Jayk
It's been forty-eight hours since I spotted the abnormality in Dagmar's eyes. Her wolf is pacing back and forth in the cell and hasn't let her shift back into her skin despite my orders. I went through this with Micca. After his first shift, it took a couple of weeks for him to shift back and his eyes were the same shade hers are now.
"What do we do?" Miles asks. He hasn't left her side. Micca is weak. I think this has to do with the fact that they haven't completed their mating.
"We had to wait Micca out," I remind him.
"With Arthur on the move, I don't think we have that long before he strikes again," at the sound of Leelie's voice Dagmar growls and snaps at the metal bars like a rabid dog.
"Hey, cut that shit out," I slap the bars. She jumps back barking at me. "I paid good money for your teeth for you to just break them being a brat,"
"We can throw one of them in there. If s
The colors return in pretty hues of reds and greens. My head is fuzzy and it's freezing. Where the hell am I? My surroundings are all unfamiliar. I raise my hands to rub some of the sleep out of my eyes only to find they're covered in blood and dirt. I sit up to see why I'm freezing. I'm naked and filthy. My arms and legs are stained just like my hands. I can taste it now that I'm a little more aware of my body. It's sprinkling but the moisture in the air doesn't mask the obvious smell of death in the air. It's dark, late in the afternoon. The sky is an angry dark gray. What happened to me? "Dagmar!" I hear someone call out my name. "Mars!" another voice. I think it's Miles and Leelie. I clear my throat to test if I can call back, but before I can open my mouth to shout for them something is pressed up against the back of my head. "Make a sound and I'll blow your head off," I sit up on my legs and turn back to come face
It's been three days since I last seen Micca. The full moon is tonight and the others think it's best that I stay away from him in case either one of us loses control. I've been sitting outside the clinic since we got back and I'm in no better shape than I had been then. Everyone has taken turns trying to get me to go back to the house but how am I supposed to leave him here alone when I'm the reason why he's here in the first place? Leelie assured me that the surgery had gone flawlessly. That he just needs to recover, but those are the only details she gave Miles and me. He's been filling in for me trying to get everything in order. Jaykob comes and goes. He asks me for my opinion on things. He's told me he needs my help, but my entire focus is here with Micca. Our connection is weak and it's only getting weaker with each passing day. I don't understand why I can't just sit in the room with him. "Breakfast?" Miles sits on the floor next to me with a coup
Fifty-six official betas run what's left of our country. Most of them are older and have been around since before this war started. Jaykob is the final victor and by law it all belongs to him now. They all belong to him. We all belong to him. I chose the biggest building in our region for this meeting. They had all been informed that the location would be sent last minute and that everyone was to arrive in wolf form so everyone could be properly searched before coming inside. Despite that little rule, all of them are dressed to perfection. These old dogs hid in their multi-million dollar bunkers and let the world go to shit while they sat back and did absolutely nothing. Our shadows and warheads are standing around the council floor while the betas all get settled in. Jayk didn't hold back when he handed everyone a weapon. The bigger the better. None of them move as they watch the new additions to our ranks choose their position around the r
"The heir of what?" Jayk asks as he comes closer to us. I hold my hand out to keep him back. The last thing I want is for this woman or her friend to take a shot at him. "That was all that was relayed to me," Sloane shrugs and pushes the suitcase to me. She bows to him and takes a step back. I shut the case and hand it to my brother. He looks upset and I really don't have the energy to guess what he's upset about. "We can talk about this later," I say taking my position next to Miles again. He gives my hand a gentle squeeze but says nothing. He knows when Jayk is upset as well as I do. "Things are going to be a little different from here on," Jayk holds out the case. Lori takes it from him and disappears back into the shadows. The Betas look like they haven't dealt with shadows before and every time they shift it scares them. Some of them are starting to overheat. Just below the shifting trigger. "In front of yo
The map covers the entire living room floor. The Betas have all offered up men and women to help us rebuild the areas Arthur completely demolished. I doubt my brother knows what he's done by completely shutting down our economic prospects. These people are not going to work for free. What is he going to offer them? "None of this makes any sense," Jayk drops onto the couch with a tablet in his hands. "I know. Arthur didn't own as much as we thought he did. There are areas all over that have wolves in them and are completely unclaimed," I agree. "What?" he waves me off. "I don't care about that. I'm talking about these alterations," I snatch the tablet out of his hand and toss it on the recliner. "What do you mean you don't care about this? This takes priority over whatever the fuck that is. That no longer matters. The data is lost," "I want to know what was done to us," "Is that what you
Betas are dramatic. They make really good bosses and have open-minded humor. Sloane owns one of the biggest genetic enhancement facilities in the world. They don't just deal with exotic werewolf breeds but all kinds of meta-natural beings. I've spent the last two weeks with her trying to find where the vampire money went. At this point, I want to say it never existed. Jayk hasn't complained once about me not being home. He's probably happy to not have someone nagging him all day long, but when he needs something he calls. Miles calls. Leelie calls. Lydia calls. Shit even, Every calls. Not Micca. Not once. Not even a text message. I called him a couple of times and sent him some messages. I know he's read them. "So, politics?" Sloane asks as I look for Beta training-related classes online. I'm wait-listed on the Beta Ground surveillance class and that's the one I really need to get into. My idiot brother and his guys don't know how to work as a tea
"Look at you," Miles laugh spinning me around. "You're tanned," "Sloane and I have been training outside near the water. She's been coaching me," I laugh. "You look great, Mars," he presses his lips to mine. I've missed him so much. I rub my face all over his chest when we pull away. "How is he?" "He'll be here later. Leelie had to stop by the cotton fields with Lucille. Your brother has news," "Good or bad?" "Mmm," he shrugs. "Okay," I grin. "Didn't even get a hello brother," Jayk scoffs at me as he comes over with my backpack. "Hello brother," I roll my eyes and hug him. "Got anything for me?" he asks. "Nothing I haven't already sent. Where are we in getting into the compound's subbasements?" "It's why we're here. We need a hacker. Trevor told us Sloane has the best tech people," "What about the mortals?"&nb
Miles They're basically the same person. Both prideful and resentful. It's not like I don't understand where she's coming from. Micca is so detached from everything that he's formed these iron-clad walls all the way around him and she's right. She's been trying to go easy on him and he's done his best to push her away. This feels like the last straw. The last time she snapped, she ended up marking him against his will. I still remember the bliss he felt from the severe pain he was in for days. Even after all these years, I still don't know how to get through to him. Talking rarely helps. All he understands is violence. I thought he was getting better. I can't be having this fight with Dagmar every time he has a fucking fit. It's not fair to either of us. Dagmar went up to the room we're staying in after angrily informing me she was on the third floor the second door to the right. Leelie, Ashton, and Micca show up after a couple of