Oliver I hadnโt stuck around long enough for the cleanup. Hell, I probably shouldnโt have stuck around at all. There werenโt as many hunters there as I hoped - they could have spared me so I could have followed my mate. The anger had consumed me, though. That kidโs arms around her with a silver knife to her neck, taking what was mine, made him an impossible target without risking her life. I damn near tore the door of the packhouse off its hinges. โThomas!โ I shouted. I needed answers. Padded feet came rushing down the hall. Decidedly not Thom. โYouโre back!โ Anna cried. โItโs 5 in the morning, what are you doing back so soon? Is Trevor here, too? Is he okay?โ โShut up, Anna! Where the fuck is my brother?โ I demanded. She took a step back, a look of shock crossing her face. โI-Iโm sorry, Alpha,โ she stuttered. โHeโs probably still sleeping.โ I stormed down the hall, not sparing her a second glance. Just as I lifted my fist to start banging, the door swung open. Thom looked l
LyaMy head was pounding. I tried to lift my hands to my head to hold it together, but my hands were bound tightly behind me. I shifted around, trying to loosen them, but whoever tied them was really good at knots. I settled for pressing my head against a cooler part of the leather. I hadnโt gotten brave enough to open my eyes yet, but I wanted an idea of just how far we were from the pack. The idea of sunlight made me cringe, though. Instead, I just listened. It was hard to hear past the pounding in my head, but I still tried. Luckily, the silver tea didnโt affect my senses too much. The road rumbled, like it needed to be redone. I didnโt hear any cars anywhere around, so it must have just been us on the road, and judging by the fact that I could only smell one other scent, it was just me and Will in the car. I wondered if anyone other than us made it out alive. Given how angry Oliver was when he saw me, I doubted it. I smiled to myself. At least one thing has gone right so far.
Oliver Everyone was so certain they would lose me in one way or another if we didnโt get Lya back in one piece, but I felt like I was already gone. The way she had locked away her wolf, I could hardly feel the mate bond anymore, and it scared me that I might not be the first to know if something did happen to her. I hadnโt moved in hours. I stayed sitting in my office chair, staring at the wall. Someone had cleaned up the broken glass, and Cody was stopping in regularly to give updates. My own pack members were tracking her for a while. I wanted to rip each person who had aided and abetted in this scheme limb for limb. But I wouldnโt get her back if I did that. I understood the reasoning. I understood why it had to be Lya. But there was nothing that would make me agree to jeopardizing my mate. There is strength in numbers. Our pack had stayed safe and not experienced any of it, but hunters were ramping up. Over the past three years, five packs had been decimated by them. Sure, y
Lya The first day here, I was left mostly alone. I had an open invitation. If I ever wanted out of the cell block, all I had to do was come clean about my transgressions. I hadnโt spoken a word since the late dinner with Alex Marsan, though. Aside from myself, the cell block was empty other than a guard. I had kept insisting I was human, and tried to poke fun at the guard who had to watch over a little girl that was locked up as is the first couple days, but he was stone faced and never gave into a conversation. I didnโt even have Tala to talk to, and I was just starting to really enjoy her presence. The past month and a half at the pack had changed me, and I felt it was for the better. I could comfortably be myself, make friends, have relationships that didnโt require hiding a huge portion of who I was. It took about two days for me to come to terms with the fact that I was getting lonely. Lonely was a feeling I was quite familiar with, but, apparently, quite resentful of. I guess
Oliver โYou gotta stop pacing, man,โ Trevor huffed. โYour stress is stressing me out.โ โYeah, well, I might just snap if I donโt do something,โ I quipped. โIf you havenโt noticed, Lya isnโt back yet, and my sister in law has been in labor too long.โ โWe know where Lya is though, we have someone keeping an eye on her, and human labors are longer than wolf labors,โ Trevor sighed. โIf you need to get out some pent up rage, go train or something. Stop wearing a hole in the hospital floor.โ I turned on my heel without saying a word and stalked out of the hospital. I had been doing my best to heed my grandmotherโs advice, but I was still out for blood. Knowing Lyaโs location was the only good news I had gotten in the past four days, but Cody and Gregory were insisting on stalling until making the next move. The main goal here was to decimate as much of the Marsan contingency as possible. Pulling her out too soon would only make them angry, and put a target on our heads. The person w
Lya If my counting was correct, today was the summer solstice. My birthday. Interrogations were well underway. I wanted to go home. I understood what the shackles on the walls were for. It was so I couldnโt try and get away or fight back when they tried to beat answers out of me. Lying was getting harder. Tala was playing her part, obediently staying locked away and not healing anything, but I could tell it was getting harder for her, too. The silver earrings, necklace, and bracelet set I had on had been torn away. I knew what they wanted - they wanted me to shift, admit I was a werewolf, and then ideally comply with their demands to try and get them to kill me. But we had suspected that when we came up with this plan, and I knew that I would let myself be killed before I gave up the pack. The longer I was here, though, the more I wondered why we didnโt go with Trevorโs suggestion - lead them to the pack, and then destroy them on our own turf. At the time, I had adamantl
Oliver Lya was teetering on a moss covered rock, out in the middle of the river that ran behind the packhouse. I watched mesmerized as she giggled at fireflies blinking around her. I couldnโt tell if the heady scent of lilac was her or the bushes around us, now in full bloom. This wasnโt the same girl who had initially arrived at the packhouse, nervous and scared of everything. I still hadnโt figured out why, but after only a few weeks of being here, it was like a switch had been flipped and a beautiful, loving personality emerged. It wasnโt even a subtle evolution. โWhenโs your birthday again?โ I asked.She looked over at me, her eyes nearly glowing as the last remnants of the sunset reflected against them. โJune 21. Iโll be twenty five.โ She was a solstice baby, of course sheโd be special. Born with the light within and prosperity at her fingertips. Lya made her way back to the riverbank, snagging her can of beer from the waterโs edge. โAre you making plans for it or something
LyaIt was impossible to keep track of time in here so I had just given up trying. There was a window in each cell covered by frosted glass that let just enough light in to give a faint idea of the time. Overall, though, the days revolved around when meals were brought. Even that wasnโt consistent, though. I was beginning to think my โbirthday presentโ was just a bit of blackmail. More than likely, they didnโt have anything they could hold over my head.Paranoia had begun to sink in. Was the guard really truly working on my side, or had the hunters won him over? He was a Wulver, of course he wouldnโt betray us. Was Danica in here just to try and get information out of me? I guess it was always possible, but her eyes screamed truth and naivety. Was Oliver moving on with someone new already? He wouldnโt. My days were filled with constant internal debates and nights trying to fight off memories of Oliver and the pack I had come to love. It was easier if I didnโt think of the good times,
To all my faithful readers, Mate bonds, plot holes, and unfinished story lines. Oh my! Thank you all so, so much for your commitment to this story, even when life got in the way and updating was not regular. It was such an adventure to write, and I am excited to say the adventure continues in the sequel, "Chase." Your favorite side characters will be pulled to the forefront as the beginning of the war the hunters alluded to takes hold. Mate bonds aren't what everyone wants, and they can prove to be quite the hinderance - especially when they fail to see that the universe has a bigger plan than just their destined lover. No one likes to admit they can be the difference between life and death, etiher. No one truly loves change, but sometimes it's necessary to chase after it. ********* ********* Time passes, things change, and everyone moves on. Itโs easy to feel left behind. I always feel left behind. Left behind and forgotten. All my life, Iโve wanted for someone to reac
Oliver In the couple hours that had passed, the entire crew had filtered onto the patio. Trevor and Brandon had ensured everyone - aside from Allyssa and Maggie - always had a beer in hand. Every one of Lyaโs questions got answered, and she had given up trying to pass off her newfound alpha title. Her grand plan that someone should just challenge her and she would just concede before the first punch was thrown was laughed off. It was a well known fact that the alphas who had leadership thrust upon them were the ones who upheld the title the best. Lya reached over, grabbing another beer. โSo the Beta I choose - do they have to have Wulver blood?โ โNo,โ Cody said. โIn fact, there are only a few families left that have Wulver blood at all. I donโt.โ โBut,โ Gregory added, โthe alpha always somehow does. When our previous alpha fell, it was between your father and I who would take up the gamut.โ โWhy didnโt it go to you?โ she asked. Gregory offered a rare smile down at Allyssa, w
Lya Apparently, the pack had a morgue. I shouldnโt have been surprised by this, but I was. Also apparently, the pack had brought all the rogue bodies back, as well as pack members. This didnโt surprise me. Oliver claimed it was because they died fighting with and for a pack, so they should be treated in death as one. โI donโt understand your mentality toward rogues,โ I mumbled. Danica had filled me in on the way most packs treated rogues, and with what happened to Oliverโs father, I was genuinely shocked he did not feel the same. โPeople should be treated as individuals,โ he stated, offering no further clarity. Getting to the morgue had taken forever because people kept stopping us to thank me, congratulate me, praise me. And I didnโt deserve any of it.I had been the catalyst. And now I was being rewarded for starting a war. My eyes scanned the room, expressionless eyes staring into the abyss of nothingness that now consumed them. A lump rose in my throat, hating that so
Oliver I ignored Dr. Whitledgeโs request to know where his patient was. He was a smart man, he could figure it out. What was the point of sitting and relaxing in a hospital bed when she could easily do the same thing at home? I had no intentions of letting her out of my sight anytime, either. It was a noble effort, but Lya only lasted all of a half hour before she passed out, slumped over on my shoulder. The firepit was still burning, though, and the Woodford was still being passed around. I had watched her closely before she fell asleep. There was a dam that was going to break, and I wanted as much warning as I could get. She was handling things alarmingly well for now - too well. The only person she truly strayed away from talking to was Liam. I had to wonder if she even realized who he was. My eyes danced back and forth between them, picking out their similarities. They had the same wild mess of red curly hair, freckles, and features, the same eyes that seemed to change colors w
Lya Oliverโs lips crushed down on mine, awakening a hunger and need and wholeness I had tried to forget about while I was the huntersโ hostage. The tears pricked my eyes, but he was quick to brush them away. He pulled back, looking down on me. โWhy are you crying?โ Oliver murmured. โYouโre back home now.โ I reached up, pulling him back down to me. โI missed you.โ โScoot over?โ Oliver asked. I made space quickly, anxious for him to be as close as possible. I quickly found myself tucked under his arm. โCan we go home?โ I asked. โBack to the packhouse?โ โTomorrow,โ he promised, brushing his lips across my hair. โThe doc says youโre healing better with your wolf around.โ โTala only held back like that as a punishment, apparently,โ I said, furrowing my brows. My relationship with my wolf had grown immensely, and she had plenty of confessions for me. That was one of them. Oliver placed his thumb on my chin, turning my face toward him. โDonโt ever do that again,โ he glowered. โI
Oliver Lyaโs own little army sat in the waiting room as she underwent surgery. Everyone seemed to be glaring at someone. Liam and I continued with our silent argument through looks alone, Jade and Jason - Lyaโs supposed cousins - were arguing about whose fault it was they hadnโt realized Lya was a wolf, Thom kept his eyes locked on them as he rocked Kai, silently begging them to be quiet, Anna and Trevor were still in a staring contest about his refusal to let her start warrior training, and Cody was curiously enough shooting daggers at Jade. Marjorie was the only one sitting quietly, observing everything. Brandon waltzed back into the room, returning from his mission for โsupplies.โ โYou all need to take a chill pill,โ he said, handing everyone a beer. โWe are all on the same side here, donโt forget.โ I sighed and sat back, cracking my beer. โYouโre right.โ โI mean really, you can be as angry as you want that Lya accidentally landed herself an alpha gig, but think of why youโre a
Lya Endings are hard. Beginnings, though? Well, beginnings are easy. They sneak up on you, and you find yourself halfway into the storyline before you even realize what the plot is. Truth be told, I couldnโt even tell you when the beginning of this story was. Was it my first shift? The first time I slit my wrist? Maybe when I met Ted Marsan, or killed him. What about when I finally ended up in this pack? I could tell you one thing, though, and that was this was the end. Endings are hard. They always come too soon, leaving plot holes and unanswered questions in their wake. There was so much more to say, to do. My story was ending, and it felt like it had only just begun. Fate is a fickle bitch. I was still resentful it had taken Her this long to let me find my way to this pack. Six weeks just didnโt seem like enough time to be happy. Oh, how I would have changed those six weeks if I had known how quickly this all would end. I had known death was a possibility when I signed up fo
Oliver I saw red. The first I heard from Lya in weeks, and it was a plea for help. I followed my nose, bursting through the door blocking me from her. I couldnโt see her anywhere, but I knew she was here. There were countless other wolves from her birth pack on my tail, and we immediately set to work dispatching the stragglers looking to escape us, dragging most out of cars that refused to start. I finally spotted her, underneath one of the vehicles disabling it. I took half a second to let out a breath of relief and smile. Smart girl. I lost track of her again, though, my focus shifting to keeping others away from her. It wasnโt until I had no one else in my sights and everything had fallen quiet that I heard her voice ringing through the garage, filled with confidence and conviction. โIโm challenging your alpha title.โ I spun around, charging for where she was. I wasnโt going to let her risk her life like this. But, I was stopped by Cody and Gregory. 'She initiated the
Lya My mind was made up. I knew exactly what my role in this fight would be. If I had learned anything about my father, it was that he was a coward. He wouldnโt be out on the field participating. Maybe he was who I got my ability to run away from problems from. Even still, though, I was drawn outside. The sight was horrifying, and the smell of war made me gag. Guns rang out, teeth clashed, screams and howls resounded. What my eyes honed in on, though, was none other than Will barreling into my mate. I was careening toward them faster than I could think. If anyone died here, it was supposed to be me. โNO!โ I screamed, but the sound was drowned out. Oliver waited too long, giving Will the opportunity to aim his gun. I didnโt have time to shift, but I still had the axe. I flung it with every ounce of strength I had, burying the pick deep in his chest. I was certain the pick side of a firemanโs axe wouldnโt be enough to actually kill him, so I twisted it just for good measure. If