“There are no accidental meetings between souls.”
“Max, stop it!” Star giggled, shoving Max’s wandering hands away, only to feel them on her face moments later.
“You’ve been at this for hours, I promise the pack won’t starve if you take a teeny little break.” Sometimes she felt like she was being duped, there was no way the whiny adult male beside her was an Alpha of a pack of more than three hundred werewolves.
“I have to finish this today, I’m flying out early tomorrow morning.” She huffed and turned to face him with her most annoyed look.
“I know.” His jaw was clenched and his gaze moved around the room, avoiding her eyes. St
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” -AristotleSitting on the plane with an empty seat beside her, Star made up her mind. The week of apartment hunting and learning the layout of the city was both tiring and definitive. She now knew what she needed.Logging into the university website using the plane’s wifi, she sucked in a deep breath and clicked ‘Accept’ on the offer and once the page loaded, her phone pinged with an incoming email, congratulating her on her updated student status.Her mother’s face flashed through her mind, she would be proud, “I made it happen, mom.” She whispered and dropped her head back onto the seat with a happy smile set on her lips.
Measuring upMax watched in both awe and pride as Star successfully pinned his best female warrior in a headlock. She was a hell of a fighter, that much he already knew, but seeing her sparring hand to hand with an actual werewolf solidified his resolve even further.She was where she was meant to be.“Great job Star!” Pack members that surrounded the gym happily congratulated the human woman, she may not have been one of them, but she was just as much part of the pack as they were, despite it not being official.“She’s good.” Landon came to stand beside his Alpha, watching the exchange.“I knew that the moment
Three things in the world that can never be hidden; the sun, the moon, and the truthSipping on a cup of coffee at a cafe near the storage facility, Star sent a text to Max letting him know that Greg and the guys were on their way back with her stuff, but she’d stayed behind to visit the campus to finalize her registration while she was in the city.It was already midday, but she was lucky enough to get an appointment with the admissions clerk at 1 pm on such short notice.Fall was almost upon them and Star could already feel the chill setting in, Maine was a notoriously cold state since it was so close to Canada and while the Summers weren’t all that warm, the winters were below freezing and bitterly cold.
Like the sound of broken glassStar threw the truck in park and hopped off the vehicle, she didn’t hear pack members greeting her, nor the hurt looks on their faces when she ignored them, all she saw were her feet moving one before the other as she raced up to Maximus’ office.Thoughts of her meeting with the admissions clerk were far from her mind as she chased the truth. Her mind was processing the words uttered by the hunter, but her heart refused to accept their validity.Muffled voices became clearer as she rounded the corner, but the sound of her name halted her in her steps.“-Star decide.” She recognized the voice as Landon’s.&nb
Or a heart, shattering within its cageStar haphazardly emptied the cupboards that held her belongings for the past few months, not caring that she was creasing them or even that she was doing it without any plan of where she’d go, all she knew was that she needed to get out of there.A pounding on her door stopped her movements for a moment before she continued, she knew they were werewolves who could break the door down at any time, but she didn’t care to be the one to let whoever it was in.“Star, open the door please.” Once again her body froze, after crying her eyes out for hours, she decided to leave, it was only now he showed up at her door. Sucking in a deep breath she sped up her packing, trying her best to avoid the man on the other sid
Souls seek magnetic polesFor the first time in her life, Star found herself completely alone for days on end, but as time passed, she found herself growing more and more accustomed to the silence in her apartment, though her thoughts made more noise than she could bear.“Hey honey, how ‘bout I top ya up?” The sweet southern waitress refilled her cup before she could even answer, she’d grown used to Star’s presence in the cafe for most of the day and Star preferred the white noise of the background as she typed away. The semester had begun with a bang and already she had assignments lined up, which is why she spent most of her ‘free’ time with her head buried in her laptop in a popular cafe just off-campus.The place was filled
The voice of her perturbStar couldn’t get his dark gaze from her mind, his condescending words replayed in her head like a broken record, it was unnerving. She hadn’t seen the unknown man on campus or at the cafe, she frequented in the past week and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to or not.“Hey Star, wait up.” Star glanced back and slowed her pace, allowing Sawyer to catch up to her. He hadn’t approached her on campus before so she was curious as to why he was calling out her name amidst hundreds of fellow students.Star ignored the curious glances she got, Sawyer was quite the celebrity on campus, he was the typical fun-loving party guy that spoke to everyone, despite the somewhat reserved manner he always spoke to her.&nbs
Getting the ball rolling “You made it!” Sawyer stood from his seat with a smile when she approached the small crowd. “Hi.” Star smiled politely up at him, her earlier gall nowhere to be found. “Everyone, meet Star, Star these are my buddies. Molly, Stan, Cory, Marc, Amber, and Ray.” He pointed at each person and a series of hi’s and hellos rang from them, till he landed on the last man, who simply stared, never uttering a greeting. Ray, the dark-haired man whose brooding features and suspicious eyes had gotten under her skin at Sawyer’s last get-together. She silently cursed herself for not considering he might be there, but she never knew he and Sawyer were close at all.
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