That is the last bit from Rose and I hope you liked getting a little glimpse into their ceremony and new life as a family.
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 POV “Mama, it’s really cold out today.” Maddie says with a puff of frost. “Yes, baby. It really is.” I reply back through my almost frozen lips. We are walking hand in hand down the snow lined city street from our one-bedroom SRO apartment toward Maddie’s school. It is below freezing outside, and the wind feels extra biting today. The trees that we pass are all frozen and bare. Their branches are filled with ice, making them sparkle in the morning sunlight. It is quite a beautiful sight. But all the newly fallen sleet and snow during the night has caused the sidewalks to become extremely treacherous, especially considering the tread on both of our shoes is practically non-existent. The snow is piled high from the snowplows clearing the streets, making it difficult to get around, but we are doing our best. Maddie is bundled into a coat that is a size too small for her and wearing my mismatched gloves, hat, and scarf. I’m bundled as be
ROSE Upon entering the large skyscraper that is owned by Evans Enterprises, the receptionist, Lori, looks up to give me her usual smile and a wave but does a double take at my new coat color. Her face crinkles into a weird frown. I just smile politely back as I head to the stairs to descend to the basement, where my workday starts. I remove my coat and extra shirt layers and hang them in my locker, but leave my gloves, scarf, and hat on. I’m still feeling cold and those are black, so they aren’t against dress code. I know I’ll warm up soon enough. I head into the mailroom where my mail cart is waiting. Rolando, my supervisor, works the early mornings to sort the mail into our carts, and they are always loaded and perfect upon arrival. Because so many things are sent electronically these days, there isn’t much need for mail clerks anymore, so there are only 2 of us for the entire skyscraper and only Rolando in the mailroom for sorting. The three of us, Me, Rolan
TYSON POV I look up from my cell phone as I step out of the elevator on to my floor of The Tower. From the corner of my eye, I see the back foot of someone stepping into the service elevator and disappearing from view. Probably the mail clerk going about their day. Excellent. That means the mail has been delivered to my desk already. I have time to review the finalized contracts for the smaller security company I am buying out. I’ve asked Rachel to arrive early for the last week so we can get this nailed down and over with. As I walk through the open concept office space to my doors, I stop in my tracks as I deeply inhale the scent I’ve come to love this last week during my early mornings, honeysuckle and roses. Zeus, my wolf, has been much more active and agitated this week than normal. When I get a whiff, he starts going crazy and running in my head. “Dude, what’s up with you lately?” I ask in annoyance. “That scent. It gets stronger a
ROSE I am beyond angry at what Rachel just did to me. Instead of heading to the CFO and COO offices on the other floors, I return to the basement to see Rolando to give him my official complaint for HR. As I exit the elevator, I can hear Rolando and Monica talking. As I get closer, I realize it is about me. Crap. “Rolando, I wasn’t trying to snoop. It was on the locker room floor. I picked it up just to see what it was. Honest. How will she afford this? Maddie needs the school, but Rose is killing herself already to pay the tuition. What do we do?” “You’ll do nothing,” I answer her question as I enter the room and take the tuition notice from her. Both sets of eyes snap over to me and widen in surprise at getting caught. “I’ll figure something out, I always do. It isn’t for you to worry about.” “But…” “No buts, Monica. I have someone helping me look into scholarships and other assistance. Everything will work itself out, you’
ROSE “Hi, welcome to Patty’s Diner. I’m Rose, and I’ll be your server today. Can I get you all something to drink?” I ask with a small smile as I look up at my table. “I don’t want a drink, but I’ll take your number, gorgeous.” A male voice on the right says with a snicker and his friends chuckle along with him. “Sorry, I don’t date customers. Drinks, gentlemen?” “Oh, I don’t want a date, just a quick fuck will suffice. Getting a break soon?” He replies lewdly at me, and I sigh in frustration. At least he didn’t say it loudly and catch Maddie’s attention. I don’t need her to overhear overt sexual comments directed at me. “Sir, I am going to have to ask you to leave if you keep saying things that are inappropriate.” I say as I look the customer in the eye. I know my face is set grimly and coldly. The guy who has propositioned me couldn’t be older than 18 with dirty blond hair and light brown eyes. He’s a big guy but with n
TYSON I never like getting to the office so early. I am so not a morning person, but today is the completion of the purchase of Hard as Nails Security. They are a smaller security firm in our area that are in direct competition with my company, Evans Security. They’ve made several wrong investment decisions over the last few years and got themselves underwater. When I found out, I jumped at the chance to buy them out. I did some research and also found out that their CEO, who is one of the next closest wolf pack’s Alphas, has a gambling problem and owed a lot of dangerous people lots of money. I knew that was my way in. First, I began underbidding them for jobs. I was okay with losing money on a few jobs with the possibility of them not bringing in the revenue they needed to bring themselves back out of debt. When they started laying off their security teams, I swooped in and hired those guys onto my own teams and offered them transfers into my pack for them a
ROSE My mind is a complete mess today. I need to figure out what to do about the tuition issue and I need to figure out how to afford food this week. While I have gone several days without eating in the past, I was already scrounging this week due to finally paying off the medical bill I incurred last year with my homeless thief incident. I wish I had just let that shit go to collections instead of painstakingly nickel and diming myself to pay that urgent care facility. Not a joke, one week I could only pay 15 cents, but I made some kind of payment, every single fucking week for over a year. The employee who was in charge of bill outs and collections, was always so kind and understanding of my plight. She refused her boss’s insistence to send it to collections because I was making a regular, steady effort to pay. But I could really use that last $20 I gave her on Saturday. Maybe I can save some of the rejected meals at the diner for the week. I can make an in
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