JULIA*29 years ago*When I was first introduced to the future Alpha Lance, I knew he’d be mine. There was no end of the earth to which I wouldn’t go to make sure of it. But I also knew he would be a challenge. His brother Gabe had been child’s play, just a little mouse I’d bounced around in my claws before swallowing him whole. Lance, on the other hand, was a mongoose. And he would not go down so easily.“Pleased to meet you, Julia,” he’d said, before turning away to other business. He’d barely even acknowledged my presence before turning to his father to discuss some other pack they’d been dealing with. I was an afterthought, a passing breeze, something beneath his notice.“And this is my little sister, Miriam.” Gabe brought my attention to a mousy, lanky girl, with a shiny black French braid that fell to her lower back, and appeared more over-grown ten-year-old than the fifteen years old Gabe had told me she was.“Hello,” Miriam said as she shook my hand. She tilted her head slight
JULIA*29 years ago*I quickly scanned my surroundings when the faint lights at the back of the packhouse revealed a shadow moving stealthily along the perimeter. I stilled, lowering my body behind the rock, locking my eyes onto the figure.It scaled the wall, climbing up the siding with the ease of someone who had done it before. As it ascended, its outline sharpened, revealing a wolf. By its massive size, it had to be a male. My gaze shifted upward to an open window. A welcome intruder? There was no other explanation for a window being left ajar in the middle of an Alaskan winter.Just as I’d anticipated, the wolf slipped through the window. Not even a second passed before it closed behind him.I smiled as I counted the windows, mentally mapping out the layout of the bedrooms. I was nearly certain whose window the wolf had entered. After I gathered my clothing and watch, I noted the time. Something told me this wasn’t a one-time visit. That wolf had been far too confident and famili
THERESAAfter the whole heat situation, I was at a loss. Some might call it spiraling, maybe entering the beginning stages of insanity. Parts of me felt deep shame. I’d basically taken advantage of the man, twice now! A man who made it very clear he had no interest in me. A man that my mom was actively attempting to seduce on my behalf… and here I was being an extension of her. Ugh!Why hadn’t I been stronger?Why hadn’t I bolted from his room the moment I’d woken in it?Why, after the many times I’d sleepwalked only to be stopped by a locked door, that was the one time it wasn’t?What kind of person does this twice? What kind of woman forces herself on a man who had already said no?I didn’t force him. I didn’t. He wanted it too.But if he wanted it, why did he resist at first?Because he has a conscience, unlike you.And not knowing how he felt about what had happened was driving me deeper into crazy. Of course, he had to know that heat made one senseless and incorrigible. It had to
THERESAI couldn’t help but snicker at the thought. Damien was practically a third brother to me, so I didn’t see him that way at all. But a part of me did find the idea funny. Tyce would be pissed. “Don’t guess!” I finally responded. “I’m not going to tell you.”“Fine fine!” she replied, waving her hand. “But unless you say otherwise, I’m just going to assume that you and Damien are sneaking around behind Tyce’s back.”“Assume away!” I replied, laughing again at the thought. Tyce did always act extra protective of me around his friends, especially after I started wearing a bra. While I loved my big brother, it was also fun to get a rise out of him sometimes. Although Gigi had that department covered now.We laughed a bit more and then Sophia’s face settled. She glanced me up and down, and pulled me in for another hug. “Seriously, Terr, I think you should reconsider keeping this from at least Tyce. I get why you don’t want to tell your dad…”“About Damien?” I asked, taken aback, assum
GINGERI woke to a gentle shake of my upper arm. “Baby,” the most beautiful voice whispered. “Wake up.”I turned to find Tyce standing beside the bed, my snowsuit slung over his shoulder. His soft smile made dissipated my grogginess. “What’s going on?” I asked. It wasn’t like him to randomly wake me in the middle of the night.“Nothing’s wrong. I just have something to show you,” he replied, holding the snow suit out to me. “Put this on.”Curiosity replaced sleep as I slid out of bed. Tyce helped me into the snowsuit, steadying me when I stumbled. We crept downstairs, pulled on our boots, and stepped outside.Crisp, frosty air pricked my cheeks. But I was instantly distracted from the cold as soon as I glanced up and gasped at the sight. “Oh my Goddess, this is amazing!” I exclaimed, taking in the night sky. I had seen the northern lights a handful of times, especially now that I was living in Alaska, but it had never been quite as vibrant and intense as it was that night. Neon ribbon
GINGERI stripped down as quickly as I could, while the unrelenting cold bit at my exposed skin. That was the second reason I hated going into my wolf form.“So sexy.” Tyce whistled once I was completely bare. But I gave him the show for barely a second before I morphed into my wolf. My nails stretched into claws, fur sprouted from newly formed hair follicles, and my bones rearranged themselves into my canine form. My paws landed on the fluffy snow.“So fucking cool.” Tyce grinned with pride. “If we ever go into battle, it’s game over once they get a look at you.”I tilted my head in insecurity. Sure, I looked scary, but once they got over the initial shock, I’d be taken down in seconds. Even though I was training with Sara regularly, I was also getting my ass beat regularly. It was only thanks to my new werewolf superspeed healing that my skin color wasn’t black and blue. But I was determined. I would keep training, even if it killed me.“What’s wrong?” Tyce asked, furrowing his brow
NIKOLAIWhen I stepped into the gym Saturday morning, ready to take over training from Sasha, I immediately noticed something was off. Half the group was missing.I scanned the room, my brows knitting together. “Where are the women?”Sasha barely looked up from adjusting the wraps on his wrists. “Your girl took them.”I stilled. “My girl?” I repeated, leveling a pointed look at him.His lips twitched into a smirk. “Theresa.”I exhaled sharply, rolling my shoulders to keep from reacting. I wanted to smack that look right off his face, but I held back, reminding myself that I’d promised myself to be a better friend.“Ha. Funny.” My voice was flat. It wasn’t funny. Not even a little. “Where are they?”“Outside.”Without another word, I turned on my heel to figure out what was going on. I pushed open the heavy entryway door and was greeted by a chilling wind biting the exposed parts of my skin. It was certainly not warm today. I followed the tracks in the snow to what was likely a field d
NIKOLAI“Are you okay?” Terri’s touch on my arm jolted me back to reality. I hadn’t even realized how far my thoughts had drifted. “You seem…” She studied me, her brows drawing together. “Angry? Sad? I’m trying to figure it out. Maybe… jealous?”My head snapped up. “What?” I barked, taking a step back.Her eyes widened slightly, and she winced. “Sorry. Sometimes I speak without thinking.”I exhaled through my nose, forcing myself to steady my expression. “Why do you think I feel that?”She hesitated, glancing down at her hands. “I don’t know. I just… sense it.”Sense it? A muscle in my jaw ticked. “What does that mean?”“Never mind.” She let out a nervous laugh. “Forget I said anything. I’m obviously just being crazy.”Crazy? No.Because if I was honest with myself, she was right. The thought sat heavy in my chest, a truth I wasn’t ready to confront. I considered pressing her further, demanding how she knew, how she saw through me so easily. But that would mean admitting what had been
THERESAI’d spent my whole life under the weight of constant criticism and impossibly high expectations from my parents, never stopping to think how deeply it affected me. Of course I had stayed. It felt familiar.My breath hitched. “I never even realized…”Maybe that same crude judgment was what had drawn me to my ex in the first place—without me even recognizing it. It was why I felt so at ease around him, why his behavior hurt but never felt out of place.I let out a deep breath. For the first time in months, the idea of forgiving myself felt possible. But I was too exhausted to unravel all the complex thoughts that had suddenly formed.Instead, I glanced at Kolya and smiled faintly. “You still owe me an answer to a question.”He raised his eyebrows but didn’t speak.“What is the Russian pack after? Why did they go to war with you?”His muscles stiffened against my body and he pinched his lips together.“You promised,” I reminded him.With a resigned sigh, he sat up and crossed his
THERESA“I know you probably think I’m stupid for not breaking up with him sooner. I guess a part of me cared about him. He’d had a tough life—his parents were chosen mates, not fated ones, and they fought constantly. When he was a kid, it sometimes got so bad that they’d forget to feed him. He didn’t have many friends either. Really, his only friend was that warrior I mentioned before, and even that friendship wasn’t a close one.”Desperate to justify myself, I added, “If I’m being fair, not everything was bad. Some things were good—really good. We’d have times where we’d just hang out and talk, and he could actually be sweet. Those moments made it harder to walk away.“Sometime in early August, I told him I was ready to have sex.” Kolya tensed beside me. “We did it one afternoon while his parents were at work. It was horrible. One of the worst experiences of my life. He was so nervous that he couldn’t get it up, and he took it out on me. He kept being mean, blaming me. I can’t even
THERESAI shook my head, pushing the thoughts away, and then continued. “Everything changed this past spring. I came home for summer break after my sophomore year of college. By then, I’d mostly gotten used to the idea that I’d stay a virgin until I met my mate. And then... I met him. My now-ex.”My mood darkened at the thought. Kolya seemed to sense it, as he gave my upper arm a squeeze.“Honestly, I didn’t even like him at first. He was a friend of a friend of a friend. My friend Kaylynn had a crush on this warrior who she invited to a party she was throwing. He had duty and couldn’t make it, but he asked her to invite one of his friends in his place that he said was kind of a loner. Said he was trying to get him to meet more people. And Kaylynn, of course, agreed.“We were all just sort of hanging out. I’d made some silly joke, teasing him in a flirting sort of way. And instead of laughing, he flipped me off. I don’t even remember what I said, but I’m sure it wasn’t anything that r
THERESAI stirred awake, blinking against the lamp light. Had I fallen asleep? I glanced upward to find a pair of silver eyes meeting mine.“Oh, shoot! Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” I stammered, scrambling to get up. Gosh, last thing I needed was for him to think that I believed this to be a relationship where we spent the night together and stuff. Moreover, my family was likely getting back soon, and it was in my best interest to scram before they figured us out.As I sat up, readying to grab my clothes and get out of his way so he could leave, his hand closed gently around my wrist. “Wait.”I glanced back at him, searching his face for a clue to his thoughts. As usual, his expression was unreadable.“Would it be wrong to want to spend a little more time with you?” he asked.“Oh,” I replied, caught off guard.“When we can speak to each other,” he added.I blinked, then smiled faintly, the tension in my shoulders easing. “Look who wants to talk all of a sudden,” I teased, play
NIKOLAIWhen she finally lifted herself, and lined her entrance up with my cock, I was a goner. Any other misgivings I may have had were wiped from my consciousness.I let out a deep, appreciative moan as she lowered herself onto me in a slow grind, rocking her hips to allow each bit of my length to methodically enter her. The inner walls of her pussy clench around me. My hands dug into her thighs in reaction. I couldn’t believe such a beautiful angel was allowing me inside her, packing every inch of me into her. She continued to slowly and carefully lift and lower herself onto me until she was filled to the hilt.“Fuuuuck, you feel so good!” I cried out.She smirked and lifted her arms over her head, elevating and emphasizing her sporty, pert breasts. I couldn’t take my eyes off them as they bounced with every movement. Using only her thick, well-muscled lower body, she easily slid up and down the length of my cock, impressing me with her display of athleticism.I wrapped my large ha
NIKOLAIBefore long, Terri’s legs were shuddering against my cheeks, her nails were digging into my scalp, and her moans were echoing off every surface of her bedroom. I ate her as if this were my last meal. Her moans turned to a euphoric scream, her thighs trembled against my ears, and I drew every bit of orgasm I could out of her. When I finally withdrew my mouth, she was left panting and limping, finally collapsing into her bed. “Wow!” she said, as she spread out in a starfish position. “You’re amazing at that.”Pride radiated throughout my body. My shoulders straightened in pleasure, basking in the vision of her rosy, glowy skin, the rise and fall of her chest as she caught her breath, and satisfaction on her face. I couldn’t help myself from climbing into bed with her, pulling her into my arms, and nuzzling against her neck to inhale her sweet, musky scent, now ripe from the day and what had just gone down.I jolted; a surge of shock coursing through me at the sudden touch of he
NIKOLAITerri pranced along the perimeter of the summit, radiating pure joy. It was infectious. A force tugged at something buried deep within me. Slowly, a rare smile crept across my face, waking muscles that had lain dormant for ages. Then it hit me—a realization so startling it shocked me to my core. I was happy.I couldn’t remember who started it—whether it was an unspoken agreement or some shared, instinctive understanding—but before long, we were play wrestling each other, rolling around in the snow, barking and growling with delight. I nipped at her dark fur—fur that was full and glossy under the sun’s rays. Absolutely stunning. She licked at my face and I returned the affectionate gesture. Before long, our tongues were touching, licking at each other as we lay on our sides. Our paws rested against each other’s faces, and our hind legs tangled. Heat radiated throughout my body, but I refused to advance things further. Especially when she couldn’t verbally confirm it was what sh
NIKOLAI The wind whipped around us, lifting fine dust from the snow and swirling it in the air, obscuring the path ahead. But I pushed forward, relying on my nose instead of my eyes. From when I’d first gotten my wolf, I’d always had a strong sense of direction. Once I traveled a path, the scent stayed with me, etched in my memory like a map. My mother had been the same. Something hitched in my throat at the thought of her. Although I had remained calm that morning, Terri had ascertained correctly that it was difficult to hear of others' mothers and to be reminded of her. What I wouldn’t give to hear her strong opinions today, as much as they had always annoyed me. Terri came closer and whimpered. My attention instantly went to her. What had happened? Was she okay? Nothing seemed amiss. I tilted my head at her in question. But she just looked at me with puppy eyes, as if she could sense what I had been feeling and her own mood sobered correspondingly. It was eerie. But I pushed it
NIKOLAIEarly on Tuesday morning, I jumped into the hot shower before it was time to leave. They say a full moon can make one do crazy things. And in our culture, we were especially affected by the first full moon of the year—the wolf moon. It was days away. And there was no reason to believe that a sunrise couldn’t affect us much the same. Especially after having lived in persistent darkness for so long. I’d practically forgotten that there was a time in my life that I’d walked under the sun’s rays.As planned, I met Terri at the dining table that morning, munching on some buttered toast. “Shh, don’t tell my mom.” Terri winked at me and giggled. I stared at her, not sure what she expected me to tell her mom. That I was taking her on a private adventure? Her mother would be elated at the news.I continued into the kitchen, where I heated up a pre-prepped breakfast sandwich that Tasha always had on hand for the alphas when we’d be up early for training. I fumbled with the fancy Nespres