Cara had begged Lucas not to tell the pack about her pregnancy yet, but she knew the excitement was eating away at his resolve to keep that promise. She’d never seen him so happy and her heart felt like it would burst whenever he gave her belly a gentle rub or talked to the pup growing within.
As soon as the surge of happiness started to wane, the guilt took over and was crushing in its severity. The baby could be Lucas’... but it could also be Dane’s. She had sat and looked at the calendar and plotted the dates many times now and had come up empty-handed.
In the aftermath of Thomas’ death, she had hastily thrown away the birth control pills to avoid being found out, but had forgotten all about replacing them. It was a toss of the coin. Either one of them could be the father.
Not for the first time, Dane found himself staying at his house down in the Cape. Again, he had a need for some clear headspace, and again it was because of Cara.Was he a father? Did it matter? In his mind, this was a perfect opportunity for them to start the rest of their lives together. He hadn’t heard from her in days, and although he knew she would have a lot on her mind and a lot to think about, he was beginning to feel anxious and restless.His phone vibrated in his pocket and he cringed when he saw it was Joseph. He’d been pestering Dane to stop past and see how their business was going, but Dane had brushed him off, not really bothered by the logistics as long as the income was hitting his bank account.“I’m not really in the mood for it, to
Dane sighed as he glanced at the upcoming meeting in his calendar. He couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do less than have the difficult conversation that was to come.He had agreed to the meeting with Julia’s father, Jannik, mainly because he felt terrible for what happened to her under the roof of his business. Jannik’s family were also close friends of Cara’s family, so he had extra incentive to make the situation right and put it to bed.“Jannik, good to see you. I wish I was meeting with you under better circumstances,” greeted Dane as he shook his hand. “What happened to your daughter is terrible. I will help in any way I can.”“Well, you can start by killing the arsehole who did this, to undo the ma
Cara knew it was going to be the hardest phone call that she’d ever had to make, but she thought it would be easier than telling him in person and having to look at those pleading eyes while doing it.“Dane, I’ve made my mind up. Regardless of who the father is, I’m going to raise it with Lucas.”She had known this from the moment she’d found out she was pregnant, but Dane had asked her to take her time and think about it. She hadn’t given it any more thought, but she took some time to make it appear that way.“But you can’t, that could be my kid, Cara!”“Lucas is good to me and he loves me–”
Dane tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Lucas inside the warrior training hall. He yawned, thinking it was way too early on a Sunday morning to be doing this. Lucas had sent him a message the previous night saying he needed to meet with him. The hall would be undergoing renovations soon, but surely it didn’t warrant having to meet at this hour. With no training scheduled for the day, the place was deserted and the eerie silence in the hall was adding to the boredom. The loud click of the door echoed around the building as Lucas entered and made his way over. “About time,” grumbled Dane. “I didn’t know I had to be here right on the exact second,” snapped Lucas, glancing at his watch. Like Dane, he w
Lando hit the floor, covered in blood. He scrambled to his feet, panting and in pain, ready to take his last stand. Turning, he was shocked to see the wolf that attacked him lying in a pool of its own blood, with its head almost removed from its neck.Stig still had his paws gripped around the wolf, and his face was covered in the blood of Jannik’s wolf.“We’re fucking idiots,” Stig said to Dane. “That could have been it! We want Lucas dead, he could have been taken out without us needing to do anything… and we stopped it.”“Fuck! You didn’t even hesitate in going to save him, and neither did I.”“Instinct. It’s how we’re wired.&rdq
Today was the day. Dane had a spring in his step, and not an ounce of nervousness over what was to take place.The price he had agreed with Ivan was expensive, but worth it in Dane’s eyes. Ivan had to be good, because he couldn’t have survived as a hitman for as long as he had if he wasn’t good at what he did.He’d paid a deposit out of his own funds, but would need to take out his share of the profits being held in the business account to pay for the rest once the job was done. It was a lot of money, but when he thought about what he was buying, it seemed like the best deal he’d ever made.Lucas would be gone, he would become Alpha and reign with Cara and their pup. Money well spent, indeed.
After shifting back and getting dressed in the forest, Dane didn’t want to waste a minute and jogged back to the packhouse with purpose. He found the contact details of the other packs and sent a message to Alpha Aiden, explaining that he had something important he needed to discuss with him and wanted to do it over video call. They arranged a time later that evening, and Dane and Stig spent the rest of the day on edge. Dane rapped his knuckles impatiently on the table as he joined the video chat. The wait seemed endless before the blank square finally came to life and Alpha Aiden’s face filled it. His backdrop was nondescript except for the ornate chair he was sitting on, which looked hard carved, and the top was intertwined with thorns from a rosebush.
Dane received Lucas’ SOS mind-link and waited patiently, biding his time. He wanted to give Matt and his men enough time to get the job done.When he was happy he’d given them a sufficient head start, he mind-linked Kasper and a group of his own warriors, and led them out to the running track where Lucas had said he was.They picked up his scent quickly when they reached the track and followed it, gaining speed.“I can’t scent anything or anyone other than the Alpha,” Kasper mind-linked to the group. “Anyone else getting anything?”“No,” came a chorus of replies.They kept running, Lucas’ sce
Cara broke free from Dane’s grip and stood in front of the pack. She ran through everything in her mind one last time. She wanted to be able to forgive Dane, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t live her life knowing what he’d done. She knew she was no better. She’d taken his mate’s life and he’d returned the favour. But she’d changed, she’d moved on, she wanted to be a better person. She couldn’t forgive him for trying to drag her back into the life she’d made a conscious choice to leave behind. “Thank you for the outpouring of love I’ve received from each and every one of you since Lucas’ passing. I appreciate the way you’ve kept me in your thoughts. Lucas isn’t gone, though. He lives on, through his pup – our pup – that is growing each day.” Murmurs spread through the cro
“Bring them to the packhouse. My office,” ordered Dane.“Yes, Alpha,” replied Wei.Dane stood and clenched his fists nervously. He wondered who the captive was and how much he knew. Cara rolled over, woken by his sudden movement, and saw the look on his face. He masked it quickly, but she knew something was amiss.“What is it?” she asked.“Nothing, it’s fine. I’ll handle it. Go back to sleep.”“Dane, I know when you’re hiding things.”He let out a sigh.“Ka
Dane stood on the front lawn of the packhouse, his bereaved packmates assembling to listen to his address as the acting Alpha of the Green Cape Pack. This should be an auspicious moment for him, but all he could think of was Cara’s distress. He’d done that to her.He quickly pushed it from his mind. This was how it had to happen. It would be painful for Cara in the short term, but long term, she would have the life she’d always dreamed of. With him.She would keep her place as Luna, and their child would still be the future Alpha. In his mind, he knew that he would treat them better than Lucas ever would have.“Green Cape Pack, it is with tremendous sadness that I confirm the passing of Alpha Lucas. Early this morning, a small group of for
Dane received Lucas’ SOS mind-link and waited patiently, biding his time. He wanted to give Matt and his men enough time to get the job done.When he was happy he’d given them a sufficient head start, he mind-linked Kasper and a group of his own warriors, and led them out to the running track where Lucas had said he was.They picked up his scent quickly when they reached the track and followed it, gaining speed.“I can’t scent anything or anyone other than the Alpha,” Kasper mind-linked to the group. “Anyone else getting anything?”“No,” came a chorus of replies.They kept running, Lucas’ sce
After shifting back and getting dressed in the forest, Dane didn’t want to waste a minute and jogged back to the packhouse with purpose. He found the contact details of the other packs and sent a message to Alpha Aiden, explaining that he had something important he needed to discuss with him and wanted to do it over video call. They arranged a time later that evening, and Dane and Stig spent the rest of the day on edge. Dane rapped his knuckles impatiently on the table as he joined the video chat. The wait seemed endless before the blank square finally came to life and Alpha Aiden’s face filled it. His backdrop was nondescript except for the ornate chair he was sitting on, which looked hard carved, and the top was intertwined with thorns from a rosebush.
Today was the day. Dane had a spring in his step, and not an ounce of nervousness over what was to take place.The price he had agreed with Ivan was expensive, but worth it in Dane’s eyes. Ivan had to be good, because he couldn’t have survived as a hitman for as long as he had if he wasn’t good at what he did.He’d paid a deposit out of his own funds, but would need to take out his share of the profits being held in the business account to pay for the rest once the job was done. It was a lot of money, but when he thought about what he was buying, it seemed like the best deal he’d ever made.Lucas would be gone, he would become Alpha and reign with Cara and their pup. Money well spent, indeed.
Lando hit the floor, covered in blood. He scrambled to his feet, panting and in pain, ready to take his last stand. Turning, he was shocked to see the wolf that attacked him lying in a pool of its own blood, with its head almost removed from its neck.Stig still had his paws gripped around the wolf, and his face was covered in the blood of Jannik’s wolf.“We’re fucking idiots,” Stig said to Dane. “That could have been it! We want Lucas dead, he could have been taken out without us needing to do anything… and we stopped it.”“Fuck! You didn’t even hesitate in going to save him, and neither did I.”“Instinct. It’s how we’re wired.&rdq
Dane tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Lucas inside the warrior training hall. He yawned, thinking it was way too early on a Sunday morning to be doing this. Lucas had sent him a message the previous night saying he needed to meet with him. The hall would be undergoing renovations soon, but surely it didn’t warrant having to meet at this hour. With no training scheduled for the day, the place was deserted and the eerie silence in the hall was adding to the boredom. The loud click of the door echoed around the building as Lucas entered and made his way over. “About time,” grumbled Dane. “I didn’t know I had to be here right on the exact second,” snapped Lucas, glancing at his watch. Like Dane, he w
Cara knew it was going to be the hardest phone call that she’d ever had to make, but she thought it would be easier than telling him in person and having to look at those pleading eyes while doing it.“Dane, I’ve made my mind up. Regardless of who the father is, I’m going to raise it with Lucas.”She had known this from the moment she’d found out she was pregnant, but Dane had asked her to take her time and think about it. She hadn’t given it any more thought, but she took some time to make it appear that way.“But you can’t, that could be my kid, Cara!”“Lucas is good to me and he loves me–”