Hey Rebels, Happy Mothers day!! Hope you all get to relax and spend some fun with your family. Also thank you for you patience as I deal with one technical disaster after another. Hopefully all issues are fixed, so that it doesn't happen anymore. XOXO Emma Taylor
XANDER POVThe engine roars louder, my foot pushing the pedal to the ground, accelerating so quickly it’s forced to shift gears. Elle’s voice blares through the speakers, her the anxiety setting me on edge.“Xander, you need to call me as soon as possible..it’s Nora.” The call ending as another message plays, this time from Damon, “Seriously, man, you’ve got to call us back.” The next message is Matt’s voice bleeding through. “We are headed to Northern Lakes. Meet us there.” Glancing in the review, I whip the car around, speeding in the direction we just came from.“Christ,” Fletcher mutters, not expecting the change in direction, at too high of a speed. “We can’t be much help if we’re dead.”The truth of his words grate o my eardrums but I know he’s right, as lighten up. “Charity got all the children in the bunkers at Silver Run….Shit is really hitting the fan.”“Call them,” I growl, my hands wrapped around the steering wheel in a vise grip. Ares is on high alert, constantly pushing h
NORA POV Clutching my brother’s lifeless body, I look up at Hakeem, his figure a blur as I peer through the tears obstructing my view. “Why? He loved you like a brother…” Sitting back on my heels, my body shaking as I realize I am completely alone in this world…. “And my sister is dead because of his recklessness….” he sneers, his voice washing over me like a bucket of ice. “He should have sent you away months ago…but no, he had to keep you around and look what it did.” His words incite a white, fiery rage coursing through my body. Not caring about the pebbles pushing into my palms, I scurry to my feet, my small stature barreling towards him like a missile. “Your sister brought her issues upon herself!” I scream, my fists beating into his chest. My fury turning hysterical as I continue pushing on the statue in front of me. “She’s the reason she’s dead, Hakeem, and you’re dumber than you look if you don’t realize that!” Hitting the nail on the head, his fist rising to strike, when
THEO POV As soon as the doors to the SUV close behind Nora and me, it reminding me of fate’s gong. Cementing our future and the upcoming tragedies. Cerberus and I are on high alert the second we pass the gate of New Moon’s territory. “Nora,” I say, gritting my teeth that I am the one who has to tell her this part of the plan. The one part I don’t agree with, above all else. “There is one part of the plan Elle didn’t tell you….” My muscles clench, every cell in me begging me not to do this. To bring up another subject, but not this. “Okay….” she says, her stare glossing over my body. Damn women in my life are too observant for their own good, or mine. “You don’t seem too thrilled about it…. what is it?” Sighing, I glance over, our eyes meeting, and all I want is to be selfish for half a second. “Elle’s family’s business specializes in science and technology….” “Yes, Theo, I know this,” she says, sounding impatient, fear rolling around in her aura, slapping reality into me. This is
XANDER POV The drive to Northern Lakes was the longest two hours of my life, each second feeling like I am dying all over ago. The undefined mark on my neck burning, begging me to be reunited with my Luna. To finish the mark and make her mine. Fletcher has remained relatively quiet, only speaking when talking strategy. Pulling into the field where the other cars sit, rogues and pack warriors mingling together. Andrew pacing off to the side, a phone pressed against one ear. Matt and Charity are standing in the back, his back facing us while he turns a piece of hair around his finger and she laughs at whatever he is saying. Noticing our arrival the Gamma’s eyes flick to us, but it’s not me she is looking at. Her stare locking with Fletcher’s for the briefest of seconds before she looks away, slightly ashamed. Noticing her distraction, Matt throwing us the scowl permanently reserved for my Beta. Rolling my eyes, I unbuckle, ready to get out of the metal box. Sighing, Fletcher opens th
XANDER POV The unnamed Gamma observes me closely, upon my confession that the man who killed his Alpha is my brother. Honestly, with the strong family resemblance, it’d be impossible to deny. Andrew’s anger is palpable, his mouth practically foaming and steam pouring from his head. His face vermillion, and eyes wild. If the hot headz people saw him, they’d ask him to star in their next commercial. “Nora says to trust you…” The Gamma says slowly, his eyes shifting with the inner conflict, until finally deciding. “With the situation we are in right now, I need all the allies I can get.” His hand jutting out into the space between us for a handshake. “Alpha Xander,” I state, nodding to Fletcher, still in wolf form, “my Beta Fletcher.” Turning to Andrew, I introduce him as well. “Beta Andrew of New Moon.” Nodding at the others, the man introduces himself, “Gamma Derek, and some of Northern Lakes’ warriors.” Nodding in appreciation, I pull out the tactical gear from my bag. Andrew remai
NORA POVViola hasn’t stopped growling since the door to the helicopter shut behind my captor. My skin burning hot from his touch, as his hand resting on my knee, his thumb drawing circles.His voice is in the headphones we were all required to wear. He hasn’t stopped chattering. His obnoxious voice coming out in sweet dulcet tones, but underneath lies something dangerous and menacing. “You’ll love Willowa, Dove.”His special little nickname for me is akin to feeling nails running down a chalkboard. “It has beautiful scenery for you to paint. You like painting, yes?”His question throwing me for a loop. How does he know I like to paint? And exactly how long has he been stalking me to know this? My refusal to answer him has his anger lashing out like a whip as he pinches my chin in between his fingers. Forcing me to look at him, he growls low, getting closer to my face.I try not to let him see me cringe, or smell the fear rippling around my aura. “You will answer me when I am asking yo
XANDER POV Nora’s mark is burning in a searing intensity, the distance between us so great that Ares and I can barely focus. The only solace I have is that the pain only exists in the mark, and not my entire body. I had witnessed the pain my mother endured at the hands of my father’s infidelities. She used to hide it from me, but it eventually got to where she no longer could. The torment she endured at the hands of a man who was supposed to cherish her it still makes me cringe. Watching my mother whither away into nothing made me realize the fragileness of the mate bond. It was in that moment that I promised myself I would never be like him. Turning the SUV onto the lane leading to New Moon’s gate, we nod to the warriors standing in the box. This is the last place I want to be. The airport is where I should be. Although, the possibility of Cain taking Nora to a public airport is slim. He was trained by our father, meaning he probably flew from a private hangar. Exhaustion clings t
ANDREW POV “I’m sorry.” That’s all Xander has to say to me. His useless apology does nothing but provoke the fireball of rage to burn hotter than before. Demitri’s paws bounding through the soft dirt, trying to work through this anger before we do something stupid. Beginning to rue the day that we ever invited Xander and Nora into our lives. I told the Alpha couple it was a mistake, but does anyone listen to me? No. I KNEW that Nora’s presence in Silver Run would lead nowhere good…and now the love of my life is at risk. Memories of Theo and I’s relationship playing in my mind like a movie. The many mistakes perpetrated by hand. All the time I spent refusing my attraction to him, pressuring myself into a mold that I believed a Beta should act….Why? I don’t even know. Looking back through the years, I realized that my parents never mentioned the gender of my future mate. Not once did they specify that my mate needed to be a female, and yet I clung to the misconception in a death grip
Hey Rebels, Thank you so much for sticking it out through Nora's story, and do not worry this is not the last we see of her. To all those who have taken the time to read, comment, review, and donate gems I cannot than you enough for your devotion! Your support means everything to me, and I cannot wait to keep sharing my stories with you all. I would like to thank a couple amazing friends, and support systems! Seriously, without these amazing author friends Nora's book might never gotten finished, let alone started. These woman were so amazing and supportive. They read the five million edits it took to get this story started without complaint. They let me vent when I needed to vent, and gave tough love when I needed it too. If you're looking for new books/authors to read while waiting for Charity's book to drop in August of 2023 I highly recommend these women who have come to mean so much to me. Miri Googag, has "The Alpha's Guardian series," and 8 other completed book on GoodNovel
THEOFOUR AND A HALF YEARS LATER - LATE JANUARYAndrew and I are hunched over the desk in our joint office, pouring over the floor plans for the expansion. Our community home, Windsor House, has grown since moving its location to “the hub,” the neutral center between the packs, and rogue collective. The location is ideal for young wolves kicked from their homes, but don’t want to become pack members in Silver Run or New Moon to benefit.“We’re definitely going to need a larger kitchen,” Andrew murmurs, sparks erupting as his shoulder brushes against mine. Even after all these years, my body reacts to him the same as the first day we met.“With the way these animals eat? Definitely.” His laugh fills the room, and it’s like music to my ears.“Betas,” Seven, Trent’s mate, and the manager of our home, says through the intercom. “Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez are here to talk to you.” Andrew and I glance at one another, sadness radiating through our bones. Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez are the parents of
NORA POV ’He is quite the sexy beast, isn’t he?’ I respond, giggling, enjoying the seamless banter between us already. Sensing the shift in my aura, Ares lurches forward, Xanders irises bleeding into black. His tone was primal and so incredibly arousing. “Mate?” Before I can prepare, my new wolf is taking over, a name falling out of my mouth that makes him smile tenderly. “Alicia” tumbling out into the air like an animalistic grumble. The ache beginning in my limbs, and if it’s anything like my shift with Viola, it’s going to be a long, agonizing night. “Absolutely beautiful,” Ares whispers, his touch on my face soothing for a second before she tries to push forward, so eager to meet him. “Alicia, Goddess of Wildflowers.” His term of endearment is all it takes to send her into overdrive. Her desires clamp down on me, making mine irrelevant, the strength of her much stronger than I or Viola. My back bending backward. Her impatience has her forcing the shift before the moon hits its
NORA POV FIVE MONTHS LATER- A MONTH AFTER OCTAVIUS’ BIRTH “Xander, stop!” I look upward at the right moment, praying to the Goddesses I did, when I see where he is holding the scissors, ready to cut out a chunk of my hair. I could have had paid a professional to come remove my braids, or gone to a salon, but the whole idea of leaving my den or having a stranger inside makes me anxious. “What? What am I doing wrong?” He pauses, looking absolutely disheveled. Octavius proudly strapped to his chest. The man wears him everywhere and hates parting with him. “Look at my hair. Can you see where the feed in starts?” I take the strand from his hands, showing him the difference. “See, this part is where my real hair is, and this lower part is where the fake hair is braided in.” His brows furrow, and his mouth tightens in concentration, sweat forming on his forehead. “Ummm… I am sorry, I just know how much you love your hair and I’d never forgive myself….I want to help you, and I don’t…” He
CHARITY POV Paramore blares through the speakers of my stereo, my head resting against my favorite fuzzy pillow. I try to stop my thoughts from wandering to where they shouldn’t. To who they shouldn’t. A growl of frustration leaving my lips as Summer, my meddlesome wolf, pushes their faces into my mind. She feels no shame about wanting Matt and Fletcher equally. The idea puritanically sinful and thrilling. Wrong. Wrong. So very wrong. People don’t have two mates, and people shouldn’t want more than one. Maybe I am defective? What’s wrong that I cannot pick one and accept my choices? But the thought of not having the other makes me sick. My heart physically aches when I try to imagine the possibility. How selfish am I? They’re both waiting around for me to decide. To choose between them, how the hell am I supposed to do that? ‘We don’t,’ Summer drones on for the millionth time. ‘Making them share me isn’t fair, Summer!’ The argument flowing like a memorized script. ‘They need to fo
XANDER POV“And we have to have this talk here? Now?” I cringe, looking around the room, filled with people who shouldn’t be a part of this conversation. Damon, Elle, Theo, and Andrew sitting along one side, while Camilla and two others sit in another.“Yes,” she coughs, shuffling nervously, “it has to do with them, too.”“How?” I roar. The fury burst forth like a cannon, spewing her with vitriol. “How does you leaving me behind as a boy have anything to do with them?”“Xander, please,” Camilla sighs, looking around the room. “This goes beyond the both of us. Please sit.”“No, I don’t have or want to listen to your lies and excuses,” I scoff, “or did you not notice we did not invite you to our ceremony?”“You told me she couldn’t come,” an accusatory voice comes from beside me, and my anger is suddenly drowning in ice water. “Xander…”Meeting the narrowed pupils of my mate, I gulp, knowing I have just landed myself in a pile of shit. “I lied, and I am sorry, but she didn’t deserve to
XANDER POV “Well, don’t you look like a Dapper Dan,” a teasing voice comes from behind, and for the first time in days I relax. Turning, I grin at my Beta, happy to have him home. “I thought you would not make it back in time.” I walk up, hugging him in his lavender suit. My own a paler, dusty purple. Charity picked the color specifically because it matches Nora’s dress. The young Gamma has been running around like a chicken with her head cut off over the last few days. The five foot five general running the rest of us into the ground, except for my beautiful Wildflower. Elle and Charity taking as much off her plate as they can so they can rest with the pregnancy. “Sorry, I couldn’t make it back for Theo and Andrew’s ceremony,” he sighs, his body tensing, telling me the detour errand I sent him on proved fruitless. The Beta’s ceremony was a day and a half ago, and Fletcher was the only one in our close circle not present. “But heaven and hell would not stop me from being here for
THEO POV Cerberus gushes as I smooth out the jacket of the dark blue suit I have chosen for Andrew and I’s ceremony. Looking myself over in the mirror, I adjust the emerald green tie and the flower in my pocket. “Your mother would be proud of the man you’ve grown to be.” I meet my father’s gaze, surprised by his sudden appearance. Rolling next to me, he holds a box in his hands, tears and sniffles escaping as he looks me over. “I miss her,” I sigh, wishing she was here to enjoy this moment. “I do too,” he smiles faintly, recalling a memory. “Every damn day.” “Dad,” I say, not sure how to broach the subject, but I think it’s time we talk about the elephant in the room. “I don’t think mom would have wanted you to stay single forever…” My mind flashes to Camilla, the middle-aged brunette who seemed to know my dad better than she let on. “She was my mate, son,” his words lashing out like a silver laced whip. “And you want me to just forget her like she never existed?” He scoffs, pain
NORA POV “Holy shit, they’re glowing,” Andrew says, breaking the silence of the room. “Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Xander growls, not in the mood for the nonsense. “What does it mean?” “That I cannot answer,” Elle breaks into the conversation, stepping forward to look me over with her mismatched eyes. “But I think our marks are a clue.” She pulls back her collar, revealing a triple moon with two paws sitting in the full moon, and three stars sitting in the far right corner. “Theirs too,” she points to Andrew and Theo, but her focus doesn’t move from me, her stare fixed. Avoiding the questions, I am sure she has. I wander to Theo, who beams with pride as he reveals the tattoo like mark on his collarbone. “It’s beautiful.” I remark, looking between the pair, but don’t comment on how it’s not the typical mark meant for a Beta. “That’s not the mark a pack Beta gets, ” Xander says, peering down from behind my back. “Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Andrew returns, making Damon snort in amusem