Every step hurt, each breath was a wheeze, and, every moment, Maddie had to resist the urge to look over her shoulder. She was certain she would see the Golden Claw warrior hot on her heels and ready to steal her place in the next round. Her muscles were burning, threatening each step to be her last, but they kept her going down the southern side of the island and across the beach. Hope clenched in her chest as her feet touched grass again and she began the final climb to the finish line. The end was in sight and so was her victory. It burst with renewed strength in her heart, flooding her veins with the energy to keep going. A grin spread across her lips, daring to believe the chance Jess had given her had paid off and that she was about to cross the finish line as the last contestant to pass the speed trial. It was really going to happen. She was going to do it and survive another day of the Alpha Games, and be one step closer to freedom. As the first sprinkling of Silver Moon w
The roar that lifted from the crowd was deafening. It vibrated through Maddie’s bones, filling her with the support of her packmates. Lewis was the first to pull her into a crushing hug and she couldn’t help but laugh. Relief swelled in her. She had truly done it. She had made through the speed trial. Yes, with a lot of help from Jess and only by the skin of her teeth, but she had done it all the same. As her father listed the other successful wolves, most of the crowd weren’t listening. She was passed between them; being pulled into hugs, her hand being shaken, her cheeks being pinched. It was a whirl wind of faces and smiles, and she was lost in the excitement, letting it swirl within her. Maddie was on cloud 9. The adrenaline of the final lap was finally burning off, leaving her with a heady exhaustion. She only just managed to hear the placing of the other wolves. Surprisingly, Lewis didn’t come first like she expected he would. That place was awarded to the Grey Stone wolf, wh
“Goddess, you owe me big time.” Jess groaned. Maddie agreed, though she couldn’t quite understand her friend’s constant grumbling. Not with her feet resting on her man’s lap while he massaged them and cooed at her. It was sickening to watch, and Maddie had to wonder how Jess had managed to wrap the warrior around her finger so soon. Erik didn’t seem to mind. He looked at Jess with a warmth in his eyes that was sweet to see. Every time she saw it, Jess flushed, and Maddie couldn’t help but smile at the pair. However, when Jess complained about her aching feet, Maddie wanted to thump her. She had pushed herself hard the day before, and the blisters on her feet were a testament to her efforts. A day on, a hot bath and twelve hours of sleep later, and they still hummed their discomfort like she was constantly walking over a bed of nettles. She was certain her feet were in a worse condition but, unlike her moaning counterpart, they weren’t getting the same loving treatment. She had
As the tang of blood began to thicken the air, Maddie’s stomach dropped. She picked up the pace, now drawn to swell of noise coming from a couple of streets over. Her feet slapped on the paved ground, the cold night air whipping past her face, her breath blowing like steam from her lips. Her speed was as frantic as her heart, her only comfort was knowing Michael was beside her, keeping pace. She wasn’t alone. She had never heard a noise like that in the streets of Silver Moon. Only once before she had heard a shout so full of pain and terror, but her father had kept her shielded from the horror that had caused it that night. He wasn’t there to protect her now, though she couldn’t help but feel like a young pup again, fear pounding through her veins as she trawled her memory to place the voice and pray that whoever it was was okay. When Maddie turned the last corner, she saw a growing crowd of wolves all standing at the entrance to an alley. Gasps and small shouts rose from them,
Maddie cast her gaze along the breakfast table, eyeing each of the contestants. There was a tension riddled between everyone that morning, suspicious glances thrown left, right and centre as they ate in uncomfortable silence. Even Ryan and Mark kept their mouths shut. The uneasy truth was that one among them was a murderer, who had stabbed the Grey Stone warrior the night before and left as he bled out. The death was messy and dishonourable, and someone among them was capable of doing such a thing. There were only two wolves at that table that she knew to be innocent; Lewis and Michael. That left four others as suspects, if Lewis was right that one of the contestants was responsible. It made sense, but Maddie was struggling to see a murderer among them. Yes, Daniel was an arsehole who enjoyed messing with her, but he also placed in the top three for the speed trial and was one of the strongest contenders to win the games. His two lackeys were another option, but with Red Dawn hav
When Maddie stormed past the warriors on the stairway of the packhouse, she knew her father would be ready for her arrival. As expected, the door to his office had been left open and she unceremoniously marched into the room, slamming the door closed behind her. The unease in her chest had grown with every step. Her father was supposed to be investigating the murder of the Grey Stone contestant, not throwing accusations at innocent wolves. “Michael didn’t do it.” She slammed her hands down on his desk, demanding his attention. Her father peered at her over his glasses. With papers in hand, he looked as if he had been working in that office all morning, and she was disturbing him, not that he had only arrived minutes before her. “Madeline, please not now. I have much to do.” He peeled off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. The exhaustion there almost made her back down but giving him some clarity on the Dark Night heir should take one suspect off his list, narrowing his work.
It was strange how being pissed off can make training go so much better. Maddie was reaping the benefits of her mood, pushing herself much farther than she usually did in sessions. She could feel the sweet burn in her muscles, but their ache just coaxed her to continue. She wanted to keep going until her body was numb, then maybe her mind would follow and relinquish its hold on the anger swirling within it. A calming bath didn’t work, a long walk along the cliffs didn’t work, a swim didn’t work. The only thing that touched the edges of her annoyance was pushing herself to the brink of exhaustion. “Maddie.” A voice called from the edge of the field. She tensed but ignored it, continuing with her push ups, despite the deep ache in her arms and core. “Maddie, stop and talk to me.” She only answered because he was coming closer, and she needed to stop for a breather. “I’m trying to train.” She glared at Lewis, eyes narrowing at his approach. “You can’t be here for that. Alpha’s orders
The afternoon was already drawing to a close, but Maddie didn’t stop training. If anything, having Lewis come and talk to her gave her the rage energy for another few hours of hard work. Her only issue was not knowing what to do. The intensity of her usual training, the training her father had taught her to follow, was quite low. It was just enough to keep herself fit and safe, but wasn't enough for the games. She had never trained with the intention of beating warriors before and becoming the Alpha had never even been an option to consider. Each training session with the Silver Moon warriors made her amateur level crystal clear. No matter how hard she tried, she still couldn’t keep up with the modified exercises. Maddie decided to copy some of the harder drills Beta Rowan had given them, trying to work on her stamina and the execution of each one. However, she didn’t know how to progress. She was already struggling to do a full set of each exercise and she knew that there was no ch
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