The morning sun brushed across the sky in faded oranges and pinks, gently coaxing the day to wake up. Maddie’s arms stretched high above her as she convinced her body to do the same. It had been difficult tearing herself from her bed so early, but she was reminded of the crisp refreshing air that the morning gifted her. It rushed her lungs, making her hum as its chill spread throughout her form, chasing away any lingering fatigue. The usual thrum of life from the pack was subdued and she quietly wondered if the other contestants were still in bed as she continued to warm up her muscles. She had expected more to be up and about, but she hadn’t seen any on her way downstairs. Behind you. A voice sung in her mind. A smile curled the corners of Maddie’s lips as she turned to find Jess walking towards her. She was dressed in haphazardly thrown on joggers and a crinkled t-shirt, her hair pulled into a rushed ponytail. Her chest warmed at the sight. “You don’t have to do this. It’s against
Maddie had never showered faster in her life. She didn’t bother with her hair and simply scrubbed her skin of the morning’s jog. She was in and out in moments, before she was throwing on whatever clothes were in the top of her drawers and rushing from her room. She threw a look at the clock, seeing she had ten minutes before her father was due to get to his office. In the mornings, he usually had some area of the pack to visit, whether he supervised the warrior training or inspected the docks, but he was always at his desk by eight o’clock. The warrior training would have wrapped up too, but they would head to breakfast before getting changed for the day. Nothing as small as being a bit sweaty would get in the way of a hungry warrior and their breakfast. That gave Maddie a small window where her father’s office would be empty with no chance of one of the warriors coming in to surprise her. Before she could rethink her hastily scrambled together plan, she flew out of her room and acro
The crowd of Silver Moon wolves roared their appreciation at the three pairs of contestants fighting in the middle of the training field. Only the fighters and umpires were allowed on the field, leaving a small gap before the civilians grappling for a look. Some hung from the windows of the houses at its edge, cheering on whichever wolf they liked the look of; usually the bigger strong one of each pairing. Maddie was stood in the one part of the field which had been sectioned off for the waiting contestants and the Silver Moon upper rank wolves to oversee the weapons trial. She stood at Jess’ side, working out her nerves by keeping her body warm. She jumped on her tiptoes, her eyes scanning the group for the wolf she had been paired with. When her father had announced each challenge, she had breathed a sigh of relief that he either hadn’t noticed the change or was happy to overlook her involvement. Either way, she was sure he only did it because he thought her defeat was inevitable an
Maddie was wooden, each movement forced as she walked to the chest at the edge of the field and claimed her weapons. The small daggers gleamed with their recent polish, the silver hilt fitting like a glove in her hand. They had been a gift from her father the night she had gained her wolf. She adored them but hadn’t had much chance to use them. Wolves trained with their bodies more than weapons. Why carry a dagger in human form when you can attack with the razor-sharp claws of your wolf form? She palmed the blade, spinning the flat of it around her hand before grabbing the hilt again. Her muscles remembered the small movements required to make her daggers deadly, just as her skin remembered the cool metal of the blades. Maddie sunk two into holsters at her thighs, keeping hold of the other two as she walked onto the field. Murmurs burst out from the crowd, eyes moving from the two other pairs, already in the heat of battle, to her. The pressure of their gazes was familiar and pulled a
The smirk pulling at Jason’s lips made her skin prickle, but Maddie pushed aside her swelling anger. Instead, she forced every part of her attention on the Wild Shore warrior, dissecting his every move and catching every flicker in his expression. It was clear that he didn’t think much of her. Not only did his features betray the condescension of his gaze, but he was also hanging back, waiting for her to take the first move. He was acting like they were in a training session, and she was a newbie he had been lumbered with. Her fists clamped tighter around the daggers, but she centred her calm. Rather than letting herself anger, at how little he thought of her as an opponent, she would use it instead. He didn’t think she was trained, he didn’t think she was strong, he didn’t think she could win. It was perfect. All she had to do was bait him into believing his own assessments and then strike quickly before he realised what was going on. First though, she had to test the waters. Contor
The games halted while Jason was led from the field by two Silver Moon warriors. He was being taken to the packhouse to grab his belongings and then would be escorted off the territory to go home. Maddie didn’t envy the day he had ahead. He was the only Wild Shore wolf to make it through the scent trial and now he had to go back to his pack to tell them he was bested by the Luna-to-be and then injured her in an unprovoked attack. She watched him go with an air of satisfaction. He wasn’t suitable to be an Alpha, nor her mate, and now she was one step closer to winning. “Are you alright?” Her father drew alongside her, his eyes dropping to her wrist. A dull ache throbbed deep in the bones and she had it cradled to her chest while her other hand tried to rub away the feeling. The cut on her forearm was dripping blood down her leather armour and hurt like a bitch, but she disregarded it under his gaze. She set her jaw and met his eye. “I’m fine.” The Alpha stared at her for a moment lo
“Ouch. Shit, Jess. Be gentle.” Maddie hissed as another pinch of pain added to her already throbbing arm. “Don’t be such a baby.” Jess grumbled. “Here, take this.” Of all the things her friend could’ve handed her, she wasn’t surprised that it was a shot of vodka. Her eye roll was interrupted by another flash of pain, and she quickly downed the drink, its burn stealing the heat off her arm. The gash Jason had gifted her, before she beat him, wasn’t too deep, but it travelled the length of her forearm and hadn’t decided to stop bleeding yet. She had bandaged herself well at the field side, giving her enough time to watch the rest of the matches, while letting everyone see she was unbothered by the commotion her opponent had caused. It was only when the fights were over and the ten wolves continuing onto the speed trial were announced, did Jess notice the red seeping through her bandages and dragged Maddie from the group. It had been worth it to get a chance to watch the figh
Nine of the ten wolves, still in the Alpha Games, attended the warrior training the next morning, Maddie included. The only one not there was Jess, but she hadn’t heard from her since before the date yesterday. It had been amusing trying to guess where her and Erik had stayed the night, but by the look on Lewis’ face, she was the only one who saw the funny side of it. Instead, he grumbled about his sister being irresponsible and putting her needs before the pack, but Maddie didn’t see it that way. Jess was doing her a favour by entering the games, and she was glad doing so had led her to someone special. Lewis stayed by her side during the warrior training and always partnered with her unless his father demanded otherwise. He gave her some pointers and took the time to explain attack and defence moves that the other wolves already knew, getting her up to speed. He did it despite the order the Alpha had given him, and Maddie was grateful. Not only was his help priceless, but he also
Inga POV - There had been few moments in Inga’s life when she had stopped to simply observe the world around her. There had always been something she needed to do, every single action having a purpose towards her goal to liberate Grey Stone of their leadership and break free from Red Dawn. Each step forward she had carried that responsibility, that burden, but it was finally gone. Eleanor was dead, Autumn was the Grey Stone Alpha, and she was no longer a Beta. Well, she was in name, but she was free of the role’s duties during her and Connor’s break. The moment she had recovered from the war, Silver Night had been their first stop to confirm their decision with Alpha Michael, and then they were off. Connor didn’t waste any time taking her away from everything, carving out a small piece of the kingdom just for them. He took her to the one place he knew better than anywhere, a place where they could be alone. Dark Night was beautiful in a tragic way. The years of battle had scarred t
Nala POV - “Do you give up?” Nala growled in Autumn’s ear, nipping the soft flesh beneath it. Her mate squealed and wiggled beneath her. Nala smiled as she managed to squirm her legs free and wrapped them around her waist, giving her the purchase to roll them over. She could’ve stopped it, but why would she when it gave her such a great view. Autumn sat astride her waist, pinning her arms to her side with her thighs, a victorious grin on her perfect mouth. Her chest heaved with each pant, and she watched a bead of sweat fall from her chin and slide into her cleavage. Nala's tongue flicked across her lips, a pang of heat swelling in her core. “Ha!” The Alpha shouted, letting her head fall back, her red hair falling around her in wave after wave of beautiful curls. Nala’s fingers twitched at the memory of their softness. “I did it. I finally pinned you.” She laughed, the sound spreading across the empty training field. Nala took the opportunity to look over her mate’s form, gr
Michael POV - “That could’ve been us.” Nala snorted, elbowing him in the gut with a force that almost winded him. It was almost horrifying to picture being mated to his friend. He thought as much as he rubbed his side, already feeling a bruise forming, but didn't get a chance to respond as she turned back to Alpha Autumn. The Grey Stone wolf leaned in to hear Nala's whispers and immediately bloomed a stark red. She fumbled for something to say and ended up thrusting their pup into the warrior's arms instead. Nala lifted the pup to her shoulders, letting him wave widely at the couple on the stage, though it didn't stop her from leaving a hand on Autumn's thigh.Michael chuckled. It was a good thing she had vehemently denied becoming his mate to broker a stronger alliance between their packs. He shuddered to consider it now, but it was easier to laugh about it when they both sat beside their mates, watching the rightful leaders of the pack take their positions.“Mountain Forest, I giv
Inga POV - When one closes their eyes for what they think will be the last time, it’s odd when they open them again. Though everything was blurry and bright, Inga was sure it wasn’t a dream or her imagination playing tricks on her. The pain lancing through her skull could attest for that. Sound came first. The rustling of material beside her, followed by a few sharp shouts that were blaringly loud, as if right beside her ear, but far too muffled for any word to be clear. Her frustration bubbled like hot water beneath her skin, her drive to understand what was going on far greater than her submission to the pain or fatigue trying to pull her back into slumber. She blinked open her eyelids, wincing through the blur of colours that moulded into oddly shaped blobs. One particular blob leaned in close, too close, and her body reacted on its own. Her arm jerked up; her fist semi clenched as her muscles ignored her instincts. She punched the blob, or more like tapped it with her fis
Inga POV - It may have only been two stories, but after the day she had had, the week, hitting the ground felt like hitting a wall that punched the words of giving up to her tongue. Inga swallowed them, her mouth dry, clawing to hold onto her surrender. Every inch of her ached. The impact jarred through her body, making her head ring and her vision dizzy. At least she had managed to push Luna Eleanor off her while they fell. Inga didn’t want to think about the additional pain she’d be in if that bitch had landed on her. If luck was with her, hopefully the Luna had fallen on her face or, better yet, a knife. The night sky was a blanket of black spread out above her, dotted with stars, like glitter threaded into a plush blanket. She was so tired that the paved road at her back felt comfier than her bed back at Grey Stone. Just thinking of that bed made her remember her last night in it, cuddled at Connor’s side, in disbelief and awe that he was there. He made her feel safe, he made h
Inga POV - Inga didn’t so much as flinch when the door cracked hard enough against the wall that it dented the plaster. She didn’t blink when six wolves barrelled inside. She didn’t hesitate as one of the warriors felt gutsy and charged her before the others. She didn’t give him the chance to attack. He had asked for her attention; he had unknowingly drawn the short straw. She lunged. Her body protested as she forced it to shift, but it obeyed. The glare she pinned to the wolf as she moved towards him, made him freeze with the instinct of prey already caught by the predator. It was his lack of discipline to refine his reflexes that was his downfall. The warrior didn’t so much as jerk as her jaws latched onto his arm, her canines digging deep into his flesh. The familiar warm, metallic, taste of blood pooled on her tongue, a wave of feral victory washing through her. With no time to bask in its glow, she twisted her head until she heard the bone snap, before letting the wolf go and re
Inga POV - “Okay. Just stand back, there’s wounded in here.” Lewis raised his voice through the door, then waited, listening for the slow shuffle of feet. Inga listened too, trying to catch any small whispers of deceit among the crowd of Red Dawn warriors waiting for them. “We’re coming out.” The trio shared one final nod, before the Beta twisted the handle and the door swung open. Her stomach was in knots looking out at the wolves watching them, waiting, their eyes predatory. There were at least six; enough to block the corridor that stretched directly from the door towards the stairs, but Inga was certain there were others. She spotted the Red Dawn Alpha and Daniel standing behind their warriors, the leadership safe except for Luna Eleanor. She had the balls to stand at the front. Inga didn’t have to fake the way her face paled as she locked gazes with the Luna. The gleam in her eyes was malicious, her lips lifting as she took in Inga’s hunched form, leaning so far onto Jami
Inga POV - Clawing at Lewis’ arms did nothing. The man was pure muscle and resilience, ignoring her cries for Connor, ignoring her curses, ignoring her pleas for him to stop. Against the Red Dawn warriors, she doubted she’d be much good anyway. Her body felt heavy, like her veins were filled with lead, every muscle protesting her orders. She couldn’t even lift the arm where Luna Eleanor had stabbed her. Even wiggling her fingers sent shooting pains all through her body. Inga had been stabbed before, most warriors had, but it felt different. Her energy, her strength, was sapped. It was like the blade was draining her. However, none of that mattered. Connor was her mate; she couldn’t leave him behind to face all those warriors alone. She had to try and help him. Again, Inga pounded on Lewis’ chest, each impact jarring her, but none of them made the Silver Night warrior even flinch. It was like she was a fly bumping against a window, the force hurting her and not even smearing his s
Connor POV - He was sure his heart stopped, freezing time for the span of a breath, as Inga tipped on the stairs. Her body shifted backward, falling with only the hard stairs to catch her. The silver blade in her shoulder caught the light as she became airborne. Its flash shot through Connor’s mind, jerking him back to his body, forcing a fresh dose of adrenaline through his system. He charged forward, reaching with desperate hands to catch her, to soften her fall, to protect her. He wasn’t sure if it was a miracle, or a divine gift from the Moon Goddess, but the moment he felt her back push against his fingertips, the panic eased, relief chased it away. He was allowed a breath, but the brief moment of calm was crushed as Inga crashed into him. Connor was off balance. His only goal had been to soften her fall, but he didn’t have time to catch her. Her weight pushed him back, forcing him to join her fall, but he wrapped his arms tight around her, curling into her, protecting he