I staggered back from his blow. I shook my head slowly. “I don’t want to go back yet.” I grabbed for his hand but he crossed his arms. “Daddy, I’m not ready.”I watched closely as he closed his eyes, as if my words hurt, but I watched as he pulled himself together. “If it was my choice, pup, I wouldn’t make you go back. But your mother has been messaging these last few days. She says she needs you home. Sooner rather than later. It seems like something is going on and I need eyes there.” He wrapped his arms around my shivering body. “You are a strong, amazing alpha. You will make such a strong luna, Amy.”“I’m weak.”“No baby. You were never weak. Not even in your first life would I believe you were ever weak, but now, now you have your wolf. You have your power. You still have so much growing to do. You are still so young. But you are so strong.” I closed my eyes as I list
My father coughed. “Okay.” He called out, and we all turned back to the room.“Anyway, I hate a few thoughts.” Ronnie’s face fell into neutral lines. “Greyson and Cass take over as the lead Gamma pair, and if Lynn is okay with it, she travels back with Amy under the guise of finding her mate.”The room grew silent. I could tell Lynn was thinking about it. “Would I be able to come back with my mate?” Her question caught me off guard.“Would you want to come back?” My father’s voice was measured.She turned to look at Greyson and Cass. “I don’t want to insult you two. You both are amazing, and you have grown so much since we started training. But you two aren’t strong enough to be the main Gamma pair.” Cass smiled and looked up at Greyson.“We aren’t insulted. We know. We are both still very young and Cass just became ranked. We l
“Daddy…I don’t want to leave you like this.” I tried one last chance.“I know, pup. But your mom needs you.” He looked worried. “She wouldn’t have asked for you unless it wasn’t important. And she has been pretty insistent. In all the years she sent you here, she has never once acted like this. We always had this unspoken rule that we would never keep you from the other.”“I know.” I started to worry about my mother, too. “But I don’t like leaving you with this mess.”“I’ll be fine. I have Ronnie, and the rest.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me up the stairs of the pack house. “But your mother is alone. So I need you to go back and take care of her for me, since I can’t.” I stumbled as we went and he stopped and picked me up.“Dad!”“Sorry pup. I know your tired. I am too.”“Then why don’t you
I woke with a start, jolted up from my bed, and clutched my heaving chest. What the heck was that? I searched my room, sure that I would find the black wolf with bright blue eyes there, but I was alone.“What was that?” I dropped back to my bed and huffed out a laugh. Just remembering his voice had my skin breaking out in goosebumps. I closed my eyes and his eyes flashed in my mind. “Who are you?”There was a knock at the door and I sat up again, pushing the mysterious wolf out of my brain. I got up and looked down at my ruined sheets. “The blood.” Ugh. I shuffled to the door, wiping my eyes. I cracked it open and Cass pushed in. “Wake up.”“Cass?” I wiped my face as I turned to face the irrate Cass sitting at the end of my tossed and ruined bed. “What are you doing here?” I looked at the clock on the bed-side table. “It’s six in the morning.”“Exactly.” Sh
“Let’s go eat.” I pulled her from my room and raced down the stairs.“Where are we going?”“I’m not telling you.” I looked back at her and grinned. “It’s a surprise, but you will love it. I promise.” I pulled her into the dining hall and we grabbed biog plates of food. I went and sat next to my exhausted father. “You okay?”“Yeah baby girl. I’m just tired. But I got it done.” He took a sip of his coffee and looked over at me. “You look excited. What’s up?”“Cass woke me up at the butt crack of dawn to get some quality time in.”“But she hijacked my plans and now I have now idea what we are doing.” Cass pointed out and I laughed.“You made the mistake of waking me up.” I leaned into the warmth of my father. “We are going to see MJ and Neil.” My dad looked over at Cass and laugh
Five hours later, we were walking out with giant grins. “Thank you for coming in so early for us.” I kissed MJ and Neil as we left. “It was our pleasure.” MJ called out as he shut the door, and locked it behind us. “They aren’t staying open?” Cass looked back to the dark door. “Nah. They are usually closed today. They just came in for us.” I hooked my arm in hers and we walked into the bustling mall. “Where to now?” I looked down. “I wanted to get some new clothes. Now I want to get some even more. I need to show this off.” She stared down at her right arm. It was covered in a black and white version of the moon goddess with a full moon behind her, and wolves hidden in the forest around her wrist. It was gorgeous and Neil did an amazing job drawing it up on the spot. I nodded, and she stared down at the fresh ink. “How does it feel?” “It stings.” She shook her arm and then smiled. “I didn’t realize what went into doing tattoos on wolves.”&nb
My father and Ronnie were waiting for me as I dropped in to the chair. “You okay pup?” My dad asked as my back hit the chair and I hissed again.“Yeah. Just keep forgetting it’s there.” I laughed it off, but my dad shook his head.“I meant, are you okay after saying goodbye to Cass?” I swallowed and then nodded. He watched my face closely and sighed. “Here.” He slid the book over to me, and I grabbed it and tucked it into my backpack.“It’s a good thing I don’t have to go through the airport with this. I would be called crazy for hauling a stone around with my electronics.” I shook my head as Ronnie laughed.“True. It is weird to see.” Ronnie settled back and then he and my dad shared a look.“So, are you going to show us?” My dad leaned back and quirked his head. I smiled and stood. Pulling my top over my back, but covering my front,
I stood at the door for a few seconds, debating between leaving him or going back in to plead to stay a little longer. But I knew once he decided he would stick to it. And right this second, his mind was made up because something was going on back home.I dropped my hand and turned away, feeling like garbage, but giving him the space he needed. He hated when I left back to the mom’s, so did I. I huffed out a breath and headed down the stairs.The pack house was eerily silent. I was so used to hearing someone run through the rooms, or the omega’s cleaning, that the silence was deafening. But I shook it off. I was being dramatic. I just didn’t want to leave. I reached the bottom floor, and I saw the two families I saved were waiting by the door with Ronnie. “What are you guys doing here?”The four little kids ran over to me and all hugged me. “We don’t want you to leave.” Ry’s voice broke out above the re
I felt the world fall out from under my feet and I staggered back. Only Toya kept me upright. I knew he was going to do this. I just didn’t think it was going to happen so close. “You have got to be joking.” Wendy cried. Hanna and Micca both growled, and I saw Sterling wince. Not in submission, but just from the ferociousness of the two. They sounded like they would kill someone. “Tell us you are lying, Sterling.” Micca’s voice was low, and I didn’t have to glance to know her wolf, Muse, was very much present.Sterling looked away again. “I’m not sure. Jora just told me. But the King made a statement that there was going to be an announcement tomorrow. And I figured you should know.” I nodded. “Don’t let them up. I’ll come down in a minute.” Sterling nodded, grabbed his bag, and left. But I turned to my friends. “I have to go check my email and my phone.”Everyone nodded, but Toya followed me back into my room. “If there isn’t an email or text, or voicemail from that fucking man ab
Months later…“I can’t believe our first ‘year’ is done.” Wendy collapsed onto my sofa as we all shuffled into my living room. “I know. It’s been insane. But at least they are giving us a week of being class free before we start classes again.” Hanna stretched out onto the floor. She groaned as she rolled on my thick fur carpet. “Next time you nest, come to our place, please.” She laughed as Wendy threw a pillow at her. She tucked it under her head. “What?” She turned onto her side, staring at the rest of us. “You’re telling me you aren’t super jealous of her fur lined, super comfy everything?” She laughed as Micca curled up on the other half of the sofa and Toya lounged on the love seat. She pointed at my chair. “Look at that thing!”I smiled as I settled in, and the contented purring of my wolves came back to me. “It’s honestly great.”She huffed and crossed her arms. “See.” The rest of the girls laughed. I looked around, and it blew my mind, seeing the difference. All of them had
I laughed as I clutched her hand as a lifeline. My mind kept dragging me back to that day. I had spent so much of my time focused on my next move that I had pushed my last life to the back of my mind. Or I tried to.But when ever I was asleep, my mind would bring me back to that day. To my son’s softly staggered breathing, and his face pressed against my skin. I wake up with his scent in the air and I have to search my bed to remember that he is gone. Never even existed in this life. “Before I tell you, I need to explain this. In my last life, I knew nothing I do now. I didn’t even know about my second wolf. It had always just been Nix and me.”“Nix?”“My black wolf. My secret Lycan.” I snorted. “She is my alpha. Megan, my grey wolf, is a gamma. Still Luna rank, just not as strong.” I heard a snort in my mind. I sent back love, and she sent a wave back. “Your power?” Toya asked, but I shook my head slowly.“Because of who I am, I needed to balance my power and be able to control it
The longer she stared up at me, the more I felt the need to squirm under her gaze. “Toya…”“Holy fucking goddess.” Toya jumped to her feet. “Are you serious? This makes so much sense.” She turned in a circle, talking to herself. “The fact you are so powerful.” She started to list things off. “That I felt drawn to you. Instantly, we had a connection.” She whirled back to facer me. “You said wolves. Does that mean you have a wolf, and a Lycan…Do you have two forms? Do you have actual powers, or does it just bump up your aura and power level?” The questions poured out of her like vomit. She couldn’t stop.I held up my hand, and she froze. “Come sit back down.” She sat next to me and I concentrated on my hand. A wisp the size of a tennis ball appeared, and she gasped. Her eyes growing wide as she stared at me. “You have power?” I laughed and nodded.“Yes, I have power, actual power. That’s why we can always talk openly here and not have to worry about being overheard. I snap a shield in
I watched Toya settle. “Good.” Her answer startled me a bit. “Good?”She nodded. “I was worried you were going to say yes.”I laughed. “Why?”“I don’t trust her. Never have. But I thought she was already your friend when she came over with us, but when I saw you didn’t know her, I was thrown.” Toya picked at her nails. “My wolf doesn’t trust her.”I laughed. “Neither does mine.” I settled into my new couch and I felt a content filled purr work its way up from my chest. I had to shake my head and push up off the couch before I embarrassed myself even more. Toya stood with a groan. “Is there anything else coming today?” We both looked around the room and stared at the new couch and love seat. Both we a soft grey that was over plush. I knew as soon as I saw them with Sterling, I needed them. I shook my head. “The chair was on back order.” I smiled when I thought of my reading chair. It was a double wide seat with a soft plush cover. That one really made Nix want to purr. Just the ide
“Push.” I called out and I felt the sofa shift. “We almost have it.” I heard a groan, and then we were through the doorway. “Ugh.” I moaned. “Finally.”“Why did you have to change the fucking furniture?” Toya groaned as she placed the new piece down in my bare living room.I collapsed onto the last piece of the huge sectional we just moved in. I could feel the need to nest itching at my skin and I didn’t know why. “Has your nesting ever kicked in?” I turned to face her where she had sunk into the overly plush dark grey fabric my wolf craved as soon as she saw it in the store.I turned my mind inward and called out to my wolves…but other than the random needs she sends my way, Nix has been MIA since Rowan left and Megan has stayed away too.Hello? I called out, but nothing. I miss you both. I hoped I could see them, but I understood; she needed her space. I just wanted them to know how much I missed them. I was so absorbed with my wolves that when Toya finally answered me; I was surpr
“Punch Wendy.” I screamed as she tapped her hand against my glove, and I wanted to growl my frustration. Well, frustration was an understatement. I was pissed. Rowan’s words still ricochetted in my mind. ‘I’ll court these women and see what I can find.’ He was mine…the thought still bounced in my mind. He was mine. You are oddly territorial over a man that isn’t our mate. Megan pointed out but Nix stayed silent. She had been silent since Rowan left last night. Why are you so quiet? I asked as I focused on Wendy’s attempt at a combination. She was getting better. I cracked a smile when she landed the last punch.“Good job Wendy.” She panted as she grinned. “Thank you.” She panted as she caught her breath. “I’ve been practising at home.” “I can tell. Go grab a drink.” I pointed to the sideline and turned my attention back to Nix, but all I got was her tail disappearing into the trees.What is going on with her? I asked Megan, who got to her feet.I think she is trying to figure ever
We kissed for longer this time. Nix and Megan came to the edge of my mind. I know they were there to watch me, stop me from making a choice that would affect all of us. But they were letting me have this. I reluctantly pulled away from his face and the smile that lit his face made me want to kiss him again. “I’m sorry.” I completely let go of his face and I felt my face burn.“You are perfect.” He whispered, which made my face burn even more.“Why does my father want you to accept a chosen mate?” I turned the conversation back to what was important.“He doesn’t. He just wants me to pretend I have.” Rowan leaned back, but grabbed my hand in his and threaded our fingers together. “The council has been pushing Nina at me because she is the niece of one member, but there are a few other candidates. He wants me to fight against the council and then maybe next year or so, when you are ready, to court these women.”“Why?” I felt the telltale burn at my gums. My fangs wanted to descend again
His words were a soft balm on the pain I was feeling. But I needed to get a little space. So I slid off his lap, and I saw a flash of hurt flash in his eyes. “I like him too. But my wolf actually feels the same about another, so I understand.” I slid next to him and grabbed his hand. “But what did you mean about an opportunity?”Regret flashed in his eyes and then they faded to his normal brown. Rowan was back. “Hi.” He was struggling with something.“Hey.” I smiled and grabbed his hand. “What’s wrong?”He sighed. “What I’m about to say will make zero sense and I know already it isn’t fair, but it’s how I feel, okay?”I turned to face him. “Okay.”“I don’t like that your wolf likes this unknown male.” Hu huffed out a laugh. “And like I said, I know I’m a hypocrite. Okay, I do, but I wish you both just liked me…”I listened as he explained and smiled, but it was a little sad. “I feel exactly the same way. But we can’t change our wolf’s mind. They have to figure out their own feelings,