Bria “What do you want to do with him, Alpha?” Griffin tips his head back toward the cell holding the fingerless rogue. “Keep him alive but restrained. He’s been the only one willing to talk.” I point over to the other two mangy mutts in the cell, “Those two can be executed for trespassing and malicious intentions to hunt and harm she-wolves.” The walking garbage cans snarl the best they can at me without their tongues while thrashing around in the chairs they are restrained to. I sigh as I step over in front of them, bending down with my hands on my knees. “Oh, are you all tongue-tied now that I have to leave? Did you want to hug me goodbye? How sweet of you shit cans.” Looks of pain flicker across their eyes from what I’m sure is the silver chains burning their skin. One of their faces twists into a scowl as he puckers his lips and spits on my face. “Cute,” I say, closing my eyes as I slide a hand over my face and wipe it off across the top of my tactical leggings. “Too bad t
Knox “Is that all you got ob-knox-ious?” Bria taunts as she catches another one of my kicks. I grunt out as she tosses my leg away. “Stop holding back alpha, we’re cross training packs for a reason. Make it worth it.” She’s right. But I’m not gonna fucking tell her that. She’s cocky enough as it is. I let out a sigh as I shake out my arms and resume my stance. “You going to keep talking or are you going to throw a punch?” A devious smile spreads across her face as she narrows her eyes at me and she closes the distance between us. “Bring it.” After going round after round with Bria, I’m ready for a coffee and a shower. Anyone who discounts her abilities as a warrior or an alpha because shes a woman is in for a world of hurt. I blow the whistle signaling for training to end. I swipe the back of my hand across my nose, wiping away a trickle of blood from the last hook Bria landed on me and turn to face the group. “Good work everyone. Breakfast will be served in the community cent
Thea My head throbs in a steady beat and my eyes feel heavy as I struggle to blink them open. The only difference between the dreamless void I was in and the eerie silence of the dungeon is the harsh line of fluorescent light that snakes under the door to the hall. I stretch my arms up above my head and groan out as awareness seeps back into my body. Goddess, it feels so good to stretch, my muscles are tight from lack of use. Wait. How am I stretching? The grogginess disappears in an instant as I snap my wrists down in front of my face. The silver chains that have bound me for who knows how long are gone. Raised pink and raw markings circle both of my wrists as a reminder they were there. But the dry patches of blood tell me they haven’t been off long. I feel out for my wolf, hoping that she’s there. It would be so much easier to get out of here with the ability to shift. I push for the connection, trying to call her forward but find nothing. Fuck. I press myself up on the gro
Knox This last week, as we got closer to the Supermoon, my wolf has been on edge, restless even. I usually don’t struggle with control, but the more I fight him the more my own resolve weakens. Aside from the mandatory group training sessions, I’ve kept to myself. With my temper wearing thin, Bennet and Bria have been the only ones who dared or was stupid enough to spend time in my presence. Silvercrest has a different fighting style than us, so training with their warriors has made the sessions more vigorous and should have us well prepared for tomorrow night. When I step out onto the back patio of the packhouse the lingering warmth of the day wraps around me. It’s almost eerie how quiet and still it is, like the world knows what's coming. I wasn’t going to run tonight. Today's training in wolf form had my wolf pretty well sated, but then an unexpected stop by Travis to my office after dinner has really fucked that up. He came to request that Dana and Derrick be removed from the
Thea I have tried to rest, but my mind refuses to turn off. How am I going to get out? What is wrong with Niko? How much time do I even have left? I trust Anders, but Maksym and Kenrik are unhinged and there is no telling what lengths they would go to any more. My eyes flick back to the ankle cuff and I sigh as I grab for the bottle of water from the nightstand. I sip it slowly, not wanting to make myself sick. The gleam of the syringes on the table catch my attention. I can pick the lock. I carefully grab one of the syringes and yank the needle from its position before pulling my ankle onto my lap. My heart beats loudly in my ears, stealing my concentration as I slip and stab my finger. Fuck that smarts! I stop, taking a deep breath in as I work to still my heart like Knox taught me. I slowly let out the breath and refocus on the task. I’ve never picked a lock before. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I have to try. If I’ve learned anything over the last couple of months
Knox “We’ll divide into six teams. Each team will have two leads, one from Silvercrest and one from Onyx Ridge. Communication is key to keeping everyone safe. We’ll start with team leads, then section everyone off. Gather up with your team, and then we’ll move on to the details of tonight's assignments.” A unified, “Yes, Alpha,” rings out from the group gathered in the community building. I nod to Bennet and Carter, and they start calling names out of their clipboards. I watch for the slightest bit of defiance from anyone as the warriors start shuffling around the room to form their teams. Things seem to be running smoothly again after the incident at training this morning. I only hope it stays that way. Originally, Bria, Bennet, Carter, Griffin, Travis, and I planned to each lead a team, but with Bria on her way back to Silvercrest, we had to find someone else to fill that spot. Tracey didn’t feel like she deserved to be one of the leads and was hesitant to take it. I know she
Thea The spot on the bed where Anders sat is still warm when the door to my cell creaks open again. Man, I sure am popular today. “Hello sweetheart,” Elder Egan coo’s as he steps in with a blush pink dress draped over his arm. A wave of unease washes over me as I sit and watch with bated breath as the skeevy, bald-headed man steps further into the room, pressing the door shut behind him. His long strides quickly eat up the distance between us. The scent of old books and stale smoke invades my senses as he leans close to my face, and his warm breath sends a shiver running down my spine as it unwelcomingly skims the shell of my ear. “Dinners just haven’t quite been the same without you there beside me.” I fight to swallow back the bile that creeps up my throat as he strokes my cheek with the back of his knuckles. I don’t offer him a reaction, even as his deep blue eyes dip to where the towel is tucked securely around my chest. His eyes trail lower as he tosses the dress to the
Thea I push myself back to sit on my knees, Maksym’s heart slick and warm in my palm. I should feel sad or at the very least, remorseful. I should feel some level of sorrow for killing my father, right? I’m oblivious to my surroundings as my eyes stay locked on my hand. The loud thumps of my heart reverberate in my ears as I try to feel something. The adrenaline is still buzzing through my body as I stand and try to quickly sort through my emotions. The only thing I’m certain I feel in this moment is relief. But it’s short-lived. The hollow echoes of my heart fade away as I swivel my head to see that everything around me is chaos. Sophia is crying as she presses her hands into the wound on Anders stomach. Blood trickles through her fingers as she pleads with him to hold on. His rich, dark skin dulls as the warmth in his eyes slowly dims. Kenrik releases a desperate howl as he crashes down to his knees from what I’m guessing is the pack link breaking. His fingers thread into