“Hey, you okay?” Ryder asked when he found me sitting on the patio of the back porch with concern plastered all over his face.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” I replied and when it was obvious, he didn’t believe me I added, “Look, I get everyone means well, but I’m not used to all of this... attention.” Ryder laughed, and I glared at him. “Dude, I am serious. Today I had six people come up to me, ask how I was, and tell me if I needed anything. They were here for me. Six people, Ryder, six people who I have never seen in my life! It’s weird and makes me claustrophobic just a tad.”
Though, he still had a smile on his Ryder as he sat next to me. “Okay, yeah, I guess that would be weird.”
“That’s werewolves for ya,” I said, returnin
So there you have my failed attempt to get out alive. The council was sore for it for a while, but when a year passed, and there were no tales of the cruel, revenge-obsessed Mike, they got over it. I’m expecting a little brother in a few months. Mom surprised me with that bit of news. I think Dean is the most excited; no clue why. I wish guy would get his mate already! Beth found hers half a year after her brother left. Some up-and-coming enforcer from Louisiana, I heard.All I know is she almost fell down the stairs when she first met him. I’d call her idiotic, but now I can feel the bond. I get how it makes you do some stupid stuff. Andy recovered fine and as good as new, but Dean and Ryder call him Disandy from time to time to piss him off. Now, as for Ryder and me, we’re doing great. Despite my instincts, we’re taking it slow.I won&
I watched the snowflakes drift down from the ever-darkening sky. The pack house was filled with people laughing and talking happily along with cheery holiday-themed music. It was a nice ambiance. So nice, I didn’t want to ruin it with my melancholy. The truth was, Christmas was one of the harder holidays for me. It didn’t matter how many years passed, all I thought about was Dad and how much I missed him. Hugging my knees to my chest, I rested my chin on them as I continued to watch the snow. The room was almost completely dark when the door behind me opened.“Figured I find you here,” Ryder said, taking a seat next to me. His scent washed over me as he laid an arm on my shoulder. He hugged me close, and I felt his body heat mingling with mine. It was a perfect sensation, and I felt a little better. “Everyone is wondering where you went off too.”
As the youngest child of Alpha —, I had a pretty easy going life; free to live my life as I saw fit. My parents' one rule was, do as you wish as long as it makes you happy. And I was happy…until some bastard came along and poisoned my entire family with wolf’s bane at what should’ve been a routine meeting of alpha families. They didn’t even spare my brother’s pregnant mate! The only reason I wasn’t dead alongside them was sheer luck. I decided to stay home to pack for a road trip I was going to start the next day.No more road trip. No more family.I’m alone and the luna of a pack that doesn’t believe I can be the leader they need. I am alone, but if I had a mate, a strong alpha to keep the wolves at bay, maybe I could pull this off and make my father proud of me.
I lifted the cool glass to my lips, taking a slow drink of the soda as I watched the couple across the room. The crowd of party-goers blocked my view from time to time, but I didn’t mind. That meant less of a chance of me getting caught spying. I took another drink. I knew it was stupid, but I couldn’t help myself. I was jealous. It wasn’t because the woman was attractive or because of the way the guy couldn’t take his eyes off of her. It was their freedom. We’re the same age, give or take a year or two. While they got to flirt, party, and enjoy these brief years of new adulthood while I was trapped. Trapped in a life never meant to be mine by some cruel twist of fate.“Do you know him?” A masculine voice whispered over my shoulder. I gave a startled flinch. Finn laughed. He had caught me off guard and knew it. I shook my head as I turned to face him. Finn was in t
My phone came to life and with a glance, I said, “Let’s head out. They’ve caught a few of them this time. Maybe we can get some answers.”“Yes, Ma’am,” he said and followed me down the wooden porch steps. We climbed into his Benz, which helped strengthen the mafia image even more. He drove the ten minutes it took to the holding cells. I was about to walk in when Mario stopped me. He walked in a circle, looking me over. To some, it may seem odd, but I used to it. He always assessed me beforehand to ensure I was going to make the right impression when I went inside. Right now, I couldn’t afford newbie mistakes. Those rogues had to see me as a competent leader if I wanted the attacks to stop. My rocky grip on my position, as luna needed the attacks to stop. I’ve lost my family. I would not lose my pack too.Mar
I sighed and wondered if being a leader was as stressful for my parents, or was it just me? “Let the rogues stew in thought for tonight, and I’ll deal with them in the morning. Offer them dinner and breakfast. Show them I can be kind, except for Cell 3-B. He’s allowed no kindness until I speak with him tomorrow.”“And Howe?” Koreyon asked.I should’ve expected that question, yet I hated he asked it all the same. “Until I figure out if he’s telling us the truth or not, he’ll receive the same treatment as the rogues.”“But he’s Michael Howe, an abusive son of a bitch. Just like—”I turned to him and gave him a stern glare. “I know very well who Michael Howe is, but he’s do
The rogue who sat down in front of me was one of the younger ones. By the look of him, he was a few years older than me. He shook as he sat there, looking at me with wide eyes. I could smell the sweat and fear pouring out of him. Not sure what it says about me, but his fear helped me relax.“There are a lot of alphas who detest rogues, even to the point they execute all that dare cross their lands,” I started, keeping my tone flat and business-like. “I’m, however, not one of those alphas. I don’t believe all rogues are deviants, and I support every wolf’s right to live as they choose. Yet, that doesn’t mean I won’t tear apart anyone who threatened my pack. You have attacked my people and threatened their lives.” I leaned forward with a glare. He held my gaze for a second before lowering it to the table.&ldq
His bluntness took me, so by surprise I wasn’t sure what to say. He expected me to reject him? Something in me softened at that. “Is that what you want?”Michael laughed again, shaking his head. “Is that what I want? No one has given a damn what I wanted in my entire life, Peaches. Why start now?” His tone was bitter through his laughter.“Peaches?” I repeated. Where had that come from? He shrugged as a reply. I sighed and sat cross-legged on the floor. “I should reject you. It’s what everyone expects and might even insist. Your father’s cruel hand has hurt people even here.”“My father was a thorough man, if nothing else,” Michael replied, his voice dull and flat.“He was also strong and
It’s been five months since Antoine took over the pack back while Harry agreed to let me be the alpha of his better packs project. After a few days of arguing, we settled on the name Genesis pack. It’s not a large pack. We only have thirty members. I, Dean, Harry, Jon, Andy, and a woman named Ambria serve as the ruling council. As Alpha, I deal with the physical threats to the pack from the outside. Harry manages our finances, Jon, and Andy work on our security. Kara deals with intelligence with Ambria, who does public relations.Dean serves as the voice of the pack. If anyone is unhappy with what we’re doing, they can contact him about it, all the while remaining anonymous to the council. This way, they will never have to fear retribution from us. He also helps resolve internal conflicts between members and I’m not being biased when I say he does it well. He’s very good with
“Thanks, Dean,” I said as we left the infirmary.He grinned. “You need to stop thanking me for doing normal, decent stuff, Beautiful.”I rolled my eyes and hugged him as a red-faced Marquice marched up to us. “Where have you been? Do you realize what’s going on?”I stiffened, narrowing my eyes at him. “Yes, my father was attacked. I was with him now.”“I’m not talking about that,” he said. “That… that pretender. He’s been taking over, acting like he’s alpha. Do you know he’s been organizing the enforcers to search and track Brandon?”“And? Marquice, did you forget he is the alpha now?”
“Come with me,” Wesley said, eyeing Antoine and Beth with obvious distrust. He tried to herd me away from them.I stepped away from him. We didn’t have time for these stupid games. We should be over that by now. “Tell me whose blood that is now!”Giving me a look that told me he didn’t approve of my reaction, Wes blew out a breath. “Your father’s.”“What happened?” I demanded, and waved for Antoine and Beth to follow. Wes licked his lips, glancing at the others. “Stop being an idiot, Wes. These are the new alphas. They may hear whatever you say.”“I was heading back when I saw it,” he began, grief washing over his face. “I didn’t realize what was happening at first. Your
The next two days, I spent training hard, preparing myself for what was going to be an awesome fight. What wasn’t so awesome was the amount of ‘helpful’ tips everyone thought they were entitled to give. I appreciated most of them, especially those given to me by Wes, Jon, and above all, Dean, but the ones from my old pack members or my father were, honestly, unwelcome. I finished listening to anything my father had to say, just about anything. If it wasn’t for Dean running interference, I’m not sure what might have happened.I couldn’t be more thankful to Dean. He had been just what I needed since I came. Thanks to him, I knew no matter what happened in the challenge fight, Father and my old pack were safe. My instincts told me his intentions were honest. He only wanted to protect his growing family. I don’t think he’d do any kind of ‘cleansing’ w
Dean~~~“Antoine Bell is our challenger,” the man, Marquice, said as we sat around a large oval table. The name sounded familiar to me, but I couldn’t place where I’d heard it. “He’s been in the country for ten years, and we’re not sure what exactly brought him to this country. He’s been living down in Louisiana—”Louisiana. It hit me. I knew who Antoine Bell was, and that he was challenging Nic’s father couldn’t be an accident. “Did he come with someone?”Everyone turned to look at me, confused. “What does that matter?” Marquice demanded.“Answer the question,” Nic said, though I could tell she was as co
“This is crazy,” Marquice demanded, and to ensure it was very clear, he gave me the look of bewildered horror. “Your father will never agree to this.”“Then that’s his choice, but if he wants my help, he is going to agree to those terms. I will not save his ass, just to have it all fall apart at the next turn. What happened to Father’s dignity?”He scowled at me, but took out his cell and tapped the screen. “Alpha,” Marquice said with a much softer voice when the call connected. “She’s agreed to help, but with conditions. Yes, Sir, I told her the pack was at risk. Yes, she still insisted.” Marquice glared at me for good measure, and I replied with a grin. “The first condition is Brandon may never become alpha, no matter what happens in the future, and second—”
Brent allowed me the use of one of his larger offices. Whatever Marquice had to say, I wanted all of my people to hear it. Dean joined us as well. Brent and his mate — Emily, were there as well.“I appreciate your help, Alpha Brent. However, this is a Golden Plains matter to be discussed,” Marquice told him.Before I said it, Brent did. “None of the people here present are members of the Golden Plains pack per your new alpha’s orders.” I appreciated the icy edge to his voice as he spoke.Marquice looked from the alpha to me. “Nic, this is a pack matter, and I’m under orders to tell you what I have to say, and only you.”“As the alpha said, I’m not pack. I am a guest here and in no position to ask the alpha
“So,” Dean said as we sat down on one of the couches in the small room. “What is it you want to talk about?” He sounded almost nervous.I chuckled to myself. He was nervous? Dean had nothing to be nervous about. “Well, I told you I appreciate what you’ve been doing for me since I arrived and well, I wanted to let you know that I, uh, am ready to accept you as my mate,” I told him then added, “And, I understand if you aren’t. We know little about each other, so it’s okay if you’re not sure or if you’re not ready.”When he said nothing for a moment, my nerves ratcheted up, and I ran a hand through my hair. Perhaps I was doing this wrong? Perhaps I misread things. When he asked, “You’re kidding right?” I stared back at him, not sure what he meant. He scooted over closer
“Relax,” Sadie said as I paced the room.Relax? How could I relax when I was waiting for Dean to come here to ask him on a date? An actual date. Me and him. On a date. “This was a bad idea. What was I even thinking?”“It’s a fine idea. You only have to relax,” she insisted.Easy for her to say. She wasn’t going on a date. My stomach tightened, and I was pretty sure I was going to get sick soon. The knock on the door nearly made me jump right out of my skin. Sadie chuckled as she opened the door.“Hey, Sadie, right? I heard Nic was looking for me,” Dean said.“She’s right here,” Sadie replied, opening the door as I contemplated jumping out the window