TYSON My father and I got back to the packhouse that evening to find my mom, Beta Liam's mate Nina, and Gigi situated in the office. "Hey," I nodded toward everyone and then went over to Gigi to plant a kiss on her cheek. Just the touch of my lips to the skin of her cheek instantly calmed all the tension that had built up inside me from the day. "I'm sure you heard that your grandfather's body was found?" my mom asked. "Yeah," I replied. "Dad and I are planning to go view it in a bit after we get a chance to eat." She nodded. "And Trav's mate is dead now?" "What?" I asked. "Well, I'm assuming you took care of the murderer." "She's not the murderer," I replied, not in the mood to elaborate. "Come on, Gigi, come with me." I turned to my mate, no desire to go through an interrogation with my mom. I helped Gigi up and pulled her hand to take her out of the office. When we were at the stairs, Gigi said, "Trav hasn't come out of his room all day. He won't talk to anyone." She looked
JASMINE I was about to call it a day with pack work when my cell phone lit up on my desk. I glanced over to see it was my dad. Odd. My dad didn't normally call. He'd text. That was the first thing that tipped me off that something was wrong. "Hello?" I answered. "Hey, Jaz," my dad replied somberly. "How are you? How are the pups?" "Everything is good. Progressing as normal." "Great, great." The way he said it didn't sound great at all. "Are you sitting?" "Yeah, why?" "Okay, good. Your mom got some bad news today." My stomach sank. I hated bad news. What could it be? Did my mom somehow get an illness? Was she at the age yet where that was possible? I tried to steady my heart as I waited for him to tell me what it was. "We got a call from your mom's old pack, and it seems her father was murdered." "Murdered?" I gasped. "By who?" "They're not sure yet. But they're making funeral arrangements. We're looking up flights now. Your mom thinks it'd be best if you and Blake go too. Aft
TYSON The past couple days passed by like a bullet train. After my grandfather's body was found, my father and I went to the pack clinic to take a look at it. And although I had grown used to seeing dead, mangled corpses, it still shocked the fuck out of me to see my grandfather like that—I had grown up with him being the enforcer, ex-alpha, most terrifying and strongest person I knew. He had to be one of the most notorious alphas in recent history. He had always been ruthless and brutal, and fought in battles like nobody's business. I hated, loved, admired, feared, and respected him. But seeing him reduced to a bloodied corpse with his heart ripped out of his chest—well, that was sobering. It reminded me of meditating on impermanence in school and at temple. Nothing, not even the man who seemed undefeatable, was impervious to death. My grandfather had been tortured and killed the same way he had done to likely hundreds before him. "Closed casket," my father said, and I nodded. We
TYSON Alpha Vic's beta escorted us to the packhouse. My father and grandfather weren't wrong. His pack was a shithole. The roads were all in terrible need of repair, and many weren't even paved. You could easily tell who had money and who didn't by one glance at the houses. Clearly the pack didn't subsidize or help with home repairs like ours did. The packhouse, however, was in pristine condition, and even appeared as if it may have had some additions made to it since the last time I'd visited this pack, which had to have been a least a year earlier. "Alpha Tyce!" Vic greeted us from his doorstep. "And who is this beautiful young lady?" "Alpha Vic, this is my mate and soon-to-be luna, Ginger. But she goes by Gigi," I replied once we got closer. "Gigi, my pleasure." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. This dude was something else. Who the fuck did that except in movies? "Pleased to meet you as well," Gigi responded. "Come in, come in." He opened the door for us. "Let me t
TYSON On Saturday, I spent the morning training and running patrol stations. It was nice getting out and doing something active to get my mind off things. After an early lunch, I trained Gigi for another two hours. "I'd like to start training you in your wolf form," I said. "But in order to do that, you're going to have to join my pack so I can communicate with you." "Okay," she replied, but I could sense hesitation and maybe even sadness. "Do you not want to join my pack?" I asked, coming closer, taking her hands in mine. Her skin was like ice. Even though we'd kept warm by staying active, her hands were still cold, and I didn't want to let them go, trying to warm them for her. "I do…" her voice trailed. "But?" She sighed. "Please tell me, Gigi. I won't be upset. I just want to know what's wrong." "It'll just be so final. I'll lose the last bit of attachment I have to my pack and family." She put her head on my chest and I pulled her closer to me. "I want you to feel at home
TYSON Before the end of the day, the packhouse had filled up with Blake, Jasmine, and her parents. Terri made the trek back from school. And then we got word that my uncle, whom we hadn't seen in years, had arrived for the funeral with his family. I supposed death was the one thing that really brought everyone out. I barely had the chance to introduce Terri to Gigi or even process everyone that was making an appearance when it was time to leave for the service. Gigi and I rode over with my mom, dad, and grandma. I got shafted to the middle seat with Gigi and my grandma on either side of me. My dad was uncharacteristically quiet during the drive. I got the idea that he was taking this a lot harder than he let on. My grandma, on the other hand, didn't hide her feelings at all as she sobbed quietly the entire ride. Blake pulled up in my car next to us as we parked. I'd given it to him to borrow for the duration of their trip. As my dad held my grandma's arm and pulled her along toward
GINGER "Mmm," Tyce moaned into my ear as the alarm went off, waking us early on Monday morning. I was still getting used to waking up before the sun rose. But this seemed to be Tyce's schedule, and I couldn’t believe that he'd functioned all summer like this considering how late we'd stayed up on many nights. "Do we have to get up?" I moaned, snuggling closer to him. He chuckled. "Time for my morning injection. Then breakfast and morning run before temple." "Goddess, your schedule is so intense." "I thought you wanted to be a warrior," he teased, nibbling on my nose. "But if you wanted a quickie, I could be persuaded to stay in bed a little longer." "When I see proof you have complete control of your wolf, that'll be on the table again." I gave him a playful shove. "Hopefully on the table, the counter, the wall, the floor, the chair…" his voice trailed. He chuckled again, "and in the backdoor." "Okay, Tyce." I grinned to myself. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll let you put it i
GINGER "Admit it, this is just as much of a farce as your shit framing job," Sara aggressively yelled. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Alpha Vic turned to glare at her. Before Sara could answer, a loud explosion rang out far ahead, as if a bomb had gone off. We all covered our ears in reaction to the loud boom, the smell of explosives thick in the air. "Oh, shit! What was that?" Alpha Vic shouted. Suddenly, a large group of mice sprinted under our feet, likely running from whatever that explosion had been. I tensed and looked toward Tyce. And I couldn't believe it, but he hadn't shifted. He stood there, still as a stone, his hands clenched, and it took everything in me not to celebrate right then and there. "The windmills!" Alpha Vic's father yelled, snapping my attention back to reality. Before anyone had time to react, Alpha Vic and his father began running in the direction of where the boom had sounded. "Gigi, stay here with Jasmine," Tyce shouted to me, and then took
THERESA The excitement in the air was palpable. The whole pack had gathered on the airplane runway. This was the one part of the pack that was consistently plowed so that we’d continue to receive food and supplies throughout the harsh winters after we gave up on plowing everything else, especially the roads that lead to the main highway. It was how I was able to get back and forth from school during the holidays. Full moon runs were a long-time tradition of our pack’s and one of my favorite celebrations during the long, cold, sunless winters. Even when seasonal depression tried to sink its way into my bones and pull my spirit away, these runs tended to give me the adrenaline I needed to keep going. There was something magical about an entire community coming together to expel all their energy in the wilderness, and then subsequently feast together on the kill we’d contributed to the celebration. My heart was full of gratitude in knowing that no matter how tough things got, this pac
TYSON‘Twas several nights after the winter solstice (and one night after Christmas) when all through the packhouse, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. And thank the Goddess for that, because we weren’t really big fans of mice around here. At least I wasn’t. Although, I had come to warm up to rats… well, some very specific pet rats. Other than that, still wasn’t a big fan.But you know what I was a fan of? T&A, especially when that T&A was attached to my perfect, voluptuous, thick AF fiancée and mate. My mate that was very conspicuously missing from my bed. I had gotten used to having her warm body next to mine every night, and every inch of my skin was practically tingling with the loss of her. Because her family was very religious, it had been decided that we would stay in separate housing situations during the duration of our trip to her old pack. She at her parents’ home, and I at the packhouse of my ally, the Midnight Maple Pack.I knew she planned to go back to school
GINGER“Okay, I really thought the people out tonight wouldn’t be so… old,” Lucy said.I sighed but figured I should just make the best of it. Maybe once I got back to Alaska I could meet some friends that knew how to party for real. Not that there were many places to go out in the middle of nowhere where I lived. And it was so strictly conservative too. More so than the pack I’d grown up in, which was saying something.“Here, take these!” Lucy handed Paige and me fake IDs that, as usual, looked nothing like us. She then draped about a pound of penis necklaces on everyone.We all marched in, and everyone’s eyes instantly went to us. Lucy made a beeline for the bar and started ordering us drinks before anyone could protest. I followed her, excited to get my drink on. The bar was playing my favorite Mariah Carey Christmas song, and I was ready to start dancing.After we all had our drinks in hand, an older man with a grey beard asked, “What is this all about? A birthday?”I blinked a few
GINGERMy twin sister Paige finished twisting the last bit of my hair around her curling wand and sprayed it down with hairspray. "I miss this." She let out a deep sigh, sitting back on her heels, her body collapsing a bit. We had gathered on the floor of her bedroom while getting ready for the evening—the bedroom that wouldn’t be hers much longer. She would be the last to flee the coop, leaving our parents to an empty nest—something our mother couldn’t stop being melodramatic about. Her wedding was in a matter of days, which was the reason I had flown back to Vermont with my mate Tyce."It's not that much different from when I was in school," I replied, my stomach squeezing a bit, but needing to put a positive spin on our situation."Yeah, but you were at least home for the entire summer then. Now I'll probably only see you a week a year or something like that."Nonchalantly, I blurted, "Maybe the family can move to Alaska." At first, I meant it as an offhand remark that I knew wasn’t
NIKOLAI"Za zdarovye," Sasha and I toasted each other, and I took a gulp of the vodka. After piling our kill in a shed the pack had for exactly that, he invited me over to the beta wing of the packhouse to throw back a few."Not bad, eh?" he asked."Not bad," I replied.He gave my shoulder a shake. "Hey, Volkov, loosen up. Life's getting better. We're free now."I grunted.Sasha was my good friend going back to when we were pups. People had always remarked we could pass for brothers. They clearly lacked keen eyes. Sure, we both sported thick blond hair and tall frames—although I had at least a good ten centimeters on him—our facial shapes were much different. His was more rotund, and his cheeks constantly reddened with emotion.My features were far sharper, and hardened, and had become even more so in the past year. At times, I looked in the mirror, and I saw my late father staring back at me. His ghost haunted me from the beyond, shaping my features to mimic the forehead furrows, life
NIKOLAIForty. That's how many pack members were left in Severnaya Zvezda Pack, including me. A nice, even forty. Our pack had never been particularly large. As opposed to some packs in Russia and other post-Soviet states, where numbers could climb to ten thousand, ours had always maintained a balance of around a thousand. Now only scraps remained of what we had been.After months of coordinating with my late beta’s aunt, Julia Tikaani (née Yulia Vovchenko), we had finally arrived at her pack. When we first fled our war-torn home, we traveled in our wolf forms, carrying only what we could carry as we crossed into Moldova. From there, it took nearly three days by air to reach Alaska.We had left just about everything behind, and a sliver of hope remained.As generous as Luna Yulia’s invitation was, we couldn’t depend on her hospitality forever. Our pack needed stability—a place to truly call home. With my newly elected beta, Sasha, at my side—a man as ruthless in battle as I was—I set o
Author's Note: Several characters in this book are native Russian speakers. To avoid repetitive clarifications throughout the text, assume the following:If a conversation takes place between characters who are native Russian speakers, they are speaking in Russian unless otherwise stated.If a conversation includes one or more native English speakers, it is in English unless otherwise indicated.This approach allows for a more seamless reading experience while maintaining linguistic authenticity.***THERESAHalf-full. Between the two options, that’s the perspective I preferred. It’s not that bad things never happened—I was only mortal after all. But attitude was everything. And a good attitude was particularly important at that very moment as the crushing weight of a sandbag dug into my shoulders, snow crunched under my winter hiking boots, and wind cut at the exposed sliver of skin between my gaiter and hat. I climbed, each step more precarious than the last on the icy slope."Faster
TRIGGER WARNING: This final scene contains torture and is not recommended to the squeamish. It is not necessary to the plot of the book and was only added to give readers some satisfaction with tying up some loose ends. --- TYSON I picked up my ringing phone. "Sara caught the culprits," Trav said, not even bothering to say hello. "Damn," I replied. "She's already tortured them, but offered to let you finish them off. You know, for pack alliance reasons." "I have a feeling that allowing someone else to do the final deed is a gift of generosity in her eyes." I chuckled to myself. Trav's mate was something else. But I'd be damned if I didn't want to watch the motherfuckers that killed my grandfather take their final breaths. Before I hung up, I asked, "Can I bring Dad?" "Obviously that's still a bit of a touchy subject but…" his voice trailed. "But you know that Dad, more than anyone, would want to be the one that does it." I finished his sentence for him. Trav let out a breath.
*Three weeks later* GINGER "Goddess, it's been such a long week!" I flopped onto the bed after showering and throwing on some sweats on a Saturday night in late October. "Your alpha schedule is no joke," I griped to Tyce. "I'm ready to go to bed now." "Do you think you could stay awake for a little bit longer?" He came over and sat on the bed. "Because I have a surprise that just came today." "A surprise? Have I been so busy that I didn't even realize it's my birthday already?" I joked. "It's a 'just because' kind of surprise." "Goddess, stop, Tyce. I can't do all this sweetness. I need a dentist! I think I'm getting cavities." "Okay, the surprise isn't really for you. It's for Splinter anyway. Are you ready for me to bring it in?" "Well, if it's not for me, you should ask Splinter," I teased. "Splinter already said he's ready." "Okay, rat whisperer." Tyce gave me a cute little smile that made my stomach flip-flop. Fuck, why did he affect me so much? Even though we'd now bee