THEODORE. (NADINE'S FATHER, The next in line as Alpha of the Dark Forest Pack before Maximus took over the pack)The helicopter I was in roamed above the vast forest of the Dark Forest Pack.I couldn’t help the pang of pain that hit my chest as I looked at the territory below. Although I hadn’t seen it in four decades, the familiarity and the warmth it brought to me didn’t change.I was supposed to be the next Alpha of this pack until that night my father, Alpha Carlos Montrell, the then Alpha, was killed. For some reason, the power of the Alpha didn’t transfer to me automatically. It went to Maximus—the man who was ten years older than me and the man my father took under his wing.Maximus and my mother, Teresa, came from the same pack. He was the son of my mother’s personal bodyguard before she met my father. So when Dad took my mother home after finding out she was his fated mate, Maximus’ father came with them to this territory to make sure she was protected. He took his whole fa
FUTURE BETA FEMALE MINDY. Matthew drove me out of the Dark Forest territory into the nearby city. We dropped my luggage inside the hotel that Xander reserved for me before we drove back home, using the route Alpha Maddox seldom takes. Matthew didn’t ask a question and just followed what I asked him, as Xander had already told him what to do. Xander also instructed him that if the Alpha inquired about my whereabouts, he should merely respond that he had brought me to the city without any mention of taking me back here.So he dropped me in the middle of the neutral forest and drove himself home. This area was connected to the forest inside our territory, where no cameras were placed. This was a big risk. I was alone and weak, and it would take a long trek to get inside and reach where I was supposed to meet Arlo. I didn’t tell my mate how long and dangerous this path was, but I had no choice. I didn’t want to be out of the territory while they were trying to save Nadine. I knew I co
BETA ARLO. ‘Alpha Riley!’ He was in, and that meant the others, too. ‘Motherfucker! You got in!’ He exclaimed back, and I could sense the relief in his tone. ‘I told you I would.’ I answered proudly. ‘I know, son.’ ‘Where is Kenzo?’ I asked. ‘He’s with Tyler. They went to the other side. Jace took him in his pack so he could link him for now, and he removed that asshole’s command from him. But we don’t know what’s happening inside. Do you know where Nadine is?’‘Where are you first?’ I asked first instead of answering. I listened as he described the landmark he was seeing. I told him that a hundred meters to the right of where he was was where I was supposed to meet Mindy.I told him what he needed to know about Mindy and me, as well as where Nadine was and why the fuck I ended up running.‘If you can get Mindy to safety, I will lead these wolves there. Because I need help. They were too many. And then we can go back to Nadine.’‘Got it. Lead them here. It’d been too long since
FORMER ALPHA MAXIMUS (Xander and Maddox's Grandfather). When Maddox told me he was set to put his action into motion today, I mocked him and said that he had finally grown a backbone. I couldn’t understand why he waited so long to kill the female in the cell. If it were me, she was dead in the first twenty-four hours of captivity. She might look like Teresa, which was a valid reason for me to like her. But it didn’t happen. Because, in reality, she was a reminder that even in the face of death, Teresa chose Carlos Montrell over me.I was nine years old when I realized I was smitten by her. She was beautiful, and she would let me be around her. Everything was perfect, but then she met her mate, Carlos Montrell, and broke my young heart in the process.I moved on with my life until I found myself with nothing.Everything I worked hard for turned to dust. I was removed as a warrior and outcast from my own pack because of one single mistake—letting the Alpha’s son commit crimes with me
XANDER. As soon as Maddox roared for his men to find Arlo, I sprung into action. His attention was directed toward Arlo that he didn’t see me launching at him. I was able to ram my elbow into his arm, making it easier to grab his weapon from him. Before he could react, I was already pointing the gun at his head. The crowd fell silent, and all I could hear was Maddox and Nadine’s heartbeats. “Give me your phone,” I told him.“You’ve got a gun, and all you want is my phone? Are you terrified that someone…” He was not able to finish his words because I pushed the gun more into his temple, and his eyes immediately shot closed.“Your fucking phone, Maddox,” I repeated, and he slid his hand into his back pocket before giving it to me. I operated the phone without taking my eyes off him, occasionally glancing at it until I found Nadine’s video. I deleted it and scrolled down his messages. He sent the video to Alpha Jace. My jaw tightened, but I kept my expression stoic. Nadine didn’t n
XANDER.“You cannot command an Alpha heir. I am one, even if the title is not mine.” I told Maddox in a low voice, just enough that only he could hear — unless someone was really paying attention. “So all this time you were asking me to do something, I just pretend to be doing it. I can defy you, even from day one.” I continued as I lowered the gun, but I was still watching his movement. I could hear the rumbling in his chest, and for some reason, it was satisfying to hear. “By the way, so that this one is out between the two of us. It was me who let Catherine out of the territory. I told her which way her father’s car had taken so they were able to find her right away. And you were right. I let Kenzo run away, so I’m sure when he comes back, he has forces with him. And lastly, I never raped Nadine. My mate knew I was playing the part, and she allowed me to touch her.”His breathing hitched as we continued walking. So, I added more salt to his injury. “No one also gave me any order
NADINE. I watched as Maddox moved to the center of the grounds, standing ten meters away from me. My breath hitched as a strong aura swirled around me, and a wicked smile crossed his face.I saw scratches on his neck earlier, but it was gone already. His wolf healed him, and he was making his presence known. I shouldn’t be terrified, as I had combat with Alphas before, but this strong aura he was letting out only meant one thing: he had never shown his full aura before, and he was definitely using it tonight. My eyes followed Maddox’s line of sight as he was drawn to something. My gaze darted to the crowd as they paved the way for someone. In no time, Anica came out and stepped toward the fighting ground. She had her hair down, something I had never seen her do before. She probably rushed there and was not able to tie them up. She stopped between me and Maddox. She turned to him and bowed her head in respect before facing the crowd. “Good evening, Dark Forest Pack. As the former Ga
ALPHA JAKE.(Former Alpha of the Black Shadow Pack — Alpha Jace’s Father) I slowed down as we approached the border of the Dark Forest Pack. I took the same route I had taken when I came here months ago to take my daughter Catherine back.I didn’t want to return. This place was a blatant reminder of Catherine's suffering and my failure to protect her as her father. But I had no choice. Aside from wanting to make sure Nadine would be saved, my Luna, Clair, wanted to follow the rest of her family here. The convoy that traveled here was our friends and families, together with our most trusted Elite warriors. Only Austin and Lexi were not here, as they are the ones protecting our territory. Nevertheless, for everyone here, I wanted to make sure all of us would come out alive. I held my breath as I stopped in front of where I knew a barricade line was, even if I couldn’t see anything at the moment. We remained inside the car, waiting for someone to come out and tell us we couldn’t get