Thank you Louise, Shakira, Lidia, Modestus, Katie, Carmon,Trista, Tina, Andrea, Ricky, Allison, Yvonne, Lora, Jessica, Alicat, Deshea, Anna, Midnight, Estephany, Simone, Jahida, Sydney, Karen, Lauraheytens, Carouselia, Jenny, Trisha, Cheryl, Gremlin's mom, Mawarda, Sandra, Alison, and Mandy for all the comments and gems. I appreciate each one of you! Hope you enjoy the chapter. I will have another in a bit after editing.AJRB
Frankie POV I can’t believe my Little Bee is such a badass. I know her mom was, I saw that first hand and I have been told that her dad was too. You would never know that she was in a life threatening car wreck less than a week ago. When the rogue alert came in my first reaction was to tell her to head for the bunker, I should have known better. She even shifted on the fly, the landing was a disaster, but she dug in and kept moving. She truly was a warrior out there today, Kolt wanted to protect her and I had to rein him in. If he had hovered, she would have hated me for it. What I did find truly inspiring was that her friend Maisey, followed her into battle. That is true friendship and leadership, because Maisey owes this pack nothing. If we’re being honest we owe her a debt of gratitude for the protection she gave Nikki in Nevada. Gideon too if I am being honest. If he wasn’t gay and a vampire, I would have serious issues with him. The way he clutched her closer to him the night
Nikki POV When Maisey and I returned to the mansion we were ambushed. And by ambush I mean we were met with three needy best friends sitting on the front steps. “Hey guys, what’s up?” I said as we approached. “Apparently you are and you weren’t at the track oval, like Frankie said you were,” Charity chided. I rolled my eyes, “Sorry mom, Maisey and I raced to K&T after we finished our laps. I didn’t think to call to ask for permission,” I sneered. “You went to K&T without us?” Jonas whined. “Oh for fuck’s sake! What’s your damage Louise?” I spat out. “No damage here. We see how it is, no time for your lifelong best friends anymore.” Silvie huffed out. I would have replied if Frankie hadn’t come out of the front door and beat me to it. “What the hell is wrong with you three? There has been a shitton of stuff going on since Nikki got home. She hasn’t been ignoring anyone.” “Of course she hasn’t been ignoring you Alpha. She’s been in your bed every night,” Charity said, her words laced w
Nikki POV “We have 36 beds prepared, there is toilet tissue and hand soap in the bathrooms, towels, washcloths and 3 in 1 cleanser in the shower rooms dispensers,” I recited as Charity followed behind me with a list on the clipboard I gave her. “You have Silvie, Jonas and Maisey stocking the kitchenette with water and snacks,” she added as I continued to check and make sure we were prepared for the first of our arrivals. “Nikki, I think you have triple checked everything and then double checked that,” Charity said trying to reassure me that I hadn’t missed anything. I was nervous because this was unofficially my first event as the Luna to be in our pack. I know there are a lot of elders who are watching me already, since Frankie and I have not hidden our relationship publicly. “Okay, I am pretty sure the training center is ready for the warriors. Let’s head over to the pack house and check those rooms,” I said, biting my lip and looking around the area one last time. I nodded my hea
Nikki POV “Nikki we have to go meet our guests and get them settled. The guards at the territory gates just linked that the Desert Moon Warriors are here,” Frankie cut into the conversation. “Ok guys we’ll see you later. Maisey, I will see you in a few hours when your parents arrive?” I asked as I stood from the booth. “No, actually I will come with you now. I miss visiting with Ernesto and the other warriors,” she replied and I nodded. I took Frankie’s hand as we headed towards the training center where the warriors would be staying until this was all over. “Do you know which warriors were coming with Ernesto?” Frankie asked as we walked to the training center. “Actually, I don’t. Alpha Isha said that Ernesto would be leading a group of highly skilled warriors that he personally selected.” I replied wondering the same thing. Luna Fran and Alpha Kieran were already waiting at the entrance to the training center with Beta Bill, Gamma Xavier, and Emily. “I walked through the training c
Law Enforcement POV “Chief Jones, Have you seen this footage? You’re gonna want to come in here.” Detective Smith said. “What do you have, Smith?” Chief Jones asked. “Looks like multiple shipments of drugs and guns. The footage looks like it is coming from someone's eyewear,” Detective Smith responded. “This is down at the docks and most of those are owned by private corporations, unless this person was smart enough to get a sign on camera, it could take weeks to figure out which one.” Chief Jones sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Wait a minute! Pause video, enhance sector G 1 through 3. Right there, do you see it?” Detective Smith pointed to his screen. “Rip Claw Corporation, that’s owned by Hollis Quisling,” Chief Jones read the sign on the screen. “What do you want to do, Chief? We need to roll on this,” Detective Smith said with conviction. “Get the DEA, DHS, and FBI on the phone. Also get Johnson, Williams, Anderson , and Miller to meet us at the docks in full gear
Nikki POV Frankie got called out of training and left Tatum in charge. It's kind of like parents leaving and putting their youngest child in charge. Tatum is an excellent fighter in wolf form in battle, but he can’t be serious otherwise. “Come on princess, you can do better. Just because you’re Frankie’s girl doesn’t mean you can slack off,” Tatum said as I sparred with AA. Apparently Tatum is a closet misogynistic pig or stupid, maybe both. I chose AA because he is a damn lunatic and unpredictable. It makes me think fast and if he knocks me on my ass, it isn’t because he’s a guy and I am a girl. AA will even be the first to tell you that I am a worthy competitor. Aside from our first sparring match out in Nevada where I knocked him on his ass, we have traded many blows. His psycho challenges my skill level and allowed me to develop my hand to hand over time. I picked myself up off the ground and glared at him. “Oh? You think I am slacking? Or maybe you think AA is going easy on me
Alpha Hollis POV After a long morning of supervising the latest shipment, I began to feel fatigued and decided to go for a little pick me up. There is one of those doughnut and coffee establishments three blocks down. I stepped away from the docks long enough to get a cup of coffee and check on that wretched daughter of mine. The girl has proven useless thus far, of course she is a female and a female wolf is only worth the heir they can produce. I wasn’t gone long and I didn't expect that when I came back to see the human authorities with my men at gunpoint. I can't seem to get close enough without risking being seen to hear what it is they're saying, even with werewolf hearing. The men who work for me, know their lives depend on keeping their pathetic human mouths shut! The best I can do is observe from the alley way to determine how much damage control will need to be done. From the Alley I can see that my men are being taken into custody, though it is hard to say exactly where th
Nikki POV Do you remember the time in your life when everything in the world was nearly perfect? You know, back before you found out that as beautiful as the word is, it is full of evil too? That was some time before 12 years of age for me. This isn’t one of those, if I could go back and do it over thoughts. It’s a ‘I would love to have that type of peace again in my life’ kind of thought. I wouldn’t trade anything for Frankie though. It’s hard to believe that six months ago he was a crush, and two nights from now he will be my chosen mate. I would have never believed you if you had told me back even in January that my life would be what it is today. That I would have new friends that I hold just as dear as Jonas and the twins. Though to me, Gideon is more the big brother I always wished I had. I want Gideon to find that special someone to cherish for the rest of his existence, he has always suffered through the loss of human lovers starting with Dakarai and ending with Phinneas. Ma
Mia POV I am not one hundred percent sure what Kendall means by public awaits, but I know I wouldn’t be dressed like this for any small event. So I eagerly placed my hand in his and followed Kendall to the back of the packhouse. When we stepped out of the back door we weren’t outside though. There was a dome that had been erected and decorated like a grand ballroom. The linens were deep burgundy and the table decor was greenery heavily trimmed in gold. The scene was absolutely breathtaking and my heart was so full, my chest could have burst right open. This had been done for me? But why? When a familiar voice came over the P.A. system, my head whipped in the direction of a small stage. “So, when I used to tease my sister about sending her far away to some evil Alpha, I never really thought about the fact that she might actually end up on the other side of the country mated to an Alpha that absolutely adores her. Phoenix Storm, may I present to you the guest of honor Luna Mia Rose De
Mia POV As Gabby drove me home I thought about Nikki and Frankie’s romantic evening ahead. I won’t lie, I am just a little jealous. Frankie is still attentive to Nikki, and I wish I could say the same was true for Kendall and I. Maybe I should try getting all dressed up and taunt Kendall with naughty suggestions. But sex doesn’t really seem to be our problem though, he’s been a little cold and closed off, he even has the mind-link blocked most of the time. Maybe I should go home for a visit. It has been a few weeks since I have seen mommy and daddy and I really haven’t gotten to know Eli’s mate Cadence. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, so maybe if we spent a little time apart things will get better. There has to be something wrong with our bond, every couple I know can barely stand to be apart from one another. I was so deep into my own thoughts that I hadn't realized the Hummer had stopped. I was going to ask why we had stopped outside of the gates when I noticed a ba
Kendall POV Do you have any idea how hard it has been keeping a secret from Mia? It means I have had to keep my block up on the mate bond and keep mind-links to a minimum so that she doesn’t find out what I have been planning. The whole no Luna ceremony thing has really bothered me and I asked her again to consider it after I picked up the ring that I commissioned Simone to make. No go, she doesn’t need a celebration to know that the pack loves and accepts her. The thing is that pack members have asked when we will be celebrating their luna. They are so excited to finally have one and they want to shower her with affection. So while it is really a little late to have a luna ceremony because she is really their luna in every way possible, it’s never too late to just celebrate her. So the pack has been secretly planning a celebration for her. When she comes back from Cold Moon this afternoon she will hopefully be surprised. Once she cleared the gates this morning we started putting
Mia POV Everyone around here has been acting a little weird lately. No one seems to have time to talk and they are always in a hurry. Even Kendall seems distracted at times, I know we have a lot going on, but he has been so attentive from day one that it has me worried. Could our bond be broken or maybe just not as strong as everyone else’s seems to be? I really just don’t understand. I have decided that I am going to meet with Nikki and the rest of the girls at K&T this morning. I am in serious need of some girl time and a decent macchiato. I went to knock on Kendall’s office door and let him know I will be leaving for the day. “Come in,” he called out when I knocked. Gordon and Bertie were in the office with Kendall and it looks as though they are going over some sort of paperwork. I walked over and gave Kendall a kiss and said, “I am heading over to Cold Moon to have macchiatos with the girls, I will be back this afternoon. Kendall reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys
Kendall POV Things went so well meeting with the elders today and I couldn’t be happier. I realize that a name change isn’t much in reality, but I feel like it is one more step away from my father and all of his misdeeds and something that will have a positive effect on pack morale. I am curious as to what Frankie wants to speak with me about, perhaps it is just the formality of signing the alliance that we verbally agreed to back in Atlantic City. Now that we have decided on the name change, we can move forward with the fealty ceremony and that should be another step in the right direction in the healing process of the pack. If it were a financially viable option, I would have this pack house demolished and build a new one to destroy more of the bad memories. I have a little more than two hours before Frankie should arrive and I asked Anita and Letty to keep Mia distracted while I pay Simone a visit. Hopefully they have interpreted what I had in my head into another of their stun
Mia POV I am so proud of the progress that Kendall has made at sifting through the mess left behind by Hollis and the rogues. I can’t even call that vile man Kendall’s father and would never call him an Alpha. He was a disgrace to that title and his picture is next to the definition of evil in the dictionary. I don’t understand how any person can do half of the things he has done and still sleep at night. We discovered that Hollis had a lab set up in one of the warehouses, where he was testing the effects of some of the weapons he had been trafficking on different pack members who had angered him. Dr.Lynn from Cold Moon Pack came with an experimental cure that actually worked wonders in helping those who had been experimented on. She tried to explain that she used vampire blood to make some sort of protein fusion with the endoplasmic reticulum… I am definitely not science minded and it was all gibberish to me. It worked and that’s all that really matters, right? Apparently Holli
Kendall POV I honestly didn’t know what I expected to find sifting through the mess left behind by the rogues and my father’s Beta and Gamma. But the level of depravity was astounding. They took everything they could from my people and when I say everything, I do mean everything. They collected what they called ‘taxes’ but in all reality was just their greed. The more a pack member had the more they took and worse was the treatment of unmated females no matter their status. They had the packhouse running as a brothel and if a female wouldn’t submit to their whims… I just can’t even talk about it. Poor Cookie won’t tell me what she has been through and I won’t force it, but I know it had to have been bad. I accidentally knocked the broom onto the floor when I entered the kitchen and she went into complete hysterics. I had to call Dr. Lynn who came from the Cold Moon Pack hospital to sedate her. I spoke to the human authorities this morning and found that they would not allow me to
Mia POV After the battle was over, our injured and dead were transported off of the field. Kendall, my dad and I made our way to the Rip Claw packhouse. Kendall asked one of the omegas to get some fresh clothing and show my dad to the guest suite so he can shower and change. We stopped by Keegan’s room to find something for me to change into, then we made our way to Kendall’s room to shower and change. I wasn’t completely thrilled with wearing his psycho, dead sister’s clothes, but now is not the time to be picky. “How do you feel, Alpha?” I asked as we undressed quickly to get into the shower. “Relieved it’s over, if I am totally honest,” he sighed. “We freed our people and that is the important part,” I replied. “You said our people,” Kendall grinned. I looked down not knowing if I had misspoken and said, “Well, I hope they are our people anyway. You haven’t changed your mind have you?” He used a finger to lift my chin and his eyes sparkled with excitement. “Yes Luna, they are our
Kendall POV We spent the day in training yesterday and I have to say watching Mia was truly fascinating. She is remarkable both in hand to hand and in wolf form. Her movements were fierce yet graceful; she was no delicate little flower. I have said it before and I will likely say it many times more; She is my treasure, my perfect blessing from Selene. Today is the day and I wish I could say that I am ready for it but the truth is I have slept for crap these last two nights. Don’t get me wrong there is no love lost over killing my father. Quite the opposite actually. It has been two nights of the same thing on loop in my dreams, my father telling me I am worthless, I can’t do this, and he will always win. Today is the day I prove him wrong though once and for all. He may be dead, but he is still in my head and the sooner we free Rip Claw from the rogues and begin rebuilding, the better. There is so much riding on this that if I let my father’s words sway me, I would fail. Failure is