Chapter 44Sitting in my vehicle, I wait patiently for my men to deliver me what I want. Coming to Crescent Phoenix was not a waste, even if it meant I had to give land and money to Alpha Asteria for my father’s blunder. What I did gain is a woman that would become a fitting Luna. Brynlee Eclipse is not my Goddess given Mate, but she is a she-wolf any man would desire. With care for her people and a quick wit, Brynlee is certainly someone that will grow a pack and right now I need that someone by my side.Staring at my phone while I wait, I read over that idiot’s confession once more. I knew that Alpha of Pine Moon was a fool like my father but to think he would force his pup to reject Brynlee is something only someone mentally deranged would do. Yes, Tanya Cross comes with the backing of Blood Claws but that is nothing compared to the power Brynlee possesses.“Alpha Viren, they are here.” My driver calls out to me, a smile in his tone. I smile too as I wait for my delivery. Soon the
Chapter 45Following the GPS route, I turn off of the smooth country road onto a rough gravel path. On all sides of the vehicle is the dense forest that Crescent Phoenix is located in. From what I have been told by Edison on the drive here, there it a clearing about thirty minutes west from here where the Alpha has been working on creating a decoy town by a lake. It is a big project that has will need a lot of planning and approval from the Human government. Once Crescent Phoenix can get the approval, the building will begin and many Omegas and some Warriors plan to move there to make it a tourist town.I am excited to meet this Alpha. She sounds like a good fit for this pack after the attack they went through. Has helped it rise from the ashes to the pack it is today and has given many wolves a second chance in just a short amount of time. I can honestly say that I can’t wait to get to know everyone here before leaving to find Brynlee.“Edison.” I call out to the man in the back who
Chapter 46Staring at Brynlee as I place her on the plush bed, I watch as she moves, settling in comfortably before her body relaxes. The wolfsbane used on her has started to wean and I expect she will wake up within a day. Trailing my hand along her body, I feel every curve under the sundress she wears and suppress a groan. Soon I will be feeling the soft supple skin as she moans my name. My hand lands on the swell of her breast and I can’t help but squeeze, hearing her sweet lips let out a soft gasp before her body subconsciously turns away. Chuckling, I pull my hand away from her. I can’t get too greedy right now.[Alpha Viren, I will be leading a hunting mission to refill the pack freezer.] Tristan links me. I grin, happy to know that I can still hid the fact I stole his new friend for a little longer. I know Crescent Phoenix will be looking for their Beta and that is fine. If I am lucky, they will blame her disappearance on that bastard Rune. Hopefully by the time they figure out
Chapter 47“What do you mean Brynlee is missing!” I demand, Stepping towards my Aunt. Jett puts his hand out, stopping me from getting to close as my rage explodes. My Brynlee, my Goddess given Mate, is missing. The crowd watches on in silence, the scent of grief and sadness heavy in the air.“What the hell happened?!” I demand, letting the power of my blood radiate. That Quincy guy steps forward, an apologetic look on his face before he turns to my Aunt. She nods at him and he sighs before turning to face me.“Two days ago Brynlee was given the go ahead to take two days off after helping in dealing with Alpha Viren of Onix Moon.” He begins explaining, looking into my eyes. I sniff the air, scenting the truth to his words before I nod for him to continue telling me the timeline of events.“I was out hunting with Quest, our Head Hunter, when she sent a link out to the pack stating she will be on her days off and also to not have anyone bother her.”“Especially us Hunters and Warriors.
Chapter 48Pacing the length of my Aunt’s office, I watch from the corner of my eye as Quincy glares at me. After arriving at the pack house, Aunt Asteria had ordered us to her office while she ran off deal with a crisis at the training facility. This gave me a chance to shower and regroup my thoughts after the pain I have gone through. Viren has Brynlee, that I am certain of.“For Goddess’ sake, stop pacing Rune.” My Aunt sighs out in exasperation. Planting my feet firmly on the hardwood floor, I turn to stare at her. She said she would keep Brynlee safe. Would not let anything happen to her. Yet here we are concluding that Onix Moon kidnapped her.“Stop glaring at me young man.” She commands, her power washing over me and making me avert my gaze for a moment before I return to looking her in the eyes. Aunt Asteria really has grown stronger since becoming a proper Alpha.“You don’t get to tell me what to do. You fucked up and now Brynlee is in the hands of Onix Moon. She was just se
Chapter 49Feeling like my body is being weighed down, I focus on gathering my strength to open my eyes. The last thing I remember is the sense of danger before being attacked. That someone had pressed something sharp, something like a… a needle!My eyes shoot open as the realization that the reason my body feels so weighed down and heavy is because some one had drugged me. Not only that, but I can tell by the small ache deep inside me that the same person must have violated me in some way. I can deal with that, right now I need to focus on removing the wolfsbane from my blood.Taking a moment to allow my blood to waken, I feel the power inside me slowly burn the wolfsbane at a snails pace. It will take some time, time I don’t seem to have if my state is any indication. Whoever kidnapped me plans to use my body for their own plans. A sudden noise catches my attention and I pull back my power to not give away my current strength to the enemy.“Ah, I see my calculations were right and y
Chapter 50The sounds of the hidden door opening forces me to stop what I am doing and I wait to see what Alpha Viren wants. To my surprise a blond she-wolf wearing a black collar walks in with a tray of food. Judging by her small frame I would put her as an Omega but it is not the fact she is in the room that surprises me, more the fact that she has bruises on her that indicates she has been used for sex recently.“Hello.” I greet her, keeping my tone neutral in case Alpha Viren sent her to spy on me. I can tell she is terrified of me as she places a tray of food beside me on the bed before tidying the room. Looking down at the tray, I find a bowl of soup and some bread waiting for me to eat. Lifting the bowl, I sniff the contents trying to find any trace of wolfsbane and let out a sigh of relief. It seems Alpha Viren kept his word of not tampering with my food. But that doesn’t mean he won’t try anything else. The Omega watches me curiously as I silently eat my meal by drinking str
Chapter 51Lifting the backpack my Aunt put together for me, I touch the new cellphone into my pocket while Quincy, Caspian and Quest watch me. I can sense their unease at me leaving considering that last night I experienced the same pain as before. It seems Viren is having his fun with my mate. Unfortunately for us, I am the only one who will be able to enter his pack without seeming suspicious.“Remember to call us as soon as you reach the decoy town.” My Aunt says as she hands me a new wallet filled with some cash and a pack credit card for me to use on my journey. I thank her, tucking it into my back pocket.“Alpha Viren will know I am there as soon as I walk in.” I begin, giving her a small smile.“He will have me watched by his wolves before appearing before me meaning I may not be able to call when I am in the town, but I will call before I reach their borders.” She gives me a small nod, taking comfort in my Uncle’s arms as Quincy steps forward.“What will you do if that piece
Glaring at the email before me, I suppress the growl threatening to spill. Our council representative has been hard at work investigating Valor, Tanya, and Jonnah to the point they have begun questioning the destruction of smaller Packs surrounding Blood Claws and Pine Moon. What is worse is that other than Willow Bark, no other survivors have been found from any of these smaller Packs that were destroyed. For all the Council knows, they have either become Rogues hiding deep in the forests in wolf territory or blending with Humans in the many cities.One thing is for sure, Jonnah and Valor have committed more crimes than we originally thought.Reading further along the email, my eyes widen and my hand instinctively reaches for my stomach. Judging by the images attached to the email and the medical report the Council’s spies were able to obtain, it seems that I am not the only one expecting a pup. Now the question is, whose is it?“Brynlee, are you in here?” The door to my office opens
Watching Brynlee drive away, I wait for her truck to disappear from my view before deciding to head to my dorm room for the night and get some much-needed rest. Today has been an eventful day that has left me reeling with exhaustion. I had just finished patrol when a sudden urge of danger coursed through me. At first, I thought the warning was because Rogues had crossed our borders into the pack territory, threatening the pack. When I realized it was an internal warning from the Mate Bond, my wolf instincts took over and I rushed directly towards the danger warning without thinking. All I could think of was protecting Brynlee.’I knew I was being irrational when I barged into the training facility without warning. I knew how much of a prick I was when I swept Brynlee into my arms and carried her away from everyone without her consent, but my body kept moving on its own. I felt like a man possessed but until I knew Brynlee was safe in her den – in her cottage – I couldn’t relax.As soon
Reading the list of thirty Rogues looking to join Cresent Phoenix, I focus on the skills each wolf has listed. Some wolves come with skills such as farming and manual labor. These are definitely Omegas that left their old Pack for one reason or another. The others are a mix of Hunters and Warriors that would be good to growing the Pack’s strength. Hell, some of our current Pack Mates might be able to find their Goddess given Mates if we accepted these wolves into Crescent Phoenix.Moving to look through the applications list, I note down that out of the thirty Rogues, ten came from two Packs that I remember dealing with when I was in Pine Moon – Flaming Canine and Snarling Spruce. These Packs are ruled similarly to Pine Moon with a patriarchal rule where she-wolves are aa lesser class, only meant to produce pups and take care of the elderly and males are meant to be obeyed without any questions or doubt.I have a feeling that these wolves left for their own personal growth and safety.
Watching Quincy leave the office, I walk around Asteria’s desk and take the seat he previously occupied. Asteria watches me as she does, her eyes filled with un-asked questions.“What did Rune do to you earlier?” She asks and I sigh. I am going to kick Quincy’s ass later.“I was training with Odette when the Mate Bond let out a danger warning to Rune. He came barging in and took me away to my cottage.” I answer, watching as Asteria’s eyes widen. She subtly looks down and I stiffen in my seat as her eyes land on my stomach. I keep my hands on the armrest of the chair, doing everything I can not to confirm her suspicion while Quest watches on in shock.“So that’s why everyone has been talking about Rune being a possessive ass hole.” He laughs out, making me roll my eyes.“He definitely is an asshole.” I agree with a grumble, crossing my arms over and letting out an annoyed sigh. Asteria looks away from me with a small smile on her lips as she turns her attention to Quest.“When it comes
Helping Milan pack up the remaining items in the kitchen, I catch site of a few pups helping to bring boxes and bags out to the charter bus where Ashton and Eddison are waiting to load the storage compartments.It has been six days since we arrived at the farmhouse and after realizing how much packing needs to be done, Gale and I had called Asteria asking if we could delay our return to the pack to sort through what Milan and the others will be bringing with us on our return trip home. Luckily, Asteria agreed that us staying would be beneficial to the Willow Bark wolves and just asked that we call her before we make the drive back home.“This should be the last of it.” Milan says as she stands, a smile on her face.“So we should be ready to move out soon?” I ask my niece. She looks around, taking her time to answer as her smile falls and a hint of melancholy washes over her. I know she is sad about leaving the farm, the only safe place she has known since Valor attacked Willow Bark.
Standing in front of Brynlee’s cottage, I knock on the door and wait for her to answer. After confronting Rune, I had planned to talk to her but duty called and I had to deal with wolves on our borders. It was spies of Pine Moon once again trying to sneak in and catch a glimpse of our Luna and Beta.News had spread that Crescent Phoenix had helped Onix Moon liberate themselves from the tyranny of Viren and people were becoming increasingly curious of our female leaders. It took longer than I had thought to deal with them, the enemy wolves fighting my men with everything they could. One managed to escape capture while the other two decided to take their own lives by slitting their throats before we could restrain them.“Quincy? What are you doing here?” Brynlee’s voice calls from behind me and I turn to see her coming up the path. The faint smell of rubbing alcohol comes off her and I frown. It seems she is just coming back from the Pack Infirmary.“I wanted to see how you are doing.
Curled up in bed, hand on my flat stomach, I wonder if I am truly pregnant. It could be one of Rune’s tricks with him trying to get back together with me, but my instinct tells me he wasn’t lying with how overprotective and possessive he became. The worst part is that the bond became whole once more when he announced I am with pup. I can feel it even now, humming with new vitality as if the rejection never happened.[Hey Brynlee, are you okay?] Caspian’s voice rings through my mind, taking me out of my thoughts.[I…I am dealing with something.] I answer hesitantly, getting a hum in response.[Does it have anything to do with how Rune behaved?] I sigh, turning to lie on my back and looking up at my ceiling.[Unfortunately, it does.] I then apologized to Caspian about how Rune behaved with his Mate, Odette, and explained that the bond threw out a danger warning that set Rune off. Caspian is silent for a moment before our link hums with understanding.[Something happened between the two o
Looking out the window of my room, the lights off and the area quiet, I wonder how Brynlee is doing. After announcing to her that she is pregnant, Brynlee kicked me out of her cottage saying she needed time and space to think about it. That was three hours ago. In these last three hours I have done nothing but sit in my room worrying about her.I know Brynlee wants to be a mother. Know that she wants a big family after living life as an only child, but I also know that she is terrified. I can feel her fear through the Mate Bond, feel her worrying over this news. I hate that I can’t be there to hold her and help her through it, but this is Brynlee’s decision. It is her body, her choice.If she decides that she isn’t ready to be a mother, then I can’t change her mind. As much as I want our pup, I can’t force her to stay pregnant just for my selfish needs. I had already been selfish once and rejected her for the safety of a pack that didn’t really care for me. I will not make that mistake
Chapter 79Staring at Brynlee held in a headlock, I stalk towards the training ring she is in. Caspian’s mate tentatively lets her go as the power and anger inside my blood courses out in waves. I watch as Brynlee stands, worry in her eyes as she places her hand on my shoulder.“Rune, we were just sparing.” She states, her scent wrapping around me. Something has changed about it. It has grown sweeter and warmer. The urge to protect her grows stronger and without thinking, I scoop her into my arms are walk out of the training facilities with everyone watching. I note the scrapes and bruises left on her as she silently lets me carry her, knowing they are from her sparing and will heal in no time but that doesn’t stop the feeling of wanting to turn back and thrash that she-wolf for giving them to her. The broken bond hums with satisfaction at my thoughts of wanting to take revenge for my Mate no matter how misguided they may be. But I can feel Brynlee growing angry at me for taking her a