Rylee’s POV
The visit to the Northern Valley Pack was a good start. It may have been a waste of time from Kris’s perspective. But from mine, we made an ally. Neither Alpha Steel nor Beta Dwight had done that in years. They always felt that others should come to them. Seek their support. They weren’t the best leaders.
Finding a suitable mate for Kris is the primary goal. But if we don’t find one on this trip, then there is the next one. The trips might not be a complete waste if we find some allies along the way.
It wasn’t far to the next pack, maybe a four-hour drive. We did the bulk of the driving on Sunday. It’s not that I have to drive, but all the girls driving scares the crap out of me. When I let Kris drive yesterday, it was because my brain was frazzled.
As we waited at the border of the Mountain Crescent Pack. You could tell we were being sheltered from the icy winds. The thermometer in the car hadn’t changed. But it was at least bearable.
Once, we were waved inside. We carried on our journey to the pack house. “Fancy going for a stroll around the town?” Kris asked anyone listening. “Not a chance,” Lacie responded. She felt the cold more than the others, but she also wore fewer clothes than them as well. Lacie is now a woman who is proud to flaunt her flesh.
I carried on driving towards the pack house. On the way there, you couldn’t help but notice that there weren’t many people around. I guess it’s because of the cold.
I stopped the car outside the pack house and people came out to greet us. “Alpha Kristen, welcome to Mountain Crescent Pack. I am Alpha Steven.” a man not much older than us said as he walked towards us. He had a really warm-looking coat on. Whereas if you looked behind him, a young girl was on the pack house steps shivering.
“Thank you for bringing her Beta.” He held out his hand towards me for a handshake. He didn’t know which one of the girls was Kris. It was a safe bet I was the Beta. Well played Alpha Steven.
“Thank you for the invitation,” Isabelle responded.
“I should have known you were the female Alpha. You stand out among your friends,” he said. Isabelle gave him a weak smile and held out her hand to shake his. But he turned her hand over and kissed it. I nearly laughed at this old-fashioned gesture from such a young man.
A man beside Alpha Steven stomped towards Isabelle. Grabbing her arm, which she yanked back. “Come inside. Come spend some time with me, Alpha Kristen. You don’t want to spend time with him. He’s an ass.” The look on Alpha Steven’s face was one of sheer horror.
“Forgive my brother Alpha Kristen. He’s young and impatient. Full of hopes that I’ll be one day killed. Then he can take over my pack. Isn’t that right Derek?” Wow, that is on the next level. Derek openly wished his brother to be killed, so he could become Alpha. How power-hungry is he?
“Or maybe become an Alpha if I mate with a female Alpha.” He says, looking at Isabelle. “The brother is definitely motivated by power.” I mind link Kris.
She doesn’t take her eyes off the siblings for a second. Especially seeing as they are so close to Isabelle.
“Come inside where it’s warm. We can talk.” Alpha Steven suggests. Gesturing for Isabelle to go with him.
“Make sure she doesn’t leave your sight.” Kris mind links me. She is on the defensive. A sign she’s not happy.
“Yes, come inside, and I can tell you how I can please you, Alpha Kristen. Yes,” Derek tells Isabelle. Woah too far. Way, way too far. “If my Alpha wants to go with you. You should have the decency to ask her civilly.” I snapped at Derek. He snarls at me. “Kris, we’re leaving. I’m not having you going anywhere alone with someone so disrespectful.” I bark at Isabelle.
“She can go when she is ready, Beta.”
“We’re leaving,” Kris speaks. “In our pack, we respect each other. We value their opinions. No one from the River Valley Pack would tolerate being spoken to or treated this way.”
Isabelle turned and walked towards me, and I opened the door for her. The rest of us all got into the car, and I drove away. “Bang out of order, he was. They all were.” Erin says through gritted teeth. Her comment makes me laugh. “Bang out of order and bang out of luck. I wouldn’t even want them as allies.” I said as I drove as quickly as I could away from this disgusting pack.
“He was awful. Exactly the type of man I want to avoid. I wouldn’t want any man even close to being like that,” Kris says. “The type of man every woman should avoid,” Erin remarks.
“They made my skin crawl,” Isabelle says. They are all right. No, she-wolf, with any self-respect, would want a mate like that.
We had hoped we could stay at the Mountain Crescent Pack. But after what happened, there was not a chance that on the goddess's green Earth, we would be staying there. Which gets me thinking about the girl on the steps. Are they abusing their pack members? I will talk to Kris later about my concerns. There is nothing I can do right now. But I will make my concerns known.
We checked into a family suite at a motel en route to the next pack. The girls went to the local store for something to eat. I went to the room and had a shower.
When I walked out, they all had green clay on their faces. Their giggles made me nervous. “Just enough left,” Lacie said.
“Just enough left?” Her eyes lit up. She smiled, cracking her mask.
I could have protested. Put up a stronger fight. But it was pointless. They would have gotten me at some point. Minutes later, the green clay was smothered on my face. Dillon is going with them next time. This is humiliating. I’m going to look like Shrek.
At least, that was the worst part of the night. Or it was until we went to bed, and I found out I was sharing with the scantily clothed Lacie. “I’m a hugger, by the way.” She told me as we climbed into bed. Great, just what I need, a half-naked woman in my bed, wanting to spoon me.
She must have seen the look of horror on my face. “Don’t worry Rylee. I’m all bark and no bite. I won’t be the one to take your virginity. Just like you won’t be the one to take mine.” She whispered into my ear. I am shocked and relieved by that. Shocked, she is a virgin. The way she acts and dresses. She is so confident and sexy. “Your mate will be pleased to hear that.”
“Not as pleased as I would be. I am sick of running out of batteries. That man had better satisfy my needs. Repeatedly.” She laughs. “Come to bed. I need my beauty sleep.” She says once she has stopped laughing. I can’t help but smile now, knowing my body is safe from her. I wonder what else I will discover about Kris’s friends on this trip. That’s tomorrow’s goal. Discover something new about each of them.
Kris’s POV I looked out of the window as we drove towards the Green Trees Pack. “Rylee. Am I doing the right thing?” “What are you talking about?” He asked. “Trying to find a mate. Am I doing the right thing?” “Shut up. Kris. Don’t you dare doubt yourself?” Lacie said before Rylee had time to answer me. “You are trying to find a mate to please the Wolf Council. Is it wrong that they are forcing you to do this? Yes. But don’t you dare doubt yourself.” “River Valley is your pack and our home. You are doing whatever you can to protect everyone. Why should you settle for a loser mate? Not a chance. We are here to help and support you with whatever crazy ideas you come up with.” Isabelle tells me. Erin laughs. “Personally, I can’t wait for you to take down that dammed Wolf Council. Make them realize that a woman is more than who she is mated to.” “They’re right Kris. All of them. It really sucks that you have to do this. But along this journey, you
Kris’s POV “Your home earlier than expected,” Nathan shouted as we walked through the door of the pack house, dumping our bags in the foyer. He was sitting in the dining room with Freddie. “Things didn’t work out as well as planned.” Dillon walked down the stairs, staring at me. He looked confused as he reviewed some papers. “Dillon, we need more information on the packs before we go next time.” Isabelle pointed out. “At least the fair was fun,” Lacie said, laughing. Rylee then tells Dillon, Nathan, and Freddie about what happened. The looks on their faces. “So, you had one Alpha offering you an alliance. In the other pack, you had a pair of brothers fighting over you. Like cavemen,” Nathan said, laughing. “It wasn’t even Kris, it was Isabelle acting as a decoy. They were pathetic.” “I am surprised they didn’t drag Isabelle away by her hair!” Erin says, joking. Everyone laughs. “Maybe they would have done it if the rest of us hadn’t been there.” I couldn’t he
Kris’s POV It was mine and Nathan’s 19th birthday. Thankfully, Council Member Clayton hadn’t arrived yet. We both expected him to turn up today. No doubt he would do it on purpose to ruin our celebration. The pack helped us celebrate. Emily baked us our own separate birthday cakes. Nathan’s was chocolate and mine was red velvet. Oh, how I love a red velvet cake with plenty of frosting. Overall, the day was amazing, and I was so happy. As per usual. Nathan and I met at the dining room table to exchange our homemade gifts. We both agreed years ago we would give each other something personal. Something that reminded us of our bond. An item, a picture. Just something from the past year that reminded us we had each other, and we were not to spend a cent on it. This year, I framed a picture of us that Rylee had taken. Nathan and I were laughing as we stood in front of a barbecue. It was an incredible day that ended with us going on a midnight run with the pac
Council Member Clayton’s POV It was nearing midnight when I received a voicemail from Fredrick informing me of the rogue attack at the River Valley Pack. I hate rogues. This time, they might have done me a favor, though. There is no way Kristen Steel could handle a rogue attack. She is not capable of leading a pack. Nor is she physically capable of leading a wolf pack to victory against a rogue attack. I bet she hid behind her brother or Beta. No doubt there were countless deaths and everyone in the pack now sees how pathetic and weak she really is. “Zackary, I am leaving. Do you want to come with me?” I called out to my son. “Where are you going, dad?” He asks me as he walks out of his bedroom. I had clearly just woken him up, judging by his disheveled appearance. “River valley pack. I shouldn’t miss out on this opportunity.” “No, thanks, Dad. I have an assessment at the training camp tomorrow night. There is no chance I will be back in time.” H
Dillon’s POV Council Member Clayton has been here for over a week now. Kris hasn’t been able to leave the pack on trips because of his presence. He has been checking pack member’s files every day. Ensuring our records were up-to-date. He is so anal. There was a ‘t’ that wasn’t crossed in one file. He complained it looked like an ‘l’, which could have consequences for that pack member. “We are looking at making it digital soon. It will be ready next time you visit Council Member Clayton.” I informed him. “There won’t be any extensive issues like that in the future. I hope you are computer-literate.” I said snidely to him. The look on his face told me he wasn’t. He doesn’t help himself by being an ass. Council Member Clayton has been checking our schedules, ensuring we are dedicating enough time to our senior duties. He’s been scrutinizing any changes Kris has introduced since her father’s death. Dictating to her how she should run her pack. I have never seen a wom
Kris’s POV It was weeks before we got to leave the River Valley Pack again. But finally, once everything was in order, we were all packed into the SUV and on our way. I felt a bit nervous when we left. Like I had forgotten something. Dillon was sending us south this time. On our last trip, we traveled to the farthest point north and made scheduled stops on the journey back. This time Dillon wanted us to stop off at packs on our way to the Southern Sands Pack. Then a couple along the way back. Our first stop was the Green Meadow Pack. Green Meadow Pack is only a few hours away from the River Valley Pack. They have been our allies for decades. During our teenage years, they often held the Alpha Meetings at Green Meadow Pack. Nathan and I would sneak out of the pack house at night with Aaron, the Alpha’s son. We would get up to all sorts of mischief. We used to place bets on who would be caught first. As we pulled up to the gates of the Green Meadow Pack,
Erin’s POV On the way to the next pack, I couldn’t help but notice how much room there was in the back seat. I noticed that I could comfortably rest my hand where Isabelle used to be. I looked out of the window and shed a tear. We only left a few hours ago, but it felt so much longer. Is this how it is going to be when Lacie and Kris find their mates? Our foursome will be disbanded throughout the Wolf Kingdom? Lacie takes hold of my hand and squeezes it. I glanced at her. She gave me a half-grin while holding back the tears that had filled her eyes. As we pulled up to the entrance of the Blue Valley Pack. Rylee handed over Kris’s invitation to him. The guard looked at it. “Welcome Alpha Kristen,” he said to me. I guess he assumed I was Kris, seeing as I was sitting in the back of the SUV. “It’s not far to the pack house. I will let the Alpha know you’re on your way.” He informed me. I play along. That’s why we’re here. “Would it be possible to wa
Kris’s POV When I find Jordan in the woods, he is hiding behind a tree, kissing a woman. Maybe this was who Alpha Denver was threatening to ‘take care of’. I coughed to gain Jordan’s attention. He had the look of a frightened man on his face. He maneuvered the girl behind him for protection. “Don’t tell my dad. Don’t tell your Alpha. Please.” Jordan pleaded. “What’s going on?” I asked them both. He looked at the girl and put his arm around her. She sobs into his chest. “Lucy is my mate. But my dad keeps threatening to kill her if I don’t do as I am told.” He looks at me and strokes her hair. “Every day, I fear for her life.” I now understand the hold he had over Jordan and why he’s so scared. No one should live in that much fear. Not because of love. “Lucy, are you tied to this pack? Family perhaps?” “Only Jordan. I’m an orphan.” “She isn’t of rank and an orphan. Dad despises everything about her. But I love her. She’s mine.” Jordan said, tightening