Is anyone surprised by Quirin?
YaraI can’t believe my mate. Well, maybe I can. He seems to like finding ways to surprise me. I think he enjoys watching the flood of emotions I feel when he does something frivolous and crazy like literally filling our packhouse with flowers.After he announced the party, we went upstairs to shower and change, and of course, my mate is still working to give me that pup, so we took some time to have our own celebration with a promise of more to come later.I’m honestly not sure who is more excited, him or me. The feeling coming off of my hardcore fighter of a mate is almost giddy. He’s so full of excited energy that he’s practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as we get ready.“Did I not wear you out enough?” I ask him.“Yara!” he says, swinging me around in his arms and making me laugh. “Do you feel the pack's energy? Do you feel how happy they are?”“Yes, I do.”He sets me down, smiling at me with so much love in his eyes that it makes my heart feel like it’s going to explode.
TrenaI know this pack is different than Simon’s. It’s obvious in everything that goes on here, every interaction that occurs with Alpha Warren, Beta Charlie, and this pack. Even Yara is different than I remember her from before. Somehow, she seems stronger, as if finding her mate and becoming a Luna has brought out something inside her that was waiting to blossom.But I’m in no mood to celebrate. I begin walking around the pack, hearing the periodic sounds of cheering, music, and laughter. It’s so opposite of my own emotions that it feels almost otherworldly.Eventually, I find myself standing outside the pack hospital. Just like with the patrols, the nurses here are taking shifts so everyone can go to the party. However, I know there is only one person in the hospital right now. My mate. Bradley.I walk inside and wave to Katie who is currently on shift.“How’s the party?” she asks excitedly.“In full swing,” I tell her.“I can’t wait to go. This pack has never had a party before.”“
WarrenI wasn’t surprised when we had several of our warriors submit requests to battle Haynes. I would have been more surprised if they hadn’t. The pack hierarchy is built on strength and leadership. Haynes has shown his ability to lead and to learn what he doesn’t know, but now he’ll have to prove his strength. I’m not worried. If I didn’t think he had the strength to defeat the other warriors, I wouldn’t have chosen him as my Gamma, and neither would Charlie.After waking with my mate lying over top of me, and giving her my best effort to ensure she’s carrying my pup, I head downstairs to call Harold.“Good morning, Alpha Warren,” he answers.“It is a good morning, indeed, Alpha Harold.”“It sounds like it. May I ask what's made you so happy?”I tell him about our pack’s party last night, celebrating our strength and togetherness.“That sounds…incredible. Perhaps I should consider doing something like that here,” he says.“I honestly didn’t realize how much our pack needed it, Harol
YaraI knew Warren would be excited about the pregnancy. What I didn’t expect were the feelings that stirred inside me and Annika when we found out that I’m pregnant. I began feeling very possessive of him. I am the one that will give him his pups. Only me. He is mine. Only mine.Thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind my possessive neediness or Annika’s. I guess that’s why they’re mated to us. If anything, he almost seemed pleased that Annika felt the need to mark him several more times last night and again this morning. She finally relaxed a bit when our scent on him was almost equal to his, and his on us was the same. No one can say they don’t know that he is mine. Or at least, that’s Annika’s thinking.I walk into the bathroom, watching as he showers off our sex before going to warrior training. Annika begins purring loudly as I look him over. He really is one hell of a gorgeous man; sexy, strong, and powerful, yet kind and loving, patient and thoughtful.He leans his head out of the sh
WarrenI’m running the challenge with Haynes. There are five individuals who are challenging him. Depending on how long each competition takes, this could be quick or go on for hours. Since most of the challengers are strong warriors, I’m assuming this will take all morning and part of the afternoon.Since I don’t want my warriors injured too much, I’m calling the fights. Injuries during challenges are common, and I know Yara is available to fix my warriors up if they get injured, but now that we’re a healthy pack, I want to keep us that way.Haynes takes the first guy down and I call if after he dislocates his shoulder. The first match took an hour, and I expect the others will be about the same.“Go see your Luna,” I tell my warrior, then call a brief recess for Haynes to catch his breath.The second battle lasts a bit longer, and this time, Haynes dislocates my warrior’s knee. I call it and send him to the pack hospital before giving Haynes another break.We’re just about to start r
LaneyI watched my mate, my official mate of three days, while he fought for his position as Gamma. I had no doubt that he would win. He’s a great fighter, but an even better instructor, which is what the Gamma position would do, train the warriors in our pack.Our pack. I’m still getting used to the idea of being a part of this pack. I watch as Alpha Warren jogs over and kisses his mate for the pack, the goddess, and the world to see. The love that is shared in this pack is unlike anything that I’ve ever seen, and definitely unlike anything in Thomas’ pack, even when his father was Alpha.This pack feels good. The camaraderie, the cohesiveness, is unlike anything I’ve ever seen or felt. This pack acts like a pack should. They act like a family, protecting each other, and working together. Even this competition against Haynes feels different.I’d been terrified that these five warriors would work together to take Haynes out. It’s what would have happened in my previous pack. They would
YaraHaynes congratulations party was wonderful. The happiness in the pack is contagious and everyone laughed and enjoyed themselves. It feels like the bonds that weave a pack together are strengthening and the pack itself is becoming stronger because of it.I was even more excited when Charlie and Noelle pulled Warren and I aside to tell us that they are expecting and that they wanted to announce it at the party.“Do you mind waiting until the pack ceremony?” Warren asked.“No, we can wait. I think,” Charlie says, smiling at Noelle. He looks like I feel, ready to burst with the news. And apparently, I already did. “But is there a reason you don’t want us to add to the celebratory feeling tonight?”Warren had smiled down at me.“What?” Noelle gasped, reaching out to take my arm. “You’re…?”I nod excitedly and we’d hugged, doing a strange jumping, rocking motion while we hugged and our mates just smiled at us.“You’re good with both of us announcing together?” Warren asked Charlie.“I h
WarrenWe spent Friday night with Harold, Henry, and Farrah, showing them around the pack and letting them get to know our pack members. I could tell that Harold was surprised. It’s one thing to hear that your pack is happy, but it’s quite another to see it and feel it. And because of my amazing mate, Farrah got the full force of our pack’s love and admiration.The next morning after breakfast, Harold, Henry, Charlie, and I all head to my office.When we sit, Harold turns to look at me. “It is really impressive what you’ve done here, Warren.”“Thank you, Harold. Most of that is because of my mate. The pack fell in love with her before she agreed to be my mate. Thankfully, she found something in me that was worthy of her love and trust.”“Thankfully? It sounds to me, based on what I’ve been hearing from your pack members, that you ARE worthy of everyone’s love and trust.”“He is,” Charlie says before I can answer. I glance at my Beta, then turn back to Harold.“You and I both know, Haro
One Year LaterQuirin“Come on, Quirin! You can punch harder than that,” Henry, my best friend and closest thing that I have to a brother, says to me.“It’s your birthday, Henry. I don’t want to make you cry before we celebrate your big day,” I taunt.Where Henry is a shining star of happiness, I’m a black cloud of anger. Being around him helps to keep the darkness at bay, but no one can remove the darkness that has consumed me since the day that I watched my father die.I had planned my revenge on Alpha Warren for years, had intended to take everything that he loved from him. But all that changed a year ago when his mate saved my life. Not only had she saved my life, she’d insisted that I live. She, like Henry, had a bright golden light that shines around her. She’d taken my face in her hands and told me that I wasn’t allowed to die. I had been ready to die, ready to give up the grief that I’ve held so deep in my heart, but she wouldn’t allow it. How that woman saved my life is beyon
Five Years LaterYaraIf you had asked me six years ago what my life would look like now, I’m not sure I would have ever imagined this. My life is filled with love, happiness, work, school, the pack, and most importantly, family.My mate is as perfect a father as I knew he would be. He LOVES being a father and I love watching him with our pups. I never thought I could love that man more than I did, but seeing him being the incredible father that he is with our pups, I’ve just kept falling more deeply in love with him and wanting to give him more pups. After the twins, we decided to wait a bit. Our original plan was to wait a few years while we adjusted to being parents to two babies. Warren wanted to focus on getting the pack financially stable and increasing the pack’s income and I wanted to focus on going back to school and turning our hospital into a teaching hospital.It took about six months of negotiation with the closest werewolf university and a lot of conversations with their
WarrenIt’s been several months since we killed Brady and Dr. Stephens. It took a while, but the pack has settled into what I guess is a more normal routine. We spar, we run patrols, Charlie and I run the pack, Yara and Noelle run the hospital, Haynes and Laney train and manage the warriors.Now that life has settled down, our pack is having a baby boom. I’m pretty sure every one of my mated she-wolves is pregnant and some who aren’t mated are pregnant as well. Yara and I talked about that and we’ve agreed that if both parents are fine with remaining unmated, they can. The ones who don’t agree, have to speak to both of us so we can come to a resolution. Thankfully, now that we’re having pack gatherings with Alpha Harold and his pack, there are fewer unmated adult men and women in our pack.Today, Yara is in the pack hospital making last minute preparations before our twins come. I’m watching Charlie and Haynes working with Carson. It’s been a long, grueling road for him. He’s struggled
AnnaWhen the pack came back after attacking Alpha Brady’s pack, they brought Dr. Stephens with them.Dr. Stephens, the man I have despised ever since I started working in the hospital. All of us, the nurses, knew that he was hurting our pack, but there was very little we could do about it. At the time, we were in a constant state of war. We could barely keep the pack going in between battles, and Dr. Stephens had been part of that problem.We’d all turned to Savannah. She was younger than Erika and Katie, but she had more medical experience. Without any conscious discussion about it, we had all deferred to her when we questioned Dr. Stephens' methods. Goddess knows, you never questioned him to his face. He’d berate you in front of anyone and everyone in the room. He was a horrible man for so many reasons.As I stare at the man, who is currently on his knees in front of Alpha Warren, I remember the day I lost the man that I’m pretty sure was my mate. I was almost eighteen. I had actual
WarrenAfter making love to my mate for hours and sleeping off the exhaustion of the battle, I wake up feeling fantastic. While I slept, Arric healed what was left of my wounds, my mate is safe, happy, and pregnant with my pups, and all that’s left is Dr. Stephens who is currently residing in my cells.There’s one more thing that I need to take care of before I deal with Dr. Stephens, and that’s Carson. Yara told me that he wanted to die when he came in. I understand his fear. Not having a place in a pack is a terrible feeling for pack members. While we get ready this morning, Yara and I talk about the options and how we can possibly keep him running patrols. She explains to me about prosthetics and that it will take modifications on our part and his, but once he and his wolf gets used to wearing one, they can continue to remain at warrior status and help defend the pack.But before that, we need to say goodbye to our allies and send them off.When we get downstairs, the feeling in the
YaraThe flow of warriors coming into the hospital finally starts to slow down. When we get one warrior with a spike through his foot, he tells us that they’ve breached the packhouse and the battle is winding down. I’ve periodically felt Warren’s emotions, his pain, but nothing that my mate and his wolf can’t handle.Now that it’s settling down, the fatigue of the day and night is starting to set in. But I know I won’t be able to sleep until my mate is home and I’ve checked him over.I’m still working with the warrior who got the spike through his foot, holding his bones in place while his wolf starts the healing process when I hear a commotion out in the front.“They’re back, Luna,” Savannah says, coming into the room.“Go, Noelle. Go check on Charlie. I’ll be out as soon as I’m done here,” I tell her. She and Savannah rush out of the room.“You should go too, Luna,” the warrior says.“I will, once the bones in your foot are back in place,” I tell him, putting another one together and
WarrenAs expected, we ended up having to send a large group of warriors back as soon as we blew the bombs. I’d heard Carson screaming in my head and told some of my warriors with minimal injuries to get him to Yara as quickly as possible. I have to hope that my mate can work the miracles she always seems to and because I know she’ll do everything she can, I remain focused on the battle.It’s been long enough since they last attacked my pack, that Brady’s warriors are healed. But Franklin and Harold’s men severely decimated their numbers. Even with the number of wolves that we’re having to send back to the pack, we’re still outnumbering them. Add to that, we have two Alphas and two Betas leading this attack on four fronts and it doesn’t take Arric long to get to the packhouse. I send half of the warriors i my group to help the others as I prepare to enter the packhouse. With Brady, you never know what types of traps he’s set.‘Alpha, Franklin and I have Alpha Brady. Do you want us to k
YaraWe only had a couple of hours before the injured started coming in. The first thing I realize is that every single one of them has splinters all over them. Because they blew the bombs with wood, they’ve all been hit with various sizes and amounts of debris.“Make sure you get every piece of wood out of them. If you don’t, they’ll become infected. Warriors, you need to let my team know if you feel pain somewhere so we can get all these wood pieces out of you. If we don’t and you get an infection, I’ll pull you from duty until you’re healed.”“Yes, Luna,” they say with varying degrees of strength in their voice.Savannah and I begin doing triage and I take the worst ones while she takes the ones that she can handle.The first group that comes in have large pieces of tree that punctured through them. I’m guessing others did as well, but this group couldn’t pull these pieces out without causing more damage to their bodies. I take the one with a large piece of wood in the thigh, and Sa
WarrenAfter dinner, I take her upstairs so we can celebrate properly. I don’t spend the hours that I want to with my mate, but when I return, I’ll make it up to her.I’m up before dawn the next morning, Arric and I ready for battle. I shower quickly, letting my mate sleep in. I know that soon enough, she’ll be overwhelmed in the hospital.When I get out of the shower, she’s sitting up in bed. The sheet is laying across her lap, but her breasts are bare for my view. Any other morning, I’d be crawling back into bed. But today, my mind stays focused on the battle ahead.“Why don’t you go back to sleep, baby? We’ll be sending warriors back to you soon enough,” I tell her.She shakes her head. “I’m coming down to see everyone off. I want our warriors to know that I love them and I’m here if and when they are brought back.”I go to her, kissing her deeply, drawing strength for what I have to do today. I know it’s a possibility that we’ll lose warriors. I hate it, hate it even more than I us