Layla had been missing for three days. She had sent enough signals to let them know she was still alive, but had completely blocked herself off from them.She wasn't a wolf who could be easily scented out; she even blocked her mate. Aurora was certain that Layla placed a scent cloaking and anti-tracking spell on herself.Zach was going crazy. The man had dark circles under his eyes and constantly looked as though life had been drained from him. Aurora didn’t blame him. It was crystal clear that Zach was the last person Layla wanted to see.“Have you heard anything from her?” Zach asked, and Aurora shook her head.“Except for the occasional signal that she sends to let us know she’s alive, nothing else.”“Can't you follow that signal or something?” He ran his hand through his messy, undone hair. Normally, it was styled in a pompadour, but he didn’t seem to care about it now. He just wanted to find his mate.“A powerful witch could do that, but not me. First, because I’m close to Layla,
“They want us to come to their pack for a week or two. They want you there. Alpha Vincent claimed that it would assure him to see your face and judge your book by its cover since that was his only way,” Maverick said, and Aurora raised her head, looking straight into his blue eyes.It had been over two weeks since they had really sat together. They hadn’t been avoiding each other, but since the pack councils hadn't made much of a fuss after they both shut them down on the day Mr. Prill and Sally arrived at the pack, they had hardly seen each other anymore.Both of them had been dealing with the issues of their own people privately until something had brought them both to the table.Like the Eastwood Pack issue.“How did their investment in Moonlight Pack have anything to do with us? Did those bunch of asses think that we’d go vandalizing all their buildings or something?” Easton had asked with an eye roll, already annoyed to bring up something Aurora knew nothing about.“The fact that
“So? To what the hell did I owe you this visit, Ms. Brian?” Aurora asked, staring at Phoebe, who stood with her hips cocked to the side, arrogance emanating off her in waves. But it was of no use at the moment, because Aurora definitely looked more smug and authoritative.Aurora wore a black leather jacket adorned with studs, left open to reveal a white tank top with the bold words "Bitch Please" scrawled in red. Her ripped denim jeans were cinched by a chunky belt, and her black knee-high boots clicked against the wooden planks as she shifted her weight. Her messy, shoulder-length hair framed her face in a tousled, effortless style.Phoebe, in contrast, had chosen a sleek white tube top paired with a black pleated mini skirt and ankle-strap heels. Her bold eyeliner and red lipstick accentuated her striking features, while her long hair flowed freely down her back. she found herself feeling overshadowed by Aurora’s commanding presence.Honestly, comparing them, Phoebe looked like a slu
“It would have been better if she had stayed back home under the protective wings of her parents,” Sadie shrugged as they headed to the Moonlight Pack House.“How do you know about it?” Aurora asked, certain that Phoebe wasn’t the kind of person who would let such a huge secret, especially one that happened to be her weakness, out in the open.“You know Ellie?” Sadie asked, and Aurora nodded. Everyone knew the best gossip woman in the Moonlight Pack.“Her daughter happens to be friends with the best friend of the mate of the Beta of the Sinister Smile Pack.”“Sinister Smile Pack? Are they some kind of idiots trying to be villains? That sounds like some idiot named it,” Aurora remarked.“You named yours Lala Land. Are you some kind of fairy godmother trying to bring balance to the kids of the world? That sounds like the name of an amusement park,” Sadie retorted.“Touché.”“Sinister Pack is the twin pack of the Blood Moon Pack, though, and it’s ruled by the same Alpha.”“Why didn’t they
“Layla is one sneaky bitch. I must commend your friend for that,” Stephanie said with a nod. Aurora stared at her with a raised brow.“Does that mean you can’t bring her back?” Sadie chimed in, and Stephanie chuckled.“There are many things I’m not great at, but trust me, darling, finding someone isn’t one of them. That’s my area of expertise,” Stephanie clarified. She snapped her fingers, and Layla appeared in the room, seemingly out of nowhere, mid-motion. She was raising a spoonful of spaghetti to her mouth, a plate in her other hand.At first, Layla didn’t notice her change of surroundings and continued eating. However, she paused when the room’s décor registered as different. She raised her head at the sound of laughter.“OMG! Don’t tell me you were busy enjoying life while we’re here struggling?” Sadie asked between fits of laughter. Layla looked around and glared at everyone, her gaze lingering briefly on Stephanie before shifting away in anger.“What the hell is all this about?
Aurora huffed in frustration as she looked all around for any trace of Stephanie, but it seemed like the woman had dropped off the surface of the earth the moment she left the room. It wasn’t like she had spent a long time there after she was gone.Aurora wanted to thank Stephanie for her help since it wouldn’t be possible for them to find Layla and understand the root of her stunt without her. If Layla came later, there was a big chance Zach wouldn’t remember what he was doing on Thursday afternoon vividly. She was about to give up when she felt a faint presence towards the west. She began to trail the sensation until it led her to a big diner, one she was sure served food fancier than its name suggested.Hesitantly, Aurora entered and spotted Stephanie sitting at a table talking to someone. She was about to walk toward her when she saw Anabella approach from the opposite end, coming through a door Aurora hadn’t noticed. It was then that she realized the woman sitting across from Step
“I didn’t know that Alpha Maverick had a private jet at his disposal,” Easton snickered sarcastically, and Alec scoffed.“What do you think we are? Some barbarians who stay in one place?” Alec retorted.“I don’t think you’re too far from that,” Kael commented.“Except for the fact that this pack is the richest in the whole southern area and top five in the whole world, you must be an imbecile to think that they commute on foot,” Layla chimed in, earning glares from both Kael and Easton.“Which pack are you from exactly?” Easton asked, and Layla shrugged.“Why don’t you switch packs and declare yourself a bona fide member of the Moonlight Pack instead of being a backstabber?” Kael shot at her, but Layla just poked her tongue out at him.“I would have done that, but then that means their beta would have to follow me. You can’t function properly without your Beta, and your Beta can’t function at all without me…” Layla trailed off.“Who fed you those delusions?” Kael asked.“Need I remind
“And what exactly do you mean by, ‘You are Maverick Prill, and room 232 is yours?’ What about the second room? My room?” Aurora asks, her voice laced with irritation as she faces the overly-peachy receptionist.“Exactly what you heard,” the woman replies with a smug grin, eyes flicking over Aurora. “Do you have trouble hearing?”Aurora nearly scoffs at the woman's dismissive tone. This was the problem with dealing with humans in a pack-dominated world—no matter how polite they tried to be, their underlying rudeness always slipped through. Aurora could bet anything that if this woman were a werewolf and knew her reputation, she'd be speaking with a lot more respect.“So, are you saying there’s only one room reserved under our name?” Maverick asks, his eyebrow raised. It’s clear he’s having a hard time processing this, especially since he personally made the reservation for two rooms.“Yes, handsome. It appears that way.” The receptionist looks Maverick up and down, twirling her hair and
Ferix had run into the man he had come to this side of the city for, and the man had delayed him with talks that Ferix had paid absolutely no attention to. He just wanted to get away.Telling Aurora how he felt hadn’t been a good idea, and he was aware of that, but he couldn’t help it.At that moment, with her eyes lightened up and the laugh he knew he had caused, he had just blurted it out. Nothing good was going to come from it, because even though they were not particularly lovers, it didn’t excuse the fact that they were still mates.“The look on your face tells me that you’ve done something stupid,” he heard and raised his head to see Carly standing off to the side, almost blending with the shadows.“I haven’t done anything stupid!” he snapped at her, and she scoffed.“You’ve definitely done something stupid, so tell me what it was that you did.”“I didn’t do anything. So what the fuck are you doing here?” Ferix asked, walking to where he had parked his car, and Carly tailed afte
“Then I would contact you later,” Maverick said into the phone before he disconnected the call.“Maverick?!” Someone called his name with a loud shrill, and he was forced to turn in the direction of the person who was screaming so loudly in the hospital.“OMG! It’s really you!” she exclaimed as she moved toward him. Maverick was surprised to see the receptionist from the hotel at Eastwood Pack in his pack, but he hid his surprise quite well.“Hi, Carly,” Maverick said, and her eyes brightened when she discovered that the man recognized her.“It’s so nice to see you again!” she exclaimed, and Maverick was almost forced to tell her to calm down, but he held it down.“What are you doing here?” he asked.“I’m here to visit my cousin and have been here for quite some time, but I didn’t have any hope of seeing you since you’re the Alpha and all, but here you are! In the fucking plain sight!” she continued in her shrill voice, already wrapping her arms around Maverick’s and pushing herself c
“I can take care of it here,” Aurora said, but Maverick didn’t pay any attention to her as he continued walking towards the car, her hand in his as he dragged her along.“Seriously, it’s nothing huge, just a bit of cotton, bandages, and a couple of pain relief pills would help,” Aurora insisted, but he just opened the car and sat her down.“You have to recognize the fact that I’m a werewolf too, I have healing abilities too!” she exclaimed.“Healing abilities that are very slow, you forget that part,” Maverick finally replied as he sat behind the wheel. “Just look at yourself in the mirror. Only heaven knows how many bones you’ve broken, your face is all bruised up, and I’m sure your arm is aching from the amount of shooting you’ve done today.”“It’s not as bad as it looks,”“I believe the decision is up to me,” he said. “Now, you’ll sit still like a good girl and let me drive you to the hospital so that Sadie can check you up. I don’t want to hear what you think.”Aurora glared at hi
“You weren’t nice,” Aurora commented, and the woman smirked.“I thought I told you, you were the one who wasn’t taking me seriously,” she replied nonchalantly, taking pride in Aurora’s busted lips.“Then, pardon me for being rude too,” Aurora replied as the woman moved towards her. This time, both of them were merciless. They hit each other fast and hard, barely giving the other a chance to recover before delivering the next blow, but Aurora seemed to be on the winning side, while the other woman was getting tired.Aurora delivered a blow to her jaw, adding another bruise to her already bruised face. She grabbed the woman, who was still sputtering, and flipped her over her shoulder, throwing her on the floor hard. The sound of bones breaking made some of the werewolves on the field cringe. They watched as Aurora cleaned the blood on her lips and face with the back of her hands before groaning when she remembered that she must have dirtied it more because her knuckles were all bruised
Aurora stared at the numerous werewolves scattered across the part of the field that had been designated as the training ground. Many of them were warming up, while others chatted amongst themselves. The Night Pack members stood apart from the members of the Moonlight Pack, none of them willing to familiarize themselves with the others just yet.The Night Pack wouldn’t make the first move, especially since the members of the other pack didn’t show the standard amount of respect for their leader. While they didn’t openly disrespect Aurora, they also didn’t hold her in high regard. Many of them believed that without her spells, she wouldn’t stand a chance against them. Her reliance on magic was something the men, whose pride lay in their strength, found hard to respect.“Good morning,” Maverick’s voice rang out across the field, commanding immediate attention. Even Aurora turned to glance at him.His tone was nothing like the one he used when speaking to her. This voice was authoritativ
Aurora walked into the playroom after searching the entire mansion for her assistant and almost groaned when she saw Layla and Zach making out intensely on the couch. They were so lost in each other that neither of them noticed her presence. Tilting her head to the side, she observed them for a moment, shook her head, and then loudly cleared her throat.They finally broke apart. Zach tried to move away from his mate to face Aurora properly, but Layla pinned him down with her body, glaring at Aurora.“Can’t you just go on your way without interrupting us?” Layla snapped.“Can’t you just find somewhere else to do your dirty deeds? Thank god there are no kids here. They’d be blinded by your antics,” Aurora said, sitting on the couch opposite them. Layla’s scowl deepened.“What do you want?” Layla asked begrudgingly. Aurora scoffed at her grumpiness before reaching for the box she had brought. She placed it on the table, opened it, and watched as Layla leaned forward to examine its conten
Aurora halted when she saw Phoebe sitting in front of her, hands draped on her waist. The woman wore a spaghetti strap top and a tight skirt that accentuated her figure.“I have absolutely no idea what the hell you are on about,” Aurora said casually. She was at a restaurant, trying to tail Jerry’s movements. Anabella had informed them during the meeting that a mail had arrived for Jerry two days ago. She had checked it and found only a cryptic note:It will get delivered at Jay Restaurant and Pub at three o’clock, eastside.Aurora had arrived just in time to witness a man—likely a spy from one of the many packs—drop a small container into the trash bin. She retrieved it and discovered shiny, vibrant red rubies inside. Pocketing them, she quickly used her power to create a replica before returning to her table to eat.“Maverick and you are back together, aren’t you? You went on a date,” Phoebe said, interrupting Aurora’s thoughts.Aurora snickered. “So that’s what you’re talking about
Ferix sighed as he placed the glass cup on the counter once again. He pushed the bottle toward the bartender, who refilled it with one of the strong cocktails Ferix had absentmindedly picked when he arrived at the bar.His head was clearly not in the right place, and the lively bar continued on without him as if he weren’t even there. His mind wandered far away, no matter how much he tried to steer his thoughts elsewhere. He always ended up back to the same thing: Aurora. Specifically, the image of Maverick and Aurora sharing a quiet moment on the balcony and the kiss they’d shared in the car later that night.He’d been waiting for Aurora at the pack house, ready to leave when she didn’t show. But just as he was about to head home, the sight of them in the car caught him off guard. They were so lost in each other that neither of them noticed him standing there.He had asked himself countless times why he still liked Aurora despite knowing she had a mate. Back when they weren’t on good
“Why does it always have to be that man ruining our date at the park?” Aurora grumbled, her tone sharp as she crossed her arms. Maverick kept his focus on the road, his hands steady on the steering wheel.“At least now we know why he’s there now and possibly why he was there back then,” Maverick replied, his voice calm but thoughtful.“He came to meet with a member of the Blood Moon Pack eight years ago too?” Aurora asked, raising an eyebrow.“I can’t be certain it was the Blood Moon Pack back then, but I’m sure this park has been his meeting spot for a while. It’s lively, there’s often a crowd. A man his age walking into a trampoline park might seem odd, but not strange enough to attract real attention,” Maverick explained. Aurora nodded in agreement, her mind piecing things together.“That makes a lot of sense,” she admitted, placing a thoughtful hand under her chin.“You don’t seem that concerned about him being alive,” Maverick observed, glancing at her briefly.“I’m not,” she rep