Vivian’s POV Vivian had spent most of the day sleeping; her shift had been a bit stressful. The incident with her dad had happened the day before. After her breakfast with Sarah—if she could even call ice cream in the morning breakfast—they had gone their separate ways: Sarah heading to the Shadow Rocks while Vivian had headed home. The meal and the talk they had helped a lot, and the rest of the day had gone essentially uneventfully aside from one update. She checked her phone for the time; it was 5 p.m. The meeting was meant to start at 6. She had enough time to make it, but only if she started preparing immediately. The meeting was for the council leaders, and as the next Luna and the daughter of the current, yet absent due to injuries, Alpha, she was privy to join the meeting, and her contributions were valued. They had decided to move up their plans for the trials for the new Alpha, and as such, decisions needed to be made. They had to plan the specifics of the trials: the loc
Vivian’s POV The meeting ended on a high note, with everyone pleased at the progress attained. It was easy to forget that just a day ago, there had been a brutal fight right outside these doors, leading to the injury of their leader. Vivian was glaring at Valentine; it was all his fault, and she knew he had more planned. She thought of all the ways she could make him suffer. She did not have Ty’s combat abilities or skills, so she knew she could not come close to beating Valentine in a fight. But her time in the medical field gave her knowledge about things that were harmful to werewolves. She knew their weak points and mixtures of chemicals that could leave them in a dilapidated state. With her role in the hospital, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to… “Vivian…” Draco called out to her, interrupting her train of thought. He had seen the look she was giving Valentine, though Valentine was oblivious to it or at least blatantly ignoring it. “Come over here for a second.” She sighe
It had been a few months since Dean got his last solid lead on his quest to find his mother’s killer. The last time he had received a lead of this caliber, he found himself all the way in Mexico, tracking down a skilled assassin who was, unsurprisingly, a werewolf. It had been one hell of a rollercoaster: tracking and chasing after him for weeks, rescuing a Nigerian ambassador’s daughter from his clutches, saving a cheating wife whose husband had put a price on her head, and eventually battling him on a beach in Cancun in the middle of the night. Regrettably, it was another dead end, as the assassin gave him no leads whatsoever. He had returned home once again without answers to the question that weighed heavily on his soul. And now, by a stroke of lady luck, a solid lead had landed right in his lap.Dean had gone through Nicklaus’s report on scouting out the Red Claw pack. There were no discrepancies of note, and overall, it seemed like infiltrating their ranks shouldn’t prove too d
Dean sat quietly, looking at Elder Edward. His mind began to wonder if the elder intended to trap him. Were there others hidden? Had his powers weakened since he wiped his scent? His eyes darted around the room, but no matter how hard he looked or sensed, he could only see and sense Elder Edward. What was this old man thinking? What more did he have in store for him?Elder Edward took a deep breath and began, “An Alpha is a very special type of werewolf. The Alpha spirit is born incomplete. It has the tendency to sacrifice everything without a care for itself, for its main goal. Whatever it decides that goal to be; conquering to showcase its might, preserving the pack, passing on the mantle to the right successor, or seeking revenge for a loss, it's in its nature. That's why it needs balance. It needs that spirit which is born to help it find peace, that spirit it will always be intertwined with for eternity. It needs its Luna.”Dean burst into laughter, cutting off the elder. “So, yo
Ty’s POV"And now for a breakdown of the rules," Gyrich boomed. He was the commentator selected to follow the events of the tournament. He’d run through the rules, terms of engagement, participants, dos and don’ts—basically every piece of information required to understand and follow the tournament. It was as much for the spectators as it was for the participants. Neither party received the information beforehand, preventing anyone from effectively setting traps to sway victory to any side. Ty probably could have convinced Lily to tell him about the stages and even some of the secrets, but this was bigger than just winning in the public eye for him. He needed to prove to himself that he was worthy of becoming the Alpha beyond all reasonable doubt and beyond any obstacles that might come his way. Nothing but an absolute victory would suffice, and as such, he had decided to allow the odds to be stacked against him. He was certain Valentine would definitely have informed Damien about eve
Dean POVDean sat quietly beside the bartender, pondering all that had been discussed. His infiltration had already reached maximum difficulty as the pack was on high alert. There was also the possibility of him being framed as the mysterious man, especially since he was new in the territory and lacked his alpha scent, further risking his life. Moreover, even if he found the mysterious man, battling him would be a challenge, as he likely moved with a Shaman and possessed wolfsbane. With all these factors in mind, finding the pack’s hideout was crucial, assuming the mysterious man intended to strike the pack’s Luna to weaken it critically. Dean chuckled with a smirk as he realized the gravity of his situation. He took a shot and asked, “Have you figured out the location of the pack’s hideout?”“Of course not. It's such a tightly held secret; even when extremely drunk, the members are conditioned not to reveal it,” the bartender responded with a sigh. He took another shot and added, “Pl
"He was a tough one, but no one is greater than the Red Claw pack," Jahar mentioned while panting. He hadn't expected his opponent to give him such trouble. He soon fell on his back to catch his breath. His eyes scanned the surrounding and saw the relative damage done. He soon took on a worried look as though the fight felt nostalgic."What's done is done, and it's going to be on the news tomorrow. No point in worrying about it," Abraham spoke while returning to his human self. He seemed to have had negligible injuries on his body. He was huge, tall, and had a muscular build, with a thick beard and hairy, large arms. He bent a knee to carry Dean on his back while Jahar walked closer to the car."The car is damaged. This is going to cost quite a bit." Jahar palmed his face but felt a sharp sting of pain in his arms, causing him to drop them slowly."You are in quite the amount of pain Jahar. This is why I always suggest to you more training" Abraham spoke with a slight mockery filling
Dean crouched in the dimly lit chimney, his breaths shallow and controlled. The muffled sounds of the guards outside grew fainter, replaced by the quiet hum of the hideout's interior. He wiped the sweat from his brow, the scent of smoke and ash mingling with Abraham's blood on his hands. He scanned the room, noting the rustic furniture and the flickering shadows cast by a lone lantern. The hearth, made of large, rough-hewn stones, dominated the room's center. Thick wooden beams crisscrossed the ceiling, giving the space a rugged, timeless feel. The walls were lined with mounted sculpted heads of what he presumed to be past Alphas of the pack."A bit too exotic," Dean thought, noting that he had very little time to sit and admire the decor of history within the Red Claw's hideout. He lifted his nose to sniff around, picking up the odd scent he had been trailing at least two floors above. This meant the mysterious man was already inside. Dean knew that once the guards found Abraham, the