Content Warning: This story contains descriptions of mental, physical and sexual abuse that may trigger sensitive readers. This book is intended for adult readers only.Monday, January 22 (Cole’s POV)It’s the jarring of the bus as it turns off the main road onto the gravel drive that wakes me from my slumber. It’s been a grueling twelve hour ride from my home pack, Red Fang, southwest to Crimson Dawn. I’ve heard rumors about this pack. Both from those who have visited through the warrior prospect program and just the general rumors that float around about every pack. It’s one of the hardest packs to get into through the prospect program and a warrior from Red Fang has yet to be offered a position here. Now that I think about it, I don’t think any of our warriors have ever made it into the second run anywhere, at least not during the year and a half since my father started allowing me to attend. This makes me wonder how much of the selection process is based on skill versus the nega
My desire is to gain two things and two things alone. I’m using what little training I receive from each pack and creating it into my own self-defense. Since all training is geared towards the shifting wolf I have to modify it to fit my needs but I’m a fast learner and very creative. It’s in this way that I intend to formulate a means of defending myself strictly in my human form. My second goal is finding my mate. The one and only she-wolf that the Moon Goddess has created just for me, my other half.I started asking my father about the prospect program when I was eighteen, the youngest that you can be accepted into the program. My plan was to use the program to find my mate. It’s a common method used to get into other alphas’ territories which is usually the best way to find her. My plan, once I found her, is to join her pack if she has a decent alpha, or to run away to the human’s world and live peacefully among them. He gave me a hard time and several beatings before he caved. I
“Since it’s late and I’m certain you’re all tired from such a long trip, I will save the majority of the details of our rules and expectations for Monday’s orientation. All prospects are given the same general introduction to our pack before they get off the bus. The time and location of the orientation meeting will be announced Friday evening once we are certain that all five buses have arrived. I believe that my father will be running three different meetings due to the larger than normal response to this run. My father will be the primary speaker but myself, Alpha Dominic, Alpha Lucas, Beta Patrick and Beta Parker will also be there to cover anything that my father misses as well as to answer any questions you may have. All of us will have some involvement with you during your training here at Crimson Dawn. As I am certain you have already heard, we are a strict and when needed, unforgiving pack and we do implement physical punishment in accordance with council laws. If you are c
“Sex is allowed, although I don’t smell any she-wolves on this bus so at least for this first night I don’t think that’s going to be much of an issue. Sex is to be protected at all times no matter if she claims to be on the pill or not. A variety of condoms will be stocked in the personal hygiene closets in buildings A and B. Building C is reserved for the female warriors and personal hygiene products are changed accordingly. You will be interviewed about all sexual interactions you’ve had before coming here and notified of any positive tests that come from the STI testing. We will treat any treatable diseases detected during testing. We know it’s common for males to use this program to find their fated mates. It is also common for relationships outside of fated mates to occur. While relationships are frowned upon by the council during temporary stays at a pack, we have yet to have a group that hasn’t had multiple wolves in relationships by the time they leave. We simply ask that you
I watch silently as the young alpha grabs both of their necks, one in each hand and pulls them apart while in a booming Alpha voice commands; “Submit!” Both of them struggle but eventually fall to their knees, growling loudly at one another. “I just told you no fist fighting and no sooner than you get off the bus you're coming to blows, over what?” “He’s taking my bag!” “No I’m not! Your bag is over there!” I can’t help but facepalm myself as I listen to them argue. No fighting, no drugs, no raping and no shit faced drunks. Sounds like a pack that just wants you to be responsible, reasonable and take care of one another. Here are the two youngest warriors who qualify for the program and they act like mere children. I walk over to the matching pack to the one they’re squabbling over and kneel down beside it. I go over it with a fine tooth comb finally locating a tag with the name Taylor on it. I sigh and shake my head as I pick up the pack and walk over to the twins. I stand sile
“If everyone here is being punished with a third floor room then Cole should get one too. He’s one of us.” “Oh, is he?”I freeze in shock at his attitude. I stand slowly with my bag in my hand watching and listening to the alpha’s next moves. It was common for the lead alpha to treat a visiting pack as a single unit instead of trying to figure out the good prospects from the bad. “And what exactly would make me think he’s one of you?” He asks surprisingly slowly and deliberately, waiting for someone to answer. “He’s the alpha’s son. Of course he’s a member of Red Fang.” Dallas, one of the other troublemakers, responds. “Who his father is doesn’t automatically make him one of you. Never, in all the years I’ve been in this program, have I seen a member of a pack treated with such demeaning, humiliating disrespect. To purposely degrade not just another wolf but a wolf you likely grew up with by attempting to destroy his belongings is NOT treating him as one of you. So, since all of y
It’s a struggle for me to stop my fight as my panic has taken over. I close my eyes in an effort to concentrate on my breathing. My chest is tight and my breath is coming out short and fast. I fight to get out of his hold as I hear another approach. “Everything okay dad?” The voice is much deeper than Alpha Damian’s making me wonder who it is that has approached us. “I’m going to need a few minutes alone with him. Lucas, I need you to have the rest of the group follow you inside to the third floor. Have Dom bring up the rear. I want silence. Not a word or sound as they pass by or they will all see the consequences of one person’s disrespect.” “Yes sir.” My fight eases a little as the alpha’s son steps away and heads back towards the group. “Cole, I know you just met me so there is no trust but I need you to follow my directions exactly. I’m going to coach you through a breathing technique that will help you to relax. As you relax you will feel me easing up on your arms.” I nod
(Cole’s POV)I follow behind Alpha Demetri and his son a short way across the main hall on the first floor. They stop at the first door they come to, the numbers 101A are screwed into the center. I stop a few feet from them as I have a preference for keeping my distance from everyone. I only get close to those I’ve observed for a while and I have a motive for learning from them. I can hear a short beep briefly before the sound of the door unlocking. Alpha pushes down on the handle and allows the door to swing open before looking back at me and encouraging me to enter. I move cautiously as I have never been beaten this badly by my dad before going to another pack’s territory. I would think the risk of another alpha discovering my secret relationship with my father would have been too high for him to be so careless. Yet the beatings have only gotten worse with each pack he’s sent me off to. Combine denying me my medication with the hardship of hiding my injuries and he’s making it eas
The very breath I breathe is knocked right out of me as he has never commanded me to do anything. Even his father has made a strangled growl in response to his statement. “Even though you are an alpha, I am commanding you to come back.” His tone has softened but the seriousness in his voice has not. “I will return or I will die trying.” I somehow manage to whisper. Luna steps up next as Alpha Damian steps back wrapping her arm around me as Madilyn grabs my neck. I can feel Madilyn trying to wrap herself around me. Luna loosens her hold as I timidly take the young pup into my arms. “No! Don’t leave!” She starts off yelling. “You don’t deserve your daddy. He hurts you when you’re a good wolf. Please stay. My daddy can be your daddy. I promise I’ll share him.” She barely makes it through the last two sentences before breaking down crying. I hold her tightly as I look at luna’s face, her cheeks wet with tears. “I’m sorry.” Is all I can manage to whisper as she takes the little one
(Cole’s POV)It’s a shock to say the least to see Lucas come out to the porch let alone to see what appears to be a forced apology from him. I have a hard time believing what he has to say. I have never heard of Wolfington Academy and the only hint he gave was that he would go away. Not something I would ever want to happen to a newly shifted teen but I certainly wouldn’t want him to continue being a danger to the preshifts either. It’s been easy enough the last few months for me to avoid interacting with him even though I have sincerely missed the twins. These last two months, while they have been terribly hard and mentally painful for me, have also been the best for showing me the support I will have when I’m not myself. Alpha and luna both have gone out of their way to help me through my own decision to return. Every night luna and the twins would come to my room after dinner with a plate of food wrapped in cling wrap and several drinks. They would put the food and drinks in the
He finally lifts his head and stands from the stairs, walking slowly towards me. Suddenly his pace picks up and has taken on a more aggressive look. I start moving to intercept him as he’s headed straight towards Cole. ‘Stop me. Please dad, I don’t want to hurt him.’ His call for help is real, he genuinely fears hurting Cole. I step quickly into his path, silently wrapping my arms around him. One around his waist, the other under his arm allowing me to curl around and place my hand on the back of his neck. He freezes in place and stifles a yelp as I hold him close. I’m struggling to put together what these new symptoms mean. “Lay your head. I need you to relax so I can submit your wolf without causing you pain.” I whisper in his ear as I guide his head down. He whimpers quietly as I massage his neck looking for the best pressure point. “I need you to talk, Luke. To anyone. I don’t care if you confide in your brother, your mother, any of the doctors or nurses in the wing, tell
I wrap my hands around his, sliding my fingers gently between his hands and hair. He surprises me with how easily he gives up his stimming. “Stand up son.” I keep my voice gentle and reassuring, waiting for him to respond. He fights me briefly as he stands, trying hard to get out of my hold. “No, Cole. Accept the contact.” I persist as I refuse to let him run from me. Surprisingly, it seems he wants to run towards the van picking him up, not back into the house. “Stay with me a moment son. Allow me to calm you.” He relents to my desire, slowly giving me the calm I know he needs to make a rational decision. “I know you heard the conversation. I need to know your thoughts.” “Dad sent him.” He whispers, his voice fearful. “I know. Your dad requested the change but the council honored it so the plan remains the same. You have pack members at White Ridge which gives your father no excuses for picking you up.” He nods against my shoulder before slowly pushing himself away.
“Come.” I state as I gently pull him up and into me. He whimpers and fights briefly before taking hold of me tightly. We simply stand in silence, waiting for the trauma of leaving to subside. I wait for him to push away first, following his lead for when he’s ready to start out towards the front door. “Would you like some Ativan? It won’t take effect until you're well on your way north so it won’t alter your ability to decide to stay or go but it will make the trip easier to handle.” “Please.” Is all he manages to whisper against my neck before he pushes himself up to stand on his own. “Stay.” I whisper just as quietly as I step away from him into the attached bathroom, opening the cabinet and pulling out the low dose Ativan that I keep there. I return in front of him cupping his chin in my hands, lifting his head so he’s looking straight instead of the floor. He whimpers subtly as he pulls away but I don’t allow him to leave me. “Easy there, son.” I whisper as I use my thumbs
His eyes are wide with my explanation but he slowly removes his shirt as I’ve requested. “Put it on my desk.” I keep my calm helping him along when he appears lost. “Please.” He pleads helplessly. “It’s okay.” I try to comfort him. “No sir. It’s not okay. I’m not okay.” “I know. That’s why I’m doing this. Don’t step away.”I instruct as I close the distance between us. He accepts my embrace as I pull him into me again. There’s one test that I’ve never done with him as I’ve respected his sensitivity towards his back being touched but today I’m using that sensitivity to break him down in the hopes that he’ll be better able to handle leaving. It could also lead him into a complete breakdown requiring me to place him on a mental health hold but I’m taking my chances. “What are you going to do to me?” He asks as he struggles to lay his head on my shoulder.“I’m going to touch your back.” I explain as I guide his head down and pet the back of his head. “Please, sir. You don’t know h
It’s as we sit in silence that his frantic sobs finally quiet and are slowly replaced by the steady rhythm of his slightly wheezed snore. He hasn’t slept or ate right in the last two months and his condition shows it easily as he’s nearly back to the same weight he was when he got here despite our efforts to counteract his depression by upping his medication. I close my eyes and lay my cheek against his head as I listen to everything around me. I reassigned everyone that normally helps in the pack house to other tasks, closed the med wing with the exception of emergencies and canceled all the meetings that were scheduled today. I knew today would be tough but nothing could have prepared me for the brutal reality of this young man choosing to leave. The pack house is eerily quiet as if the house has been swallowed whole in preparation for the sadness, the sheer trauma of his departure. I have no idea how long I’ve been sitting with him when the shuffle of my mate’s feet starts down t
Friday July 20th; 8am(Cole’s POV) It’s been a month since my meeting with alpha discussing my options for getting out of the hell I call home. I was allowed to take the hard splint off for good two weeks ago but that hasn’t kept me out of the med wing. I’ve been in a steady slide into severe depression and I’ve had to seek the comfort of both alpha and Dr. Pierce when my feelings have become too extreme for me to handle alone. My mood swings have been so wild that I’ve gotten extremely nasty with Jessa. I so much as begged alpha to send her on a trip with Alpha Damian until today because I knew how badly I was hurting her. I didn’t mean to hurt her and I know I’m going to pay dearly for my lack of control when I return. Sleep is scarce at best and eating is nearly impossible. I can’t begin to describe how many times I have screamed myself awake, fighting alpha’s hold around me just to break down and cry in his arms. The anticipation of returning after six months of relative peace
“This is also the reason why we don’t want you to wait for the committee to remove you. The information that your father has access to without much digging on the process says if you make it to the final step in the investigation ten members of the council will move into your pack and you will be simultaneously moved out. The move is permanent no matter if you go to trial or not as the council members that move in are not simply investigating you.” I stop my gentle rub just under the hem of Jessa’s shirt and cock my head slightly as this was where Dr. Pierce had essentially stopped when breaking down the process.“So what are they doing when the committee starts their nine month investigation?” “What they’ve done for ten years now is remove the wolf being investigated to a temporary sanctuary pack within an hour’s drive of the regional committee’s headquarters. The pack has constant contact with the committee and as soon as any feral behaviors are seen the wolf is placed in the pack