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SIX | THORNS AND ROSES
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Atticus
The pull was pleasant, Atticus thought, as he allowed it to tow him out of the pack house and into the ornate gardens fringing the wide veranda. He had his suspicions about what it may be, but he didn’t focus on them. Instead, he let his eyelids droop, keeping them half closed as he navigated his way down the stairs.The uppermost floor of the pack house was home to the Alpha, Luna, and their family. It would belong solely to him once he found his Luna, but his parents would be welcome to stay under his reign. Most wolves, once their heirs had taken their place, chose to live away from the pack house, and moved into something smaller and more private.
Atticus had awoken early, intent on replying to a letter sent to him by the Alpha of the Lone Wind pack. Their allies to the south had heard rumours of a new pack forming, one built on ambition and treachery rather than tradition and l
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The Broken Alpha EIGHT | HAZE
Atticus Atticus’s honey-brown hair rippled as his fist thudded into Ralphin’s jaw. His Beta stumbled, and he spat blood onto the grass before hissing, “What’s got into you?” Everything about Ralphin was annoying him today. The cock-sure swagger of his walk, the sheen of his black hair, the glint in his onyx eyes – all of it made Atticus’s gut swell with rage. He bared his teeth at Ralphin, hardly allowing him a chance to adjust his defensive stance before baring down on him again, slamming first his right and then his left fist at him in a quick, brutal one-two that forced Ralphin back against the wooden fence. “Spit it out,” Ralphin growled, dark eyes narrowing. A bruise was already blooming across his tanned chin and cheek. Atticus held his positive firm, jerking his head for Ralphin to stand up to him, to fight. His Beta was one of the few wolves
The Broken Alpha NINE | ASCENDING
UnknownHe sat with a rigid back behind the ornate desk. It had belonged to his father, once – many years ago. He disliked it greatly, for both its bulk and its pompous, gilded edging, but it was a reminder of the father he had lost.Besides, he thought to himself with a secret half-smile, his father hadn’t liked it either.He brushed his dark hair forwards, covering the tips of his ears. A soft knock at the door startled him, but he relaxed into his chair as a familiar face peered around the door.“Alpha,” the woman greeted, smiling broadly before inclining her head. Shimmering waves of golden hair brushed her neck, sweeping across her wide shoulders, only to recoil, like the sea scrambling back from the shore, as she pulled herself upright.“Beta Ithia.” He inclined his head, too, though it was not e
The Broken Alpha TEN | HONOUR
LilyLily held the ring in her palm, tilting it back and forth. The garnet sparkled softly in the sunlight. She didn’t have long, but –But this was too important a moment to rush. She sighed, closing her fist over the ring as she re-read the words marked carefully on the paper before her. Rose had offered her a nicer piece of paper, framed with delicate flowers inked down the margins, but Lily had refused, choosing instead to use a piece torn from her notebook. It wasn’t as pretty, but her dad would know it had come from her.Her throat bobbed at the thought of her father sitting at the kitchen table, the same peanut butter and banana toast he favoured after training slipping from his fingers as his eyes traced the words of her betrayal. She was leaving him here, alone.Lily knew it was the lesser evil. She knew that, if she stayed, her da
The Broken Alpha ELEVEN | WOLF TO WOLF
AtticusThere was a knock at the door.Sighing, Atticus stretched his long legs out under the table. His office was smaller than his father’s, and he’d filled the shelves and surfaces with books – books on strategy, books on war – and rolled-up parchments that he’d pull out when a meeting was boring him, flicking idly through the reams of paper to drown out anecdotes of past pack negotiations. Still, the room stretched before him as the unexpected knock startled him from his thoughts.He’d been thinking about her. About Lily. About her scowl, and the wicked way her brown eyes would narrow at him. The glint of sunlight streaking across the floorboards and wooden desk had reminded him of how such light would make her hair shine golden-red in places; in turn, his mind had drifted to the way she’d flick her braid over her shoulder, both coy
The Broken Alpha TWELVE | WOODLAND
LilyDusk spluttered across the horizon, dripping between the trees, the last vestiges of sunlight pooling across the uneven ground. Lily watched her step as she strode through the undergrowth, wary of everything from fallen branches to malevolent creatures lurking in the shadows.Her pack thumped against her back and, exhausted, she drooped against the trunk of the nearest tree. Darkness trailed her, swallowing her whole as she crumpled onto a carpet of moss and twigs. Brushing strands of stray, wavy hair from her face, Lily bit her lip.Uncertainty stole her breath. Had she done the right thing? Though she was well trained in combat, she had never spent a night alone in the woods – let alone tried to make her home there.Yanking her pack to her front, Lily dug through its contents and pulled her canteen free. She had to ration her water intake until
The Broken Alpha THIRTEEN | DEATH'S IVY
LilyHer hand ached with tension as she tugged the zip downwards. Cold air stung her face as she peered through the gap, her heart stilling in her chest as she looked up at her father.“Dad?” Her voice was little more than a whisper, the words strained through a throat that suddenly felt too tight.His familiar face was a punch to the gut. He smiled down at her, crouching slowly, as if approaching a wild animal. Letting out a long, relieved breath, he extended a hand towards her. “I didn’t dare hope that I’d find you so easily.”Stepping into the cool night, Lily allowed her dad to heave her up. Fear churned at the knowledge that she’d been so easy to track, but she forced it aside, allowing an uneasy joy to fill her instead. This was wrong, she screamed internally, but something about his presence made her forget al
The Broken Alpha FOURTEEN | STONEHEART
UnknownHe was in the bathroom, deftly sweeping shower-damp, dark hair across the pointed tips of his ears when he felt it. Grey eyes turned to steel, cutting through the mist fogging the mirror.Alongside the steady thumping of his own heart was the beat of another. This was a feeling he had grown used to, one normal, natural, even, for his kind. For two long years, he had learnt to live without that feeling, that echo. Her cruel words had taken its place, pumping through his veins and turning his heart to stone so as to lessen their sting.Until he had seen her eyes in that dappled wilderness, and felt the purity of love’s kiss all over again.This was different. This was not the steady, reassuring beat of her heart alongside his. His gut clenched, and his hands felt too light for his body. His eyes unfocused, until he was no longer able to make out
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The Broken Alpha 109 | EPILOGUE
LilyLily stared down at the letter, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. There had been something nagging at her, ever since the battle, and at last she understood what it was.Lily,Or I suppose I should refer to you by your proper title. Luna Lily,I always knew you would grow to be a completely insufferable pack leader. We last met at the Great Battle, as it is already being termed – and, really, should we not wait until longer than a few months have passed before we name things with such grandiose titles? – but you did not seem to recognise me. If I were another, I may have been hurt by that. Then again, you never were very good at seeing through my disguises.Therefore, I have decided to be blunt. I have lost everything. My home and my people are gone. I took that Alpha wolf you had a soft spot for, Atticus, to bargain with Blood Moon. To no avail, might I add. He was more irksome than he was useful, so he has been deposited back in his rightful home. The issue is this: I have no
The Broken Alpha 108 | HEARTFELT
ElijahElijah stared up into Lily’s beautiful face. “Elijah?” she breathed. He gazed at her, feeling like he was staring straight into the sun. Her warmth enveloped him, bringing heat into his frozen limbs. Elijah flexed his fingers and toes, waiting for the dark to swallow him once more.But it did not. He waited and waited, his heart in his throat, but nothing happened. He took a breath, then another. And life went on. His life went on.“I’m alive?” he whispered, raising his bloodied hands to the morning sun. “I think so?” Lily laughed; it broke, becoming a sob. Gently, he was lowered to the ground. They fell into each other, their hands clutching desperately, their bodies pressed flush. Elijah dropped his forehead against Lily’s, just breathing for a moment, relishing in the way his chest hollowed and filled with air. “You’re alive,” she whispered, pulling back to stare at him with wonder swimming in her eyes. “How? I saw you. I,” a hiccup cut her off, and more tears filled h
The Broken Alpha 107 | SUNRISE
Lily“Lily?” her dad murmured, his strong hand settling on her trembling shoulder. “Lils, we can’t stay here. We need to go home.”Sunlight fell in slanted beams through the trees, casting everything in a strange, gold-green light. Elijah looked more faelen than he ever had before, his skin pallid, his pointed ears sticking out of his long hair. She swallowed hard. Her face was dry and stiff with tears and her throat ached from screaming. And her heart lay in tatters on the ground beside him.“I won’t leave him,” she rasped, bowing over his too-still body and clutching at his torn clothes. “I can’t.”He sighed, the sound twisted and broken. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s all right. You don’t have to leave him. I won’t either.”She turned to look at her father with fresh tears beading along the dark sweep of her lashes. “You won’t leave me?”“Never again,” he swore. The lump in her throat grew too large for her to speak, but she nodded, her lips quivering. Silent sobs overcame her for
The Broken Alpha 106 | AUBURN
AtticusNeither Ralphin nor Trove spoke to Atticus as they went to face the Blood Moon pack. They kept sharing long glances, only looking away when Atticus tried to catch their eyes.The battle was already diminishing as they joined it. With the magic of Red Ripper gone, the wolves were shifting back into their human forms as the moon set. They had no leaders, no plan, and the Blood Moon pack were fresh and uninjured. Atticus barely had to think as he fell into the easy routine of fighting, punching and scraping and kicking. This part had always come to him with ease. It was other things he struggled with. Other things – like Lily. He slammed his fist into the jaw of a weedy, speckled wolf. Huh, he thought, it was no wonder that one had wanted to join Red Ripper and use their magical hoo-hah to get ahead. It didn’t stand a chance against a real wolf like him. He gripped its throat, squeezed, and something snapped deep within it. He dropped it to the ground, a sneer tugging at his mo
The Broken Alpha 105 | EMPTY
LilyNo.Lily could not think beyond that single word. This couldn’t be happening. She’d waited so long to see Elijah again, and now…No.She shoved out of Atticus’s arms, rage burning through her. “You,” she snarled, slamming her fists into his chest. His unharmed chest, which had been healed by Elijah. “You did this.”He looked at her blankly. “Of course I did. I did it for us, Lily. You would never have been truly happy with me while Alpha – Alpha Elijah lived. He was basically dead already.” He inspected his nails, wrinkling his nose as he picked out a sliver of dried blood.A sob built in her throat. She tore away from him and fell to her knees beside Elijah, gripping his ripped shirt in her fists and bowing her head over his. Her tears fell onto his face, blurring her vision so she couldn’t even see the man she loved. “Come back to me,” she rasped again, her whole body shaking with need.Warm hands pressed in on her. She recognised the touch of Elijah’s Beta, Ithia, and her own
The Broken Alpha 104 | IN DEATH
ElijahElijah fought through the darkness, every step excruciating. His burns seared his flesh, but he was alive. For now.His heart thrashed. The sounds of battle raged ahead, howls and choked off screams and the dull thumps of bodies smacking the ground. It was messy, undignified, and Elijah had never longed to be a part of something so badly.Because Lily had to be there. Everything in him was screaming that she was, even though the thick, pulsating magic cloying the air was throwing off the power of their mate bond. He could not pin her down – but still he knew.At last he reached the clearing. The remnants of magic hung heavy in the cool night air, sparking at his touch as he stepped through the boundary they’d made and through the ring of trees. He paused, sucking in heavy breaths, leaning heavily on a trunk as he tried to pick out Lily amongst the mass of wolves.Bile rose in his throat. Bodies were piled up everywhere, ringing the clearing, bloody and mutilated. He realised wi
The Broken Alpha 103 | KING
AtticusAtticus relished every racing beat of his heart. He was alive, more alive than he had ever felt, and each solid pound of it meant that he was still there. Still fighting.Still fighting for her.When he’d seen that arrogant, too-pretty-for-his-own-good, so-called Alpha kiss Lily, he’d seen red. He’d let that bright, burning red edging his vision become a prediction of the future: Apollo would bleed for all that he’d done. But this fight was no normal fight. Atticus was strong, brutally so, but Apollo never seemed to tire or lag. He had no weaknesses that Atticus could take advantage of, no faltering glances or too-slow reactions. He was on top form, all of the time, and Atticus’s energy was starting to wane.He whipped his head around, searching through the crowd for his Beta or Gamma. They were lost to the writhing sea of bodies, part of the blur of dark fur and bloody teeth surrounding him, packed tight in all directions. His pride kept him from asking them for help. Apoll
The Broken Alpha 102 | CEREMONIAL
LilyA howl shattered the clearing. It tore apart the chants, reverberating through each of the elements swirling through the darkness.The blade froze a hair’s breadth above Lily’s chest. She let out a ragged breath, though her eyes remained fixed on the glint of the blade. It shimmered in the moonlight, trembling in Peverton’s shaky grip.“Potentia grym,” he muttered, shaking his head. Then, again, louder, he said: “Potentia grym!” and raised the blade anew. Before he could slam it down into her chest, though, a huge black wolf smashed into him. Lily gasped, twitching away from the blade as it fell. It caught her foreleg, slicing down towards her paw, her blood dripping down onto the earth before she could tear away.The wolf towered over her on her altar, its fur alight with all four elements. The ends of its black fur were tinged red by the flames; air made its hair sway; ivy coiled up its legs; water slicked down its back. A loud sizzling noise drew her attention away. Her bloo
The Broken Alpha 101 | WARDS
ElijahThe brush of the magic skittering over the veil was cool to the touch. Elijah dipped his fingertips into it, a shiver running down his spine and raising the tiny hairs prickling down his forearms. A sense of foreboding washed over him as he stepped through, his foot landing solidly in Red Ripper’s territory.The entry point of this veil was different to the last one he’d come through. Darkness ebbed and flowed like a river in the far wood, but Elijah turned away from it. He had one goal to focus on: find the cells. Once he’d managed that unnoticed, he could worry about the incessant scratching at the back of his mind and the oppressive weight of magic hanging thick in the night air.Ducking low, Elijah picked his way towards a flickering light in the distance. He’d drawn out a scribbled map of the territory, as it was in his memory, but whether that was accurate to the reality he’d witnessed or if the Red Ripper wolves had changed the pack’s layout since then, he had no idea. I
