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Chapter 1
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Perrin
"This fucking blows."
I toss my quarter-staff to Ethan, watching him catch it with ease, despite being out of breath.
"It could be worse!" he said with a grin, taking another swipe at my side. "If I got as many dates on my own volition as you do through your father, I'd be in Heaven."
I grunt and quickly jump out the way. "Yea, except Heaven is a place you actually WANT to be. My dad insists on picking the weirdest places for these set-ups. The last time it was at a tea parlor."
"A tea parlor?" Ethan swings another jab my way but I deflect with my forearm. "What the hell is that?"
"My point exactly," I sigh.
"Was she at least good looking?" I grunt in response. Ethan grins, wiping silver hair off his sweaty forehead. "Must have been a real looker... did Jasmine know this time?"
"Good session. Let's call it a day." I say, cutting him off. Jasmine knows that my dad has been trying to set me up with the daughters of our Alpha Guard. She's been less than enthusiastic and hasn't been afraid to call it like she sees it.
We walk towards the benches and throw down our gear. My dad's been on my back about taking over as Alpha in three months, and I've been training my ass off to get ready.
In our pack, we abide by old traditions. You don't just get the Alpha title handed to you; you have to fight for it. Our pack has faced internal challenges from Betas, Omegas, and that's not factoring in challenges from external packs. Because we're the biggest pack on the West Coast, it's not surprising that smaller, surrounding packs always end up sending their best fighters to fight for the right to lead. Even though our pack are great fighters, the biggest challenge always comes from our rival pack, the Chiyads. They're incredibly fierce warriors, and if their own turnover rate for Alphas is any indication, they're shitty leaders as well. My family--my father--and I both know that we can't let them anywhere near our pack. We have never lost the Alpha title in our lineage, and I wasn't about to let the first time be on me. I'd been forcing Ethan to train with me relentlessly the past two years to prepare me. He was my best friend and I know I wouldn't be half the fighter I am today without him. I was also psyched for him; not only did you have to fight for the right for Alpha, but Beta had it's own series of challenges, too. But I had no doubt Ethan was the better fighter between the two of us. He'd have no problem.
"So when's this next date? Are you going to at least spill the tea if you get any after?" Ethan smirks in my direction.
"I'm heading there in an hour."
"Really? Who is it today?"
"You wouldn't guess in a million years."
"Well of course I wouldn't. I don't know half the she-wolves coming into town recently. Seriously, anyone good?" he probes.
"It's Lo."
Ethan spits out his water. "LO? As in, our Lo?"
"Yea."
Ethan is incredulous. "That's insane! Dude, I didn't know she was coming back!" He's happier than I've seen him in weeks.
"Neither did I until this morning. My dad broke the news to me over breakfast."
"Dude, that's amazing! We haven't seen her in years. This isn't really a date then! It's just a good old catch up. Can I come?" His enthusiasm is infectious. He's like a little kid.
"The thing is," I took a deep breath. "My dad wants it to be a date."
"Oh." Ethan's voice is flat. "Well that's just awkward. At least Jasmine doesn't have anything to worry about. Lo's just.... Lo, ya know?"
"Maybe. Like you said. It's been... years. Maybe she's a totally different person."
"Well, weren't we like... five? Six last time we saw her?"
"Something like that."
"I can't wait to see her," Ethan moons. I can't tell if he's reminiscing about our friendships as kids or something more. Even as kids, Lo was really special to Ethan.
He continues to brim with genuine excitement. It's heartwarming. "We should totally grab dinner or something! Maybe after the welcome ceremony?"
"I'll mention it to her. If she really is like the Old Lo, I'm sure she'd be down."
"Great. And maybe Jasmine can come!"
I give him an odd look. "Thankfully, Jasmine's in class tonight. Hopefully I can avoid it altogether until it's clear to Jasmine that meeting Lo is not a date."
"Is you dad ever going to accept her?"
"Doubt it."
"That's a shame. Well once you get matched up with someone, I call dibs. Jasmine is HOT."
"Oh shut up!" I give him a shove on the shoulder. "She's not eligible to match with a Beta either. Get off it."
"Oh, I'm sure she could get me off-"
"ETHAN!"
"Ok. Ok.... chill. I'll catch you after your date. Pucker up, lover boy."
I roll my eyes then check my phone.
DAD: 5 p.m. 97 Hastings Street. Drinks and dinner. Please be on time. Beta Mark is already pissed you're meeting up with his daughter. Don't embarrass me.
I sling my bag over my shoulder. This couldn't get any worse. Beta Mark's daughter has been living with her mother's pack somewhere in deep Texas. Lo has been living with her mom since we were 6. I haven't seen her in 12 years, and being pushed into a date with her wasn't exactly my idea of a great Friday night. What we were going to talk about, the time Ethan and I tried to set her dolls on fire? My phone pings.
JASMINE: Ethan's either stupid or loves hitting on me for his own sick amusement. Either way, cat's out of the bag. When's the next date and who is it this time?
I shoulder my bag in annoyance and head for the door. Jasmine is crazy hot, and I really care about her, but her jealousy streak is getting old. I head towards my car and text her back:
PERRIN: You know I had nothing to do with this. I can get my dad off my back once I'm Alpha and we can do what we want. I'm really s--
The sound of screeching tires echoes through the parking lot
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
I'm shoved to the pavement, skin scraping on the asphalt. My head smashes on the cement. I immediately see blood trickling down my scalp. I roll several times, crashing into another body.
The sound of the tires fade as an engine revs. A car whips out of the gym parking lot.
The rolling finally stops. I roll over, back sore, head pounding, chest heaving for breath. I feel bits of gravel stuck in my arm.
"Please tell me you are ok. Praise the Moon Goddess please please PLEASE be OK! Oh my gosh are you hurt?"
I open my eyes. A blanket of silver hair falls cascades into view, with the soft smell of rose petals. My wolf nose twitches--the smell of my own blood and roses is too pungent to bear with my head feeling like it's about to split open. I'm suddenly aware that my chest is heavy with the weight of a slight, slender body, sweeping my arms and abdomen with quick hands.
"Seriously! Are you hurt? Perrin, please. Tell me. I can call the Guard."
"I'm fine, Kira, really. I'm fine. It looks worse than it is." I try to get myself up on my forearms but my left arm buckles under its weight. The body shifts off of me and I wipe the blood out of my eyes. Kira's eyes stare back at me with slight amusement. "Yes, I can see that. The real question is, who got it worse? You or my brother?"
"Damnit Kira I thought he left! Where is he?! Did he get hit?" I swivel my head in sudden panic, attempting to see, but blood rolls down into my eyes, blurring my vision.
"Relax, Perrin. He peeled out on his motorcycle ten minutes before you left the building. He's fine. I just meant that you're a great fighter... and.." her voice trailed off.
"Oh." I said awkwardly, trying to see straight. I attempt to stand using my other arm.
"Not so fast," she cuts under my arm and props me up on her shoulder. "We're going to see your girlfriend."
"She in class right now."
"Liar. Get in the car."
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I usher out a quick "thanks" to Kira and jump out of the car. Rushing towards the packhouse doors, I barely have time to acknowledge the Guard as I dash inside, sprinting up the stairs, trying to reach my room. Knowing my father, he and Beta Mark are keeping tabs on how long it takes me to get to the restaurant. I almost bite it in the hallway--someone's recently mopped and the floors are a slippery mess. I save myself from falling by grabbing onto the only thing nearby--the arm of the pack Luna. "Perrin, are you alright?" Deidre steadies me with her other arm. "I'm fine, Luna," I shake her off, careening down the hall as fast as I can. Of course, running into my step-mother is just what I need right now. She'll have my father on speed dial in a heart beat. Once in my room, I shed off my shoes, shorts, and dash into the shower. I don't really have time to shower, but given that I'm torn between the clock and my own mental refusal to meet Leila, I decide it's ok. The shower is hot,
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Perrin "There was an attack." I'm packing back and forth in the small patient room, listening to my father, The Alpha, give me an account of what happened. "Well, thank you Captain Obviou--" My father silences me with a look. But I quickly recover and continue, trying to get answers. "Why was Ethan on Afternoon Guard duty? We'd been training all morning! You know we're not supposed to be assigned duty unless we have a day off from training. WHY WAS HE ON GUARD DUTY? THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED!" -- my temper is clearly getting the better of me. "That's not really the point, Perrin," my father growls. He doesn't enjoy being interrupted. "WELL WHY WAS HE?" I counter, still pissed. "I've been sitting in a waiting room for hours. Nobody will tell me anything! MY BEST FRIEND IS IN LIFE-SAVING SURGERY AND I'M NOT ALLOWED TO KNOW WHA--" "SHUT. UP." My father roars in my direction. The ferocity of his voice and
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There are monitors, tubes, and medical equipment everywhere. The room is silent except for my own footfalls and the sound of a "Beep.... Beep...." from the heart monitor. I take a step towards Ethan's bed. My blood turns cold. With the exception of his silver hair and knowing that it was him, it was hard to recognize him. There were claw marks deep across his forehead and his eyes, spanning his face. Gauze was covering most of it but it looked deep. His chest was equally marred, as if a wild animal--or wolf--had tried to tear him apart. Gashes stripped his arms. The smell of blood was overwhelming. It wasn't Ethan's blood either. We had trained for long enough for me to recognize when my partner was hurt. This was someone else's. I didn't recognize it. I looked away, uncomfortable at my own queasiness. I found the medical chart, wishing I had just a little bit of Jasmine's knowledge to interpret what I was seeing. The paperwork doesn't make sense to me at all. Terms I don't under
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EPILOGUEMarge shuffled through the archive, her shoes making the only sound in the quiet stone building, echoing all the same through the high vaulted ceiling of the church building above. She raised a gnarled hand to the shelf and deposited the book after two tries, her hands shaking slightly with the cold. There were only a few books to return tonight. Far fewer than there had been when Leila had been here.So why had she waited until this late in the evening to do it? She just shrugged and pushed on, the slow creaking of the cart’s wheels punctuating the silence, her old watch on her pale wrist noting the time; 1:45 a.m.She really had no business being there so late. But she had gotten caught up in one of her research projects, spread out across her circulation desk and totally lost in thought until the rumble of her empty sto
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PerrinAnd it had happened like that.I recalled the broad strokes for my friends.“You what?” Ethan said, shocked and nearly angry. “You can’t make that kind of promise!”Justin shook his head sagely. “That’s free reign, Perrin. And a dangerous move, backing out of every challenge. It puts you at a huge disadvantage if anyone trespasses on your territory.”“Or attacks on your land,” Ethan said.“Or poses a border dispute,” said Kira.“How will you expand?” Ethan asked, c
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PerrinAs soon as Mark dismissed the crowd, the crowd had begun to descend from the stands in droves. It hadn’t taken long for Lo to find me, fighting the current and pushing her way against the flow of teaming bodies and up to the platform.I sensed her, long before she ran up the platform stairs, Justin hot on her heels. I dove past my father, darted behind Mark and ran to meet her, not caring for any protocol or public indecency. I needed her.Her scent hit me first. It made my blood sing and my heart beat so fast I thought it would stop.And then there she was. The sight of my home and my heart, running and slipping across the wet platform towards me.My weight almost buckled beneath me, the unexpected reality of seeing her here st
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Justin The arena was packed. I could hear an excited roar from the crowd from behind the Lodge, drifting over the top of the massive building and floating through the chill evening air. Lo parked illegally in front of the entrance to the building. Now was not the time to point it out. A series of battered and limp-hanging banners and signs showed the way around to the back. It had rained today, apparently, and we made progress towards the arena as quickly as we could, sludging through mud and the trampled pathway. A stadium had been erected, filled to the brim with stands of onlookers, cheering and applauding in a range of darkened colors, soaked from the rain. Despite the bad weather, it hadn’t dampened their spirits. The crowd had been here all night, awaiting the results. Colored tents for each challenging pack were spaced ou
