GINGER I set my alarm for early on Friday. I didn't want there to even be a slight chance I'd miss my ride. I really had to swallow my pride for this one, and I knew I'd have to be on my best behavior. Who knew how many other rides I'd need to grovel for in the future. Although, I really hoped this would be my last one. With the sun shining, and the warm air flowing in through the window screen, I had a good feeling about this time. I threw on a cute spring dress and stood in front of my full-length mirror. Damn, I'd forgotten how low cut this dress was. I was sporting more cleavage than I intended. But when you were busty like me, it was pretty unavoidable. I pulled the neckline up a bit, but it didn't really do much. Oh well. It's not like Tyce would be interested or looking anyway. He'd made it pretty fucking clear I was a 2 on his rating scale. As much as I hated to admit it, his dig still stung. After I was satisfied with my appearance, I made my way downstairs to make myself
GINGER Although we lived pretty far from the packhouse, I was in such a foul mood I knew I needed the walk. After a few steps, I remembered I owed Tyce his sandals, but didn't want to go back. I'd grab them for him when he dropped me back at home that evening. Done and done. When I got there, Lucy let me in. "Hey, Gigi! So nice to see you!" She wrapped her arms around me. "Hi, Lucy," I responded, returning the hug. "Hey, if you're not busy in a couple weeks, there's going to be a really good DJ coming to the casino club. DJ Sandstorm, have you heard of him?" I shook my head. "Well, I ordered a table, and everything's comped since the pack owns the casino. Jasmine and Paige are pretty boring and don't want anything to do with clubbing. But you seemed so fun last time you were here! Come!" "Sure," I replied. "Yesss! What's your number? I'll text you when it gets closer so we can make plans." I gave her my number and then sat down at the dining room table to wait for Tyce while Luc
GINGER The day was uncharacteristically hot for so early in June. I was relieved once we made it inside the air-conditioned fortune-telling shop. Helena greeted us, passing her hand through her dark curls—well, greeted Tyce. I may as well have been invisible. "Oh, hello there. You're back!" She smiled widely at him as she came around from behind the register. "Hey," he replied, giving her a flashy smile. Although it absolutely should not have bothered me, it did. No, I was clearly just annoyed that she didn't even notice my existence even though I was a regular customer—that's all. It one hundred percent did not bother me that she was looking Tyce up and down and he was giving her a much bigger smile than he ever gave me. No, not at all. "How long are you in town for? Do you have time for a drink or two this evening?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him. "Maybe," He began to reply. "There's a great spot. Totally underground. But I can get you in." "I think I can make time for a
TYSON Holy fucking Artemis. That fucking dress. It was taking everything in me not to stare at her rack. Out of every piece of clothing she owned, why the fuck had she put that dress on? All I could think about was how much I wanted to motorboat those impressive puppies. My cock was dying for a good titty fucking. Damn, I was so horny. By the time we made it to the underground bar, I was ready to throw her into a bathroom stall and fuck the shit out of her. My jeans were feeling fucking tight, and I kept having to get my mind out of the gutter so I didn't end up walking around with a tent in my pants. It didn't help that I'd warmed up to her. She wasn’t so bad today. She was still busting my balls (and not in the way I wanted her to) but it wasn't so aggressive anymore. Helena met us in front of an industrial-looking building. "Thought you'd come alone. I can get you in no problem, but the boss isn't going to like multiple werewolves inside. Too much risk. I think you can understan
GINGER Tyce and I didn’t talk the entirety of the ride. Tyce just trained his eyes on the road and never once glanced my way except to merge lanes. I clutched my purse, thankful, at least, I got what I came for. So it wasn't a complete disaster. Two emotions competed within me simultaneously. One, I was upset about how Tyce had treated me. First, he called me his "buddy" to Helena, especially after making it seem like there was something between us. I didn't even know why I thought that or why it bothered me so much, but it did. After milling it over in my mind, I concluded that it just hurt to feel so inadequate next to someone so hot and powerful. I hated being made to feel so weak and worthless. It was a feeling that I carried throughout my life, and it was always so hard to kick, no matter how many friends I made or how much I succeeded at school. I still always felt like that little girl that never properly got her wolf in middle school. Then, as soon as I disappeared, he'd go
GINGER I wrapped Tyce's sandals in a plastic bag and threw them into my purse so I could finally return them to him. As my family piled into the car to head over, I felt a bit mournful at the realization that returning them would give him no more reason to talk to me. Just as quickly as I felt it, I pushed it from my mind and convinced myself it was for the best. The new Gigi would no longer give douchey guys the time of day. The new Gigi only made room in her busy schedule for nice, mature gentlemen. And a gentleman Tyce was not! I spotted him as soon as we arrived, as I always did. It was hard not to. He was just so tall and commanded such a natural presence. Clearly, it was an alpha thing—yes, I felt the same about Blake. Yet, somehow, I always seemed to notice Tyce first. Maybe Tyce was more alpha alpha, if that was a thing. He did, after all, come from a much larger pack. My family took our normal seats. Heidi sat down right next to me, unfortunately. I hadn’t talked to her mu
BLAKE After the temple service, Jasmine and I jumped in my car to head north. I glanced over at her as I started the car, taking her hand in mine. "You know, you're going to need a bigger car soon. It's going to be a lot of work getting pups in and out of their car seats with a two-door." "I know." She sighed. "But I love that car." I squeezed her hand. "Maybe we can trade cars when we have to take the pups." I smiled at her and she put her head against my arm sending sparks dancing up and down the length of it. I was still getting used to the idea of it, being hit unexpectedly by the news. I thought we'd have more time to ease ourselves into the idea of it. I always knew I'd have to provide an heir to our pack, but I just didn't think it would happen so soon. As we drove, Jasmine drifted into sleep. I did notice she'd been a lot more tired lately, going to bed much earlier than previously. She kept claiming she had no symptoms, but I definitely noticed them—both how horny and uni
BLAKE The next morning, I woke up earlier than Jasmine and snuck downstairs so I could surprise her with breakfast. As I approached the kitchen, I overheard a heated discussion between Alex and who I assumed was his mom. "You've been keeping in touch with Sara behind my back?" Alex's voice boomed loudly. "Alex, she's my daughter. I have a right to keep in touch with her," a middle-aged woman's voice responded. "She tried to kill my mate several fucking times!" "Language, Alex!" "Fuck language. I'm in a really bad mood right now." "Alex, can you at least be rational about this? Listen to me. I'm your mother!" "Fine, Mother. What did you want to tell me?" I could tell he was speaking through gritted teeth. "Sara wants to meet with you. She has information about one of our ally packs. I know Sara did some things you're not happy about. But at least speak with her and give her a chance to redeem herself. She is still your sister." "She will never redeem herself in my eyes." "Al
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