Conrad’s POVMy morning has been complete shit since the moment I woke up. First, I didn’t sleep well because of my avoidance behavior situation with Hazel. I knew she was going to try and come to my room last night for sex, and since I THINK I potentially met my mate... Very Male... mate. I didn’t want to do something stupid like sleep with her. Do humans feel the pain of betrayal? I didn’t want to find out and every time she is near me with her floral fragrance, I lose all control of my senses and my dick has a mind of its own. So, I did the only thing a strong Alpha like me could do at that moment. HIDE. I hid in my kids’ room. Hazel wont come near my kids. When I woke up stiff and irritable from sleeping on their floor, I realized I was running late and wasn’t able to meet Dr. Bennet and his team before they went to the hospital like I was hoping too. I wanted my wolf to get another good sniff of him, maybe he got the whole mate thing wrong?‘I smell mate.’ Is all Titus keeps tell
Conrad’s POVI paced back and forth of my suite, periodically checking the clock on the wall. Five more minutes til I have to meet the doctor for our da… I stopped myself. Nope! Dinner, not date. I ran my hand over my face in frustration. My mind still completely confused. He smelled like my mate, but when I looked into his eyes, I didn’t see mate, but he’s human, so who knows what that means! Ugh! My mind sounded like a broken record. Over and over, the same tune… Uncertainty about whether he was my mate or not.I checked the wall clock again, time to go. With a deep breath, I steel myself for tonight. It was just dinner… Not a date. I walked down the stairs to the ground floor, keeping my eyes peeled for Hazel. I made up some farfetched excuse as to why I couldn’t have dinner with her like she wanted. She seemed to believe me, so I wasn’t going to say much more.Leaning against the railing of the stairs, Bennet stood scrolling through his phone. He was still wearing hospital scrubs.
Benji’s POVI lifted my arms above my head and stretched out the muscles in my back after being hunched over a microscope and medical reports the last few hours. I squint my eyes to the bright overhead florescent lights of the Lab. Removing my glasses, I decide to close my eyes for a moment to give them a short rest. Visiting patients, taking blood samples, reaching charts – I am exhausted, but nowhere near solving what this disease is.I put my glasses back on and decide to get back to work. My phone pinged with a message. I pulled my phone from my lab coat pocket then smiled. Bennet said he was just about to meet the Alpha. I tried to feel happy for my cousin. Maybe the Alpha was his mate. It isn’t unusual for a human to be mated to a werewolf, but the idea of going back to the states without my cousin felt wrong. I quickly pushed the thoughts away. It was just dinner according to Bennet, so I won’t over think things.“I am telling you! It’s some sort of Zombie disease!” Gray argues
Conrad's POV Bennet and I walked out of the restaurant in comfortable silence into the chilly night air, then turned in the direction of the hospital. It was about a twenty-minute walk from where we were, so walking wasn’t too bad. It was a bit cold and I noticed that Bennet was shivering slightly even though he was wearing a sweater over his hospital scrubs. The nights in the North were always cold due to the mountain breezes, even during the summer, so I did the chivalry thing and draped my jacket over his shoulders. As a werewolf, our bodies naturally run at a hotter temperature then humans.“Thank you.” He says and pulls it close to his chin. It is the first time he has actually spoken to me without an attitude. I nod with a smile and continue walking.“Alpha…” A woman greets me with a nod then a few more greet me the same way.I return the greeting to several of our pack members who are also out on an evening stroll, but Bennet just quietly walks next to me. He seems to be lost i
Bennet’s POV“Dr. Mason, Please explain why you and she have the same scent?” Mr. Alpha’s words rang out like a gunshot echoing through the night. No one moved, no one seemed to breathe.Well, this isn’t going as well as my imagination had conjured up a few minutes ago. I thought to myself. Maybe some sort of romance novel action would occur between them. She would run into his arms and he would whisper words of love, kiss her senselessly and they would live happily ever after with a large number of babies. Actually… not too much of that wet sloppy romance because we still need to keep our lab free from contamination.Instead, Bee looks like a deer in headlights and the Alpha looks like he was caught between his lover and his wife. It was pretty comical. Under normal circumstances, I would have laughed, but the tension in the air is thick, so my usual sarcastic banter isn’t appropriate at the moment.I cross my arms over my chest waiting… The standstill was working on my last nerve. Se
Benji’s POVParalyzing fear… That is the only emotion I am feeling or that I can comprehend at the moment. A mate. I was given a second chance mate. How is that even possible? Why would the moon goddess grant me a second chance mate? I was already given the best mate a woman could ask for. Gregory was my everything and now I am mated to this Alpha? No, I can’t do this again. I can’t deal with the pull of the mate bond again. I need to leave. I need to escape this feeling.I feel a soft brush of fingers against my arm, shattering the frozen barrier around my mind. Bennet is looking at me with a concerned look. He is waiting for me to do something, anything. His expression softens when I give him a pleading look. A look filled with more emotions than I can even express. He knows I need to separate myself. The anxiety is building and I don’t think I can handle breaking down in front of everyone.I swiftly escape through the double doors of the lab. The doors swing open with a bang, echoi
Mystery Person's POV“Dammit! I was so close!” I work my way through the dense woods as I made my swift exit from the hospital, the sound of leaves and small twigs crackling underneath my boots is the only sound that accompanies me. I know I am not being followed which is my only consolation prize of the night. The deeper into the darkness I walk, the more I berate myself for that sliver of an opportunity I lost. It had slipped through my fingers like grains of sand. I clench and unclench my fists over and over, the desire to kill just below the surface of my rage.I had gone to the hospital just out of pure gut feeling. I pretended I was mopping the floors as I listened with my wolf hearing to the conversation inside the lab. I learned that damn doctor discovered the blood samples were different from the originals. Guess she was smarter than I thought. I need a way to sabotage the equipment and computers. It may not stop them from discovering the truth about the illness, but it will s
Benji’s POVHazel Summers… Hazel Summers who almost ruined my best friend Ciara’s life… is here in the North?! What the hell? I reach into my memory bank to remember what happened to her after the court trial. She was tried for treason against the crown over five years ago. Wasn’t she supposed to go back to her pack with her parents and serve as Omegas? I know they were stripped of their Gamma roles but can’t remember anything other than that. Does Alpha King Mars know Hazel is here?! I will have to contact him later and find out.My mind is whirling with questions, but I can barely think straight. An overpowering floral smell is messing with my senses and it is absolutely awful, like someone bathed In dollar store perfume.“YOU!”I look up to see an angry Hazel pointing her long-manicured finger in my direction. She’s barely wearing a deep purple dress. I guess things haven’t changed in high school. She still dresses like a five-dollar hooker.Hazel is still sitting on the Alpha Conr
Benji’s POV“No, I am telling you! I bet you the root is at Raytale Peak!”“Can’t be, that’s a popular destination spot for tourists, wouldn’t someone have noticed some magical glowing flowers by now?”“But what about this part here? This doesn’t make sense, how can rock be burning?”“Time isn’t a thing to touch! And Who is the mother and father then huh?”We have been going through the book’s passages and maps for several days now and have come up with nothing substantial to work with. Each time we think we have found a potential location for the flowers, someone would contradict it. Tempers were running high, fatigue was settling in and braincells were running low.My team hasn’t been much help since we aren’t from the North, nor do we grow up with the folktales like Conrad and his squad did. Ashley and Gray have been more involved then either Bennet or me. I guess research and technology are key at this point. I try to add my own ideas, but they haven’t been very useful.“Timeout!
Conrad's POV “A Cure?” I say in disbelief. Ashley, Bennet and Benji all look at each other. Their eyes seem to be having a silent conversation that only smart people would understand. After a few minutes, they look back at me, nodding their heads in unison.“I think this story holds the key to curing the sick wolves.” Ashley says, her eyes filled with so much determination its hard to look away. I glance at Benji, she is looking at Ashley with such pride and adoration for her. Benji’s faith in her teammates is overwhelming.Sean picks up the book, flipping through the pages with a scowl on his face. “I know this ratty old book. It used to be my great aunt’s before she gave it to mom. Doc always loved this book, but I always thought it was boring. I think it was the reason he went into medicine. My mother use to read the stories to us as kids to help us fall asleep. Babe, where did you find this book?”Ashley pouts his lips at him and shrugs. “Doctor Lancon gave it to me after the lab
Benji’s POV“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON’T KNOW HOW IT HAPPENED?” Conrad yells through his phone in the far corner of the conference room. “YOU WERE IN CHARGE OF THE MISSION! GET ME ANSWERS AND GET ME ANSWERS YESTERDAY!!”“Alpha King Mars, I understand you are unhappy with the situation, we all are, but I can… Yes… I… As head of the security on Sherlock’s team and your friend, yelling at me isn’t going to help… UGH! Just put your wife on the phone… Yes, I know you are the king, but she is easier to talk to then you…” Artemis walks passed me without looking at me. One phone in her hand while she talks on another. She leans over Nathan’s shoulder to look at the computer screen he is pointing at. She nods her head and continues pacing while talking to Alpha Mars.“You can’t just make more? Why Not? How much time does it take?” Bennet says walking by me next. He listens to whoever is on the other end with a scowl. “I am a doctor not a pharmaceutical Guro, how am I supposed to know…” He rubs
Conrad’s POV I have come to realize I can’t go back to how things were now that I have my second chance mate. After dinner with Benji, we went to pick up Falon and Finnley from their school’s bingo event. Everything I had ever desired for my life clicked into place watching Benji with my kids. Sitting in a red and white booth at the small 50s diner, surrounded by the vintage deco, I found my life. Benji animatedly talking to my pups as they scan the dessert menu. She sings along with the jukebox while using sign language so Falon can enjoy the music as well. Finnley comes out of his quiet introvert self to sing along to “Rock around the clock” and for once there is a smile on his face. Benji’s presence in our lives is glueing back the pieces of what was once broken. ‘I doubt she even knows what she is doing to us.’ My wolf, Titus, purrs in my head as he watches through our eyes. ‘I wish I could talk to her wolf. She is weak, but I can feel her and sense her. I can sometimes hear her
Benji’s POVSean looked at Bennet, his eyebrows skewed together like he was looking at something out of this world. “You know I could crush you with one hand and be justified by the words you are spewing at me, right? Also, my name isn’t Stephan.” The hulking giant of a Beta towered over Bennet, but that didn’t phase my cousin one bit. Bennet placed his hands on his hips, stared right up at the Sean and let him have it. Oh damn, here we go…“I am going to give you some advice… I know you asked Ashley out to dinner, but that doesn’t mean shit to me. I was only being nice in the chatroom because I didn’t want her to feel bad and we had more important topics to talk about, but now that you are standing in front of me, I am going to reconstruct your ego. I only remember names of people who aren’t complete twat-waffles. I don’t treat people I care about as if they aren’t worthy of love and affection! Don’t think we forgot your little speech about how awful State wolves are and how much you
Benji’s POVWith the smell of sex in the air, we held each other close while catching our breaths. The atmosphere in Conrad’s office was electrifying. Our bodies still connected, I could feel him pulsing in me, letting the last bit of remanence of his seed spill into me. He nestled his nose against my neck and kissed the marking post with his soft lips. A shiver ran through me as his hands caressed my back. Being in his arms made everything feel right.“We didn’t use protection…” I whispered as I held him tight, my legs were still wrapped around his waist.He hummed with a smile, “Is that ok? You are my mate after all. I know we still have a lot to talk about and there is a lot going on, but I want this that is building between us.”“I do too.” I whisper back, hugging him closer. Our bodies molded together perfectly even if we were on a hard cold wooden desk.“Hey, I have been meaning to ask you, what happened the other day when you woke up crying? You just kept saying you were ok. If
Conrad’s POV(Mandatory Alpha Virtual Meeting)I was filled with a renewed sense of determination since Benji told me that Tomas was awake and responsive. He wasn’t completely out of the woods, but he was back in his right mind temporarily at least. The news of Tomas’ returning quickly spread through my pack. The emotional fog that seeped into my pack was lifting with the news of Tomas’s slow recovery. Other sick wolves were given the medicine and it was just a waiting game to see if they also recovered as well and how much.Tomas was removed from the jail cells and returned back into the pack hospital. I had the privilege of escorting his parents to his new room. It was like he was back from the dead. His mother sobbed into my arms while his father hugged Benji. I smiled at Tomas who gave me a slow nod of respect. He quietly spoke with Benji for a few minutes before she recommended he get some more rest. “Alpha.” He whispered and I turned to look at him. "Thank you for not giving up
Benji’s POVI checked Tomas’s vitals for the hundredth time in the last few hours, but there wasn’t any change. His heart rate was steady and there was no movement or muscle reactions. The tranquilizer was doing its job and keeping him asleep. Holding open his eye lids, I checked his pupils with a light, no change. His eye color was still red when they should have been a “A beautiful brown” according to his mother. I will admit he was a handsome man, but nothing like Conrad.Speaking of the devil, Conrad texted me to check in, but all I could say was nothing yet. He wasn’t happy or mad that Tomas’s parents volunteered him for the medicine. I think Conrad was trying to avoid showing emotions toward the situation which I didn’t blame him for. Tomas was a pack member and Conrad respected all his members in his pack and in the territory.‘Dahlia, Can you sense Tomas’s wolf?’ I spoke to my wolf through our bond, but she just shook her head. It was like his wolf was dormant which wasn’t a g
Benji’s POVI stood outside the small meeting room in the pack’s hospital taking in a few last minutes breaths before I faced the families of the sick wolves. The different states of illness weighing heavily on my mind. A few wolves were in the beginning stages of the poison, while others were in more advanced stages and degrees. Some were in jail cells fighting off the feral wild madness while others were on the brink of death. Tomas, the warrior I had taken a personal interest in his recovery coming to mind. His parents have spoken with me several times about his days as a top warrior and his mate who was a teacher before she turned feral. They loved to brag about their grandbaby as well. Tomas was all the child had left, so I wanted his recovery more than anything.“Sherlock?” Artemis spoke up behind me. I turned to look at my friend, my expression completely raw with emotions. She gave me a knowing smile. “These families need hope and eventually a cure… Go talk to the families lik