JOSH POV It is nighttime, so visibility isn’t great, but I see the large Ferrari man, Alpha Tyson, exiting the forest with an unconscious Maddie in his arms. Both of them are naked and splattered with blood. What I can see is that he is holding her neck with one hand while he is running. The blood oozing and dripping through his fingers increases my panic. I begin sprinting in his direction, needing to get to Maddie as quick as I can. I notice that the woman who was with him, Luna Rose, is running toward them too. She’s quite a distance in front of me, but I’m fast so I know I’ll catch up to her quickly. When she sees Tyson and Maddie coming out of the trees, she stops for a moment and then, in the blink of an eye, she is gone. It’s like she disappears into thin air. I look back to Maddie and see Luna Rose is right next to her. Before I can process what I just saw, she is reaching out and touching the two of them and then all three of them vanish into thin air,
JOSH POV “Fuck!” I exclaim while I run my hands through my hair in frustration. “All we’ve done is talk! At least, that was what we were doing until I watched her catapult herself off a balcony to go fight a rogue army! You know what? Fuck this! I need to see her. I don’t care if they’re still working on her, I need to see her. Right now!” I demand, getting frustrated again. I begin to storm over to a nurse’s desk when a short dark-headed man emerges from the back area wearing a white doctor’s coat. “Tyson,” he begins approaching Tyson where he and Rose are sitting. He takes in the sight of Rose passed out on Tyson’s lap and I can see the panic on his face. “Is Rose okay?” He hustles over and begins taking Rose’s pulse. His concern is clear in his tone. “Adam. I didn’t know you were here. She’ll be okay, just wore herself out trying to help Maddie. You know how Rose is. Can we see Mads now?” Tyson calmly addresses the doctor as he stands with Rose in
ALPHA MADISON EVANS POV ~Beep~ ~Beep~ ~Beep~ ~Beep~ I groan out loud as I turn over in my bed and slap haphazardly on my nightstand to turn off my alarm. It takes a few tries, but I finally hit it. I sigh in relief when it goes silent. I seriously contemplate just rolling over, burying myself back in to my covers, and going back to sleep. Goddess I loathe the early mornings. Not that that has ever been enough to keep me in bed, enjoying my slumber. Nope. I always push it aside to get up and get going on the overwhelming amount of responsibilities that I have. It is legitimately never ending. No matter how much I accomplish in a day, there’s always just as much, or more, waiting for me the next day. Yes, I’m wallowing, and I really don’t give a damn. I am staring at my ceiling while I wait for the drive and motivation to get out of bed to finally hit me, even though I know it won’t. I’ll have to push my
MADDIE POVGoddess it feels good out on the open road. Not thinking. Not commanding. Just me and my pink lady. Going fast, passing cars, taking the turns sharply. If I wasn’t wearing my helmet, I’d be able to feel the wind on my face.Safety is important, even for wolves; we aren’t indestructible, but I wish I’d left without my helmet today so I could better feel and smell the wind. Despite that, I can feel the tension in my body easing; releasing the pent-up knotted muscles in my shoulders as I ride, fully relaxing me as very little can anymore.I need to do this more. In less than two weeks, I will have more free time on my hands, although I’m pretty sure something will come up to fill that time. Like it always does. Even so, maybe I need to make this a nightly habit to help me unwind. I need that even more now that I don’t shift.I always feel like I have a murderous monster just under my skin, and it’s worse when I’m overly stressed. I don’t need to lash out at anyone unnecessaril
MADDIE POVI see Mama frown a bit at my last comment. She doesn’t like that I spend my birthday night with male company, but she doesn’t voice it either. I’m a fully grown adult and make my own choices regarding my body. I see Daddy nod in understanding, but he also sniffs me subtly; his eyes turning silver for a second. Damn, he’s too observant for his own good.“Hi, Madison. Patty and Stanley said you’d be stopping in for your birthday breakfast. Happy Birthday. What can I get started for you today?” The newest waitress, Aimee asks, effectively distracting Daddy from examining my scent further.“Hi Aimee,” I answer with a smile. “Thanks for the birthday wishes. I’ll have the Wolverine Special, add in avocado toast and a large bowl of mixed fruits please.”“Goodness, that’s a lot of food for someone so tiny.” Aimee’s eyes are practically bugging out of her head in shock. I just shrug at her comment. She is human and has absolutely zero idea how much food all of us wolf shifters put a
MADDIE POV“Okay, let’s do it.” I agree, still unsure I’ll be able to make that choice if I don’t find him. But Daddy is right, I’ve never had the opportunity to go very far to search for him. This will be perfect.“Good. Thank you for agreeing to the trip. Now, one more thing.” He says as I roll my eyes and take another bite of delicious Nutella brownie. There’s always ‘one more thing’ to talk about. Ever the alpha.“There will be a council spot opening up within the next year and I want you to vie for the seat.” I drop my spoon in shock that he would ask me to join the council. But then I realize who’s seat is opening up and I begin to get angry.“Who? Who is retiring?” I think I already know; I just want him to confirm it.“Armaros.” I growl when Daddy says his name. “I know honey, we all feel that way. But once the twins take their pack, you’ll have a lot of free time. Nolan and I both think you’d be perfect for the seat. And if we find you a mate, no one can deny you the opportun
Holy shit was I freaked out when she manifested in my head and started talking to me! She told me all about being a wolf shifter and the Moon Goddess, Selene. How I was special and stronger than all other shifters. Because of that, I got her earlier than others normally would get their wolves. Much, much earlier.I thought I was going crazy, so I checked out book after book from the public library on psychology and mental disorders. Just trying to understand what was happening to me.Once the initial shock and freak out was over, I relaxed and began to hone my werewolf senses. When I focused on that instead of myself, I realized that others in my life were also shifters. It was the scent of them that alerted me to the fact that they were different than the humans. Most humans have a fairly boring and faint smell, but shifters’ scents are complex and tend to swirl. It’s very inviting and overwhelming, until you get used to it.Patty and Stanley were the first ones to stand out for me.
When I was eighteen, the year I took over as the Alpha to Blue Meadow, Mama had her last pregnancy. This time though, she had identical twin female pups, totaling out at thirteen kids, including me. It was shocking for the whole shifter world to have so many pups born to one Luna. And for all of them to be born Royal Alphas to a human was world-wide historic shifter news. Well, twelve are Royals because they are biologically Daddy’s. I’m the odd one out in my family, which is why Selene gave me Infinity, the most ancient wolf spirit in existence.As werewolves, we are born with our reincarnated wolf spirit slumbering within us. The adult shifters can smell the rank of the slumbering wolf spirit within the infant pups the moment they are born. Usually, Alphas will have multiple pups to ensure the pack has a viable heir. The first is always an Alpha, no matter their gender. The first born is usually male. Not always, but usually. The second pup, is again, usually an Alpha and 70/30 on g
JOSH POV “Fuck!” I exclaim while I run my hands through my hair in frustration. “All we’ve done is talk! At least, that was what we were doing until I watched her catapult herself off a balcony to go fight a rogue army! You know what? Fuck this! I need to see her. I don’t care if they’re still working on her, I need to see her. Right now!” I demand, getting frustrated again. I begin to storm over to a nurse’s desk when a short dark-headed man emerges from the back area wearing a white doctor’s coat. “Tyson,” he begins approaching Tyson where he and Rose are sitting. He takes in the sight of Rose passed out on Tyson’s lap and I can see the panic on his face. “Is Rose okay?” He hustles over and begins taking Rose’s pulse. His concern is clear in his tone. “Adam. I didn’t know you were here. She’ll be okay, just wore herself out trying to help Maddie. You know how Rose is. Can we see Mads now?” Tyson calmly addresses the doctor as he stands with Rose in
JOSH POV It is nighttime, so visibility isn’t great, but I see the large Ferrari man, Alpha Tyson, exiting the forest with an unconscious Maddie in his arms. Both of them are naked and splattered with blood. What I can see is that he is holding her neck with one hand while he is running. The blood oozing and dripping through his fingers increases my panic. I begin sprinting in his direction, needing to get to Maddie as quick as I can. I notice that the woman who was with him, Luna Rose, is running toward them too. She’s quite a distance in front of me, but I’m fast so I know I’ll catch up to her quickly. When she sees Tyson and Maddie coming out of the trees, she stops for a moment and then, in the blink of an eye, she is gone. It’s like she disappears into thin air. I look back to Maddie and see Luna Rose is right next to her. Before I can process what I just saw, she is reaching out and touching the two of them and then all three of them vanish into thin air,
JOSH POV He sets me down inside and I glare at him as he closes the door and locks it behind us. I can’t remember the last time I was manhandled off the field and certainly, never like that! He shrugs his shoulders at me, not at all intimidated by my glare. “Mr. Logan, nice to see you again.” I hear. I turn and see Bette among the people within the bunker. There are quite a few more here than I thought there would be. Maybe all the packhouse workers? Lots of kids are in here too. One little girl runs up to the man who carried me in here. “Daddy is Mommy okay?” she asks as she jumps into his arms. “Yes baby. She’s with Alpha and your uncles, fighting off the rogues.” He replies, soothing the little one by rubbing circles on her back and kissing her hair. I look at him again and realize he is most likely Devon, Beta Greta’s mate. He’s a handsome male, with short tousled dirty blonde hair, light brown eyes, and sharp jawline. He has a Roman
JOSH POV Madison’s lips are on mine. Kissing me, searing my heart with electricity. There isn’t even tongue involved, and it is by far, the very best kiss I’ve ever had in my life. I hold her to me, as tightly as I can, but she pulls away. I know she is strong. Stronger than me, but I still try to hold on. It’s no use though. She turns away from me and I call her name as she runs toward a balcony door, one I hadn’t noticed before, just at the edge of the wall of windows. But she doesn’t turn back to me when I call out to her. Instead, she strips the dress off and my GOD this woman has an amazing body! My lizard brain stops mid-thought though when she launches herself off of the balcony’s edge. I run to the railing; afraid I’ll see her crumpled in a bloody heap, only to see her land safely on the ground. Not as a person, but as a wolf. She is black, well, mostly black. Her paws and the tip of her tail are a light blonde color that look almost like they are glowin
MADDIE POV I am almost relieved when I hear the howl from my border patrol, indicating a rogue attack. I immediately feel guilty that I’m more comfortable dealing with a rogue attack than telling Josh how to reject me. I feel a pack link sever just as another howl goes up and the siren blares to life. I turn to Josh. I see his concern and the fear in his eyes. “I have to go. Rogues are attacking. Stay here. Devon will come get you and get you into the shelter.” I say quickly. I turn toward the balcony door and run. I get halfway there, when I turn around, and I run back to Josh. I slam my lips to his, wanting to feel a kiss from him, at least one kiss from my fated mate, before he rejects me. I feel his arms engulf me and hold me to him. He kisses me back. I don’t want to leave his embrace, knowing I’ll never get to have it again. I pull away, much sooner than I’d like. “I needed to kiss you, at least once.” I tell him, saying goodbye wit
JOSH POV “Wait! Are you going to force this on me? Am I even allowed to leave? Am I a prisoner? And if I wasn’t your mate, what would have happened to me when I first got here? What would you have chosen to do with me, oh mighty Alpha?!” I begin to panic again, and my words are tumbling over each other in a rush to get them out. “Josh, please calm down. Your heart rate is insanely high, and you’ll hyperventilate if you don’t regulate your breathing. I’ll answer each question that you have. “I don’t need a wolf for a mate. I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting to have a human for a mate, but it doesn’t bother me that you are one. Am I surprised by it? Yes. But I won’t be rejecting you for a reason as frivolous as you being human. “There are no rules about humans being mated to wolves or any issues with them living with the pack. At least, not in my pack. There are several dozen humans who are mated to members of Blue Meadow right now.
JOSH POV What the hell is a mate? Is it what it sounds like it is? Maybe they just call it different things than a human? I watch Maddie take a deep breath and I can see real distress in her expression. This is important. More important than everything else she’s told me. I can see it. I can feel it. This is monumental. “Wolves don’t worship Jesus or Allah or any of the other human religious deities.” Okay, not where I thought this was going. I don’t interrupt though, I just listen and watch her incredibly expressive face as she talks. “We worship our own Goddess. The Moon Goddess, Selene. Unlike humans, who have to pick a person to date, fall in love with and hope that the person they pick will be all they need in life. Werewolves are different. Selene gifts us a mate. Our soulmate. The one perfect, unique being out there destined for us, who completes us. Fully. Totally. We are legitimately half a person, half a soul, until we meet our mate. “We ar
MADDIE POV The Luna is magically designed to be able to absorb the grief and turmoil from the Alpha without it heavying their own heart. They convert the negative energies into peace, love, and acceptance then give that back, positively to both the alpha and the pack, strengthening all that it reaches. Without the ability to let the emotions go, the Alpha spirit tries to absorb it all, but over long periods of time, it makes them go feral. They lose their connection to humanity because the negative energy eats away at the bond between human and wolf. With just three sentences of comfort and empathy, along with one touch, Josh has just removed years of the weight that sits upon my chest. And he doesn’t even know he’s done it. I even feel Infinity sigh in my mind. Just as I feel lighter, so does she. ~Better,~ I hear Infinity say and I almost weep hearing words from her again. ~Hi Fin. Yes, that does feel better,~ I agree with h
MADDIE POV “Yes.” I take a few calming breaths as I load up my plate to overfull and take a big bowl of ramen to my place setting. I smile at Josh’s facial expression of shock as he watches me before he fills his own plate. I may be small, but I can put away the food better than most of my warriors. “It’s the alpha blood in me.” “What’s the alpha blood?” Josh asks as he picks up a tuna roll. Ah, I’m peaking his curiosity again. Good. “My metabolism.” I begin to explain as I pour us both saki. “I can probably eat half of this food, by myself. As wolves we eat an exorbitant about. To shift between human and wolf forms is extremely taxing, on both bodies; it uses a lot of energy. So, we eat many, many, many more calories in a day than a human does. Even more than a professional athlete, such as yourself. But alphas eat even more than the average wolf, because our wolves are so much bigger, so you’ll rarely see me skip meals. I always have a large plate