We all stood in a circle around Oakley’s coffin. The wood was unfinished, and the grain of the light wood flowed seamlessly together like it had been pulled from the trunk of a large oak tree.Wolf tradition dictated that a funeral was meant to be held on the east corner of the pack, with the sun setting at the audience’s backs. Doing this was meant to ensure that the spirit of the deceased passed into the ether easily. The coffin was burned at the conclusion of the ceremony. According to Camas tradition, the oldest son usually made the coffin. Oakley didn’t have sons, and that tradition, like many others, would probably be phased out or made more inclusive for women.Samara, as the oldest daughter, had made her father’s coffin. She stood by it like a sentinel.Dawn stood next to her with her hand on her shoulder. She and Aiden from our pack had gotten together, and as far as I knew, it was a good match. Next to them were Alpha Leo and his beta Cat. So many things had changed for them
Chapter 1BrynTavi squeezed my trembling hand. In front of us, hopeful young wolves were gathered to fight for the right to be called alpha of the Kings. Among them, of course, was Night, my soulmate. Xavier, a man who had been little more than a bullying menace his entire life, was the Kings Council’s pick. Xavier would fight opponent after opponent until he either won or was beaten. Unfortunately, he was in top form.Xavier was a good fifteen years older than most of the other competitors and wasted no time humiliating and viciously killing the first few men who stepped into the ring. It was difficult to watch. I was sure I would have nightmares about the final sounds those poor wolves made for many nights to come. I didn’t care if they directly opposed me and Night—no one deserved to be put down like that.An icy chill ran down the back of my neck and spine when Xavier turned to my mate, pointing at him to come forward. My heart thundered as my mate stepped forward. I tightened my
I hugged Night again, tears of relief welling up in my eyes. Shortly after the elder’s announcement, beer and soda appeared, and the smell of fire and burning charcoal filled the air.The party mobilized around us, filling the training grounds. Musicians took spots on the platform so that their music would be heard over the raucous laughter and conversations. Night and I were at the center, our closest friends and family at our side.As the festivities started in earnest, the elders and a little over half of the Kings decided to head to their homes. Most of those who were leaving were older, but there were also some young ones who would otherwise have jumped at the opportunity to let loose. Those were the ones who had screamed the loudest for Night’s death. Either shame or anger over Night’s win drove them to turn in early.The Kings who stayed to enjoy the festivities with the Wargs were those Night and I had interacted with: parents, fighters, organizers, and the like. People who li
Night kept his expression neutral, but because I was standing so close to him, I felt his muscles tense at Lance’s hard handshake. Was he reacting to an injury I was unaware of? I needed to get him away from here soon.I turned to Night and whispered in his ear. “Let’s go home.”He nodded, slipping his arm around me again. His touch, combined with the prospect of heading home, reawakened my desire. Though we were eager to turn in, we didn’t want to make it seem like we were leaving because of Lance, so we ate some of the food Tavi and Dom brought us and let a few more Kings speak to us until we were finally ready to depart.A few people stopped us on our way to the alpha cabin to give us their congratulations or to thank us, but we got home without too many interruptions. We made a beeline for the bedroom, and once the door closed behind us, I turned to my man and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.“I’m so relieved that you’re safe and sound,” I told him, my hands slipping down his
“You’re already wet, love.”He was right. I’d wanted him from the moment the challenge ended. My desire for him burgeoned as he pushed my panties to the side to stroke my sensitive lips with the pad of his thumb. I whimpered and opened my legs wider. He knew exactly how I liked it, knew when to add pressure, when to tease. I was so eager that it didn’t take long before he sent me over the edge. My hands clutched his hair as I panted, ecstasy rippling through me.“Bryn,” Night rumbled. His eyes glowed like the candles around the bath. “I want you out of this dress and in my bed. Now.”Only a fool would deny the alpha when he wanted something so badly, but I could stall. I kissed him twice quickly, but on the third kiss, I ran my tongue gently over his lower lip. His shudders made the water ripple.“Bryn,” he warned.I pulled away, pressing my lips together to keep from smiling too hard. Standing, I pulled the dress over my head as I made my way into our bedroom. I heard the water as he
I nodded. Dom was great at setting up these sorts of things—he would have already had a large cabin set up for them. He’d probably ensured that the council members were settled in the moment they arrived.“Do you have any idea what they want from me?”“No, but I think we’ve both got a pretty good guess.”I sighed. He was right, of course. They’d want to know whether my plans would continue to align with theirs—the handling of the Kings. I’d have to have this conversation with them eventually, but I wasn’t excited to have it the day I was crowned alpha of the Kings. I’d hoped they’d give me some time to settle in.“Walk me there?” I asked.“Of course. I’ll stay with you if you want. You know, for moral support.” He smiled.“If you’ve got the time, then great. I think I’m gonna need it.”Dom and I headed for the council’s temporary home. It was a spot close to the border, not far from the home that Bryn and I would be moving into. The five council members were waiting for us in the dini
“Now that I am the alpha of both packs, I want to build something new and better, something not rooted in the past. There are things that the Kings and Wargs can learn from each other, if you’d only open yourselves up to that. I suggest you all make use of your time here to get to know the Kings, see the state of the homes that we’re helping them rebuild, hear the stories of their lost children, and watch how women and children have been taught to stay silent and out of the way, to flinch away from men.”I paused, letting those words sink in for a few seconds. And then Dom started speaking.“I can vouch for all of this,” Dom said. “I heard the stories while I constructed new cabins with them. I’ve seen how many of them changed when they were offered kindness and aid after Troy masterminded the plot to devastate them with ferals. There’s more to them than we’ve thought. And the wolves who were the most violent toward us left of their own volition to join Troy.”I looked from face to fa
Mashed potatoes and steamed veggies, braised, slow-cooked meats, honeyed baked goods…there was something for everyone. I’d never seen so much food in one place, but considering the number of wolves attending the alpha ceremony, I shouldn’t have been surprised.The elders of both packs sat at one table near us, and they seemed to be in the middle of a deep discussion. My mother, Glenda, and Dr. Stan were also with them, eating and listening.Dom volunteered to grab us some drinks.“Tavi, Bryn, over here!” The voice drew our attention. Tavi’s friends Mark, Lora, Preston, and Hallie were all sitting with a few more of Tavi’s friends. “We’ve got so much to talk about!”Bryn and I looked at Tavi. There was a slight blush on Tavi’s cheeks, but her smile was polite when she shook her head.“Not tonight,” she told them. “But we’ll all catch up later, okay?”“Oh, sure.” Hallie’s smile fell. There was a pause, but the group got over their disappointment quickly. One of them must have said somet