Percival“Maybe it’s time we try things differently, Dad,” I said slowly, my voice like ice cracking. “Your way doesn’t seem to be working anymore.” I turned to the rest of the wolves gathered around us. My voice rang out, sharp and clear. “Look at them! Look at all these skins!” I gestured toward the lifeless bodies. “They don’t even shift into wolves half the time! What’s the point of calling this a pack?” I threw my arms wide, letting them all feel the weight of my words. “This isn’t a pack—it’s a bunch of humans living together under one roof! We’re the Brady Bunch, with cousins, uncles, and friends! Always throwing barbecues for any excuse we can come up with!” From behind me, Maxim chuckled, low and amused. The anger boiled hotter inside me, a raw energy that surged in my chest. My wolf stirred, urging me forward. He was with me, pushing me toward the truth we both knew. We wanted a real pack. I turned back to Dad, locking eyes with him. “We haven’t been wolves
Percival"You’re more human than wolf." I growled, my anger sharp and hot. "Gaspar has been training me, helping me become one with my wolf. I’m stronger now—stronger than you ever imagined I could be." I took a step closer, the rage thrumming through me, electric and wild. "It’s your fault I snapped." My voice cracked with fury. "You raised me to be human when I was born to be a wolf. You forced me into a life I didn’t want, made me deny the wolf inside me." Dad’s eyes darkened with something I couldn’t place—regret, maybe. "You wouldn’t let me send Tatiana back to her home. You wouldn’t let me be with Edeline after I found out she was my true mate!" My breath hitched as the memories flooded back. "And now you're forcing Nixx into the same trap—pushing him into a role he doesn’t want, making him reject the mate he loves!" The words poured out of me, raw and unfiltered. "That’s what started this whole mess—" my voice broke into a snarl, deep and guttural, "—you." It didn’t
PercivalI shot her an angry glare, turning back to my father, who was slowly getting to his feet, his shame palpable. “Dad... you’ve caused this pack to destroy itself. We are no longer wolves because of your leadership. We are more skin than fur, devoid of true strength. Your secrets—about your one night with Dahlia, Darius’s illness, the savage murder of his mate, and your orders for Jack and me to keep it all hidden. Pushing me to be with a wolf who wasn’t my mate, forcing your other son to take the title when he never wanted it, making him reject his mate!” Each word fueled my growing anger, the weight of my words pressing heavily in the air. “You deserve to be punished!” Strength coursed through my muscles as the truth spilled from my lips. “Percival!” a deep voice called from behind me. I turned to see Alpha Reynolds emerging from the pack house, flanked by his beta and his son. Gaspar had summoned him at my request when I first came out here. I had kept my plan under wra
PercivalI paused, the weight of my words settling over the gathered wolves. “You’ve lost your rank. This pack no longer respects you.” I raised the whip, feeling the silver sting my skin as I ran it through my fingers, a reminder of the punishment to come.I pulled my arm back and snapped the whip forward. He remained silent as I threw it hard, his head dropping in resignation. The leather and silver bit into his skin, leaving a mark that seemed to resonate with the weight of his past failures.Even though he didn’t utter a word, I could see his body tense in response to the strike. Another crack echoed in the air, and blood oozed from the open wounds on his back, even as he stood motionless.By the time I reached six, he was shaking and tears streamed down his face. By ten, he had dropped to his knees, his back a crimson mess, streaked with the aftermath of my punishment.The crowd erupted with howls as I lashed my dad, punishing him for the harm he had caused and the years of pain
EdelineI moaned softly when his lips left mine, only to trail along my jaw. He bit gently at the curve of my neck, each love bite sending waves of heat through me. My body tightened around him, and I could feel his arousal pressing hard against me. "We do not have much time," he murmured against my skin, his breath warm and ragged. I clung to him, threading my fingers through his hair as if that might keep him there longer. His hands cupped my face, and he brushed strands of hair out of my eyes with such tenderness that my heart ached. For a moment, I forgot every reason I had ever been angry with him.“I just want to tell you I love you. And I miss you. I want to hear you say it back to me.” His blue eyes shimmered with something raw, almost desperate. “Since this is just a dream... I just want to hear you say you love me.” His voice was barely a whisper, but it hit me deep. “I love you,” I murmured without hesitation, the words slipping from me like a truth I did not need
EdelineThe deer began to falter, his strength waning as the three wolves overwhelmed him. He crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, his legs buckling beneath him.As the deer lay bleeding on the forest floor, his heart thumped weakly. He was almost done for.Reluctantly, my wolf let go of her meal, growling at the twin wolves who were now feasting on the deer’s belly while it was still gasping for breath. In her eyes, these two were trespassers. They had stolen her hard-earned prize, devouring it before she could fill her belly.With a low growl rumbling in her throat, she lifted her lip, showing her teeth as her ears flattened against her head. She glared at the greedy wolves, a warning in her eyes.The twins paused, their blood-stained mouths falling silent as my wolf charged at Damon first. Rage fueled her movements. I felt her anger surge as her teeth sank into his front leg. He yelped, the sound echoing through the night as something cracked—a bone snapping beneath her powerf
EdelineWhat they had done to her was worse than death.I knew she was in pain, so I approached her bed, my heart aching as I studied her face. Dark circles surrounded her eyes, and her cheeks were sunken, her bones protruding painfully from beneath her skin. Just then, I heard a choked sob behind me. I turned to see Conor standing at the foot of her bed, tears streaming down his face.“It is all my fault,” he said, but his deep baritone voice faltered. “If I had not rejected her... if I had just brought her home... none of this would have happened. I left thinking Nixx would take care of her. I could sense he was a good male, a good wolf. I saw how drawn he was to her. I thought…” His head fell into his hands as he shook, despair evident in every movement.He had never looked so torn before.I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him tightly, wanting to comfort him. “Shh, Conor, it is not your fault. It is Williams,” I told him, my eyes narrowing at the mention of the Alpha. I
Edeline“What is that?” I mumbled, quickening my pace. I bent down to grab the note, written in bold black ink.Thanks for getting your first legal buck. 40-point white tail. Do a good job, kid.-AxeIt was from Axel, our general, known as Axe.Just as Conor approached my side, I couldn’t help but smile. I picked up the bag, reaching inside to pull out the impressive forty-point rack from the deer I had killed. Okay... before my wolf could put him down, Alexa and Damon started chewing on it. But it was my cat that had done the actual killing.The rack was magnificent, expertly removed from the deer’s head, with not a single crack in the bone.“Wow. Your wolf got that tonight?” Conor asked, a smirk playing on his lips.“Yup,” I replied, popping the "p" as I tried to contain my pride, my face slightly hidden.In my mind, my wolf stretched from her corner, shaking her fur and dancing around. She peacocked her tail back and forth, playfully sticking out her tongue and wiggling her backsid
Percival Edeline’s eyes were locked on me as she marched over, grabbing my forearm and pulling me along with her. The contact felt like fire igniting on my skin. She was fired up—angry, for sure.She dragged me into the equipment shed, out of sight, and then—wham!—she whacked me right in the eye.I let out a low growl and slowly turned my face back to hers. Anger radiated off her as she raised her other hand, ready to swing at me again. I managed to grab her wrist before she could land another hit, squeezing gently around her slim wrist. “What the heck, Edeline?!” I exclaimed, my lip curling to reveal my fang. Low warning growls rumbled from my chest. The wolf inside me was not thrilled, but at least she appreciated that this wasn’t happening in front of the pack. Don’t mess with my authority.“Hey! Did you give that girl false hope or what? I know you have not hooked up with her because I would have sensed it!” Her nose wrinkled, eyes blazing with fury. Then, I caught a scent from
Percival Promoting her to lead female warrior might not have been the best decision after all. She was my top fighter, having trained hard before I stepped in, but now I was left questioning my judgment. We didn’t have an expert on board yet, and Jazz’s ambition made me wary.She tucked a loose, curly strand behind her ear, looking up at me with her big green eyes, her skin a lovely shade of creamed coffee. She was undeniably pretty, but just not my type. “Hey, Percival... what if we tried something different with the ladies?” She edged closer, taking a deep breath as if to check out my scent.It might sound wild, but the night before last, after showering and snuggling up in bed with Edeline, I had rubbed against her, soaking in her scent. Waking up without her made me skip a shower yesterday—or maybe even today. I just wanted to hold onto that connection a little longer. Jazz caught a whiff of Edeline’s scent, and her eyebrows shot up.“Hey, is Edeline back?” she asked, her voice
Edeline“I totally get it, Nixx. It is something else. Really special. I see what you mean.” My gaze drifted to his cuffs, curiosity piquing as I furrowed my brow. “Have you been a bit risky? What does your world do to people?” I tilted my head, observing the way he passed the bracelet back to me, unable to take his eyes off it.“My wolf is stronger, you know? Sometimes I just cannot control him and end up lashing out at people who get on my nerves. Percival dealt with the same stuff. He wants to help me train like Gaspar did for him, but all I can think about is Tatiana and the pup I lost. It is tough.” A wave of sadness washed over him, dimming the light in his eyes.“Nixx,” I sighed, “why are you still hung up on losing the pup? Mirabelle was only a few months along, right? You never even met him, and you can have pups with your real mate. You could not have had both. Tatiana would have been jealous of you and him. Trust me, I get it. Tatiana is a beta, and her wolf would have want
EdelineHe really needed his not-so-little sister. I would hit him up first, and then maybe I would finally have the guts to talk to Percival about everything. After some tough training, of course. It had been a few days since I had a solid training session. Muscle disappears faster than it builds up, and I really hoped that did not happen. If I wanted to keep being the warrior I had turned into, I had to stay on top of my stamina. But I was not sure my buddy would let me train, especially since my heat was just around the corner, and my scent was driving everyone wild. I had to remember to grab my tea after I hopped out of the shower. As I walked in the front door of my parents’ place, the cozy scent of clove hit me, pulling me back into sweet memories. I could not help but think about what might happen during this heat. The last one just did not do it for me. Did I even want him to help me out this time? Or would I just prefer to be out of it for that? I figured the latter was
EdelineI stared down at our hands, chewing on his words. He might have a point. When I left and went to Conrad’s place, I told myself I was moving on. I threw myself into letting it all go—this life, these people, everything. But once I got some space, the wolves around me nudged me toward the truth. They made me confront my feelings about Percival, especially after I caught myself feeling jealous over him. He was just my friend, nothing more, but still... I had to deal with that. But Darius? I buried that pain deep and left it to rot. Never talked about him, never thought about him for too long. I got stronger, yeah. But I didn’t heal. Not really. And that’s why I’m still stuck. I turned my head toward William, blinking back the sting in my eyes. “How am I supposed to feel about him?” My voice cracked, and I felt my throat tighten again. “Look at what he did.” I swallowed hard, trying to keep it together, but the words dragged me down, making my chest feel heavy. “How am I s
EdelineI never really hated Percival before that. He had done some stuff, sure—but it never made me hate him. Not until that night. That night, I hated him more than anything. My wolf hated him too. My skin side—yeah, she wanted revenge just as bad. But then the truth hit me. Darius was the monster. Not Percival. I spent all of yesterday lying around, trying to make sense of everything. Today, I thought maybe a walk would help me clear my head, so I came here. To the waterfall—the spot I loved the most. And now, here I am. Staring at his grave. Why here? Why did they bury him here of all places? Not in the pack’s graveyard, where the rest of them are. No—right here, beneath the tree that used to be ours. Our spot. My throat tightened, and the tears started before I could stop them. My heart felt like someone had tied a rope around it and was pulling it tighter and tighter. I reached out, tracing his name on the headstone with shaky fingers, as if touching the letters wo
PercivalI hoped I didn’t annoy her. I understood she was strong, but my Alpha side just wanted to look out for my mate. I was trying to communicate my feelings through the mate bond, to reassure her I was here for her.The corner of her mouth lifted in a quick smile. "It's all good."Shaking my head, I did what I felt compelled to do. I walked over, scooping her up in my arms. She gasped in surprise as I carried her across the room to the salvaged bed. Her eyes widened, taking in the effort I had made to clean up for her."I’ll grab you something to wear. Your clothes are wrecked." I stifled a laugh as I laid her down on the bed. I missed the feel of her skin against mine, even from that brief moment before I had to let her go to find her a t-shirt and some clean boxers.I had both boxers and boxer briefs, but lately, I definitely preferred the briefs. Guess it was just part of growing up!As I returned to her, Edeline’s gaze was fixed on my bare torso. She looked up at me with that
EdelineI would not run anymore.“Hey, let me wash your back, my little warrior.” His breath brushed against my warm skin, and a rush of desire coursed through me as his deep voice stirred something inside. My breath caught in my throat as I locked eyes with him.“I got this.” I really could not let him get close. It would only make the cramps worse, and the desire was already doing a number on me.He nodded, totally understanding what I was thinking through our connection.As he stood up, I could not help but let my eyes wander over him, pausing at his chiseled abs and then down to his pelvis. Right there in the middle was a thick, four-inch tattoo of an infinity symbol.Mated wolves have this thing where they let anyone who catches a glimpse of their skin below the waist know they have a mate. This tattoo meant a lot. A lump formed in my throat as my eyes began to water. How long had he been dealing with this?It was like he could read my mind—probably because he could. He looked
EdelineHis eyes were no longer filled with wonder; they carried pain and knowledge. Yet, despite it all, those piercing blue eyes had remained the same, shining even brighter against his sun-kissed skin. His hair was longer on top and shorter on the sides, giving him a more polished look.He looked even more handsome now, completely in charge of himself. The way he moved, the way he held himself—it all made me wonder about the changes in him and what had shaped him during our time apart.“You hungry?” His deep voice pulled me back to reality, his eyes locking onto mine.I was still feeling shy, and I wondered why that was.“I’m fine,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady.He nodded and made his way to the door. “I’ll give you some space. I can tell you’re not really feeling it with me around. Just hit me up when you’re ready, and I’ll help you get to bed since you’re not feeling great.” He flashed a sad smile and reached for the doorknob.My heart raced a bit. I really did not