who had control of my life. Any risk I took, any chance I let slip away, those were my decisions to make. A pair of long legs, smooth, warm skin, and a pussy that tasted like salted honey shouldn’t have been enough to knock me flat on my ass.
Yet there I was, restless and distracted.
It was after midnight now, and I was wired with energy. I began to pace back and forth in front of the mantle. I didn’t have the mind for mysticism, and I didn’t have time to dwell on those dreams, but I could agree with my mom about my being on the cusp of something.
There was a different energy to the air—a tension. I felt it in my bones. Something was about to change for me and for my pack. I felt sure that whatever that change would be, it would finally put an end to the rule that the Kings had held over the land for decades.
A knock sounded at the door, and I whipped around, my wolf snarling inside me. I had very nearly shifted right then. Easy…easy, I soothed, and my wolf began to calm. There was a familiar scent coming from behind the door—my beta, Dominic Slate. As I got myself under control, Dom came inside.
I crossed my arms. “You haven’t learned your manners, Dom.”
He grinned. “Why bother learning them? It wouldn’t stop me from coming in when you need me.”
“Who says I need you?” I scoffed.
He chuckled. “I think we both know how lost you’d be without me, Night.”
I considered the man who was my beta, my right hand, and my best friend. Dom didn’t quite reach my height of six feet four inches, but he was only an inch or two behind. He had broad, muscular shoulders that made him look like a walking boulder and old scars running up and down his arms. He had those scars on display twenty-four-seven. As far as first impressions went, it would be reasonable for someone to assume that he was dangerous because of those scars. But that assumption went right out the door the moment you took in his dark brown eyes, ash-blond hair, and the damned dimples that came out when he smiled.
Dom was a walking contradiction, either pushing away those around him with his snark and his bluntness or pulling them in closer with that mischievous smile. He could befriend anyone, and unless they crossed him, he would never betray them. He was good at throwing people off their game, at figuring out what made them tick.
The worst part was, Dom knew the effect he had on people. When he wasn’t being a snide-ass, I even found those traits useful. We’d grown up together in the poverty of the Wargs’ territory. We fought together for scraps, and we defended each other when larger wolves ganged up on us. Dom was family, and as such, he was one of the few who were allowed to call me by my first name. Everyone else called me Alpha Night or Shepherd.
Dom walked up to me, and I uncrossed my arms. We gripped each other’s forearms and went in for a quick hug before he pulled away again. The smirk on his face had completely vanished—drawn eyebrows and the hard line of his mouth replaced the joking beta I was familiar with.
Bab terkait
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“Walk with me?” he asked.I nodded. At his expression, I pushed all thoughts of Mom, destiny, and the woman haunting my dreams aside.The cool night air outside my cabin smelled slightly sweet; the blossoms of late spring had released their scent for everyone to enjoy. My pack was encased in darkness, but because shifters tended to keep late nights, torches and lanterns were ablaze within most cabins. It was a rather enchanting sight, but Dom and I turned away from the compound and into the thicket of trees near my cabin. We had something serious to discuss.“I’ve got news,” Dom said.“Go ahead.”“We received word last night that the Kings’ Alpha died.”Stillness fell over me, so total that even my wolf was silent. It wasn’t the silence of dread or sadness—it was more like the calm before a terrible storm.Dom, sensing the shift in me, took a step to the side but continued speaking. “The week of mourning and celebrations has already started. In five days, Troy Redwolf will ask for cha
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Neither could I. In fact, at the thought of blood, my wolf was salivating at the mouth. This lust for blood made me think that even if I did end up having a destiny, it would be anything but “divine.” I crossed my arms and began walking again. Dom followed.“I’ll want to pull our best hunters to nail down the details,” I said. “It’ll be five days until the challenge ceremony. That’s less time than I’d like, but we need to have an airtight plan of action for this to work.”“Of course. I’ll get the guys together. Once we know what we’re doing, I’ll put together obstacle courses and practice runs to make sure we move like a well-oiled machine.”“That’s what I like to hear.” My lips pulled away from my teeth as I grinned. “Earlier, I was debating whether or not I should go on another run, but I think I’ve made my decision now.”Dom grinned. “Do you want company?”“No, I’m good. You get things started. We’ll talk again once we have something more in place.”“Understood.”He ran back toward
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Finally, Mom and I were so far down the pecking order that we were never given the opportunity to pick from the new goods.Because the Kings’ pack went through apparel so quickly, there was an abundance of wasted fabric. Sometimes that fabric would be recycled into the pack as blankets or home textiles, but the bulk of the fabric was dispersed among other packs in the area, beginning with those most in the Kings’ pack’s good graces. The Wargs, of course, were never given any of the Kings’ resources.My solution to the issue of the worn-out flats was a little spur of the moment, but I’d make do. And maybe I was biased, but I kind of liked the way the black laces looked against the pale skin of my legs. I wondered if I’d ever be able to find someone who made me feel confident and desirable.That question caused me to think about the green-eyed stranger again. Lately, whenever I had a quiet moment to myself, he returned to my thoughts. The only place I felt safe and warm, other than wit
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He looked like he could wake up any second, and his dark emerald eyes would survey the crowd. The coffin was made to suit his body, but his large shoulders pressed awkwardly against the walls.Women sniffled and dabbed at their eyes while men stood statue-still, ready to show their respect. Though the atmosphere was heavy, no one was as sorrowful as Gregor’s mate, Nora. Her dark eyes stared dolefully at the coffin, tears pouring silently down her face and dripping from her chin. I couldn’t help but stare at the sad, beautiful woman. It’s hard to believe that even someone like Gregor could be loved so much. So much for a fair world.A few minutes later, the pack Elder parted from the crowd. Forsythe, an old, bald man who used a cane to walk, stood near the body and waited for a raised platform to be wheeled over. Once it had arrived, he mounted the platform, and a woman brought him a burning torch, which he held aloft over Gregor’s body. The orange flame danced and crackled in the cool
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I put a smile on my face, but it fell the moment she turned away. I needed to get home as soon as possible. The last thing I wanted was for Troy to find me and make good on his silent threat.I tried to keep my head down as I walked through the crowd. My pace was quick, but I hoped that the uniform crowd of black outfits would allow me to blend in. As I passed between a few trees, a figure stepped into my path, and I almost collided face-first with Tanya’s chest. Dread was like ice filling my bloodstream as I took a step backward. Damn, damn, damn!“She’s going nowhere fast, don’t you think, Trish?” Tanya asked.“I’m surprised she can move at all in those clothes.” Trish snaked around a tree trunk, her red lips lifting in a mocking smirk. “You’re drowning in that jacket, girl.”Tara snickered from behind me. She bumped my shoulder roughly as she walked past me to stand with the other Terrible T’s. This was exactly what I’d wanted to avoid. They had stopped me just out of Mom’s sight.
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5BRYNThankfully, the third day of mourning was uneventful for me. All of my time was spent in the garden, the kitchen, or the root cellar. I was constantly washing, cutting, and sorting fruits and vegetables for the grand banquet meals. After the way I had come home—with bloody palms and a ruined dress, Mom no longer made me attend any of the events. Instead, when she got home from the third night’s festivities, she caught me up on everything that was going on. Mom told me about the dance held in the dining hall. All the pack families brought offerings of support and comfort to the Redwolf family, and afterward, the men got together to participate in a fight ring.Some part of me was curious about how these sorts of proceedings went because I was so rarely allowed to be part of them, but a much greater part of me was relieved that I could stay out of the line of sight of Troy and the Terrible T’s. On the third night, I’d gotten little sleep because the wolves were so loud as they fo
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“The Camas are far too quiet and peaceful to want to move up the ranks, Bryn. And as for the Wargs, you already know that they are vicious, no better than feral wolves. It would be best for them if they stayed on their own territory because a challenge from them could mean all-out war.”I suppressed a shiver. Mom’s words, combined with such a somber warning…it sounded like an omen. Ferals were wolves without a real pack, sticking together in small groups. Creatures of opportunity, they were wild and territorial over the few scant miles of land they could claim between the pack territories. It was a harsh criticism for Mom to levy against the Wargs.I tried to remember what I knew of the wild Wargs pack and its Alpha, Night Shepherd. He was known as the crazed Alpha, a man who had some sick vendetta against the Kings’ pack because the Kings were on top. Every few months, Night’s hunters staged attacks against Kings’ wolves when they left the compound. It sounded terrifying, but the War
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I was so engrossed in the task, immersed in the peaceful quiet of my thoughts, that I didn’t hear the faint sound of shifting soil as someone approached me from behind.Finished, I straightened, dusting my hands off on my work jeans. I could already imagine the vibrant colors that this next harvest would bring to the lot. It was brown and boring now, but in a few more weeks, that would change—I froze as I felt heat against my back. I knew it was Troy even before I turned to face him. My shoulder brushed his chest as I moved, and he shoved me away from him. I staggered but stopped short of losing my balance.“You’re not clean enough to touch me, human bitch,” he snapped.I stared at him, my blood rushing through my veins. “Why are you here?” I asked.“What do you mean? This is my territory now. All of this,” he gestured to the field that he had never put even a minute’s work into, “belongs to me. That includes the land, its resources, and everyone living on it.”I clenched my hands so
Bab terbaru
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“If the mates go too long without claiming, it will be as if they were rejected. Their hearts will break, they’ll never recover, and terrible, mystical shit will happen to them. I don’t remember all of the specifics, but I know that what you’re doing is fucked up.”I rubbed my chest where Dom had shoved me, my thoughts spiraling down and down into the depths of my fears. “Bryn hadn’t shifted yet,” I found myself saying. “Not on that first night. I wanted to explain to her that she was my mate and what that meant for us, but I didn’t get the chance before we ended up in bed together.”“And then?” Dom asked. “We both know the two of you have had sex after, so why not bite her during one of those times?”I hesitated. “I just…it didn’t feel like the right time. I was intent on getting her to shift and teaching her about her wolf. Bryn only recently learned that she’s descended from the pack mothers. I thought claiming her would be putting too much on her plate.”Dom growled again. “That’s
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But Violet was shaking her head. “Neither of us can answer that for you. It wouldn’t be our place.”Tavi stood up to grab a few tissues and brought them back for me. “Anyone can see that Night would break his own legs if it meant he could do something for you, Bryn,” Tavi added. “But, I mean, I think you have to ask him yourself. That’s how relationships work.”Oh. It sounded so simple when they put it so plainly. I had been in my head, so worried that I had done something wrong that I hadn’t even considered that I might be able to talk to Night about this. Another tear slipped down my face, but I caught it with my tissue. I wiped my face while Violet stood to get some more tea.Tavi leaned in while Violet rummaged around in the kitchen. “So, Bryn,” she whispered, “how was it? I mean, like, was it as amazing as those books you’ve been reading?”My eyes widened.She giggled. “I borrowed one or two from your room while you were with him. No wonder you were so focused on reading.”My fac
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I chuckled and touched his cheek. “I know, don’t worry. Time will pass by so quickly, you won’t even notice I’m gone.”“Ha. Not a chance of that.” He kissed me once, briefly, and then again more deeply. When he pulled away, my eyes felt heavy, and desire began to kindle deep inside me. He licked his lips, his eyes glowing. “Are you sure you want this?”Oh, but it was so tempting to say no so he could carry me back to bed. I forced myself to nod and gave him a smile. “I’ll see you soon, Night.” I hopped up to kiss his cheek, and then I quickly went inside, avoiding those large, warm hands before he could kiss me again or otherwise tempt me away from my goal.Tavi and Violet were waiting for me at the dining table. I had seen Violet a few times since Night and I had mated, but I hadn’t seen Tavi since the day Night rescued me from those ferals. So when Tavi hopped onto her feet, almost knocking over her chair, I rushed to meet her. We embraced tightly, and Tavi was already emotional.“I
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She believed it was her fault that I had suffered so much in the Kings’ pack, that in shielding my mind, she had also cut me off from the strength I needed to protect myself from Troy and the Terrible T’s.That’s so silly, I thought as the shift completed. How could I hate the wolf that sacrificed so much to keep me safe?My wolf tapped her front paws in the grass and turned in a circle, a kind of happy dance that made me laugh.Behind me, I heard Night suck in a deep breath. He looked different through the eyes of my wolf. He was still gorgeous, perfect, and mine, but there was something else too. He was surrounded by warm light, a halo that brought him into glorious, wonderful focus.Mate. My wolf’s voice was clear as a bell to me. She said it again, louder, and I wondered if it was true. If he was my true mate, then it made sense that even when we had tried to hate each other, it was impossible for us to stay away from each other—impossible not to feel something when in each other’
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“I want you to close your eyes, breathe deeply, and reach out to her,” he said. “When you find her, don’t be afraid to let her in and to make her an equal in your mind. You have to let her know that you trust her. Don’t be scared. I’ll be here with you the entire time.”I nodded and closed my eyes. I tried to push out my noisy thoughts—especially the horny ones about Night—and reach out for my wolf. It didn’t take long to find her; she rushed up to me, panting hard, as though she were just as eager to get to know me. It was a bit startling at first, how quickly my wolf responded, but I tried not to flinch or turn away.I took a few deep breaths to relax, and then I opened myself up to my wolf. She purred in response, and I smiled. She was like the presence of a dear friend in my mind, like a warm memory. Though the process was a bit intimidating at first, I found I liked leaving myself open to my wolf, who already felt so familiar to me even though I’d only known her for a short time.
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We sat next to each other at his dining table to enjoy the assorted dishes he had retrieved from the mess hall. There had been some extra sausage links and pancakes from breakfast, but the cooks on duty had also begun to prepare chicken potpie. Though it was technically against the rules for them to serve lunch so early, everyone was all smiles and eager to please us, according to Night.“Why’s that?” I asked around a mouthful of pancake. “Did you exert your Alpha privileges?”He smiled and brushed a stray crumb from my cheek, sending goosebumps down my back. His touch had been so heated in the shower, but now it was feather-light. Almost not there at all. “No,” he replied. “It’s because they know you and I are together.”“Oh, I see.” Now that I possessed the heightened senses of a shifter, it should have been obvious to me that they would be able to tell just from being near him. It made me feel so wonderful to know that the others accepted our relationship. That I belonged.Amusemen
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I pictured Mom’s smile and the scent of lavender that seemed to cling to her hair no matter which herbs or vegetables she picked. I thought of her voice, her hugs, and her warmth. I wondered what she would think about me being a shifter.I missed her terribly. Perhaps I would see her again when Night confronted Troy, but who knew when that would happen? It could be weeks or even months from now. I could probably ask Night about his plans, but I didn’t want to dwell on that right now.I closed my eyes and let the hot water slide down my skin and calm my feverish thoughts. I reached for the soap and began to scrub up. Suddenly, I paused, feeling a tug in my chest. I smelled Night as if he was right here with me. I pulled the curtain, eager to see him, but he wasn’t in the bathroom with me. If I concentrated a bit harder, I could hear his footsteps coming up to the porch. I smiled, pleased that he would be with me again soon. My senses had sharpened since I shifted, but it seemed they we
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“Bryn.” This time it was Violet’s voice pulling me back. “Could you describe the wolf for us?” Violet asked.I nodded. Now that I was sure it hadn’t just been in my mind, I was able to give a detailed description of the wolf’s russet-brown coat, the slice in its left ear, and the piercing white eyes that were like melted silver and snow.Violet pressed a hand to her mouth, and the Elder’s mumbling grew more intense. I turned, sending a worried look at Night, but his handsome face and steady gaze calmed me.Finally, Violet held up her hands for silence. The Elders immediately went quiet. My wolf whined within me, pacing back and forth. It was such a bizarre feeling to feel another consciousness within me, but it was so amazing at the same time.Violet looked into each of the Elder’s faces, and they all nodded. She took a deep breath and returned her attention to me. “You mentioned something about seeing a wolf when Night returned with you.”“I did?”Violet nodded. “The Elders and I tal
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Soon, two older gentlemen and one elderly woman walked inside without pausing to knock. The first man was bald. An old, brown scar ripped across the top of his head. I knew better than to stare, but I was curious about how he’d received what could have been a mortal wound. The second man had tufts of gray hair starting at his temples, which wrapped around to meet at the back of his head. The woman had a full head of gorgeous hair that was almost as white as Violet’s. She kept it short and curly—it looked like a cotton ball on top of her head.They began to seat themselves at the table but needed another chair. I started to grab a chair from the living room, but Night caught my wrist. He pulled me to his side and sat me in his lap. It was an unorthodox way of providing an extra chair, but I wasn’t upset; I was just as eager to stay close to him. I leaned back into his chest, and he immediately wrapped his arms around me.The Elders smiled at us, not at all perturbed by our public Displ
