Daxton’s p.o.v.
“Good morning, Daxton.” I hear Carl, our future Alpha, say. I doubt it is a good morning if he is standing behind me, he only comes looking for me if someone told him to come and get me.
“Who send you?” I ask him, as I turn to face him. I want to look into his eyes when he answers me, it will tell me if he is aware of why he was send here.
“My Mother, I believe it has to do with an invitation from Shadow Valley Pack. Between you and me, I think Dad might order you to go.” Carl answers and I know that he is telling the truth.
I am forty seven and I still haven’t found my true Mate-bond, I never met a woman my Lycan felt a connection with. I have been waiting for twenty nine years to find that connection, but so far I haven’t been able to find her and I gave up on finding her years ago.
The people around me are still hoping that I will find her one day, they want me to go to other Packs to look for her. I did that for over a decade with no results and now I no longer want to go through it.
“I am sorry, Daxton. Mom wants you at the Pack-house for lunch, on the Alpha floor.” Carl says and I know that he is sorry, our entire future leadership understands me.
None of them have found their true Mate-bond yet and they have to attend as many events as the Pack gets invited to.
I reluctantly follow Carl to the Pack-house, there is no point in shooting the messenger. I am not sure how this lunch will go, but something tells me that I will have given everyone a piece of my mind before it is over.
Chatter is coming from the dining room and I can already hear my Mother’s voice above the others.
“If he doesn’t find his Mate during that Alpha Ceremony, he will need to take Daniella as his chosen Mate.” Mom says and even though I am not in the room, I know the smirk Daniella will have on her face.
“I will never take Daniella as my chosen Mate. If and that is a big IF I take a chosen Mate, I will decided who becomes my chosen Mate. You don’t have a say in it, Mother.” I say calmly, knowing that this annoys the hell out of her.
Not just my tone of voice, but also the fact that I use the word Mother instead of Mom.
No one says a word as I sit down across the table from my Mother and Daniella, both of them have an annoyed look on their face. Carl sits down in the seat that was meant for me, next to Daniella.
“What is this I hear about an invitation, Luna?” I ask, making sure that everyone understands that I know why I was summoned.
“Shadow Valley Pack will get another Alpha in about seven months, we got invited to attend and to bring along some of our unmated Pack-members.” Our Luna answers and I know there is no way I am getting away with refusing to go.
“I didn’t know that Nico had found his connection yet and why does Alpha Leon think it is smart to hand over the Pack so soon?” I ask the question that is probably running through everyone’s mind.
We had all met Nico over the years and he didn’t strike me as the most competent for the Alpha position, not to mention the woman that was always with him. If I am not mistaken her name is Lucy, but we never found out what her rank is or who her parents are.
The last time Nico was here, was about four months ago and we all had felt that something was off that day. We never figured out what was wrong, but the guy had been jumpy throughout the entire visit and he had eyed every woman in the Pack with suspicion until he was able to see their faces.
“None of us knew he had found a connection, until the invitation arrived that is. As to why Alpha Leon is so eager to step down, any guess could be a good one.” Our Luna answers.
Usually when a future Alpha finds his connection, his parents make it known to every Pack and not just the allied Packs.
For his parents not to make it known immediately, can only mean a few things. He could have gotten someone pregnant that isn’t his true Mate-bond, he could have taken a chosen Mate for an alliance or he broke the connection to his first Mate for whatever reason.
“Why don’t you accompany Daxton to the Alpha Ceremony, Daniella?” My Mother asks, but luckily our Luna is quick to shoot that idea down.
“Sorry, but we have chosen the unmated Pack-members already. Daniella is still young and has all the time in the world to find her connection. We will be bringing Pack-members that have been waiting at least five years to find their connection.” Our Luna responds and I can tell that she is telling the truth.
“We did that on purpose, Daxton.” She tells me through the mind-link and for once I am grateful that our Luna can be conning from time to time.
Unlike most, our Luna isn’t afraid to talk back to my Mother. My Mother knows that most still consider her this Pack’s Beta female and that means she gets away with a lot of her behavior, but even my Mother isn’t stupid enough to go against our Luna.
Our Luna has the final say and no one is going to argue with her about it, not even me.
My Mother and Daniella don’t seem to be too pleased with our Luna, but my twin Brother, Darius, has a damn smirk on his face and hell breaks loose the moment he opens his mouth.
“You seem eager to have her as a Daughter in law. Why don’t I take Daniella as my chosen Mate?” Darius says with a smirk on his face.
Yeah, leave it to my twin Brother to piss off our Mother.
Darius’ p.o.v.The moment the invitation came in, I knew it would mean trouble between my Mother and my twin Brother.And yes, I say my Mother for a reason. Daxton might be my twin Brother, but she always treated him less than me and for the first ten years of our lives we even believed that we were separated by a whole year.It wasn’t until our former Alpha overheard a conversation between me and Daxton, that we were told that we were twins.It explained quite a lot of things to the both of us and Daxton has pulled away from our Mother ever since, there even was a time he refused to acknowledge that she was his Mother.We still don’t understand why she favors me over Daxton and we both doubt that we will ever find out.I listen to the words my Mother speaks, but I don’t respond and I don’t have to. Daxton can take care of himself, but I am starting to get agitated by Mother’s relentless quest to get Daxton to take a chosen Mate and preferably Daniella.None of us likes Daniella, it g
Dallas’ p.o.v.Okay, this is not what I had been expecting. I don’t believe anyone in our Squad had seen it coming and I am still a little baffled.Captain Jordan announced his retirement at the ceremony that would make me a full pledged member of the Squad, but it turned out to go a little differently after his announcement.Elder Jensen had appointed me as the new Squad Captain and everyone had started cheering for me, but I had been unable to say a word. I have been here a little over six months and now I have my own Squad.I know there have been a few others that made Squad Captain within a year of arriving, but I am not sure if this is what I want or need in my life at the moment.I mean, it is an honor that they believe that I can handle this. There is a downside to it though, I might have to visit Shadow Valley Pack and I am not sure if I am ready for that at the moment.“Captain, Elder Jensen wants to see you. He is waiting in your office.” Joshua, my second in command, says a
Ever since Dallas walked out of the Pack-house, the atmosphere had gone downhill.Most Pack-members had witnessed the events in the dining room and those that had been busy with other tasks, had seen the footage. Some had recorded the events and spread them across the territory, making sure that everyone knew what had happened.Alpha Leon had given his Pack-members the order to never discuss what happened with outsiders, but he knew he had a lose canon in the form of Dallas. He had been to stunned to react quick enough and when he had realized he needed to stop her, she had already been gone.No one had been able to find a trace of her, pinging her phone had failed too and there was no bank account in her name. It was as if she disappeared into thin air.They tried to find her browser history, but that had been wiped clean. Not a small trace was found of Dallas or her ever living within the territory, because her file had been gone too.Alpha Leon had a suspicion that Dallas had been p
Darius’ p.o.v.The entire week I keep thinking about Ruth’s remark, why hadn’t I thought of it myself?“Too busy with ignoring them, too busy with avoiding them.” Camus, my Lycan, says.He is right, Daxton and I have been busy with keeping our meddling Mother at bay. If we could stay away from our Mother and Daniella, we would.“Preston, we need to talk after dinner.” I say, knowing that he will understand that I don’t want anyone else to hear what I have say.I walk into the dining room to see that our Mother and Daniella are once again sitting at our table, Daxton is standing near the window and the look in his eyes is murderous.“Daxton, just know that I want what is best for you. You will never find that connection, you are too old and a chosen Mate is your only option.” Mother says and I get brought back to Ruth’s remark.I know that history tells us that Shifters usually find their connection between eighteen and thirty, but ever since we found our new way of finding a Mate, the
Dallas’ p.o.v.“Did you see the dress code for the Ceremony?” Jesper asks, while turning it towards Joshua.“No, I didn’t. I don’t need to know, because I will be wearing my uniform.” I reply as I sit down behind my desk.Usually the dress code for an Alpha and/or Luna Ceremony is similar, you show up in the colors of your Pack. In some cases they just ask you to wear something with your Pack’s emblem on it, for men that usually means a tie with the emblem on it and most women wear a brooch or scarf with the emblem on it.“No dress code, as long as there is a hint of bright pink.” Jesper says and I roll my eyes at the disrespect Lucy shows to our traditions.“Let’s just get this started, before we get called away for another mission.” I mumble, not looking forward to the paperwork this involves.We start with the forms for the Alpha Ceremony, most of the information we have to fill out is easy. It is when we come to the reason for the cancellation that we have to be thoughtful, becaus
Daxton’s p.o.v.Like every night, I wake up covered in sweat. I had another nightmare, but like always I can’t remember what is was about.I have had this nightmare for almost twenty seven years and I can’t remember a single detail after waking up, not one single thing that can help me understand this. No sound, no smell, no image.At first I thought it might have something to do with Sage, but as time passed and details kept alluding me, I gave up hope to find answers in that nightmare.I say nightmare, because I feel trapped afterwards and it never is a good feeling. The sweat is also telling me that it is a nightmare and even after all these years I hate waking up like this.Almost as if the events from twenty seven years ago happened all over again, but just like back then I can’t remember a damn thing and it is frustrating the hell out of me.Cyran growls in my head, he hates this as much as I do and no matter what we have tried, we just can’t remember what happened that night wi
Dallas’ p.o.v.Six months laterI’m nervous as hell. Today I will be facing Shadow Valley Pack, it is time for Alpha Leon to hand over the Pack to Nico. I’m not sure what they are expecting, the only thing I can assume is that Alpha Leon knows he cannot hand over the Pack NicoI truly believe that Alpha Leon is hoping that no one remembers what their Pack-law states, because they have been planning this ceremony for the past six months and in my mind he should have known that someone from the Elders knows their Pack-laws.After all every Pack has to send a request to the Elders, if they want to make their Pack-law tighter than our main Laws are and that is something Alpha Leon’s Great Great-grandfather did. He just wanted to make sure that whoever was leading the Pack would be able to make it stronger and the only way to make a Pack stronger is by having a true Mate-bond by his side.Even though we can no longer find are fated Mate the way our ancestors once did, even back then we h
Darius’ p.o.v.The past six months have flown by and it has been a hell of a ride to say the least.Mother brought up the Alpha Ceremony almost every other day and at the same time she would bring up Daniella.Daxton lasted two weeks before he and Cyran blew up at Mother and neither one of them has set foot in the Pack-house since.Mother’s banishment from the Pack-house didn’t do any good either, because she just made sure that she was near the Pack-house to sprout her nonsense. Even Pack-members that used to side with her, are now avoiding her and walk in the opposite direction when they see her.Daniella is no better than Mother, but she knows when to keep her mouth shut and when to make a remark on her joining us at the Ceremony. Not that it is helping her, Pearl refuses to have her trade places with someone and Preston is backing Pearl in her decision.“Is everything ready for our trip to Shadow Valley Pack?” Preston asks.“Yeah, everyone has brought their suitcase to the Pack-hou
Daxton’s p.o.v.The day we have been waiting for is finally here; today, King Vaughn will hold a new type of trial and we all hope that it will benefit Packs more than the old trial.Preston had to reenact a trial to make us understand how the old trial worked and he decided to do it in front of all our Pack-members. Well, at least for the ones that weren’t on border patrol.We all agreed that this type of trial was unfair to the majority of the Shifters involved and when Dallas had explained how the new trial would go, we realized that it dealt with the issue from more sides than just that of the Alpha.“Alphas, thank you all for coming to the Palace. Most of you have no idea what is going to happen today, but I am confident that each of you will appreciate the efforts of the Elders to make a few changes to our Laws.” Elder Venetia says.We follow her to the King’s chamber and I can see
At the PalaceAlpha Leon is patiently waiting for his appointment with King Vaughn; his family is waiting in their suite with Walker and Lucy.Elder Zariah had contacted him a few days ago to inform him that there was a slight chance that there wouldn’t be a verdict after the hearing. King Vaughn had an obligation he probably couldn’t get out of, but they were doing their best to move that obligation to a later date.To make it up to Alpha Leon, his family and his Beta were invited to come along. Lucy was asked to come as well, because she was involved in the hearing and the invitation was accepted by everyone with enthusiasm.“Alpha Leon, my apologies for keeping you waiting. King Vaughn is ready to see you.” Elder Jensen says as he stops in front of Alpha Leon.Alpha Leon isn’t too happy to see the Elder again; after all he was the one who didn’t warn him about the cancellation.
Dallas’ p.o.v.I wake up to the best thing ever: the arms of my Mates wrapped around me.After Nico, I never thought I would get another connection. History had shown that getting a second connection could take years, sometimes even decades and I found mine over a year after I rejected Nico.There was one thing I wouldn’t get with this Mate-bond, an entire new family. And somehow, it doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would; I have my Mates and their friends, which will be enough.I remember being in Daxton’s arms, softly talking to Darius and falling asleep. I want to wake up like this for the rest of my life; this is what I have always wanted, my Mates by my side and a career I can be proud of.“Good thing that Nico was an Ass.” Charna says in my head and I look at her with my head tilted to the right.“If he hadn’t slept with Lucy, we wouldn
Elder Jensen receives the message from Pedro about Madeline. He looks at the footage that is attached to the message, and he knows that most of the elders will find a fitting punishment for Madeline.The drug she gave to Sage to be used on her own Son is prohibited for a reason; the only way she could have found out about it and what it could do to a Wolf or a Lycan is from her mate. Elder Jensen knows that Beta Landon would have never revealed this to his Mate or anyone else who would have asked him about prohibited drugs.It had cost many Shifters their fated Mate or their position within their pack, it had even costed the Kingdom one of their previous Betas.Unlike the Pack hierarchy, the rulers of the Kingdom all come from one and the same family. Elder Jensen has been around long enough to have seen the position of the King or Queen, their Beta and their Gamma to switch from one side of the family to the other.Not many people are aware of the Succession Law for the Royal family.
Darius’ p.o.v.Camus wants to kill her, I want to kill her, Cyran wants to kill her, Daxton wants to kill her.Camus growls the moment I try to think of her as my Mother, she lost that right when she chose to betray Daxton. To Camus, she will only be known as Madeline, for me, it will take a few days to get that sorted out.“Can we head up to the Beta floor, Little One?” Daxton asks and Dallas grabs our hands without a word, leading us out of the room.The second the door closes behind us, Daxton lifts Dallas into his arms and walks over to the couch in the living room. He sits down on the couch with Dallas in his arms, but after moving around for a few seconds he gets up and heads to the master bedroom.“We need another couch, that damn thing is uncomfortable.” Daxton growls as he sits down on the bed.Dallas has a wicked smile on her face and I chuckle as I remember her
Every person in that living room is staring at Dallas, most of them are her Squad members and they know their Captain well enough to understand that she has more to tell.“Doc, can you tell us what drug leaves behind the scent of cotton candy or sugarcoated marshmallows?” Dallas asks as she sits down on a couch.Everyone who hadn’t taken a seat followed Dallas’ lead to sit down, and only her Squad members stood around the room.“That would be Synxapine. Well, actually the component called Ibrazleine.” Doc answers her question. “Ibrazleine also causes short term memory loss, depending on the amount that is in a drug, it can be hours or a few days.”At least that explains to all of them why Daxton could never remember what happened that night and the amount wasn’t large enough to take away a few hours of memories.“Doc, can you explain Synxapine is?” Dallas asks Doc, she wants to give
Dallas’ p.o.v.“He doesn’t remember anything, we have been over this a million times before.” Madeline says as she gets out of her seat, but Jesper quickly pushes her back into her seat.“I do remember what happened, Mother. You and Sage set this whole thing up, you helped her with getting the drugs that Sage used on me. It wasn’t me that Sage was after and a Rogue attack ruined her chances.” Daxton says and Madeline turns a bit pale at his words.“I remember the conversation you had with Sage, after the message from Preston came in that they wouldn’t return until morning. I remember Sage’s mumbling on how she deserved to be a Luna and that she would get that position even if she had to play dirty.Sage gave me two shots that night and I know that the last one she gave me was meant for Preston. Why Sage decided to accuse me of such a heinous crime, I don’t und
Dallas’ p.o.v.Hearing Daxton scream No is a sound I never want to hear again, there was so much pain and despair in that one word that it nearly broke my heart.He pulls me into his arms the moment he looks at me and I can feel myself and Charna calm down with his arms around us. Darius lies down next to us, his hand moving around my lower back and his other hand is lying on Daxton’s head.We stay like that for a while and then a knock on the door interrupts our peaceful moment, Darius gets up to see who it is.“Joshua returned from his errand and we have a pissed off Alpha downstairs.” I hear Jesper say and I know that we need to deal with this immediately.“We will be down in a minute, Jesper.” I call out to him and I can hear him walk away from our room.“Daxton, I need you to keep a level head when we get downstairs. You will get your revenge today and everyone wil
Daxton’s p.o.v.I am standing on the landing of the Gamma floor, looking down at Pack-members walking in and out of the Pack-house.I shake my head, because something tells me that I shouldn’t be here. I pay closer attention to the Pack-members walking around and I see women that no longer live in our territory, I see children running around that are no longer children.How is this even possible? Why am I reliving the past? My mind is spinning with all the questions I have at the moment and something tells me that I will have more questions before I will start to get answers.“Hello, Darius.” I hear someone say behind me and when I turn around to respond, I see myself walking down the stairs. Seeing myself isn’t the only thing that shocks me, it is Sage standing behind me, looking up at my past self.Like many Pack-members, she was never able to tell us apart and we never corrected her, u