TYSON I sat with my family for an early dinner before I'd be flying back to Vermont later that evening. "Miriam called this morning," my grandmother spoke. "What's it been? Months? What, did she have a cancellation in her busy schedule or something?" my mom remarked. "Must have been important?" my dad added. "Yes, she had absolutely wonderful news to share." My grandmother broke out into a huge smile and I instantly knew what it was. But I stayed quiet, not wanting them to know I already knew. "Well, what is it, Catherine?" my grandfather asked. "Our little Jasmine is pregnant. With twins!" She gushed. "With twins?" Terri repeated, leaning forward in her seat. "Wow! How exciting!" "Hmph." My mom didn't look pleased. "Well, Artemis knows best I suppose." She paused, and then clearly not able to help herself, continued. "It's not like I don't have my own grown alpha son that's far older than Miriam's daughter. And it's not like our pack isn't depending on him to give us an alpha
GINGERI stared at my phone. He contacted me again after I did my best to ignore his existence since days earlier when he'd followed me on Instagram, as fruitless of an exercise as it was. I was definitely getting in too deep.Tyson Chicken: Have any plans for the 4th?Tyson Chicken: We're having a BBQ at the packhouse. Bring your sisters tooTyson Chicken: We can discuss Salem. Blake's backI let out a heavy sigh. I did want to go, and, yes, I absolutely wanted to discuss plans for Salem. The next full moon was now just over a week away, so we were cutting it really close. But I had an internal battle, wondering if I should continue seeing him socially.Finally, my hormones gave in. I found Paige in the living room watching TV. "Hey, do you have warrior duty tomorrow?""No, why?""Wanna check out the barbecue at the packhouse? We were invited.""Invited through you?" She narrowed her eyes at me. "I didn't realize you'd become closer to the people that live there than me.""Why? Are y
GINGER After taking a few breaths and pulling myself together, resolving not to let anything happen, I finally stepped foot outside. But clearly Tyce was not on the same page as me, because before I even had a chance to close the door behind me, he grabbed me and had me pinned to the wall, his body heat surrounding me, and his massive arms on either side of my face. I stared into his intense amber eyes for a moment, my whole body alive, my breathing shallowing. Fuck, he was so hot, and if he kissed me, I knew I'd totally give in. And then he did, closing the space between us, crushing his mouth against mine. My hips jutted forward in reaction as he wrapped his arms around me, grabbing my ass, and pressing me closer to his body. I ran my fingers up his chest to his neck and then his face, memorizing the feel of his cheekbones and stubble, knowing I'd always want to remember everything, including how his cheeks felt as our tongues twined and how his hard steel rod of a cock pressed up
TYSON"Is this the best way to do it?" I asked Blake, staring at the small shot glass in front of me."Yeah, that's how we started. First we drank small vials until we regained our ability to shift into our wolves. And that's when the injections started.""Fuck, this shit smells horrible." As I brought the shot glass to my face, stomach acid traveled up to my throat in reaction. I didn't know if I'd be able to get it down without retching."I mean, it's natural, right? It's our kryptonite. We're going to be averse to it. Maybe you can put it in a smoothie or something to help get it down. We didn't even have the option. They'd just whip us if we didn’t drink it or threw it up." Blake shrugged. "I still can't decide if swallowing that shit or getting whipped was worse. I never threw up, so I can't say for sure.""Fuck, bro. And you did this shit for four years?""It got easier once they started injecting us."I nodded, continuing to stare at the shot glass. This wasn't going to be easy
GINGER She's lucky she'd almost fully developed her wolf already.It only takes two milligrams to kill a human.Her wolf died so she didn't have to. "Why do you smell like wolfsbane?" I screamed. He had his arms around me almost instantly. "Gigi, it’s okay." "It's not okay! It's not okay at all!" Tears were spilling from my eyes. I had already been emotional that morning but now that scent was putting me over the edge. "Gigi, listen to me. It's fine." He had his mouth close to my ear, and the scent was touching my skin. I began to sob, imagining my skin boiling from even his breath touching it. "I'm just drinking it to build up a tolerance, so I can get stronger. I know it smells bad, but I won't kiss you, I won't hurt you, don't worry." "Get away from me!" I screamed again, pushing him off me. "Don't touch me!" "Okay!" He instantly backed away and put his hands up. "I promise I won't touch you again for the rest of today, okay?" "Thank you," I replied, wiping the tears from my
GINGER The only question I could think to ask was, Will my wolf come back? "Okay, dear. You have your question?" I nodded. "Wonderful, now shuffle please." She handed me the deck. I did as asked, shuffling for a few seconds, and then handed it back to her. Again, she fanned out the cards. "Please pick one and turn it over." I hovered my hand over the deck for a bit until I finally found one to pull. I flipped it over. Death. I let out a cry and ran out of the room, unable to listen to what Sybil was going to tell me. I couldn't bear to hear it. I ran until I was outside, down the street, and then I leaned my back against the brick wall of a building and began sobbing. I'd already been so emotional all day, and that had finally put me over the edge completely. All I wanted to do was go home and pretend I'd never seen that card. "Gigi!" Tyce's voice rang out. I looked up to see him jogging over to me. Once he got close enough, he asked, "What was that all about? Why did you run out
GINGER The evening of the full moon finally came. This was the night of all or nothing. Either my wolf came back or I'd finally have to accept that she was gone for good and any life I'd continue to live would have to be as a human. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the moment of truth. After all the lights in my house were out and everyone was asleep, I snuck out once again as I had since I'd come home for the summer. It was the perfect night, with a cloudless sky, and the full moon shining down onto earth in all its glory. I crossed my fingers and hoped it was a good omen as I slipped into the forest to make my way to my usual spot. My stomach squeezed with nervousness. I didn't know if I was ready. What if all of this pain and suffering I'd endured had been for nothing? What if my wolf really was never coming back? No! I straightened my shoulders. That was the wrong attitude. She would come back. She had shown signs, and even Sybil told me she wanted to come back. So wh
TYSON She quietly cried in the front seat, her tears spilling down her cheeks, chin, and neck. Seeing her like that pained me and broke my heart. I absolutely hated it and was ready to destroy entire cities to make her happy again. Once we were on our way, I asked, "When you said you don't have a wolf, what does that mean?" "It means exactly what it sounds like. I. Don't. Have. A. Wolf. I can't shift. I'm basically just a human." "But how? How is that possible? Your twin has one and you smell like a werewolf…" "Because I made a dumb mistake seven years ago. I was only twelve and really stupid, and now I don't have a wolf anymore." She began sobbing again, and I decided to stop with the questions for the time being. But I still wanted to know more. I wanted to know everything. And, most of all, I wanted to make it better. I wanted to fix whatever was making Gigi cry so much. I went into the place I'd never been before—a human hospital. And I hated it. It was so depressing, filled
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