The rogue king sent six of his wolves, along with Adelaide and Thomas with me to meet the Lycan King. The closer we got to the meeting point, a hunting lodge in the middle of nowhere, I was getting more than a little nervous. “Don't worry, you got this,” Thomas said, giving me I guess what was supposed to be a reassuring smile.“He's right,” Adelaide agreed. “The king wouldn't send you here if he didn't think you could do it.”“You're right,” I said with a smile that was only mostly forced. The king also believed a slap on the wrist was enough for his misdeeds. Yet James was running amuck, so I didn't put much stock into what the king believed. “Let's do this.”We arrived almost at the same time as the lycan king did. To my surprise he came in person. &ldqu
The lycan king’s eyes blazed with anger, but I kept talking. If I was going to get myself in trouble, I might as well make it worth it. “I know I am no one, but shouldn’t a king’s job be to protect his people, make sure they’re happy, healthy and working together for the benefit of the whole?”The king worked his jaw and slowly nodded. “Ideally, yes.”“Well, that’s not how the packs are working,” I told him, crossing my arms. “Almost every single alpha is some version of a tyrant. I’ve seen insecure alphas who’d snap at anyone who might suggest their not powerful, misogynistic asses who seemed more concerned with creating a harem of lunas than actually being alpha, then you have the ones that can only prove their powerful by stepping on the ones beneath them, the ones that they were supposed to protect.”“What is the point of this?” the king demanded, his voice slightly growly.I held his gaze, refusing to flinch at the edge in his voice. “The point,” I said, my tone steady but sharp,
A wave of relief washed over Adelaide and Thomas’ face when I joined them in the main room again. Before they could ask, I said, “Let’s find our rooms for the night.”Thomas nodded and look over at the others waiting as well. “Let’s go. We’re in the east wing tonight. Pair up and we’ll meet here, bright and early,” he told the others, and they followed me up an enormous staircase and took the hall to the right.Once we were in a room, Adelaide took a seat in a chair. “So what happened? What did he say? Did he listen? Is he going to help?”I laughed and took a seat next to her. “Short version is, I don’t know if he’ll help. He’ll probably tell me tomorrow, hopefully,” I replied.“And the long version?”“To start with, the king tried to pull the same old tricks he did when Kalen and I met him last time. He tried to bribe me if I could get Kalen to betray his father and be loyal only to him,” I said, and Adelaide’s disgusted look matched my own.Thomas sighed and shook his head. “Then wh
As soon as I arrived back at the rogue encampment, Kalen’s father called a meeting. We all met in what once was Kalen’s office, though it seemed it was more like his father’s now. “So how did it go?”“You can expect the lycan king’s best trackers in a few days to help look for James,” I told them, enjoying the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces.“He agrees to help?” the rogue king asked, giving me now a strange speculative look. “How did you do it?”“Honestly, I’m not sure myself. All l did was call him out and his childish grudges and power plays,” I replied with a shrug.The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of my words hanging in the air. Kalen’s father, the rogue king, leaned back in the chair that used to be his son’s, steepling his fingers as his sharp gaze pinned me in place.“You called him out?” he repeated, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “And that worked?”“That would work,” Kalen’s mom said with a small smile. “He usually respects honesty…tho
I stepped out of the shower and dried myself off. Danielle had finally started moving on from meditation and we began doing some exercises. I didn’t know if it was because of the baby or because I was out of shape, but I found it all exhausting.When I stepped out of the shower, I saw Kalen sitting on the bed. As soon as he saw me, he stood. “Hey, Dad says he has an update for us.”“Really?” I said, unable to hide my excitement. “Where is he?”“He’s waiting for us in the office,” Kalen replied, and I swear I heard a hint of excitement in his voice, too.I followed him out of the room and into what I had thought was Kalen’s office. His father sat behind the desk, looking over the papers. “We’re here,” Kalen said as we walked inside.The rogue king looked up and nodded at us with a small smile on the edge of his mouth. “We’ve found a building that looks like it’s one of James’ safe houses, and the scouts seem to think there is a good chance Caden is being held there.” “Really? What did
I leaned against the tree, my arms crossed over my chest, with Kalen next to me. He paced back and forth nervously. We were far enough from the building to be safe, but close enough to see whoever came out.It had taken the lycan king’s trackers and the rogue scouts two more days to finish their intel on the place. While I couldn’t go inside with them, Kalen’s father let me go with the team. That was good enough for me, or it was until I heard the fighting. The rogue king had made it very clear this morning. I was not allowed to set a single foot inside that building.The distant guttural growls echoed through the woods, sending a chill down my spine. I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay rooted to the spot. Kalen’s pacing quickened, his boots crunching against the frost-covered ground.“They’ve got it under control,” he muttered, though the tremor in his voice betrayed his doubt.I didn’t respond. My ears strained to pick up every sound from the skirmish going on inside the bui
I shook out my fur once I finished shifting. I growled at the woman and stared towards her when Kalen stepped between us.“Remember the child,” Kalen said to me, but he kept his eyes are on the woman. When he spoke again, he was speaking to her. “You aren’t going to escape us. If you run, she’s going to chase you down, and I’ll be right behind her, but not before I yell to the others. Among those others include the rogue king. Now, why don’t you do the best thing, hand the child to me and we can all end this day unharmed.”The woman’s lips curled into a sneer, her grip tightening on the baby in her arms. “No, she’s mine,” the woman insisted again. “James said she was mine now.” I could feel my claws itching to extend, my wolf straining against the reins I barely managed to hold. The child’s scent, innocent, vulnerable, mixed with the sharp tang of fear, and it was all I could do to keep from lunging at the woman and tearing her apart.Kalen didn’t flinch, his voice calm but steel-edge
I sat on the floor with the baby Kalen, and I rescued. She seemed to be almost a year old, or at least old enough to almost be ready to take her first steps. Which I hoped she didn’t do until she was with her family. They shouldn’t miss such an important milestone. She giggled, clapping her tiny hands together as I handed her a wooden block to play with. Her laugh was like a fragile thread of hope amid all the terribleness of this war.The baby reached out and tugged on a strand of my hair, babbling. Her innocence was almost painful to witness in a world so full of danger. I gently pried her tiny fingers away and held her close, her warmth grounding me. Trying hard not to get attached to her, I reminded myself it wasn’t her I longed for and wanted to keep in my arms, but my child. I wanted Caden.Yet I couldn’t deny it. Around the little girl, both Maddy and I felt much more relaxed. Maddy… I couldn’t believe it. My wolf was back. She was finally back. We hadn’t talked about what happ
EpilogueWith the death of James, there was enough evidence in his safe house to prove he was behind all the conflicts between pack and rogues, and the war officially was over. The lycan king spent the next several months majorly cleaning house. The king stripped most of the alphas of their positions with the choice of being incarcerated or going through a rehabilitation program. Not surprisingly, most were incarcerated or forced the king’s hand into killing them.He was also trying to repair his relationship with Danielle and the rogue king. The kings weren’t friends, but they stopped the petty back and forth they used to do. Danielle thinks there’s hope for them. Me… I am not so sure, but just glad to see their issues probably won’t cause any more wars.The lycan king offered the leadership of the Crimson Fang back to me, but I refused. There was too much bad blood between the pack and me. Besides, the rogue community felt like home to me now. I had friends and family here. Being th
The sun was warm against my skin as Caden and I sat on a blanket in the late morning. I tried to focus on him, and the joy of having him back in my life, instead of worrying about Kalen. Two days have passed since they left to find James, and I’ve not heard a single word about what was going on.“Hey,” Thomas said as he sat next to us, breaking me from my thoughts.“Hey,” I replied and unable to help myself, asked, “Heard anything yet?”He shook his head with a downfallen look. “No, but it doesn’t mean anything. Operations like this take time.”That would’ve made me feel better if he didn’t also look worried himself. He was trying to hide it, but I saw it all the same. Perhaps he wasn’t only trying to make me feel better, but himself, too. “Yeah. You’re probably right,” I said, deciding to play along.“So how are things with this little guy?” Thomas asked, looking down at Caden who had rolled over to his stomach now.“It’s been an adjustment,” I admitted. “You know, you hear about all
The Wolf's PoVI moved my neck to the side and shook off the painful little aftershocks of my shift. I lifted my massive snout and sniffed the air. Sweat, adrenaline, fear and anger. It was the smell of the most basic, primal of all instincts of any living creature. The fight for survival. It was an intoxicating mix. Working my jaw, the desire for blood filled me.I lowered my head and glared at the man before me. He looked equally excited as he did terrified. This man, James, didn’t understand the danger he was in if he was anything but afraid. I wasn’t Kalen. I didn’t care for him or the memories Kalen had of him. To me, he wasn’t family. He was a threat to my family. James separated my pup from his mother. He tried to take her away from me. For all of that, James needed to die. With a growl, I stepped towards him and allowed him to see his death in my eyes.“Why are we fighting, Kalen?” James said, shaking his head with a grin. “Look at the power you command. You could be the king
Kalen PoVI froze, unsure if I heard my uncle right. He was challenging Father? “You can’t be serious,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. James met my gaze, his smile growing. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.”Across the room, Father stood still, his hands clasped behind his back, the way he always stood when he was thinking, or more likely in this case, calculating. His eyes flickered toward me before returning to James. “Is this what you want, James? Have you become so seduced by power that you would fight me, kill me for it?”“You know nothing about me, Elijah,” James said, a growl in his voice. James took a step forward, his jaw tight, his fists clenching at his sides. “You built this all on weakness, nurturing that weakness, claiming it to be strength, but it’s all a lie and I’ve proved that. You haven’t been able to stop anything I’ve been doing.”Father tilted his head, considering him. “And what would you do instead? Be a tyrant? Ignoring those in need? Rule wi
Kalen’s PoVA still calmness washed over me as I prepared to leave. Father was waiting for me and I saw he wore a similar expression on his face. I couldn’t imagine how hard this had to be for him. James was his brother, after all. As the older brother, I had no doubt Dad looked after James, protected him from bullies and all of that. They’d been through everything together. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The villain was not supposed to be your family.“Ready?” he asked me when I reached him.“Could anyone be ready for something like this?” I replied.Father nodded and sighed. “No. No, I don’t think so, or at least, they shouldn’t be, but this is what we are given and we’re going to deal with it the best we can.”“That we are,” I said, and we started walking to the meeting point with the others coming with us.We were almost halfway there when Father stopped me. “There is something I have to say before we go.”“What is it? Something wrong?”Father shook his head. “No, just the op
KalenIt had been three days since Caden came back into our lives. Three days of the best chaos of my life. Never in my life had I seen myself in a domestic light. Yes, I’d often thought about building a life with Alyssa, but mostly because that’s what people did when they found their mate. They got together, had kids and built a family. I didn’t get excited about the idea, but I didn’t dread it either.Yet, now? Now, despite the crying mountains of diapers, Caden’s inability to stay still unless he’s sleeping. I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. I can’t remember a time where I felt happier and more at peace with life than how I am now.Alyssa and I visited that woman who claimed to know all about Caden yesterday, when she wasn’t feeling so confident about her capabilities to be a good mother to Caden. No matter what I told her, Alyssa wasn’t convinced, so we went to see the woman. However, the woman didn’t know anything. After some pressure, she admitted she only cared fo
“There he is. There is my grandson,” the rogue king said as soon as he saw us. He walked over and kissed Caden on the top of the head as he took in his scent. “Nice to see our good looks continue for another generation,” he added with a grin. “What brings you both here?”“Basically to catch up,” I said, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Caden didn’t seem to be that heavy, but, after a while of holding him, it felt as if he’d doubled in weight. “I would like to know more about how Caden was found and where.”“And how the search for James is going as well,” Kalen said, sitting next to me.“The search is going,” Kalen’s father replied. “However, I suggest with Caden now back. You should both focus on him and settling in your new roles as his parents.”“And we will, but there are things I need to know,” I argued.“I understand, and I will pass the reports the search team leader made about the search into the building where they found Caden. Though, I don’t think you
Kalen walked up to me and wrapped his arms around the both of us. “No, this is real. We’ve got him back. You’ve got your son back, Alyssa.”I held Caden to me, unable to believe my eyes. “How? When?” I asked Kalen, then glanced up at him, anger trickling into my joy. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”“Because no one knew until they found him,” Kalen replied. “The location they found him, there weren’t any other children. It seemed to be nothing more than a supply depot. Also, this just happened this morning. The trackers told my dad who told me, and well, I thought I’d give you a surprise.”“Who was with him? How was he found?” I said and looked at Caden, searching for signs that they had mistreated or neglected him.“From what they told me there was a woman with him,” Kalen replied. “I don’t know any more than that. We can take him to the doctor now if you like. Though I have to say he looks fine.” Kalen reached out and held Caden’s hand as the baby looked at us with wide eyes, as if taki
Nearly a week passed after our visit with the lycan king. Danielle and I continued our training while I saw very little of Kalen or his father. There was a lot of movement in the camp. It seemed as if we were getting closer to finding James. I tried asking Danielle if she knew anything, but she just said I should focus on my training and trust that if there was news Kalen would tell her.That only made me annoyed, one because I hated not knowing what exactly was going on and second, because she was right. Kalen wouldn’t keep me in the dark about anything important. Yet, where was he? Until recently, he was practically at my side all the time. It seemed strange he wasn’t here.Suddenly, my feet knocked out from under me, but Danielle caught me before I hit the ground. “You’re not paying attention,” she lectured as she glared down at me.“Right,” I said, feeling a bit of whiplash. “Sorry.”“You should be,” Danielle said and pulled me up to my feet. “I’m not doing this for my health, you