16 - RykerI have lunch provided by Jean at the kitchen island. It’s just her and I. No one else appears to live in the packhouse full time. I was able to talk with her while she cleaned and I discovered she is the exact person to be friends with. She seems to be able to cook anything I could ever want, she’s not afraid to give me a little sass, but is never disrespectful and she knows everything about everyone.“So are you looking for your mate here Alpha? Rumors are already flying around about the handsome, young, mateless alpha we now have.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me.“My wolf is always on the lookout for our mate, but I will find her when I am ready, not before, the Moon Goddess won’t allow it.”“So, you’ll be entertaining then, while you wait?” She gives me a disapproving look my own mother would be proud of.“Well, I have to keep the urges at bay somehow.” I shrug and don’t know why I am so defensive or even having this conversation. I can stare down other Alphas backed
17 - KennedyGreta has me learn with her and then pairs me with other female warriors so I can learn to adapt to each person's movement and tells.“Damn, girl, you are good. You’re fast without the added speed a wolf gives, you have clearly put the time in. This is going to be fun. Are you going to join us in the morning?” Greta asks as I dodge another swipe from her arms. I don’t think she’s really trying her hardest, but I am getting a workout so I won’t complain. I would like to see her spar with one of the guys though and just let loose.“What’s in the morning?” I pant, she’s not letting me distract her at all.“The Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and a select team of warriors train together. We work the closest with the Alpha and are usually his detail when he travels. It also gives him a chance to train without prying eyes and drooling females.” She rolls her eyes. “I mean, I see the appeal. He's an alpha and he’s hot, but I don’t understand the girls who would gladly give u
18 - Kennedy“What’s happening tonight? Gamma Bennet said ‘dinner party’ but what does that mean exactly? I get the feeling there is so much more going on.” I ask as she starts to dry, tease and comb my hair. I have no idea what she is doing and I don’t really care. This is her party, so I will do whatever she wants. She clearly loves having a girl to play dress up with too, which makes me smile because I don’t hate having it done. She made quick work of a simple hair style. She moves on to my make-up next. It’s light without a ton of layers or heavy colors. She explains tonight’s purpose as she finishes up.“Well my brother, as I’m sure you have heard, tends to take on packs who are smaller or weaker.”“Yeah, something like that.” I give her a wry smile. Everyone has heard of the Dark Moon alpha and his aggressive takeovers. I have also heard he doesn’t speak, he just maims and he’s scary as sh*t. We haven’t seen him at all today, but he’s supposed to be here at some point
19 - RykerWe are more than halfway into our trip and I get a mindlink from Danny.“Alpha, you are not going to believe who just graced our pack with her presence.”“I hate guessing games Danny. What’s going on?” I rub my temples. The paperwork from Linda for the most part seems on the up and up, but there are a few numbers that don’t make sense on the first glance.“Your new brother-in-law’s lead warrior is a female.”“So what, we have a ton of very talented female warriors. I’m pretty sure Greta beat your ass with one hand tied behind her back last week.” I laugh at him the same way I did last week when it happened.Greta is a force and one of my closest friends outside of my Beta, Gamma and Delta. It’s hard for us to have real friends and I basically close myself off to everyone but them and my sister. Greta worked her way into my good graces when we took her pack from an Alpha that was literally abusing his pack members. His Beta was no better, but he had killed his Gamma
20 - Ryker“Yeah, boss. They’re still here.” Josh is always ‘on.’“You coming down to check out the fresh meat?” Danny laughs.“Danny, don’t be a d*ck, they actually aren’t bad. They’ve all kept up with us.” Bennet, always looking for the positive.“Even the human is decent, boss. She’s actually training with Greta…and keeping up. I was worried about her getting hurt until she threw Tanya about ten minutes ago.” Josh is less easily impressed.“You should come take a look. Like I said, she’s hot and if she’s single I call dibs over all you f*ckers.”“I still think you’re trying too hard. Did you really have to stop them and shift when they got here? Don’t think Josh and I missed that little d*ck swinging stunt.” Bennet laughs through the link.Man, I have missed these guys. They keep me sane and somewhat normal. I am nothing special to them when we are hanging out like this. Even if it’s just over the mindlink.“It is my job as the head warrior to check out all incoming visito
21 - Kennedy “Damn, girl! No one stands a chance. You look gorgeous! Now for the finishing touch.” She hands me these black crystal chandelier earrings. I step back to take in the whole look and she isn’t wrong. She did a great job. My blonde hair is in a high ponytail with a soft beach wave to it and a black crystal hair piece. My eye make-up is smokey and sexy, but soft, making my blue eyes pop. A shimmer blush highlighting my cheeks and a deep red lip that pops with all the black. I look like me, just enhanced. Then I turn around and see I am not the only one who is glammed up. Rayna has on a deep forest green velvet dress that looks soft and luscious. The long sleeves accentuate her long arms and the boat neck makes her swan-like neck look regal and shows off her neck where her mark will go. Her slightly flared skirt hits her thigh like mine. When she turns around the whole back is open, showing off her beautiful soft skin. She left her hair down, but styled over one shoulder to
22 - Ryker I linger in the stands a bit longer wondering about the human warrior Alpha Jeremiah brought with him. Clearly it wasn’t a pity or obligatory thing like I thought. They have been here all day and now I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get to witness more of what she is capable of. The little I caught let me know Danny wasn’t exaggerating at all. I stop mid stand. Where the hell did that thought come from? I’ve never cared about watching warriors fight. I would rather be in the fray with them. I shouldn’t care about what a human from another pack can do, I have plenty on my plate now. I don’t need a distraction in the form of a curvy blonde who’s legs look like they would fit perfectly around my wai…No! I shake my head at the thought. I need to go get ready, because as much as Robin wants this to just be a party and for us to have fun and socialize. This is business too and I have to entertain these new guys, make sure they are actually on board with the changes and i
23 - Kennedy Other than my senses being fried from being hyper aware of his presence all night I am having a great time. I have had the chance to talk to a bunch of the warriors that were at training with us today. And like all warriors we discussed totally practical things like the best fighting styles, best meals and what times of the day we thought were best for training and of course, my personal favorite, the best fight scenes in the best fight movies. Many of them are around my age and still in high school too so we talk about the strains of doing all of that and what they are planning to do after school is over. It’s cool to hear that they have options, even as warriors, with so many packs to take care of. These people are amazing and have me laughing the whole night and for the first time in a long time my guys aren’t hovering. They seem to be enjoying themselves too, instead of playing my bodyguards. That doesn’t mean that they went too far from me, but it’s a start. And Ray
24 - FinnI slide out of the SUV looking around. This feels like a trap, and yet none of the usual alarms are going off in my head. My wolf and I have established a decent radar for bad situations. Avoiding them is our top priority. I’m not sure what it is about Kennedy and Ryker, but I have not had one single instance of distrust with either of them the entire time we have been in the Dark Moon pack.“Greta! Finn!” I whip around to see Kennedy at the top of a ridiculously tall staircase. “Well, don’t just stand there, come on!” She waves us up excitedly.It’s almost strange to have someone excited to see me. Nan was it, as far as I can remember, other than the pups at Dark Moon. But, they are excited to see most people, so they don’t really count. I always have Sammy and some of the other guys. We fight side by side and hope each one makes it out alive. We have had to leave guys behind and move forward, move on to the next location. I couldn’t tell you where we laid those people to
23 - GretaI sit and stare at the door for a long while. There’s no sound on the other side. He’s not showering or anything, just waiting for me to leave. I should feel relieved. He told me to go and I wish I could make my body do just that, but I’m locked here in place, my wolf is willing him to come out. His wolf is blocking her and I can feel her heartbreak. Something’s changed and she’s hurting. Add it to the list of things for me to feel guilty about.I stand, frustrated, and take a deep breath of his lingering scent, then get an idea. I run my hands on the pillows and blankets. Anything soft in this room I touch. At the very least, maybe he will sleep okay tonight. I need to talk to Kennedy, this is something I don’t know how to navigate. I still don’t want a mate. It’s not fair to Finn that I am broken and can’t be fixed. I don’t like the idea of him hurting over it either._It has been weeks and FInn is nowhere in sight. I can feel him when he’s near, but he is avoiding m
22 - GretaI swore a long time ago that I would never relive those days ever again. Even Ryker doesn’t have the whole story. And now I have this massive guy using the mate bond against me. My wolf is ready to just spill her guts to this pretty boy and his wolf just for being so stubbornly sweet.“They can help us. They are already helping. This human is nothing like the rogues who took your pack.”“I know, I know. But it doesn’t make it easy. I haven’t talked about this in a long time. I don’t want the nightmares again. I just started sleeping well.”“You sleep better after you have been in close contact with him, you know that right? The last two days have been heaven.”I have to fight a growl at her. She’s not wrong, but I don’t want to admit I noticed the same thing. Even in the cave, he was able to wake me from a nightmare. No one has been able to do that, not even Ryker. It took seconds for me to recognize him. Normally those memories take hours to fade and I see shadows
21 - Finn“No, I can’t. Please.” She whispers to me trying to squirm out of my hold.“Stop.” I pull her face back to mine. “Look at me.”She opens her eyes and immediately starts to scan. I haven’t pulled her out of the elevator yet, but there is something she doesn’t want to see down here.“Stop looking for an exit. Look at me.” I slide my hands up like blinders.“I can’t, FInn. Please…” She trails off, finally looking into my eyes. “Please.” It’s barely a whisper. She rarely uses my name and she never begs.“Talk to me. You laid with me for two days. You made sure I came out of that battle. Let me help you with this one. Talk. To. Me.” I can feel her chest heaving against mine.“I can’t be down here, not again. I don’t do underground.”“Tell me why.” I try to pull us out of the elevator, but she locks her hands around my wrists and digs her heels in.“No!” Her body is afraid. But her eyes are sharp and determined. Something happened and muscle memory is kicking in. I can’t imagine
20 - FinnListening to Greta joke around with Grant should make me jealous. That was always the case with Amy. I hated every guy she talked to or smiled at. I never knew or trusted her motives. She would constantly check to see my reaction. After a while, I had nothing to give outwardly, but inside my wolf and I were dying. I don’t get any of that with these two in the front seat. They are friends and colleagues joking about nicknames they have been given. I have heard Kennedy call him Jeeves and he just smiles and lets her. It’s not for the same reaction I am looking for from Greta when I call her ma’am.She’s been quiet for a while, but snorting and huffing means she’s probably giving Ryker a run-down of what happened. She seems more relaxed thinking I am asleep and her voice wraps around me like silk without the harsh undertone she normally directs my way.“Bossman said meet him at the hospital. Kennedy is losing her mind over what happened to Finn and I want a sample of his
19 - GretaFinn jumps in the back seat, tilts his head back and closes his eyes. Welp, I guess we aren't talking on the ride home.“Greta, you can rest too. It’s been a long week for you and the drive is going to be…”“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” I side eye Grant. “If you jinx us, I will harm you.”Grant rolls his eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”“Seriously? You too!”“What?!” He asks, not trying to hide his laugh.“You are not allowed to call me that, so knock it off.” I look out my window to hide my smirk. I don’t hate the title. I hate that Finn says it like it’s an insult.“You let Finn call you that.” My head whips over my left shoulder to make sure Finn is still sleeping.“Shh! I do not. He just doesn’t listen and it isn’t worth the fight.”“Sure, that’s what we’re gonna go with.”I smack his chest. “Since when are you so talkative? Don’t you normally just sit here all stoic and sh*t chauffeuring us around.”“I like to refer to it as defensive driving, ma’am. And, for your in, I
19 - GretaFinn jumps in the back seat, tilts his head back and closes his eyes. Welp, I guess we aren't talking on the ride home.“Greta, you can rest too. It’s been a long week for you and the drive is going to be…”“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” I side eye Grant. “If you jinx us, I will harm you.”Grant rolls his eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”“Seriously? You too!”“What?!” He asks, not trying to hide his laugh.“You are not allowed to call me that, so knock it off.” I look out my window to hide my smirk. I don’t hate the title. I hate that Finn says it like it’s an insult.“You let Finn call you that.” My head whips over my left shoulder to make sure Finn is still sleeping.“Shh! I do not. He just doesn’t listen and it isn’t worth the fight.”“Sure, that’s what we’re gonna go with.”I smack his chest. “Since when are you so talkative? Don’t you normally just sit here all stoic and sh*t chauffeuring us around.”“I like to refer to it as defensive driving, ma’am. And, for your in, I
18 - GretaI can’t help looking over at Finn every few minutes. The last two days were scary and not much scares me anymore. My wolf was right and he needed me to heal and deal with the poison that was flowing in his body. My wolf took her time cleaning each and every wound on his body. There were over a hundred cuts and scrapes to take care of and we had to shift every twelve hours for her to lick them clean. The saliva would stop the bleeding for a while, but they would become a slow leak to handle again. Once we got the wounds to close completely we found that he would have a seizure if I stepped away from him. I was afraid to even go to the bathroom and neither of us ate much and I had to dribble water into his mouth to try to keep him hydrated.“Just ask, Princess. Stop staring at me like that.” His walk looks strong, but I have been around him long enough to see the small struggles he has moving.“You said you are not wanted, that no one wants or trusts you but Kennedy. Why do
17 - FinnI take a deep breath in, my ribs are sore, but I can breathe. I can feel my legs and arms. I swear the toxin was taking over before I passed out from the blinding pain. I know I have a resistance to Claude’s toxin, but I also know how badly I was injured by Janelle and Justin’s guys. I shouldn’t be able to think let alone feel. I shouldn’t be alive. Assessing the rest of my body, there isn’t any more pain. I am aware of my body laying on something soft and I am very warm, but can’t seem to force my body to move.My eyes are glued shut for some reason, maybe I am still fighting off the toxin. Another deep breath and a sweet soft fragrance lulls me back into the darkness. Maybe I am dead or dying and the Goddess is making the trip back to her more comfortable. I let the sweet smell engulf me and allow the soft darkness to take over.“Should we wake them?” A deep voice stage whispers.“Nah, but make sure she knows that we know she’s a cuddler. That…she will never live down.”