I love the human-wolf banter that happens between Tyson and Zeus. I update this novel daily.
TYSON I leave the bedroom and see Maddie sitting at the island, reading a book with a glass of orange juice in front of her. It doesn’t look like she has taken even a sip of her juice, her eyes are huge and wide, completely focused on her book. Just as I get to her, she lets out an audible, “Nooooooo!” “Are you okay, Mads?” “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe the author killed off the King! Why would he do that? Now, the vampires will overrun the castle.” Her eyes are still wide and unfocused on her surroundings, she’s completely enthralled in her supernatural fiction. “Sorry honey. I guess the author might be aiming for a tragic ending.” “That’s the thing, Tyson. I’m only halfway through the book. It’s the first of a series of 6, so you might be right about it being tragic.” Maddie reconsiders my suggestion and then continues to tell me about the story as I pour myself a cup of coffee from the warm carafe. I’m pretty sure Maddie made this pot herself because it is quite awful, but I nee
TYSON I make a hasty trip to the packhouse for another shower and change of clothes. Several of the house Omegas are openly staring at me as I walk in. I’m basically doing the walk of shame. It’s not like I’ve not done it before, but this time I’m coming from my mate’s home. I’m not ashamed about it, in any way. The smell of the combination of fear and anger coming from them is palpable. It is a strange combination and puzzles me a bit, but I don’t stop to question why. I have places to be at the moment. I trudge up the stairs to my alpha quarters, not having the patience for the elevator right now. I reside on the 5th floor of the packhouse. The entire floor is mine, making it the biggest living space for one person of all time. But it won’t be this way for too much longer. I’ll be bringing my Luna and Princess home, just as soon as I can. Then, hopefully, filling it with pups and a lifetime of love. I sigh at the thought. I enter my residence and smell a scent that does not belong
TYSON“Each female here will receive 5 lashes for their illegal actions. The last one will be deep and lasting, as a reminder to never try to take what does not belong to them. After the whipping, they will be escorted to the dungeon where they will serve two weeks. This is, and always has been, the standard punishment for all mate-bond violations. If the same wolves violate the same law again, death. The mate-bond is SACRED! AM I CLEAR?”“YES ALPHA!” My pack yells out as one. I nod.I roll my shoulders and pop my neck. I hate doling out punishments, but this needs to be memorable for the entire pack. If I don’t make it clear now, Rose and I will have issues with this throughout our lifetime and maybe further.I raise my arm and bring the whip down, hitting Tiffany first. She screams out in pain, as does her mother. I deliver all 5, the last one slicing though the soft tissue on her back and she passes out. There she stays until all 4 females have received their punishments, and all 4
ROSEMaddie and I enjoy our relaxation time on the couch, snuggling while reading. We chat a little bit every once in a while, but for the most part we are just enjoying the quiet. God, I’ve missed being able to do this with her. All the time I usually spend working, which has been necessary, keeps me from being able to bond with my daughter like I’ve always wanted. No agenda, no lesson plan, just relaxation and love.That’s all I’ve ever wanted for us, but as soon as I knew she was special, the realization of that not being enough for her hit home. I did everything I could to find the best education for her, and I tripled my efforts into feeding that sponge of a brain she has.I know she still needs more that I can’t give, and I don’t know how to ask for help. The fears of my past, our past, stay just behind the curtain, ready to spring forward at any moment. I decide to let it go for now. I have at least another week of not working, so I’ll think while Maddie is at school on how I’m
ROSE“See something you like, sweetheart?” Tyson asks in a husky voice.I lick my lips because suddenly, they’re very dry. “Yes.”Tyson glances up from his phone and meets my eye. His eyes flash silver as he looks at me, standing with my back against the door, afraid to move because I’ll likely fall down. My knees are like jello. “Well, why don’t you go get ready for bed and join me?” I just nod as I carefully make my way to my dresser. I pull out a new set of pink pajama shorts and tank, then I rush to the bathroom. I quickly change into my jammies, brush my teeth and hair, wash my face then leave the bathroom.Tyson is exactly where I left him, still sitting in the middle at the top of the bed, with his back resting on the headboard reading his phone. I lift the covers and scooch in next to him, our shoulders touching.“Anything interesting?” I ask gesturing to his phone.“Nothing worth discussing at length. Stocks. Emails. Yadda yadda. All the boring, mundane stuff that comes with
TYSON“Well, that went better than I thought it would,” I say to Zeus as I relax in the bed while Rose is in the shower. I think back to having her on my lap and the magical moans, gasps and whimpers that came out of her mouth while I played with her. She is truly an enchantress, and I can’t wait to be able to bury myself completely within her. I know it’ll take some time and building more trust, but we’re almost there.“I don’t understand why you didn’t just mate with her. She was more than willing,” Zeus growls in frustration.I sigh and run my hands over my face in my own frustration with him. Zeus is ready. He’s been ready since we first laid eyes on Rose. He wants to complete the mate bond. He wants his mate, claimed with our mark on her neck and our scent imbedded forever into her skin. I can’t blame him, I do too, but he isn’t doing a very good job of being patient with our human mate. He is the full animal side of a werewolf and they run off of instinct and instinct alone. Lea
TYSONWalking into the school, Rose squats down to Maddie’s level. “Okay sweet pea. Have a good day today. Absorb all the knowledge they’re giving you. I love you, bigger than Pi is infinite!” Then she kisses Maddie on the cheek several times, making Maddie giggle in the process.“I love you Mama, bigger than Pi is infinite! Bye Tyson. I’ll see you after school.” With that, Maddie trots off to the cafeteria.I see Melinda behind the front desk giving us a smile, so we walk over to say hi. They talk about how Rose is feeling, how she’s healing. As I just listen to them talk. I realize that Rose may be on the mend and healing well, but she’s still in pain when I’m not with her or touching her. I guess that is to be expected since she’s human. For us wolves, as long as the bone is set or the skin is held closed, we heal completely within a few minutes for minor injuries, hours for broken bones. Humans are so much more fragile. I’ll need to be sure she’s taking her pain meds and getting p
ROSE I watch Tyson leave the apartment and it’s like a switch is flipped inside of me, in regards to my pain levels. How can touching him, even just being within his presence stave off the pain like it does? I walk to my room and take a half dose of meds; I know these are a narcotic and I don’t want to get addicted. That is a headache that I don't need, so I want to take as few as possible. I look around my room, trying to think of what I could do today. I feel like I’m wasting time here. Part of me wants to be working and being productive. But I also know, I still need a little more healing time before I can return to my job at The Tower. I’ll have to be completely healed up to return to the diner. Currently, I cannot carry the heavy loads that are required of me at the diner. I hear my phone ding from the kitchen, indicating I have a text message. It is weird having a phone now, but I like that I can communicate with anyone I want to, right at my fingertips. I read the message; it
MADDIE—EPILOGUE THREE10 YEARS LATERI stand in the master bedroom of the newly renovated Alpha suite of Blue Meadow’s packhouse. Today is my 18th birthday and also the day I take my place as Alpha of my pack. I stare at myself in the full-length mirror and think about everything that has happened in the last decade to prepare me for this moment and the life I have ahead of me.I graduated from Zeus Academy at the age of 10. I attended college classes online through the University of Arizona. It wasn’t the Ivy League like everyone expected from me; those didn’t offer a self-paced program or enough online courses for me to get my degrees. I didn’t want to separate myself from my family to attend university, so I chose a less prestigious route that worked the best for me. I have zero regrets with my choice in schools.In eight years of education post-high school, I’ve earned four bachelor’s degrees, two master’s and one PhD. I’ve also studied diligently with Tyson on how to run a pack an
ROSE—EPILOGUE TWOIt’s been 6 months since I delivered Nolan into this world. He has grown like a damn weed and has become the center of our little universe. None of us can get enough of him and his baby scent.Both Tyson and I have retrofitted our offices to accommodate an infant including changing tables, swings, refrigerators, diapers, wipes, spit up rags and pacifiers galore. All the necessities for having an infant. And I can say, without a doubt, Nolan is the easiest going baby I’ve ever experienced. He rarely cries and he’s always happy, as long as he’s being held. He loves skin to skin contact, so much that he rarely wears any clothes. Mads and I always wear spaghetti strap shirts when we’re holding him, and Tyson just takes his own shirt off.It was hilarious when we first figured out that he likes skin so much, Tyson walking around the packhouse shirtless. Granted no one said anything to him about it, but I had the hardest time not whisking him away for sexy time. I mean, all
TYSON – EPILOGUE ONEThe last three months, post war, have been absolute hell! Yeah, I said it. Hell. Getting Blue Meadow back on its feet has been a huge challenge in and of itself. Much worse than most of the other territories I’ve taken over throughout the years. I honestly kept so much from both Maddie and Rose. Neither of them needed to know the intricate details of the rebuild. They were both getting over the trauma and horrors of the battle itself. I didn’t want to worry them.Kent, that worthless piece of crap, really did a number on this pack, it’s health and its finances. I had to pay over three million dollars to a mob pack in Las Vegas, for both Blue Meadow and Pine Woods’ debts. The last thing I wanted was for the mob to demand parts of the pack or worse, them going to the council for payment. I want to keep the council out of any and all of my affairs, as much as possible. They have proved, repeatedly, that they can’t be trusted to do their jobs.I made that trip to Vegas
ROSE“I thought I was going to lose you yesterday, Rose. Don’t do that to me again. You are my whole world.” He says as he slows his thrusts, showing me how much he loves me. I open my eyes and see Zeus shining out with him. I cup their cheeks and bring their mouth to mine. I kiss them with all the love I have within me. We continue slowly but with passion until we both explode in delicious orgasm.“I hope our sex continues to be this amazing in the years to come.” I tell him as we separate from each other.“Rose, from what I understand from other mated couples, it just gets better and better.”“I’m not sure how it can get better, but I look forward to learning.” I say with a sassy smirk over my shoulder as I step into the water. Tyson joins me in the water and does what he always does. He washes me and kisses the scars I have left. Apparently, they are much smaller than they once were.When I get out of the shower, I turn to look at my back and I gasp at what I see. The main lines are
ROSEWatching Tyson battling Kent is one of the scariest things I’ve ever had to witness. Kent looks awful and I feel horrible for his wolf, being saddled with such an atrocious human spirit. I know Tyson will take him down, but I’m still scared that something will happen to him that he can’t heal from. Tyson is my everything. My other half. I know I will live on should he perish during this battle, but it would be for Maddie and our baby only. My soul would be shattered, never to live like I did before. He has to pull through. He just has to.George holds me close, giving me comfort as we watch Tyson fighting Kent. As it progresses, my worry lessens somewhat. Kent isn’t fighting well, and he’s not healing from his minor injuries. I hope this speeds up because I hate seeing him suffer. Despite all the shit he’s put me through, I know his wolf doesn’t deserve anything long and drawn out.I breathe a sigh of relief when Tyson pulls Kent’s heart out of his chest, thankful that the man re
TYSONThe moment I see Maddie jump toward Rachel; I know it's Infinity up front and in control. Her eyes are glowing a bright green-gold-yellow and the angry expression is one I don’t think I’ve ever seen on Maddie’s face before. Plus, I can’t smell her on the wind like I can my Rose. I launch forward when I see Rachel’s eyes unfocus in that split second when Infinity lands on her back, knowing I’ll only have a moment to attack with Infinity’s distraction. What I’m not expecting is Infinity to kill Rachel in that moment. I know Infinity is an ancient wolf spirit, she’s fast on her feet and I know she’s killed in her past lives, but to see the blood of a kill on my sweet, baby Maddie’s hands, is beyond shocking.Rose, however, doesn’t even flinch at seeing Infinity toss Rachel’s heart to the ground or her splattered in Rachel’s blood. Nor does she pause with the gravity of meeting Infinity. Rose has really embraced the wolf shifter world completely and totally. I couldn’t be prouder of
INFINITYMaddie and Kevin step out of the dungeon into a warzone. Both of their eyes blow wide at the scene, and I can feel Maddie’s panic. We knew this was coming, but I don’t think she anticipated how ugly it was going to be. I lift my head and I smell the rotting garbage scent of rogues. It seems Maddie’s father knows no bounds. Humans, most likely hunters, for kidnapping, rogues as mercenaries, slavery, killing his mate and sexual deviancy. He really does need to be put down.The panic coming from Maddie hasn’t lessened as we look around on where to go and not be noticed. I have been saving up my strength the last few days, so I pull Maddie back and take full control. She doesn’t fight me on it and that tells me she is very overwhelmed right now. She puts on a good show, but the constant state of alertness and feeling the danger around her, she is slowly breaking. After this morning, seeing Odette killed, and then staying neutral to save Kevin, she’s at her max for today.“Rest Mad
ROSEI am flying across the roads and highways trying to get to Blue Meadow as quickly as I can. George and Ike are holding on for dear life and I think I can hear George whispering a prayer to Selene when my car catapults into the air. I’ve maintained my 110mph through most of the drive which has kept the guys in high anxiety mode. We don’t get too far off the pavement with that larger bump, but the way down is rough, and we bounce several times on the landing.“Luna, please slow down. The rest of the team can’t keep up. Plus, it feels like you’re trying to kill us.” Ike pleads with me, looking a little green.“Then they should drive faster. And I am not trying to kill you.”“Their SUV isn’t designed to drive that fast, plus they can’t take turns like this car doeeeeeees!” His voice goes higher pitched as I take a curve much faster than he’s comfortable with.“Well, you’re getting your wish. Wolves directly ahead and they’re fighting. I’m going to have to slow down. Do you know which
TYSONI cut the link to Rose as soon as Zeus and I tell her that we love her. I know she is worried about all of this, and it is her first experience with a shifter battle, but I know I’ll be fine. Zeus is a powerful, ancient wolf. He will decimate dozens before we hit a real challenge to our strength. Although, the biggest challenge will be to try to minimize the lives lost. These warriors we are going up against will be Maddie’s pack members one day in the future. I don’t want to kill any of them indiscriminately.It takes a few hours to run to Blue Meadow. We stopped running miles ahead of their territory and proceeded with stealth. My first warriors took out their border patrol silently, with darts laced with a mixture of wolfsbane and water hemlock. Again, we’re trying to not take anyone out needlessly. Most pack members of trash Alphas are only following orders. They don’t necessarily believe in the orders. Killing people that are just doing their jobs is what crap Alphas do.On