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
As soon as Maddie exited the packhouse, she locked onto the footsteps behind her, following her every move. She could already smell who it was, but continued to march away in the hopes that he would get the idea that she didn’t want to talk and would leave her alone. However, Daniel didn’t let up, following her down the side street to Jess' house, and gaining on her with each step. “Come on, Mads. I got them to stop. Don’t be like this.” He called out, his voice echoing off the walls of the empty street. “They were just having a joke.” Maddie bristled. He was close enough now to grab her, but she whirled around before he could, making him slow down with a glare. “You think trying to humiliate me is a joke?” She hissed. “I admit it, they went too far.” He held up his hands but kept walking towards her. She stepped back with every forward stride he took, needing the distance between them. “I’ll make sure they do double training today to make up for it.” “That’s not enough.
The moment her pheromones flooded out from her control, Michael was at her side. His arms wrapped around her, pulling Maddie tight to his chest as his head dipped to her neck. His scent surrounded her, filling her mind with a heady lust that had her baring her throat and curling into his to find the source of the delicious scent. Its thick, musty aroma was rich like a dark coffee, and she nuzzled into his skin, letting it transfer to her as she fisted his t-shirt, keeping him close. Warmth rushed through her form, spreading through her veins like a wildfire. Her body hummed; its call answered by his touch. “Are you alright? Did he hurt you?” Michael asked, cupping her face and rolling it from side to side while he searched her expression for a glimmer of pain. Her skin tingled under his palm, and she leaned into his hand, her nose searching for the pulse point at his wrist. “Why did you go into a dark alley with him? He could've hurt you." Through half-lidded eyes, Maddie sear
The refreshing scent of salt filled the air around Maddie as she perched on the bar stool, rolling an iced glass of gin between her hands. She made the liquor rock like the waves she had been in all day. Her body ached with the many laps she had done of the island, and yet she still didn’t feel rid of Michael’s touch. All day the ghost of it had played on her skin, reminding her of the earlier mistake that she couldn’t bring herself to think about for too long. If she did, her body would start to warm until even the chill of the sea couldn’t take away her flush. After finding Jess in bed with Erik and having a pillow or two thrown at her head when she tried to interrupt, Maddie turned to the sea for comfort. She hoped it would clear the muddiness of her thoughts. Everything pinned back to one question; why him? Why did the Moon Goddess make him highly compatible with her? The question endlessly spun in her mind, as she futilely tried to guess the musings of a deity, until she realis
Maddie’s muscles were bunched, ready for anything, as she crouched down. She controlled her breathing though her heartrate inched higher as she waited. The sea breeze brushed against her skin, playing with her ponytail but she couldn’t take a moment to enjoy it. She was too focused; eyes ahead of her and determined to win. At the sound of the first whistle, her feet pushed off the ground with a bruising force, propelling her forward. Erik had taught her that starting position at the start of the week and it had boosted her time dramatically in the shorter sprints. She was twenty paces, and a good chunk of the way across the field, when the second whistle blew. Immediately, she felt a prickle on the back on her neck as her opponent closed in. The wind against her face felt like nothing compared to the rush of movement behind her. Maddie tried to pick up the pace, but she was already running as fast as she could. Even if a group of starving rogues were chasing after her, she doubted
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