“I only miss you when I’m breathing.” -Jason Derulo
The smile fell from Star’s face as she took in her surroundings, the hum of vehicles in the city was nothing like the peaceful sound of birds chirping in the forest.
It was all a dream.
With a sigh, she pushed herself into a sitting position, suddenly feeling anxious and upset. She’d tried hard to suppress the memories when she was awake, but her unconscious mind often dragged her back to a place where her heartbeat with joy and her smile was genuine.
She missed them… She missed him.
Flashes of the dream she awoke from were still playing in her mind and with every memory, her hea
Stranger friends“We can sit here all day challenging each other for answers, Ray. I have no problem with that, but in the end, we’ll both only come up empty-handed. So cut the crap, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” She smirked, leaning in to meet his eyes in an even greater challenge.“How do I know you’re not a spy for The Academy and your little tiff in the parking lot wasn’t a ploy to get me to trust you?” Star shrugged and leaned back.“Believe what you choose to, I don’t really care.” She went back to picking at her muffin.“You’re impossible to read!” Ray burst and she just smirked.&nbs
Where there is a will, there is a wayStar bit her lip as she took in the rowdy bar, the address Ray gave her led her to the tiny place lit up only by a small sign on the door, she wasn’t sure if she was in the right place and she had no way of knowing till she spotted Ray’s dark hair at the bar. Breathing a sigh of relief she approached him.“You made it.” He said, not turning to look at her when she sat down.“I almost thought I had the wrong place,” he said, taking the stool beside him.“Figures. Order a drink and in ten minutes ask where the bathroom is, enter the third door on the left of the hallway.” It all sounded so mysterious.
Dining with the devilSilence filled the room, the woman whose name Star still didn’t know simply looked at her, neither confirming nor denying her statement.“What pack?” Star continued.“Formerly Lockwood.” She supplied, much to Star’s surprise, it was the biggest pack in the State, but Star knew all Lockwood members.“Do you still have affiliations with the pack?” She asked cooly, hoping they didn’t read into her inquisition too much.“Alpha Lockwood knows of my vigilante status, I left the pack to protect them from whatever may come of this operation.” Star nodded in understand
The victim to the victor“Does he know about the vigilante group?” Star asked, taking a seat in Mr. Pollock’s office.“No, not as far as we’re aware, there hasn’t been any mention of it on the dark web and they’re hardly being careful with their actions.” Roger pointed out.“Okay, then my presence here isn’t suspicious if they’re keeping tabs on me.” Ray nodded.“We have eyes in the front, if someone from The Academy comes in, we’ll know.” Star was satisfied with his answer.“I can’t get too close, I’ve already expressed my refusal at
The wheels in motionDays seemed to blend together as Star’s routine continued as per usual, the group had agreed on fewer meetings, choosing to communicate via burner phones to limit the risk of being sought out as they gathered information on The Academy.“Turns out Dean Atterman is the one who threw the organization out of order, he’s kept his doings from the authorities for years, cooking the books and adjusting the number of trainees in the records. There’s no record of you or your family ever being trained at The Academy.” Star’s jaw clenched, she was glad she insisted on a copy of the non-binding agreement they had signed and had it stashed in a safe place.“I can prove my attendance there so that’s proof enough tha
Finding true north Star’s fists clenched on her lap, they were almost at their destination and her heart was beating wild with anticipation from her position beside Ray. Her plan was finally in motion and now that midterms were over, all she had to focus on was taking down The Academy before they did any serious damage. Star watched as wolves flanked their vehicles the moment the Lockwood pack borders came into view, it wasn’t marked with anything obvious, but having spent so much time there, Star could feel the bounds of the place she once called home. After a few tense minutes the vehicles came to a stop, through the tinted windows Star could see a large group waiting outside the packhouse, but she hardly took notice of who was there. Her breath hitched when her eyes landed on him, he looked bulkier somehow, his eyes scanning the vehicles with a hard look. She didn’t realize Ray got off the car till he pulled her door open and reality hit her. She w
The missing pieceMax watched from the sidelines as members of his pack made their way up to Star to greet her with a smile on his face, Donna clung to her left arm, leaning her head against her friend’s shoulder almost as if she were afraid she would disappear.After they strategized, Max invited the group of vigilantes to join them for lunch and they were all seated around a table nearby waiting for the food to be brought out.“Did you know she joined them?” Max shook his head, the people he paid to keep an eye on her reported that she had made a few friends and hung out with a group of people, but apart from that, there was nothing different about her routine.“I had no idea, bu
A hand to holdStar paced from wall to wall of her apartment, it’s been days since the meeting at the Lockwood Pack and just as long since she decided to make some changes, what those were, she still had no idea.She just got off the phone with Ray who informed her that the anonymous tip-off was sent to the investigating authority regarding the illegal practices of The Academy and his contact at the high court confirmed that the inquiry was sitting on the desk of the right person. Truly they had no way of knowing who was clean and who was dirty, but they had to try.She was tasked with the duty of informing Maximus, but she hesitated, how would he react to her calling him.Sucking in a deep breath s
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