I got back to my room very late. I barely crawled into bed before I fell into a deep sleep. I was running through a dark forest, searching for something. I needed to find something, or someone. They needed me. I could almost hear crying. It was pushing me harder, trying to reach them in time. I heard a rushing and crash, a familiar sound, and I knew without the sea salt on the wind that I was by the ocean. I bounded through the woods and I heard a twig snap, but no scent hit my nose. Somehow I knew it was Erubus with me. We ran through the woods.The light barely made it under the deep canopy of this forest. It felt old, older than the trees I grew up with, older than the trees in the forest I ran near school.I knew without even seeing it; I had never been to these woods before. This was somewhere I didn’t know yet, but with clear certainty, I would. I had no idea how I knew this, or when it would come to be, but this dream was going to come true. I knew it in my bones. I searched
His words resounded in my mind. This is war. I stared at my phone for what seemed to be years, but was merely seconds before his next texts came through.I tried Vince’s system myself, and it looks like you have to be physically tapped in. Good luck.The last few messages flashed on my screen for a second, and then they were gone, as if they had never been delivered. I held my phone in my hand, confused. But there was nothing else, no explanation, and no more little bouncy three dots to let me know there were more messages to come. I messaged my dad first. And I knew I didn’t want him to worry, so I just sent him a quick voice memo. “Stay safe. Keep me updated. If something happens, I want to know.”I knew he wasn’t going to let me know. But I hoped he would. I saw the three dots appear. Dad- Worry abut yourself babe. We will handle this on our side. These next four years will fly by, I promise.I typed back a quick I love you and his response was quick. Then I flipped back to Rowa
I had to reread his email three times. The fear that gripped me when I read over his email was intense, but this was my father. He wasn’t alone. He had our pack. But Rowan, Rowan was alone. And fresh fear gripped me. What would our king do if things went south?I clicked over to his first email. Amy, I have attached my complete guide when I was learning to hack. Rowan.I clicked and downloaded the file. I would crack it open after class. But I checked the time and knew I needed to leave for breakfast soon. I clicked his second email. Amy, I’m sorry I was so vague, but I can only assume your father explained things to you. No one is safe. Trust no one, especially Vince and Brandon. Everything has been turned on its head and these rogues are vicious and somehow they know everything about these packs. If it wasn’t for your father’s quick thinking and working with his Beta to change everything about his security, they too would have fallen already. You seem to be safe at school
“And you?” I turned to another girl, one that had to walk back to the campus naked. “I’m Micca.” The tint red head turned to me and smiled. “Nina used her status as an alpha to command that I follow her. I’m a beta from a neighbouring pack and my father asked me to stay on friendly terms with her.” “Why?” I rubbed my forehead. This was all insane. Why does this she-wolf have so much sway over people?“Probably because I’m a female beta, which means I’ll more than likely transfer out of my pack when I meet my mate. It’s really rare that a male beta transfers in. And he doesn’t want me to get on the bad side of any luna I could have to serve. He told me to be friendly with all ranked females, for,” she made quotes with her fingers. “An easier transfer.”I snorted and turned to the last girl. This one was stunning. Dark skin, dark eyes, and braids down her back. She nodded once and pushed a braid out of her face. “Toya.” I watched her eyes darken a bit before she shook herself. “I have
“What does that even mean?” Nina rolled her eyes. “And what does that have to do with you being here with her?”Toya slapped the table, stood, and whirled. “It means you are a selfish vapid alpha and the man that is stuck mating you will either be just as ignorant and unworthy as you, or he earned a punishment from the goddess herself.”Nina reeled back. “What?”“No one chooses to be your friends Nina. Not unless they are just as cruel and annoying as you are. We are all told by our parents to deal with you because of your rank and nothing else.” Toya spun back and sank into her chair.Nina blinked back what looked to be tears. “Thora? Micca?”Micca turned to her. “I’m a beta, and keeping open and decent connections with all alphas is a good career move for me.”“You can’t be both of our friends.” Nina glared and pointed at me. “It’s her or me. Make your choice.”Micca stared at her for a few seconds before she sat back down. “I guess I’m choosing her.” Micca nodded towards me and I s
Nina dropped to her knees as I slowly got to my feet. She growled softly as I turned to face her. “The thing is, Nina. That I’m the stronger alpha.” I rolled my head on my shoulders. “Now I don’t say that to brag, just to state the obvious.” I finally looked at the girl that was on the ground and I knelt. “I also won’t stand for you to bully any of my people.”“They are my people,” Nina growled, but I just tsked her.“Not anymore.” Nix came closer to the surface and our voices combined. “I’ve claimed these wolves.” “You can’t claim an alpha.” Nina tried to look up. “I technically can’t claim any of them, but I have.” I patted her head. “I don’t want or need to have an alpha on the floor in front of me. But I need you to realize that I will not be pushed around. I am not your normal prey and I will not bow down to you.”“You will.” She whispered it, but I caught her words. So I got lower, and I whispered directly to her. “Even if you are selected by the council to become the mate of
The words hung I the air. One of the girls at the table whispered, “I can’t believe she called him and said it directly to him.”Another scoffed. “She is smart. Would you rather Nina had that in her back pocket, willing to warp it and use it against her?”Rowan’s voice was holding back a laugh, and he cleared his voice. “Let me get this right. You called me, your king, to tell me that you said that if I punished you for not bowing down to my nonexistent weak mate, that you would what rebel?”“No. Not rebel. Just not respect or follow you lead.”He snorted out a laugh. “Amy, why are you wasting my time?”“While I can appreciate your busy schedule. I figured it was a smart move to explain the situation directly to you, so that in the future, no one could use my words against me to you.” I crouched down in front of Nina again. “Plus, I respect you enough to say my feelings
There was a silence that descended over the table while we finished our meal. We all we a little shell-shocked about everything.Then Wendy turned to me and leaned in. “You have the king’s phone number?”Her comment broke the silence, and we all laughed. I waved my hands in the air. “It’s nothing. All alphas get his number.”Toya cut a look at me from the corner of her eyes. “I don’t have his number.”I nodded. “Your father does.” She nodded. “I got his number because during the summer there was an emergency that I needed to request permission from the council to protect my pack, and my father was out of commission. My father’s beta gave me the number, and the King told me to keep it.” I shrugged it off. “I figured, after what I said, I would rather he heard it from myself, that Nina. There is no telling how she would have twisted it.”Everyone nodded and Th
Vince looked at me, then he turned to Morgan with a raised brow. “Well, then…” He sat back. “There isn’t much of a choice, is there?”Morgan turned to me. “Amy, you can’t be serious. I raised you. I was your dad.” My eyes flashed and Nix was in front in a second. “Repeat those words and I will call the Cath Báis for pure arrogance from you. You barely looked at us when we were a pup. You did everything and anything to take our mother’s time and attention from us. And when I finally shifted, you stole our bonding night.” Nix chuffed a warning call. “So think before you open your mouth again, beta. If you step on my father’s legacy and my mother’s hard work, then I will not hold back. I will rip you to shreds and reunite you with your mate.”Morgan paled. “Nix…I didn’t mean-”“You dodn’t mean to take credit for work you had no hand in. You didn’t raise me. You didn’t pay my way. You didn’t even house me. Amy bought the house. Amy’s money paid for everything for her and her mother. You
The room remained silent for a second, before Vince grabbed the phone and slammed it into the desk, shattering it. But my mom just smirked. “Oh, don’t worry Vince. I have backups.” She crossed her arms. “Now…about my divorce.” The smirk on her face was amazing. But I had to play both sides. “Mom. You can’t let that photo get out. It’s obviously fake. Morgan might do that, but Alpha Vince would never do that.” I pleaded with my mom, but she just patted my hand. “Don’t worry, baby. Whether the photo is real, it’s your concern.” My mom turned back to Vince. “Is it?”Vince looked at me and I could see the relief. He thought I was stupid enough to believe it was real. He still had some standing with me. Brandon stood back up, wincing from the pain. “She’s right. I don’t know what Morgan does in his spare time, but my father would never do something like that.” Brandon crossed over to me and tried to grab my hand. “I will stand up for your dad, because he is my alpha and that photo is ma
Brandon struggled on the ground, but he wiped the blood from his lip. “I don’t even know what Shannon said. How can I tell you if she is lying?”My mother snarled and tried to attack him again. “You fucking son of a bitch.” She swiped at him but I puled her back and just shook my head.I sniffled as I wiped my face on the neck of my shirt, then I turned to face him. “I told Shannon I was stepping back and canceling our mating ceremony because you guys are obviously in love. She was very excited and said that she loved you. That you loved her.” I let a sob out. “That she was pregnant with your pup.” I slapped my hand over my mouth and I turned. I put my face on my mother’s chest and silently laughed. The shaking thankfully looked like sobs. “What?” Brandon looked at Shannon. “You’re pregnant?”She looked down. “I think so.” “It isn’t mine.” Brandon scoffed. “Why are you lying?” He stood. Morgan and Shannon turned their head to look at Brandon and so did my mom. Nix’s words were soft
There was silence in the room as Brandon’s steps faded away. Then Vince looked at me. “Brandon doesn’t want to get between his mate and her sister. So he respectfully stepped away from deciding. So as to not hurt either of you.” I wanted to lift my lip in disgust. He’s fucking pathetic. Megan’s voice was vicious. He can’t even stand by his fucking whore when she needs him. What a worthless male.Nix rubbed her side against Megan. We got away from him this time around. We don’t have to worry about this pup after all of this is over. I tuned back into the office as my two wolves comforted each other. “What?” Shannon looked back at me. “He left because of you?” I could see she wanted to scream, to pout. I shook my head. “I already told Brandon, so I might as well tell you here.” I swallowed and forced more tears into my eyes. Dramatic. Nix scoffed, and I grinned back at her. “I told Brandon today that I realized he was still in love with you, Shannon. Obviously, he still wants to be
We walked into Vince’s office a few minutes later, and everyone was already waiting. Morgan and Shannon were on the left. One chair was empty to the right, and Brandon was standing next to Vince, who was already seated behind the desk, looking stern. “Alpha Vince.” I nodded once and stood behind my mother who took the chair. “Vince.” My mom looked to the left. “I assume you know why we are here.”He nodded. “I did here. But why don’t you tell me?”My mom rolled her eyes. “Im here for a quick divorce and a transfer. I already submitted my request to the King.” Everyone stopped breathing. “You did what?” Vince’s voice was barely a whisper. But my mom smiled. “Did you think I would stick around here?” She chuckled. “My request to transfer has already been approved, my new pack has accepted, and I just have to finalize everything here.” She looked down at her nails. “You had no right.” Morgan screamed. But my mom just swung her head towards him. “Are you stupid?” Morgan blinked slo
The next morning, my mom came with me to the pack house. We walked in and everyone froze. A few whispers could be here in the back, but my mom kept her head raised high and headed straight upstairs. But when she reached the second floor, I grabbed her before she could head to Vince’s office and anything happened. “What are you doing?” She hissed back at me.I smiled. “Did you think I would make you face them alone?” I shook my head and nodded toward the hallway. “Come to my office, so I can drop off my stuff. I’ll let Rick know where I’ll be and then come with you.”My mom shook her head. “I can do this alone.”I snorted. “Of course you can, but I won’t let you.” I pulled her to my office and walked in to find Brandon pacing the floor. I felt my face stiffen for a minute and I looked away quickly, like I was fighting tears. “Brandon, I told you I needed space.”“Babe.” He came towards me but stopped short when he saw my mom. “Brandon.” Her voice was cool. “I’m surprised you managed
My mom reeled back and spat next to him on the ground. “I never want to see you again.” Then she spun around and stomped halfway back up the stairs. “Remember, divorce, tomorrow.”Morgan rallied the fool. “And what if I say no?”My mom ran back into the room. Her finger poked straight into his chest. “You fucking bastard. You swore to the goddess.”“And what if I changed my mind?” He smirked. “What if I decided I would rather keep you than let you go?”My mom screamed, but it was my quiet words that caught everyone’s attention. “Then you die.”Everyone froze. A pin could drop, a leaf could blow a block away, and we would all hear it. Shannon chuckled awkwardly. “What?”Brandon furrowed his brows. “Amy, you can’t mean that.”But my eyes were focused on Morgan, and only him. Morgan stepped back a step. “What did you say?” He looked at my mom, but she was stepping closer to me. “You can’t mean that, Amy.”I sighed, as if this was all too much. “You swore to the goddess Morgan, in front
She slammed her phone onto the table where everyone could see. We all leaned in and in perfect color, there was Morgan, balls deep inside his secretary.Morgan paled. “Where…where did you get this?” He tried to grab the phone, but my mom pulled it away.She laughed, but it was filled with a sharpness I had never heard before. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” She tilted her head. “Did you think that I would have really turned this cold over a run? A fucking run?” She slammed her hands down onto the table, causing them to jump. Morgan’s mouth bobbed up and down. “I-”“Shut the fuck up.” My mom screamed and then she almost deflated. “I think you have done enough talking for a long time, don’t you think? Ainsley, it was just a run. Ainsley, I love you and only you. Ainsley, sleep in the same bed as me or else Amy will be in danger.” Her eyes filled with disgust. “I know.”Morgan sank into her chair. “You know…”“I’ve known since last year.” She clicked the text chain before she got t
I stared at her for a second too long, and I saw sweat spring to her forehead. Then I smiled. “Of course I believe you. Brandon wouldn’t cheat on me…right?” I turned to him and he swallowed loud enough that I heard it across the table. “You wouldn’t do that to me after what my dad did to my mom, right?”He jumped, like I surprised him. “Of course I wouldn’t.” But even from here, I could see the guilt eating at him. “I know your dad has different views about mating than I do. And if that is what you want, we can still cancel the mating ceremony.” I let hurt enter my eyes. “I just refuse to share my mate with anyone.”He swallowed again. “I know. And I agree with you. I promise I would never do that to you.”I smiled. “Okay.” I turned to my mom. “I believe him.” She turned to glare at him for a minute and then I watched her crumple. “I’m sorry, baby.” She turned to Shannon. “I didn’t mean to accuse you. I’m just on edge.”Shannon nodded and turned to look at her dad. “It’s okay. Let’s