Homecoming
Star walked alongside Maximus as they made their way to Landon and Donna’s newly built home, the air between them was awkward and heavily charged with tension, but still he insisted he is the one to escort her to his Beta’s house.
Donna had no idea she was visiting, she wanted to surprise her friend and made her bring along a huge pamper pack for the mom-to-be. Hoping to make up for some of her absence.
“She’s due any day now so Landon took time off to care for her, she’s on bed rest.” Star nodded as the house came into view.
“How bad has it been?” She looked up to Max, afraid of the answer when he grimaced.
AcceptanceSitting up on her bed, Star sighed. The room looked exactly the same as she left it, even the little items she added to the room remained in place, it almost seemed like she hadn’t left at all.“No one touched anything,” Max stated when she took in the room.“Why?” She looked up at him with curious eyes, noticing the sad gleam he held.“Besides the fact that Donna wouldn’t let them, everyone hoped you’d come back one day.” His lips turned up in a smile at his last words, the question was on her tongue, but she bit back her curiosity, no need to get more into our feelings.
The patter of tiny feet“Star!” Donna cried abruptly letting go of her mate’s hand to reach for her friend.“I’m here sweetheart, you’re doing a wonderful job, I’m so proud of you.” Star smiled and tucked a few strands of wayward hair from her face.“It hurts so much.” Donna’s face scrunched up like she was about to cry and Star shushed her.“I know, but you’re a fighter and soon you’ll be known as supermom.” Donna Smiled tiredly.“You think so?” Star recoiled like she was offended.
The moments that matterAfter what seemed like hours, Beta Landon Pierce welcomed them into the room to meet the newest member and future Beta of the Lockwood pack.Azaiah Pierce was born on 22 December at 9:11 am, weighing 8lbs.“Oh, Donna!” Star teared up when her eyes landed on the delicate red-faced baby lying on his mother’s chest. Donna was beaming, the pain replaced by a relieved and adoring smile.“Congratulations both of you.” Star heard Max’s happy voice behind her, but her eyes were set only on the tinny hands that clenched when he moved.“He’s so beautiful, you did so well.” She reached
Fighting for love The meal prepared by the pack’s kitchen staff looked delectable, but she could hardly taste her food above the tension between her and Max. “You should eat more, you've lost too much weight since you left.” Max glared at her plate which consisted of a single egg, a slice of toast, and one rasher of bacon. She could see the disapproval in his eyes. “I don’t have much of an appetite.” She tensed up. She knew they would notice, but she never expected him to mention it outright. “I don’t believe you, you hardly ate last night.” He narrowed his eyes at her and her hands balled up into fists. “You don’t get to tell me what to do!” Star snapped and pushed back her chair, she’d had just about enough of his scrutiny. She discarded the leftover food and rushed out of the dining hall, she could hear Max following her, but her agitation kept her gaze focussed ahead. “Star, stop!” Max’s firm grip pulled her to a stop, the jerk causing a tear to fall
A colossal surprise“Where are you taking me?” After her call with Ray, Star went in search of Max, but in his office found Greg, who insisted he would lead her to Max himself, but the direction they were walking in was one she’d never been in, in her stay on pack territory.“Alpha Max is this way, we’re almost there.” The pathway was marked and Star wracked her brain to recall if it had been there before, but nothing came up.Suddenly a large building came into view, it looked to be brand new and still incomplete, that’s when Star realized it was a new house, and Max’s presence there made sense. She had no idea they were building on pack land, but in the little time she’d been back she was far too preoccupied to notice.
A spitting image in body and soulMax was on a conference call with the Alphas explaining the situation they found themselves in when Star’s phone vibrated in her hand, she was seated across from him at his desk, behind the camera on his laptop, and quickly excused herself when she saw the name on the screen.“Hello?” Star answered, stepping into her room.“Star, it’s Jeremy.” Star took a seat on her bed.“Hey, Jeremy, I’m guessing you’ve got something for me?” She kept her voice calm and heard the Sheriff sigh.“It’s worse than I thought.” Star perked up at that, she b
Bonding with the Beta Star stared up at the ceiling above her with a magnitude of thoughts running through her head, no matter how hard she tried, her mind wouldn’t allow her to even close her eyes. She was still eagerly awaiting Max’s call and beneath the worry, she missed him like crazy. She found it hard to believe she spent months without him and now after only a day, she felt like her lungs were closing up at the distance between them. A sudden knock on her door, made Star sit up with a frown, “Come in.” She glanced at the clock across the room slipped out from under the sheet and switched on the light by her bedside. The door was pushed open and in the doorway stood Landon in a pair of sweatpants and a faded T-shirt. “You couldn’t sleep either, huh?” Star smiled and beckoned him in when he spoke. He seemed hesitant at first, but his steps gained confidence the closer he was. “It’s like my eyes are held open by toothpicks, I can barely blink waiting
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.
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