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Chapter 33
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The Alpha Assassin Chapter 34
“I’m coming,” I called. I tucked the books away together on a shelf and opened the library door. A warrior stood outside, a different one than who escorted me. Interesting. “The Alpha is looking for you,” he stated. “Oh, of course, I lost track of time.” I smiled sheepishly, brushing off my skirts. The warrior seemed nervous, looking around and fidgeting even though he stood straight. He took me a backward way that led to the kitchens. I assumed he was under orders to have me not seen.Alpha Raymond stood outside the main doors; he looked surprised to see me. “Alpha,” I said, bowing my head. “Where have you been?” he demanded, glancing at the warrior. “The library.” I looked at him, confused. “I lost track of time. Is there somewhere I was supposed to be?” I grabbed the fabric of my dress. “I thought I was supposed to be making myself scare,” I repeated his words back to him. “Oh, yes, you are. I just wanted to ensure you were accounted for,” he said. “And okay,” he added as if
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 35
I had breakfast with them all, the only meal that I apparently would be having with them this week. I glanced at them all under my lashes; it was bittersweet, coming to an end. I sat in this spot for years, creating and enforcing my persona, and soon, it wouldn’t be them all sitting across from me. It was coming to an end, and it felt reliving but also strange that it might all end so soon. Heavy even. Luna Addison looked bored yet flustered. The Alpha was eating as if this might be his last meal. Nolan focused on his food, Hunter looked as bored as ever, and Dominick, well, he actually didn’t look very well, possibly nerves. “We won’t be here for lunch, and dinner will be a big affair,” The Alpha said, pointing a sausage at me. “Tell the Omegas to send something to your room or just eat in here alone.” “Of course, Alpha,” I said, averting my eyes. Ezra said the first night went well. Nolan was nervous but came off confident at their stupid little show of skill. I called on Tia ag
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 36
An unfamiliar, sharp knock came at my door, and I slumped into my chair, starting to brush my hair nervously. I called them in, and Ezra stood, taking up almost the entire frame. I put down the brush and eyed him. He wasn’t casual at all. He was rigid and assessing; maybe someone was near, but I didn’t hear anyone.“I’m to escort you to breakfast,” he said, his voice hard. I nodded and walked out next to him. He leaned closer to me, and my stomach flipped even with that. “Do you hear anyone?” he asked, his voice low.I paused, and so did he. I didn’t hear anyone on this floor, but below us, there were a few shuffling of feet. “Not on this floor,” I said. “The rest of the trials are set. They are doing the obstacle course tonight, the first real challenge. Well, one they will all do well on, The Alpha insisted.” I raised a brow. “I think he wants to show how strong they all are and then let them at it tomorrow.”“And tomorrow is?” I asked. “The maze. I put a map of it, an outline, in
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 37
I waited back for Sam in the library after I forced myself to eat a sandwich in the kitchen. The chatter was less about the food now but more about the challenges and their predictions on the next Alpha. I flipped through the books again about challenges and went to see if there were any we missed. I must have been there for hours, but I didn’t notice the time pass; I was buried in my research.Sam knocked and entered. I didn’t have a guard today because it was assumed I would be with Dominick. No one, not even his mother, came to check on him while I was with him, and I popped in all day, making sure I would be seen in case any of his family checked, which they didn’t.Sam strolled up and handed me a note with a white wax seal and a swirl of dark red. I took a deep breath; it worked. They responded. I took an unlit candle from the mantle and dipped it into the embers of the fire. I carefully held the seal over the flame. It sparked and hardened and released its hold on the paper. I
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 38
I studied the carefully made map that Ezra drew in our book. The perfect lines, the tidy handwriting. I felt so stupid even thinking it, but it felt like him, and it made me like him even more. It was dangerous, and there could be no happy ending for me, but it was the one thing that maybe kept me sane, keeping me present.He didn’t ask what I planned to do. He knew that he had done his part. I was unsure if he wanted to help with potential bloodshed and another for him helping me and pretending to stay out of it.“Dominick isn’t well; if he needs reprise, he can find it in the forest under the shade,” I suggested.“There aren’t traps there; it’s meant to be a place to confuse them, isolate them. It would be a good place to find reprieve,” he agreed, peering at his small drawing over his massive crossed arms. I forced myself to look back to the map and away from his lightly tanned skin over his defined muscles. “Put the idea in his mind,” I told him. He dipped his chin in understandin
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 39
That night, I snuck out in my hidden pants, my hair braided and coiled in a tight bun. I wrapped a scarf around the lower half of my mouth and dawned a hooded cape. I walked a wide circle starting behind the packhouse and snaked through the forest so I wouldn’t be seen by anyone. It took longer wearing clunky men's shoes I had swiped on the way out, but I didn’t want to bring anything besides the clothes on my back.There was part of the maze that sprawled into the edge of the forest. The onlookers were sitting above the maze dug partially into the ground. I hated how impressed I was; this was a huge feat for only a week of preparation. But I had to give credit to the Omegas, warriors, and whomever else they tasked with this. It wasn’t like The Alpha and Luna were the ones out here digging. I memorized the map Ezra drew and came to one of the three points he marked that were the most hidden from the audience. This part of the maze was short and something you would accidentally stumbl
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 40
I slept well that night. I focused on the lingering adrenaline as it left my body, and my exhaustion took over. Thankfully, it kept my nerves and thoughts of Ezra at bay. I felt stiff when I woke, surprised that it was well past dawn. I hurried to get ready, but even rushing, Alice was already waiting for me when I left the bathroom.I stifled a yawn and looked at her sheepishly. “I couldn’t sleep last night,” I explained.She nodded in understanding and waited for me to sit and start on my hair. I had a thousand questions that bubbled up, but I suppressed them. Alice didn’t seem any different than normal, but she rarely did. I admired her steady composition and her slightly aloof behavior; it was grounding, it was something I could count on in a world of uncertainty, and for the first time, I realized I was grateful to her. “What?” she asked. I realized I was smiling at her in the mirror, but I didn’t immediately erase it, I just let it fall slowly. I blinked a few times and decide
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 41
Ezra was sullen when he returned to the library that afternoon. I left only for lunch, more to catch up on gossip. My nerves prevented any hunger, but I had to keep my strength up. The gossip was about Dominick, but it seemed that no one could confirm his death. The talk was almost immediately shushed by Amelia, even though I could tell she was dying to find out more.Ezra sat on the chair next to me across from the fire. I put down my book about old pack treaties and laws and gave him my full attention. “The next challenge is moved to tomorrow; it has to be changed completely,” he said. “Is that more work for you?” I asked, trying to assess his cold mood. “A bit, but I volunteered.” Half of his lips tugged up, and he leaned forward so the sharp yet beautiful planes of his face danced in the fireplace. “It’s the challenge they want,” his voice dropped. “Now that they’re only two, they don’t want to skip to the dual. They’re doing a sort of race.” “And that’s different from an obst
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The Alpha Assassin Epilogue
Nova and I unsealed the documents we found in the makeshift wall between our sacred areas. We uncovered what we expected, and a lot more—a whole lot more. It was the werecats history, written and drawn. Their history was passed through stories, word of mouth around campfires of temporary homes. Now, they had their homes restored and their true history remembered. “I feel as if so many have lived to come back here; it is a heavy burden to carry. That it is me who has led them back. Especially after so many have passed living an in-between life.” Nova’s lips pressed together, her golden eyes glassy. “I feel almost guilty, no, not guilt.” She pursed her lips. “Sad, mournful, I think.”“About?” “The fact we never settled elsewhere. I mean, we tried, but it felt wrong, something about being in one place for too long; it physically started to make my skin crawl, as if something was begging me, us, to move.” She looked to the ceiling and our lands above. “Here…this is the first time I hav
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 85
Ezra helped me meld the scattered pieces of myself. He gave me some new ones from himself that he would never ask back, and I forged some from who we were together.I had the hardest trouble sorting the pieces of what I used to be, what I was now, and what I could have been. I spent so much time trying to mold a persona, so much time perfecting it; when it was gone, it was both freeing and terrifying.Because I did not expect to have to learn who I was underneath it, the raw, confused, jumbled bits that were left of me.And I could not mesh them together.Was there a part of me that wanted to k.ill? It was an instinct now to start plotting the deaths of all the Alphas who said no to me during the challenge. I couldn’t understand if that was an instinct part of me or something I learned, that I created, or maybe someone else created in me.It was a jarring and difficult thing to try to piece yourself together from fragments, and I would only wish it on my enemies. Because it left me
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 84
Nova and I were working on rebuilding both of our respective packs. Which ended up being a lot of paperwork. So much paperwork. She was fine keeping this packhouse standing, and us to use it temporarily as she had no personal interest in it.As the days went on I could sense her anxiety.“It is time,” she stated, standing in the Alpha’s office across from me, her disdain and agitation from being here was palpable. “I cannot wait any longer.”I nodded. She glanced at Ezra sitting next to me who only replied, “I will be here if you need.” He nodded at us both.I followed Nova out of the packhouse, through the back lawn. Barely into the treeline stood a semi-cirlce of werecats.They eyed me, most with wariness, some with curiosity, and a few with possible gratefulness. Nova told me to expect as much, they did not know me or understand why I was standing at her side, the first wolf, well, the first wolf they knew of entering their sacred land before them. I knew they appreciated me restor
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 83
That attraction, that pull, snapped together and became a tangible thing tying us together—binding and unyielding.I looked down as if I could see it, and Ezra did the same. He reached for my hand, and sparks jolted through me. His scent was consuming, powerful, a drug. I blinked at him, the sensations overwhelming. “Mates?” I asked both him and Aksala.Did you know? - I asked only my wolf.No - she responded - I felt connected to his wolf, I felt as if I could trust them, I knew I could immediately. But I did not know they were our mates. Ezra held a hand up, and I placed my palm against his. Those sparks and tingles danced around them and through me. “You are my undoing, Simone," Ezra Rumbled, his mismatched eyes looking at our hands. "Tied forever together.”Forever suddenly felt like not long enough.He pulled me against his warm chest and encircled me in his arms. I hovered between sleep and wake in a state made of pure buttery golden contentedness, a state I wish I could stay
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 82
His hand came to the nape of neck, fisting my hair as he pulled me to him. I gasped into his mouth, our lips tangled with each other as I was led to the bed, until I fell back onto it. He did not remove his lips from mine as his hands untucked my shirt and roamed up my body. There was a rip and a rush of air against my heated skin, alerting me that I was bare under him, my shirt and bra torn. That thought was ripped away as his palm caressed my breasts, his callused thumb running over my nipples.He groaned into my mouth and settled himself between my legs; heat radiated through both our pants.“Is this okay?” he asked, his breath short.“I am yours,” I told him. “Touch me,” I demanded.And he did. His touches were claiming yet soft, searching yet hungry. There was a carnal need wrapped in innate affection. I was addicted to it. I thrust my hips against him, grinding against his hardness as warmth and desire pooled between my legs. His lips were ripped from mine. My mouth opened in
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 81
Nolan stood on the other side of the door looking apologetic. “The remaining Alpha and Lunas are set to take off soon,” he told me. “Thank you, give me a minute?” I asked and he nodded rubbing the back of his neck. “Nolan,” I explained to Ezra, who was propped on an arm his muscles tense. “I need to get ready the others are leaving.”Ezra nodded and followed me in. We took a bit longer than I originally planned. He joined me in the shower and although we did not touch each other with our fingers, we took turns helping each other bathe. It felt strange at first, in a way that was unfamiliar but not unwelcome. Then, it turned into something more accepting. BLAH BLAHNolan was still waiting in the hallway when we returned and we followed him us all in a tense sort of way. He felt very… formal. Professional - Aksala added.That - I agreed.When we got nearer to the front Nolan whispered back at us, “I told them you would see them off, there were a lot of questions. Some wanted to stay
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 80
I awoke to a sky that was turning to dusk. I felt depleted, but in a way that I could live with. My muscles ached, and I could not cry anymore if I tried. Putting them to rest was heartwrenching but incredibly healing, more than I could have thought. It was an honor I did not know I would get to bestow on them. After they were buried, a few words were exchanged between us all; it was a harrowing experience even for those who did not know them personally. A few other Alpha and Lunas had shown, probably to satiate their curiosity. Some stayed, but I did not know who. I could not fault those who could not stomach or accept what they saw.I had no words to express my gratitude to those who stayed, and I was too tired to try. I would always be indebted to them, and one day I would start to repay that. Ezra pulled me against him and I settled against his chest, burying my face into it. It was so strange being able to spend time with him and not hiding; it did not feel real. I wondered if i
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 79
When we emerged, I was expecting it to be deep in the night. I was surprised to find it was still afternoon, I felt as if we were there for days. I didn’t know if it were me or if the lands truly seemed brighter, more vivid as if their life was slowly being restored to them. Nova insisted we return after we found some of her lost history, saying it was enough to know that something was waiting for her pack, her own hope reignited. I did have a few things to deal with, things that were, for once, easy to forget. When we returned to my packhouse, Ezra locked eyes with me, standing over his brothers. He made his way to me, searching my eyes and body before he relaxed. “We have not buried anyone, just started to lay them together, to prepare them. I hope that is okay.” I nodded, tears filling my eyes as I saw the bones beyond, together as one pack, honored instead of left as they died, strewn about and ignored as if they were part of the furniture. “They have not gone. They refuse to
The Alpha Assassin Chapter 78
I felt entirely spent but renewed. As the powers drained from me, the heaviness lifted, and now, as I lay there depleted, the rush of magic settled around the place, warming me from within. I lay down on the cool stone and let it wash over me.It was a sense of calm I could not ever remember feeling.After a while Nova spoke, “It was said our lands were connected between the pools.” She was speaking to me as much as she was speaking life into the caverns. I glanced at her to see she was lying near me, staring at the ceiling where the muted blue lights danced across, making waves in their wake.I looked around the space—my eyes snagged on a bit of mortar that seemed different, a cracked brick, a stone slightly off in color—but nothing stood out to indicate that this place ever connected elsewhere. But there was magic I had seen today I had never thought true, so I wouldn’t debase what she said off logic alone. I looked back up,“I-I—” she choked, seeming to shed something herself. I
