**TORA**Something isn't right. Argos has never tried to push forward like this. He has never tried to take hold of my body without my permission. Not only that, it's supposed to be fucking impossible for any wolf to do this other than the Alphas. I can hear Cree and Jericho barking orders. I can mainly hear Cree talking to the Healer and telling Jericho that if Argos keeps trying to force his way to the forefront I could die. But in all honesty, I don't think that's right. Even the attempt should have killed me. But for whatever reason, I am still breathing. My wold is strong and wise and if he is trying to break through the surface it should be for a good reason.I hear Cree yell in my mind. 'God dammit, Tora. Push Argos back..'I can hear him yell something to Argos in my mind but it's so muffled I can't make it out. So I finally let go of the hold and let Argos gain control of my body. I either die, or I live. But fighting my wolf like this could be my demise quicker than it coul
*TORA* Her condition looks worse than I thought it was. That pool of blood I found her in was heavier than I thought. They brought in machines to take pictures of every wound inside and out. They have her almost naked on the bed and it is taking everything in me not to shift again. But I have to tell Argos and myself that this is for her health. This is what needs to be done to help her so she can live. But something is digging into my chest as I finally notice everything.She is bleeding from many gashes and wounds and none of it is stopping, which means her wolf is too weak. Her cheeks look broken, and both of her lips are split in several spots. My lip begins to quiver in pain and anger.Her eyes are swollen shut. She looks like she has been hit by a fucking truck. I see the doctors stitching up her back. Multiple stab wounds. Not by claws, but by knives. It can't be the creature that killed Julri. But someone with a grudge against Estelle. But who? She was so sweet and soft-spok
*ESTELLE*Dimming lights of the world surrounding me let me know that there is no where I belong. A mate that didn’t want to bring me to his pack in fear of upsetting a girlfriend. Leaving me alone in a pack with cruel Alpha as my master and wanna be chosen mate. ‘Estelle, baby. Please be okay.’ I hear the words ring in my mind. Baby? I am not his baby. His girlfriend is his baby. But as much as I want to deny it, those words give me strength. And something more. Hope.That is a word that someone like me should never hold onto. Something that is so beyond my reach, I wouldn’t even know which direction to go to obtain it.“That is because you think so lowly of yourself. It is disheartening, really.” Darra purrs in my head and through the bright white lights of my mind she walks into view. A whole new color I have never seen before. She was just a dirty brown wolf before. But now, she is a red wolf. And it looks like she is evolving. “That is because I am, Estelle. We may not be ble
*TORA* What the fuck is she talking about rejecting her? For what? Adrienne? Not in a million fucking years. I stand up quickly from the bed. I can feel the rage in me, but I don’t want to scare her. “I don’t understand, Estelle. Why would I reject you?” She looks shocked at my question. Did she want me to? She looked like she was hurt when I was leaving her in her pack. I am so confused. “You have a life here, and you barely know me. You have a rank, friends, and a girlfriend. And I can’t just come into your life and expect anything to change for you just because the Goddess decided to throw me on your doorstep. I appreciate you making sure I am okay. But you don’t have to choose me just because the Goddess told you to. I mean you DID leave me in my pack and then when I came to you are telling your girlfriend you can’t be with her because of your mate.” Her words are like knives to my chest. So she wants me to reject her? I guess it does look bad and stupid. I thought I would h
*TORA*“Is she okay?” Jericho asks from the doorway, trying to soothe the hospital. He needs a Luna, even when he is trying his hardest his aura is still so imitating. I look at my beautiful but timid mate. “She could be better, but that definitely didn’t help. I don’t understand. This type of thing happens all the time, why would he attack me like that?” I say to Jericho but my eyes never leave her. “Go get her fed, and you guys will need to meet me in the conference room to talk to Adrienne. I already have her waiting there. I will go talk to Cree and escort him there. This situation will hopefully be squashed today.” He sighs, and when I look at him he is rubbing his eyes. “He is very exhausted, you guys must really put him through the ringer.” I hear her angelic voice fill the room. I just chuckle. “Ms. Estelle, I appreciate you thinking of me. That is very kind.” He says with a smile. “Someone is going to have to, your Luna will be arriving here soon.” I say without another t
*ESTELLE*He carried me. The whole way to the packhouse. How does someone have enough strength to tote me? And I told him I could walk there but he insisted…“Do you have a favorite food?” He says, his deep voice tearing me away from the fact that I am still in his arms. Looking up to him, his perfect, yet exhausted eyes were fixated on me. “I don’t. I haven’t had my choice of foods.” I need to quit talking.. I can’t keep telling him the things I haven’t had. If I keep talking I will definitely slip up about what happened… Before he can ask any other questions, he tightens his grip on my body, making me wince in pain and a moan of discomfort escapes my lips. I guess I am still in a lot of pain. When he looks down at me, a small tear forms in his eyes. “What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” I say, as I wipe the tear as it falls. “I did not mean to hurt you. Please forgive me..” He says in a whisper as he places his forehead against mine. He’s crying… Because I winced?“I am okay. What
*TORA*I think what I just heard is wrong.. There is no way my best friend just told me that he and my now ex-girlfriend have been seeing each other the whole time behind my back. I mean around the same time that I started dating Adrianne. Why didn’t they just tell me? I would’ve backed off. I would’ve left her alone so they could be together. How could he ALLOW me to lay a fucking finger on her? I have had sex with her. I have been all over her in front of Cree. Just the fucking thought of someone even checking her out too long and I start to lose my fucking mind. Why would he lie to me? We are best friends. We don’t lie to each other. I have never lied to him. I have never kept anything from him. Can he not trust me? Did he think I would betray him and see her anyway? I mean Adrianne is beautiful and one of the coolest girls in the pack, but I would never toss my relationship with my best friend for her. I squeeze Estelle’s hand and stand on my feet. I start on my path to Cree,
**TORA** Instead of running in wolf form, I decide to run the fourwheelers down so Estelle can ride instead of being uncomfortable on Argos. Which he is hating right now. ‘But I want to be closer to her too. You're hogging her.’ Cue another eye roll. ‘Will you quit acting like a pup? You’re supposed to be the Beta of a pack and you’re whining.’ I tease before we round the corner to the crime scene that is taped off and the pack members have been ordered to stay away from the area. ‘Quit acting like a pup? Says the man who is clinged to her side and literally whined when she dropped your hand to hug Adrienne..’ Before I can fire back some smart ass comment, I can feel the air around me shift and my stomach drops to my feet. I pull up to the scene and where the body is laying is covered and Jericho and Cree are standing there speaking to each other with pale faces and a couple of tears. It is always heart wrenching when a pack member is killed, especially when you don’t know who i
***TORA*** Running, and chasing, and sniffing and really just letting Argos lead the way and use his primal instincts to find any clue of how this has happened. Not only again, but to my mother of all people. There is an eerily quiet feeling in this forest. The howl of wind that is usually shaking the leaves between the trees is halted as if the earth knows that there was a treachery just committed. The vibration under Argos’ paws really zing through me. Like it is trying to speak to me… Cedric howls in front of me, signaling that he has found a clue or a scent that we need to check out. My heart is pumping so fast, and the weight on my chest is so heavy that I can’t breathe. I had to walk away and leave Estelle alone. Alone in my pack, where she isn’t safe. But I must trust in Jericho. He will protect her. I stalk up to Cedric, the hair on Argos’ back standing straight up. Something is wrong. ‘It was a diversion. Whatever we have been trailing is just leading us further into th
***JERICHO’S POV*** Realization of what is to come and what I have to do and face is hitting me like a freight train. And right when I think things can’t get worse, they damn sure do. ‘Alpha.’ I hear the doctor in charge of Estelle’s recovery come through the mind link, sounding groggy and worried. ‘Yes Doctor Roark.’ I am almost afraid of what he is fixing to tell me. ‘You need to come back to Ms. Estelle’s room.’ He is a little more frantic.. Gods dammit.. Something else is wrong with this girl. I hate to say it but I don’t know if I could put up with the emotional turmoil a mate like this would give me.. They tell you about war. They tell you about running the pack, the finances, the hierarchy. They tell you that being a good Alpha comes with discipline, compassion and strict character. But they do not tell you that your Beta may become a world ending wolf if his rage is unchecked from the evils that are threatening his mate. They tell you how mates strengthen you and how
***JERICHO’S POV*** One of the strongest women I know is gone and now Tora and Cree are gone to follow the trail before it goes cold and they lose it. I am getting a million and one mind links so I have to send out a massive mind link telling everyone to hold their questions until we get some answers. Tora has been working on this case since it started and his dedication, even now, is showing through. I look over Estelle’s figure, trying to figure out why her presence makes me uneasy. And then I see it, not only is her skin as white as snow, but a single tear has fallen. I can see her mouthing something behind the curtain of her hair but I can’t make out what she is saying. Someone who has never seen a dead body mauled before would have screamed, thrown up, passed out or even just stared in shock unable to function. Ranking members like me and the guys have dealt with things like this before. So I know that this isn’t her first close encounter with this situation before. And becaus
***TORA*** A star? What fuckin star? So something was taken from whoever did this? But why her of all people in the pack? Every death here is a tragedy. But dammit. MY MOTHER. ‘We will burn the insides of the person responsible. No matter who it is.’ Argos growls, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I holler for Cree and Jericho to come and read what Estelle just read to me. On top of everything, I feel this growing anxiety and when I look at Estelle she is completely pale with her head dropped. The sight and the exhaustion of dealing with my emotions must be too much for her. The only thing more dreadful than seeing her so heartbroken at the scene is the fact that I am going to have to leave her to investigate this and try to find a trail of whoever did this and how the fuck they keep getting into our pack unnoticed. As Cree and Jericho are discussing the next steps I hear my name being called. “Tora?” I snap my eyes to Jericho. I mumble a Hmm in hopes he doe
**TORA** Instead of running in wolf form, I decide to run the fourwheelers down so Estelle can ride instead of being uncomfortable on Argos. Which he is hating right now. ‘But I want to be closer to her too. You're hogging her.’ Cue another eye roll. ‘Will you quit acting like a pup? You’re supposed to be the Beta of a pack and you’re whining.’ I tease before we round the corner to the crime scene that is taped off and the pack members have been ordered to stay away from the area. ‘Quit acting like a pup? Says the man who is clinged to her side and literally whined when she dropped your hand to hug Adrienne..’ Before I can fire back some smart ass comment, I can feel the air around me shift and my stomach drops to my feet. I pull up to the scene and where the body is laying is covered and Jericho and Cree are standing there speaking to each other with pale faces and a couple of tears. It is always heart wrenching when a pack member is killed, especially when you don’t know who i
*TORA*I think what I just heard is wrong.. There is no way my best friend just told me that he and my now ex-girlfriend have been seeing each other the whole time behind my back. I mean around the same time that I started dating Adrianne. Why didn’t they just tell me? I would’ve backed off. I would’ve left her alone so they could be together. How could he ALLOW me to lay a fucking finger on her? I have had sex with her. I have been all over her in front of Cree. Just the fucking thought of someone even checking her out too long and I start to lose my fucking mind. Why would he lie to me? We are best friends. We don’t lie to each other. I have never lied to him. I have never kept anything from him. Can he not trust me? Did he think I would betray him and see her anyway? I mean Adrianne is beautiful and one of the coolest girls in the pack, but I would never toss my relationship with my best friend for her. I squeeze Estelle’s hand and stand on my feet. I start on my path to Cree,
*ESTELLE*He carried me. The whole way to the packhouse. How does someone have enough strength to tote me? And I told him I could walk there but he insisted…“Do you have a favorite food?” He says, his deep voice tearing me away from the fact that I am still in his arms. Looking up to him, his perfect, yet exhausted eyes were fixated on me. “I don’t. I haven’t had my choice of foods.” I need to quit talking.. I can’t keep telling him the things I haven’t had. If I keep talking I will definitely slip up about what happened… Before he can ask any other questions, he tightens his grip on my body, making me wince in pain and a moan of discomfort escapes my lips. I guess I am still in a lot of pain. When he looks down at me, a small tear forms in his eyes. “What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” I say, as I wipe the tear as it falls. “I did not mean to hurt you. Please forgive me..” He says in a whisper as he places his forehead against mine. He’s crying… Because I winced?“I am okay. What
*TORA*“Is she okay?” Jericho asks from the doorway, trying to soothe the hospital. He needs a Luna, even when he is trying his hardest his aura is still so imitating. I look at my beautiful but timid mate. “She could be better, but that definitely didn’t help. I don’t understand. This type of thing happens all the time, why would he attack me like that?” I say to Jericho but my eyes never leave her. “Go get her fed, and you guys will need to meet me in the conference room to talk to Adrienne. I already have her waiting there. I will go talk to Cree and escort him there. This situation will hopefully be squashed today.” He sighs, and when I look at him he is rubbing his eyes. “He is very exhausted, you guys must really put him through the ringer.” I hear her angelic voice fill the room. I just chuckle. “Ms. Estelle, I appreciate you thinking of me. That is very kind.” He says with a smile. “Someone is going to have to, your Luna will be arriving here soon.” I say without another t
*TORA* What the fuck is she talking about rejecting her? For what? Adrienne? Not in a million fucking years. I stand up quickly from the bed. I can feel the rage in me, but I don’t want to scare her. “I don’t understand, Estelle. Why would I reject you?” She looks shocked at my question. Did she want me to? She looked like she was hurt when I was leaving her in her pack. I am so confused. “You have a life here, and you barely know me. You have a rank, friends, and a girlfriend. And I can’t just come into your life and expect anything to change for you just because the Goddess decided to throw me on your doorstep. I appreciate you making sure I am okay. But you don’t have to choose me just because the Goddess told you to. I mean you DID leave me in my pack and then when I came to you are telling your girlfriend you can’t be with her because of your mate.” Her words are like knives to my chest. So she wants me to reject her? I guess it does look bad and stupid. I thought I would h