I stood up from the stool I had been sitting in to meet Zane's gaze."I'm not trying to be rude. But understand where I'm coming from. Nate told me it was your mate that gave Cleo the absurd amount of liquor that made her drop her guard.""While irresponsible, is that really the only reason why you've been side eyeing her this entire time?" He raises a brow. I can feel the eyes of the others in the room. I don't want him to back out of his support for us, but I also am not willing to let go of this gut feeling I have. What's the point in cooking up a grand plan if it's just going to be spilled back to the enemy? "Nate also told me that your mate is particularly friendly with werewolves." I narrow my eyes when I see his eye twitch. He sighs, and finally looks away."Yeah, it's been an issue before." He grumbles, shuffling past me and towards his coffee table. He grabs a half smoked blunt off an ashtray and lights it before turning back and speaking again. "What exactly is it you think
"Anything else?" I raise a brow, glancing at each person in the room. All heads shake no. "Good. We leave in six hours, twelve pm on the dot. Let's meet in front of the building with everyone thirty minutes beforehand so we can put people into groups. Levi, go call your guy." I jerk my head towards the door, and he nods, quickly digging his phone out of his pocket and leaving. My eyes wander back to Willow, who is staring at the closed front door."Willow." Her head immediately snaps to look at me at the sound of my voice. "Can you get our men ready? Make sure-""On it, Alpha." She cuts me off and quickly slinks out the front door before I even have time to close my mouth. I nod my head a little and turn away. She's been acting a bit funky lately. I would have to ask Levi about it when I got a chance. I'm sure she was just as anxious as the rest of us to get her Luna back. "I have an idea that I would like your opinion on." Zane closes the distance between and leans on the counter ne
Left the pack. Otw to coordinates.I had reread the text my pack had sent earlier half a dozen times. They had left at six thirty am, it was now eleven forty-five. We were all assembled outside the building, probably drawing the attention of anyone who happened to drive by. I wanted everything to go to plan. I prayed Charlie hadn't expanded his borders to be able to pick up on intruders at a longer range. My pack could unknowingly cross onto his land and get slaughtered before the fighting even began.Everything will be okay.Are you sure? Cause I'm not."Everyone here finally?" Zane is standing at the front of the crowd of shifters, all three of his mates standing beside him. I find myself glaring at Quinn as she chats excitedly with her sister mates. I don't trust her."Alright guys. I wanted to address something right out the gate here." He takes a minute to look at his pack members specifically. "Ike and I have discussed this, and he's going to be in charge of all of us, and this
My room smelled warm and sweet, like fresh honey.I rolled over, blinking my eyes at the glowing light coming in my open window. Cool air blew in, moving the wooden blinds gently as it did.I turned to my side, my heart stopping when my eyes landed on the person next to me.Cleo.My Cleo.Soft brown hair that fell all over her face as she slept peacefully next to me.A light whistle sound came from her nose when she inhaled and exhaled slowly.Cleo... in my bed.Next to me."Yo. It's time to move again." I snap awake, my heart racing, my mind confused. "You okay?" I finally focus on the world again, and realize Nate is crouched down in front of me, staring into my eyes with worry on his face. Why was this panther worried about me? "Just tired." I grumble, waving him back a little so I can stand up.We had run for six hours so far, eighty of us, to be exact. The twenty-five from Zanes pack, twenty-eight of my people, and the rest were panthers who had been trickling in the past few ho
Everything is fucking ruined.I slam my bedroom door shut behind me, ignoring the sounds of the cracking wood. I didn't care if I broke the whole goddamn house.After I ended that pathetic excuse for a Beta, Cleo's panther went bat shit.I stood in my bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. I had deep claw marks across my face. I could feel my blood pressure rising again at the thought of how badly Cleo had hurt me and my men. She killed thirteen of the twenty that had been guarding us today."Fuck!" I smash my already bloody and bruised fist into the glass, clenching my teeth when I feel shards entering my skin.I'd had to hurt Cleo. My fists were bruised because I had to put her down. She was unconscious now, still in her panther form, sleeping her beating off in the panic room under my study. She just wouldn't stop, and despite being shot with aconitum serum three times, she continued to tear into the throats of my men, one by one.Still. As I pulled off my shirt, I finally sa
Despite the fact the journey to Charlie's pack took longer than expected, it was worth the pain to gain the reward we had veered off course to obtain.Levi had approached me eight hours into our journey, saying the man he had contacted about weapons had gotten back to him, but was currently refusing to leave his home because his mate was with child."Does that mean we are heading in without weapons?" I had asked, panic filling my every pore. We wouldn't be able to beat Charlie and his pack with just our fists, I knew that much.But Levi had assured me we could still get what we needed; we would just have to take a small detour to personally pick up the supplies."How far?" I had asked."It'll take us a day and a half to get there and back." He had replied. I didn't debate for long, because I already knew we needed these weapons. I hated making Cleo wait even longer. I also couldn't get ahold of Matt, and it was making me worry something had happened. But I just couldn't cut corners wi
"We're approaching." I call to the group. We were finally back; I could see the other group through the trees up ahead. The trees all around us were rustling as though it were a windy day, but I suspected it was panthers keeping tabs on the area around the group of shifters. I was glad they weren't relaxing too much in my absence."About time..."I hear Nate mumbling dryly from behind me.We were close enough now I could see Zane and his mates at the front of the group watching us approach.My eyes fell on Quinn, and now I was the one smirking.She looked irritated.Was it because of the ninety other shifters that had shown up over the two days it had taken us to retrieve the weapons? Or was it because of the members around me that were currently wearing knives on their belts and brass knuckles on their hands?Was it because she had given someone some bad information?"Everything went well?" Zane asks as our groups finally merge. I nod, swinging the backpack I had been carrying around
Unlike the other times I'd led my people into a fight, my heart was racing in my chest as I walked through the trees with my group members beside and behind me. I was used to going into fights with nothing to lose and no qualms about if I was the stronger wolf. This time, I still wasn't one hundred percent sure we were going to win, even with all the preparation and planning I'd done.I could hear yelling coming from up ahead, and assumed the pack knew we were here. I hoped they didn't know how many of us were here, because the element of surprise was a big part of my plan."Assume formation!" I hear being yelled from ahead. Yeah, they were definitely preparing for our attack.We break through the trees, standing on top of the hill we had first snuck in on to survey the pack. I glare down at the line of wolves and men standing outside the gate that surrounded the Alpha's mansion. I slid down the hill, Nate following close behind and the rest of the group jumping to the ground below in
"You little shit, get your ass back here." I laugh from my spot on the kitchen counter, watching Nate chase our naked child, Liam around the living room with a yellow bath towel clutched in his hand. Liam stops then, turning around to grin at his dad. He was only three, but was already extremely mobile, and had a smile just like his dad's. "Are you going to help me?" Nate sighs, glaring up at me as Liam yells and resumes running around like a mad man with his arms up in the air. I shake my head a little, pointing to where Liam is now standing on the couch. He grins at his dad, who finally swoops in and grabs him in his arms, wrapping the towel around him tightly as he does so. "Ha! Got you!" Nate declares as he wrestles Liam so he's upside down in his arms. He squeals with delight as Nate carries him like that back towards his room to put clothes on, calling him a weakling the entire time. But Liam loves it. He loves his dad, and he loves playing and "fighting" with him.I smile a
Why is it so often when I'm waking up in the morning, I'm in pain? I groan, stretching my arms above my head and blinking away sleep. I wince as harsh daylight assaults my eyes. My head pounds, and I bring a hand up to rub at my temple."Fuck." I groan, sitting up and leaning against the bed's headboard. I look down at where Ike is facing away from me, towards the wall, hugging himself and with no blanket. Nate is on the other side, also facing away, burrioted up in the entire blanket. I fall forward and start to crawl between them to get out of the bed. I stop when I feel a hand grabbing my ankle. Nate's green eyes are already staring at me. He's rolled over and untucked himself from his blanket tomb. "You're not going to make me chase you again, are you?" I furrow my brow, sitting in a crawling position, trying to think why I would run away. "Oh." I say when I finally realize what Ike had done to Nate last night. I didn't actually see anything, but I remember one of Ike's hands
I leave Ike at the bottom of the stairs, taking Cleo into my bedroom first and laying her down gently. She starts wiggling around, smiling and rubbing all over the sheets. Weirdo. I go back for Ike, who is pulling himself up the stairs, or trying to. He's got one hand on the second step, his other on the first. "Can I help you?" I ask, bending down to wrap one of his arms around my shoulder and putting my arm around his middle. "Here we go." He mumbles as I half drag him to my bed.I let him fall onto it, barely avoiding Cleo, who has taken her leggings off finally and is laying like a starfish on the bed. I sigh. I turn and flip the light off, kicking my shoes off as I do. Off come my pants and shirt. "Move." I huff, closing Cleo's legs and scooting her to one side of the bed. "You too." Ike listens for once, but only because he wants to be Cleo's big spoon. I roll my eyes and fall into the empty space beside them.I lay on one arm, staring at the ceiling for a moment before clo
"You know what her parents told me earlier?" Ike tilts his head to stare at me. I shake my head. "They told me, that this is the last time they'll be seeing Cleo." I freeze at his words. My eyes dart around to try and find the two in question. "Don't bother looking for them. They went back to their place and are leaving first thing in the morning. They aren't even planning on saying goodbye." He shakes his head at me. "I mean, why come in the first place?" He scoffs, finishing off his drink. "Just to rub it in her face that you exist?" He's staring at Cleo, muttering to himself now really more than talking to me. "Did they say why?" I nudge him to try and get his drunk ass to focus. He kind of blinks and shakes his head before looking back to me again. "They said they couldn't stay or come visit her because of the rules of being part of The Circle," He scoffs at their title. "And that she couldn't visit them because if anyone knew they had a daughter out there they'd try and make he
My peace with Cleo is ripped away by that fuck head Thomas, who snatches Cleo away over his shoulder and yells something about loving tequila. Had he just been waiting for the perfect chance to steal her away again? "Oh my god." I rub the bridge of my nose and make eye contact with Cleo as she sits up on Thomas to grin at me like a child. I lean back and cross my arms as I watch him take her to a group of guards. "I got her!" He yells in victory. The guards cheer and whoop in excitement. "Your mates have had enough of your time!" Zach proclaims as Thomas sets Cleo down. "And besides, it's your turn to chug something!" I groan, and I'm about to rush over and stop her, but I halt when Ike and Parker walk up to me from their spot in the crowd. "I wanted to introduce you two." Ike says, stopping in front of me. I'm half sitting, half standing, midway to snatching Cleo away from the frat boys. I glance at her for a second and see her snapping the neck off a bottle of tequila. I sigh,
"Why do you people insist on doing this to me?" She complains as I carry her away from her group of fans. "It's just easier than arguing with you." I reply. She makes an offended noise, struggles to sit up for a moment, and then flicks me on the back of the head. I roll my eyes, hiking my shoulder up a little into her gut and smiling at the noise she makes. I approach a table that's empty on one end and set Cleo down in a chair. "Wait here." I look her in the eye to make sure she's paying attention, and then turn to track down some water.I spot coolers near one of the tables closest to the fire and make my way through chatting and drinking people. I didn't realize how many people were a part of Ike's pack now a days until they were all converged together like this.I finally make it to the line of eight coolers and start opening them to find one not filled to the brim with liquor. Finally, I get my hands on a cold bottle of water. There was only a single cooler with them in it; ty
Fuck that guy. Fuck him. I fucking hated him. He was fucking dick. I wanted to shove his face into the ground and rub it in. I ran through the trees, pine needles whipping at my panther's face as we escaped, past the pack's borders, further and further into the forest. My rage drives me to run for almost three hours before my panther finally stops, gasping for air and muscles aching. He finds a stream nearby and hunches over to take a long drink before we head back. What did I think was going to happen? I mean, I knew who this guy was, or at least what other's told me about him. And no one had anything good to say, not so far. They all said he was mean, and petty, and demanding as hell. He abandoned me in the woods to fend for myself when I so small, I couldn't even remember it happening. But the way he looked at me, pissed me off. Like I was scum. Like I was the one who should be begging for forgiveness. He was the asshole.But as we start running back to our pack, I can't st
I look away from the lively party scene after a moment, back to the table behind me. "Ooo." I snatch an unopened bottle of tiny blue vodka someone had left behind. Hoped they hadn't planned on coming back for it. "Excuse you." I make a whining noise when Nate is snatching the bottle from my lips before I can chug it. "Drink this instead." I sigh at the cold bottle of water he's put in my hand. "If I must." I crack the top. "You must." He plops in a chair beside me, sighing heavily and watching me drink. "Where have you been?" I ask once I've twisted the top back on the now half empty bottle. "You've been gone a really long time." I raise by brows at him, and the corner of his lip lifts up a little."And that drove you to drink?" I laugh loudly. "No, I just felt like it was time to get drunk." "Right." He nods, eyeing me. I blink innocently at him. "Can I say something?" I blurt out as he watches me. He ticks his eyebrow. "I think your dad is a fucking chode." He shakes his hea
"You better chug that shit!" "Come on bitch!" I jump in the air, yelling with Noah and Thomas at Zach, who was halfway through chugging an entire bottle of peach flavored vodka. "Don't be a pussy!" I punch him in the arm, a grin spread across my face. He pushes me off a little, flipping me off and continuing to guzzle the artificially flavored rubbing alcohol. "Let's go!" Thomas yells, throwing his half full beer on the ground in overly excited celebration at his friend finally reaching the neck of the bottle. Zach holds his hand up, and we all stare at him silently in eager anticipation for a moment, until he finally pulls the empty bottle away and makes a loud "ah" noise like it was a refreshing drink on a hot day. "Suck it, sluts." He slurs, grinning at us and throwing the bottle on the ground. I laugh, clapping my hands and stumbling back a little. "You thought I couldn't do it." He points his finger towards me, wiggling it a little in my face. I grin and clap him on the shou