I woke from a drowsy sleep, completely comfortable, warm, and safe. Shit.I shot up; those were feelings I should not be feeling when I woke up. My hand rested on Ezra’s warm, hard chest. I blinked as the memories of last night unfurled, and heat rushed to my cheeks. Ezra took my hand in his and kissed the back of it. “Good morning,” he said, but I was still trying to get my bearings. The fire was mostly embers, and the sky outside black. “It’s early,” he stated.“Good,” I managed, sleep coated my throat. I couldn’t remember the last time I slept that well.“That was the best sleep I’ve ever gotten,” Ezra admitted. His morning voice was even more throaty than normal, and it sent fire skittering through me. “Easy,” he growled, his mismatched eyes turned to matching black. I swallowed.“Today is it,” I said, looking out the window. The back of his fingers trailed across my cheek. “It is,” he murmured. We sat there for a moment before he said, “I guess we should get ready.” The relucta
“Are you okay?” Tia asked, and I nodded.“I just need a moment.”I strolled to the window, thinking over my options until we decided on something. I focused on the outcome to quell my rage. The sky was still black, but there was a fuzziness around the edges. I scanned the treeline, and I saw some movement. I knew I was looking for him. I tried to focus on anything else. He would come when he could. Why did I already miss him?I do, too - Aksala said - Last night was… niceNice - I repeated - Nice is an understatement.She barked a laugh, and we went over the plan today, step by step, accounting for any mishaps. It calmed me, and when I came back to myself, the sky was almost gray. A figure sat on the small balcony, and my heart thudded against my chest. I cracked the window, and his brows pulled together, looking behind me. “Tia is helping me with something,” I explained. Tia coughed and said in a shy voice, “I’ll come back in ten minutes. I need to get something anyway.” I heard h
It was still early, but The Omegas were awake, and I had been itching to leave my room since I had gotten there. The packhouse felt different, but I knew it was just me. The place wasn’t intimidating or scary anymore. When I first arrived, it was a blur. I didn’t feel anything. Then came the anger. But now… I was someone that I wouldn’t have expected. That even if I had been capable of thinking of the future in those first blurry months, I would never have been able to fathom this. That I could feel not just like a fraction of my former self but something more powerful, more sure. It was a heady feeling and a discovery that made me stand taller as I walked the too-familiar halls. I followed my routine, edging toward the dining room and pausing outside the kitchen. There was a bustle, but it was more languid than it had been the past few days. I was correct in thinking this would be a slow morning. It put me at ease only a little. I was anxious to get this day going, and the longer it
After breakfast, I went to the library, but I wasn’t sure if Ezra had enough time. The packhouse was dark and quiet, and I moved through the shadows like a wraith. A fire was lit in the library, blazing, and I smiled. Ezra had done that. In the book was a small pouch alongside a note Ingested. Takes an hour. Everything is set three hours from now. I strolled to the hall where the older offices were and carefully parceled what I needed, hoping they didn’t expire. Either way, I would be back to finish the job.I wandered into the kitchen; it was bright and loud compared to the sleepiness of the rest of the packhouse. I stayed in a corner, picking at an apple. Even though there was a lot of activity, no one seemed to be talking. They looked exhausted. “Luna is awake; she wants breakfast in bed,” Amelia finally stated. “Hangover cure?” Another Omega asked, rolling her eyes. Amelia nodded. “Is the Alpha awake?” I asked Amelia, not looking up from my apple. “Am I expected to join for b
By the time I was done, the packhouse had awoken. No one noticed me slip out of her room. I blended in with the visiting Alphas and Lunas walking to the front; their confused chatter swelled around me. The air in the packhouse was cold, confused, and anticipatory.I ran into an Omega I didn’t know the name of and stopped in front of her. “Keep all the Omegas out of the new wing for the next few hours,” I said in as much of a command as I could muster; it still rang through me, and she bowed her head. “And any others,” I added. “Close this place.” “Y-yes,” she agreed.I hoped that would be enough, just in case, and I continued on. Someone grabbed my elbow gently, and I turned to find Sam. He kept looking ahead, walking next to me, his hand not dropping my arm. It was steadying. “There’s a new development,” he said. “I know,” I replied. “It’s part of the plan. He finally looked at me with wide eyes. “I'm ready,” I stated.He nodded, but I could tell he was trying to process this. A
I watched as Alpha Raymond’s face flickered from rage to confusion and finally settled on a sort of twisted amusement. “You can’t. You have no pack,” he sneered. Some of the crowd gasped at his public display of wickedness.“I can as an heir.” I held my ground, my voice unwavering. Alpha Raymond took a step towards me, towering over me or attempting to. “You are the heir of nothing.”“I am the heir to The Blood Moon Pack.” I fixed my eyes on Miles, actually looking at him for the first time since I thought he died alongside my parents. There was nothing in his eyes I remembered, no warmth, no familiarity. Nevertheless, he looked away first. “That pack wasn’t taken legally. There was no challenge; my right still remains.” I jutted my chin up and looked back at Alpha Raymond.“You would need backing.” A voice came from the crowd. “Yes,” I agreed, raising my voice. “By more than fifty percent. There are ten packs in this territory, nine if we remove mine. Our territory laws state that
“Alpha John of The White Forest Pack.”“We, uh, I back your challenge.” I nodded deeply to him, keeping my face passive. I caught Ezra’s eye briefly, and his gaze was so intent on me I had to look away, afraid my body would give me away.“Alpha Issac of The Blue Mountain Pack?”Alpha Issac stepped forward. “We support your claim, me and my heir both do.” He bowed his head, and I returned the gesture.Then I moved to the ones I wasn’t sure of. I was saving the one who started it all, the one who put the idea in Sam’s head for last, hoping I could count on him to sway the crowd.“Alpha Owen of The Starry Ravine Pack?” I willed the nerves down, tucking them away with the anger I kept so carefully leashed.Another Alpha stepped forward; he looked at Raymond and not me. “I do not back this silly game.” Raymond smiled at him with a deep nod and turned to me triumphant.I ignored him and addressed Alpha Owen instead. “That is your prerogative. Thank you for voting,” I said calmly. “Alpha Tim
Even with years of careful composure, I couldn’t hide my shock. This might have very well been the most surprising thing I had ever heard. Aksala started to say something multiple times but stopped. I could feel shock ripple through her, too.Alpha Raymond's face mirrored my own, but his was mixed with a sadistic sort of rage as he turned clench-fisted to his son. His shoulders lifted as he heaved mighty breaths, but no words came out, nothing but a guttural, choked sound.“Is that, is that even sanctioned?” an Alpha asked, stepping forward. I didn’t see him before so he must be Alpha Timothy who told me no in hiding. I crossed my arms gently and fixed him with a stare he eventually couldn’t look away from. It was apparent he was a small man, not in stature, but one that was given too much power, and that was the only thing he could wield over others. Elder John’s brows tugged together; he tilted his head and finally said, “I do think it is.” The crowd gasped, but I wasn’t sure if
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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