Red hotThe morning started like any other, with Star’s newfound routine she went about her day as she usually did. First, she threw on some workout clothes and did some yoga in the comfort of her bedroom while the sun rose beyond the horizon, then she grabbed a light breakfast and made her way to Donna’s house to spend some time with her and baby Azaiah.Making her way back to the packhouse after Azaiah’s little accident on her shirt she swallowed the urge to gag, babies were wonderfully cute and a true miracle of life, but they had a nasty side as well and that was currently evident on her shirt in the form of a sour white patch.“Hey-” Max smiled, but Star held up her hand and continued her fast walk to her room.
Strength and loveMax waited patiently at the entrance of his new home, it was still lacking many final touches, but the interior was mostly finished and Max couldn’t wait to start filling the place up with things and memories. Tonight being the second of many.Glancing down at his watch, he frowned and adjusted his tie. He was dressed in a navy blue three-piece suit which he knew was Star’s favorite since she always gazed at him with appreciation and a hint of barely concealed lust when she saw him in it.Waiting a few more minutes, he glanced back down at his watch and his frown deepened, she was ten minutes late, which was highly unlike her, and his worry increased. He already felt beyond nervous about everything he planned, but her not showing up w
The unexplainable“Was that worth being mad at me for?” Star bit her lip to stop the smile that was tugging on her lips.“You knew I was mad at you?” She turned her body to face his, feeling his bare skin on hers beneath the sheet.Max chuckled, “You think I didn’t hear you cussing me out when I left your room?” He ran his index finger down her soft cheek, following the invisible path with fascination. Being so close to her gave him a chance to study her face in vivid detail and he found himself loving every little freckle.“I was hoping you didn’t.” She chuckled breathlessly, his actions were driving her crazy.
Darkness is not the absence of light Like the day is not complete without the night, a rollercoaster isn’t complete without the ups and downs, her happiness could not be without turmoil. Star looked around the dark room and felt herself shuddering, the room was both cold and eerie and smelled of death. How she knew that she had no idea. She had no idea where she was or how she got there, but the room had not a single source of light and the last thing she remembered was stepping out of her apartment when a hard object hit her head from behind. The memory seemed to have awakened her pain receptors because she could suddenly feel the painful bump behind her head and as she reached to feel it, she felt the dry matted hair that surrounded the pain. Blood. It stopped now, but kno
The Dean of HellStar’s body jerked upwards when a bucket of ice water was thrown on her, the already freezing room became even more unbearable.“What-” The two men from the previous day latched onto her arms and dragged her out the room while she struggled to push up onto her feet, stumbling as she did.Star was thrust onto the chair in the interrogation room roughly, this time the Dean wasn’t in the room, but when the guards exited, he entered, shutting the door after himself.“Let’s try this again, shall we?” He dropped another file on the table and took his seat. Star was shivering in her seat, but he didn’t seem to care, his eyes were focused on hers steely.&
DevastationFLASHBACKStar walked into Max’s office dressed in a pair of light blue skinny jeans and a black turtleneck sweater which she paired with leather, ankle boots. Her mid-length red hair was straightened to perfection and tied into a high pony from which a few stray wisps escaped.“Hey, are you ready to go?” She smiled up at Max, but it dropped when she saw the distressed look on his face, “What’s wrong?” Star stepped up to him and placed her hand on his arm, feeling his worry seeping through the bond.“A fire just broke out at the Diner, I’m sorry Star, I know this meeting is important to you, but I have to make sure that things are okay here.”
Awakening the hellhoundRe-entering his office, Max found everyone working as they were before as if he never left. He knew the power was rolling off him in waves and he didn’t care to mask it, even though he knew it was affecting his pack members.“Landon, get Reece on the line.” His beta’s eyes widened but quickly followed through with the Alpha order.“Reece Lockwood.” His cousin’s stern voice broke through the line after the third ring. Being so far away meant he had little connection with the pack and Max only kept in contact with him about business matters.“Reece, it’s Max. I need your help.” There was a pregnant pause and some shuffling from th
Beyond enemy lines“I know what Star suspects, but do you think they’re stupid enough to keep her held here?” Ray frowned, looking through his binoculars at the gate to The Academy in the distance.“Maybe not, but I am damn sure they have a clue here as to where she is.” Mr. Pollock hummed along with Landon’s answer, they were told to hang back with the team scouted the area at closer range, their security was top notch and the last thing they needed was to set off a land mine before they even went in.“You think there’s really land mines?” Veronica whispered and Greg nodded.“Dean Atterman is a bastard straight from Hitler’s era of thinking, he though
The plane ride back to Manchester gave Kiah enough time to think about her plans. The time spent at the Lockwood pack served as a much-needed time out from both avoiding Will and trying to cope with her loss. There was nothing she could do to turn back time and living in the past only seemed to be hurting both of them more than necessary and while her decision would have been different in his position, she too would have been haunted by it the same way he was. Climbing off the car, Kiah sucked in a deep breath before walking through the grand doors of the castle. In the throne room, Will was directing the troop commanders when the doors burst open, revealing their elusive Queen. For a moment everyone just stared until the clearing of Will’s throat threw them into action and one by one they bowed to their Queen, silently rejoicing her return. “You may rise.” Kiah smiled politely and the men rose, some giving her smiles and words of welcome as she approached the throne to take a sea
Will watched from across the room as Kiah struggled with the zipper on her dress and after a moment of not realizing he was there he strode towards her, grasping the zip and sliding it down with ease. The feeling of his fingertips grazing her skin was like being electrocuted and without thinking Kiah leaped away from him, not missing the hurt look on his face. For a second she wanted to apologize, but like every time her eyes laid on him, she remembered what he’d done and her face turned cold. “Don’t touch me.” Will remained frozen, inwardly berating himself for hurting her yet again when she slammed the door to the bathroom in his face. His parents were out for the day busy with preparations for the Alpha ceremony, insisting they took the day to relax before all the rush began. With the door to their room shut, Kiah exited the bathroom to find Will with his head in his hands. She knew he was beating himself up for his earlier actions, but she squashed the instinct to soothe hi
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, we have no other choice.” “I choose her. Save my wife Kennedy.” *** The memory of the day Will’s world turned upside down would forever remain vivid in his mind as yet another night he woke to find the bed cold and empty beside him. She didn’t understand, she couldn’t fathom the decision he’d come to when faced with the impossible choice, in her mind, she was certain she would be his last choice, but when she’d woke from her slumber and found out the truth she realized there was, after all, a way the man she called her husband could break her heart even when she knew he didn’t love her. “Good morning, your Majesty.” servants of the castle greeted as he passed them on his way to his office and as he did every morning, Will nodded his head at them. “Morning Azaiah, Serenity; any news for me this morning?” Azaiah had taken the role of his royal advisor as had been decided by the Goddess and when Serenity and Azaiah mated, she moved into the palace, ea
Will’s glowing hazel eyes studied the crowd of Alphas before him, now congregated in their human forms on a floor littered with scraps of their shredded clothing staring up at their King. King William Lockwood. To the left of him stood his company of chosen advisors and to his right, with her hand clutched in his, stood his queen; Kiah Das. WIll barely had the time to comprehend the feelings rushing through him, the power, the responsibility, the primal protectiveness he felt over every person in the room. He knew if he closed his eyes and concentrated he would hear each one of their hearts beating and with that thought he knew he would tear the world apart to keep it that way. Elder Frederick cleared his throat, bringing every eye in the room to him, “Do you William Lockwood, Son of Alpha Maximus Lockwood and Huntress Luna Star Cullen Lockwood solemnly swear to wear the sacred Lycan Crown with honor, respect, and integrity?” “I do,” Will answered boldly. “Do you, William Loc
Elders from far and wide returned to the ancient Palace of the Lycan kind, summoned by the blood running in their veins loyalty of their forefathers to the crown. “The Institution is ready.” The throne room guard announced, opening the doors for Alphas to enter from the main hall. “Good evening honorable Alphas of the Council. Today, after centuries, the Royal Institution has reunited in the name of the Lycan Crown.” Elder Frederick, who was elected as Chairman announced. “We live in a future determined long ago, in a fated world where success is achieved only when the Royal rule prevails. As per the plan of succession left behind by the former King, the Alpha Council must perform a uniting ritual in which they each pledge their allegiance to the Crown and when all is said and done, a sacred scroll will be read aloud, it is only then that the holder of the crown will be revealed.” Max sucked in a deep breath, the course of action they chose was not one which may have traditiona
Will’s face had become a familiar one at Alpha council meetings, having gone from never even being a guest at them to attending them regularly was seemingly paradoxical, but none of the Alphas seemed to notice, or if they did, none had the guts to point it out- certainly not after the second round of attacks occurred based on Will’s prediction. “Commander Lockwood, is there a reason you have insisted on summoning us to the palace for this meeting, as you yourself are aware, the recent attacks on our packs have left them vulnerable, and having alphas away from their packs leaves them more vulnerable to attack.” The Chairman himself was displeased at Will’s actions and he smirked inwardly at how easy it was to upset these men despite only requesting the meeting be held at the palace and not insisting. “I have a few findings I thought it best you heard in person and a picture of what the future holds.” Will stood up and clicked the power button on the wall-to-wall screen in the boardro
Just as Will predicted, the second round of attacks came only five days after the first, but unlike the first time, he was ready. With troops stationed outside five different packs, he set the trap, waiting patiently for the attack, and at midnight when packs had settled for the night, the invasion began. Three packs, uncoincidentally all with Alphas who bashed Will’s suggestion in the meeting were targeted but this time Will’s orders were different. Troops were commanded to capture and not kill on site, unbeknownst to anyone other than himself and troop leaders and by the time the news of the failed attack reached the ears of the Alpha Council, Will’s prisoners were already in custody. “They’re ready for you commander.” Will nodded, shutting the file when the prison guard came in. “Thank you, Grant.” The interrogation room looked more like a dungeon out of a medieval movie than anything else, but it seemed to unnerve the woman sitting in the chair so Will counted it as a win.
As the distance between Will and the Lockwood pack grew, so did Kiah’s anxiety. The Lockwood pack welcomed her openly and she easily felt like she belonged despite not being a shifter which came as a surprise to her, but still, she found herself missing something. “I love you and I’m tired of pretending I don’t, I’m tired of waiting on a promise spoken of by others.” Kiah halted in her step and her eyes widened, certain she was intruding on a private moment but found herself eager to hear the response to the man’s words. “Zai…” The girl sobbed, sounding happy, yet mournful at the same time, “We can’t do this-” Her words were cut off by a startled gasp and Kiah curiously peeked around the bushes only to see Azaiah and Serenity’s lips locked in a passionate kiss. The reminiscent smile that formed on her lips only increased the ache in her heart and Kiah turned away, deciding she would come back to the little sanctuary later. “You’d be proud, Will.” She whispered to herself, chuck
With five votes still left unread the chairman looked up at the council, “By a majority vote of confidence, the Alpha council resolves to assemble a united army under the leadership of William Lockwood as Commander-in-Chief.” he announced, sounding pleased with the outcome. Will paced by Kiah’s bedside recalling the events of earlier today with eyebrows furrowed, he thought about the decision taken by the Alphas to enlist volunteers before actioning the registry and how he would go about creating an army to fight such a widespread army, he worried their mobilization would cause hunters to go into hiding amongst human communities rendering it impossible to find them. “Will?” Kiah’s soft voice broke him from his reverie and his body stilled upon seeing her almost black irises. “Hey, you okay?” She blinked, looking around the lavish room with confusion. “I’m fine, how long was I out?” she appeared disorientated when she finally focussed back on him, a sight Will wasn’t used to see