The taste of victory was on Rinc’s tongue. He savored it with pride as he howled out at his moon. The wolf within him grinned, happy at the defeat of their enemy. The pack celebrated with a howl in unison around him as he smeared the trader’s blood over his own skin. Wearing the blood of your enemy was an honor and a message to those that dare to think about challenging you the same.
To his right, he was proud to see his beta standing over a killed enemy. Daron was a fierce and skilled fighter. He nodded at his Beta, honored to fight beside his best friend. On his left, his father stood over his own kill, basking in the blood of the defeated. Rinc looked over him, admiring how strong and feared his father still was at his older age. Kane was still magnificent, and most members of the pack, including Rinc, would still lay their life down for the former Alpha.
But it wasn’t the pack that had pushed Rinc to win that fight. It wasn’t an ego or his desire to stay Alpha. It wasn’t his father or the devoted Beta at his side that motivated him to finish that fight on top. Rinc hurried his eyes around the barn, looking for her. When he saw Lacee across the room unharmed, his heart relaxed.
It was her. She was his reason.
Death had never scared Rinc. To die in battle was a worthy end to a life that he had lived bravely and with honor. So, he never feared dying. But tonight was different than any other fight he’d ever fought. He knew from the moment that he saved Lacee that if he didn’t kill Walt, the male would murder her the first chance he got.
If he died, Lacee would die, and he would never allow that.
The pack began to rush out of the barn. Fights were exciting and a rush for the wolf within them all. They were all heading outside to turn and run beneath the June moon. His Beta took off with the pack, but Rinc stayed behind. He headed across the barn to speak to Lacee.
“Rinc.” His father’s stern voice stopped him. “Where did this female come from? Why is she unconnected?”
“She must’ve been abandoned and lost from the packs as a child.” Rinc told him.
“That’s unheard of.” Kane’s brows went up with doubt.
“I don’t know, Dad.” He shrugged. “I’ll get it figured out.”
“You know she will have to complete the full wolf fast, or she’ll be hunted and killed.”
“I won’t allow that.” Rinc’s eyes began to glow as he got angry at his father’s words. “I’ll kill anyone that even thinks about harming her.”
“Son, calm down. You’ve had enough fight for the night.” His father sighed.
“No one touches her. You hear me, no one.” Rinc warned.
“Why are you acting like this?” Kane questioned. “Why her?”
“Because she’s mine, she’s my bonded mate.” He admitted.
“What?” His father looked shocked. “I don’t feel the bond between you.”
“It’s there, I feel it,” Rinc said. “She’s not complete wolf yet, so she can’t feel it and the bond is complete until her wolf is. I know it, Dad. Trust me, I feel it.”
His father looked concerned for his son instead of happy, but he shared his father’s apprehension. Alphas of packs had a lot of responsibilities and a lot of enemies, and there were lots of wars among the packs at the moment. Lacee would be a target.
“You better get her wolf fully awakened by the next Moon Festival.” Kane sighed. “Or she won’t stand a chance, and neither will you.”
Rinc knew that his father didn’t say it as a warning, but as advice. His father was right, and as Kane left the barn, Rinc knew that his father was surely replaying his own mate’s death in his head. Rinc’s mother had died during giving birth to him, but she wasn’t his father’s bonded mate. His parents were an arranged married set up to unite two packs.
His father’s bonded mate was named Adira and they had met when Rinc was four years old. Adira wasn’t from a strong pack, and she wasn’t of a fierce bloodline like them, but she was beautiful and kind. She was the only mother he’d ever known.
Two years ago, Adira was kidnapped and murdered by a rival pack. After his father got revenge and defeated her killers, the Alpha stepped down from his position to mourn the love of his life. Rinc became Alpha and had been doing everything in his power to prevent another tragedy like Adira’s.
“You are bleeding.” Lacee was only inches away from him. Being so close to her was making his heart beat faster.
“It’s not my blood.” He reassured her.
“But look.” She pointed to a wound on his hip. Between the adrenaline and thrill, he hadn’t even felt the pain of the cut down his hip. “You are hurt.”
“I’ll survive.” He smiled.
“Let me help you.” Lacee’s fingers ran over his hip, and he felt his body tingle with excitement from her touch.
Werewolves healed fast. It wasn’t instant, but the wound would heal within an hour or two, not days or weeks like a human. Only severe injuries took longer for wolves like him to heal. He didn’t tell her this, he liked the look of worry on her face for him, and the feel of her hand on his skin.
“Are you afraid?” He asked her.
“Of you?” Her green eyes peeked up at him. Fuck. She was too beautiful. The moon and stars above were no longer as magnificent a sight now that he had seen such beauty as hers to compare. Her lips opened to speak again. “I’m not afraid of you.”
Rinc sighed and then looked her away from her pretty face.
“You’re in danger,” he said.
“From you?”
“You will never be in danger from me.” He meant each word. “But this world of ours is dangerous. Being a wolf is dangerous. Being connected to an Alpha is dangerous.”
“Connected?” She asked as he realized that he was throwing too much information at her in one night.
“Never mind that.” He looked back at her and motioned his head for her to follow him. “Come on, we need to get you home.”
Neither of them spoke as they walked side by side out of the barn, over the hill, and into the parking lot where the cars were parked.
“Get in.” He directed her to his truck.
“I have my own car. I’m okay to drive.” The female pointed at her small vehicle that was parked a few spots away.
“Then you will follow me back to my pack farm. We’ll go get your things from your place in the morning.”
“What?” She looked at him like he was crazy.
“You need to move in with me and some of my pack on my pack farm. You’re going to have to train to be full wolf.” He told her. “We only have a few months before the next Moon Festival, and if you don’t turn fully by then, many wolf packs will come for you.
“I don’t know what that even means. I never said I want to be part of any of this.”
“I’ll explain more later, but you’re not safe on your own right now. That’s why you need to move in with me for now.”
“Move in with you? I can’t do that! Are you insane? I have my own life, my own job. I have a sis…” Lacee stopped speaking mid-sentence and suddenly looked even more worried than she’d been. “I have to go.”
“Lacee, I told you, you can’t go out on your own. I forbid it.”
“Forbid it?” The female pushed him away. “Try to stop me.”
If Lacee had grown up in the wolf world as she should’ve, she would have no better than to touch an Alpha like that. She would have known that if the Alpha forbids something, you dare not go against his command. Rinc would never allow such actions or words from another wolf, but he knew that Lacee was clueless about the ways of the packs. Plus, the lingering bond inside him may have been low, but it was still there, making him weak to her.
“Lacee, wait!” he called out to her, but he didn’t grab her or stop her from getting in her car and leaving. There wasn’t a point in forcing her to obey him. She wouldn’t understand yet. It would only make things worse.
Instead, he jumped into his truck and followed her home. If she wouldn’t go with him to stay safe, he’d go to her to keep her safe, because he was sure that his fight to keep her unharmed was far from over, and he’d do anything for the mate that was now his reason to live.
Lacee’s Wound As the sun came through the window and reminded Lacee that the morning had hurried its way upon her, she realized that she hadn’t slept all night. How could she after the night shed had the night before? Being attacked and almost assaulted would’ve been enough to disturb anyone from sleeping, but werewolves? Actual werewolves? It all just kept replaying in her mind over and over. The attack. The rescue. The punishment. And Rinc. Rinc’s face kept popping up in her head. His beautiful face. His strong muscular body. His dark brown eyes that stared deeply into hers. It was absurd to even be focusing on him after all that happened and all she had been told. Yet, as she lay in bed all night, it was her excitement about him that she kept thinking about more than her fear of the events. But as the excitement filled her body, regret filled her heart, because she knew that she was going to have to leave Rinc and everything she’d lea
Lacee didn’t plan on staying at work long, but when she got there, she was told that the paychecks wouldn’t be ready until that afternoon. After debating on just leaving work without the check, she decided to stay since the fifty dollars in her account wouldn’t get them very far from town. She knew it would take time to find a new job and apartment in a new town, but Lacee was a survivor. When she was eighteen, she lived in her car for two months until she got on her feet. She had been thrown out of the foster home that she lived in as soon as she became an adult. Her sister was fourteen then and had to stay behind in the foster home until the court date when Lacee was approved to be her guardian. By then, Lacee had found an apartment and was waitressing at two different restaurants to prove that she could provide a life for her sister. Leena would be eighteen in a few weeks, so there wouldn’t be any social worker checking in on them. They could go off the grid
Leena watched the clock on the wall and dreaded the moment her sister got off of work. The empty pink striped suitcase lay untouched on her bed even though it had been hours since her Lacee had woken her up to pack. Yeah, she wasn’t going to pack a thing. Why would she? What was the point? Her sister was obviously having some kind of overdramatic fight with a guy she was dating. Leena wasn’t going to waste her time packing up the apartment they had just moved everything into. At first, when her sister had seemed so panicked at the sound of a knock on the door, Leena took the situation seriously. Lacee was always overprotective and at times a bit over the top about following rules, but Lacee knew that it was mostly because Lacee didn’t want her making the same mistakes she had. Lacee had it harder growing up than she had, and she wanted Leena to have a better life than that. Earlier was different though. Lacee had seemed more frightened than she’d ever
Rinc had tried to be patient and understanding with Lacee, but after the phone call came from Laran with news of a half-breed girl living in her apartment he was losing what little patience he had left. He was trying his best to take Lacee under his wing and protect her, but she was making it really hard with her resistance and now secrets that should’ve been told.“The half-breed girl in your apartment? Who is she?” Rinc asked her.Lacee stared at him for a moment without speaking, but then she tried to make a run for it to her car. He was much faster and stronger than her, even if she had been training her whole life, she wouldn’t stand a chance. With ease, he caught up to her and grabbed her from behind, pulling her back close to her chest as he leaned his mouth to her ear.“Don’t scream. Don’t make a scene. There are people around.” He told her. “Now, if you want to see the half-breed again, stop fighting
The Pack Pub had been around for as long as Rinc’s pack had been around. When the Heavy Moon Pack had been established almost a century before, the bar was just the founding Alpha’s one-room cabin where the members could gather and drink ale.Over the years the small cabin was added onto and remodeled many times as the pack grew larger. The bar wasn’t fancy. It didn’t have cute margaritas with pretty umbrellas or a stage for loud bands. The place wasn’t meant to be a popular nightlife spot for humans to hang at. It was open to the public, but the pack wasn’t trying to become rich off its profits or to be overcrowded by non-wolves.Upon entering the bar, Rinc was met by his Beta at the front door.“The girl?” Beta Daron asked.“Fine.” Rinc sighed as he motioned for the bartender to get him a beer. “Alpha Alder?”“He’s not happy he had to wait for you, but he&rs
Lacee woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom, in an unknown bedroom. To her left, her sister Leena was safely sleeping in the bed. It was a relief to see that the girl was okay, but Lacee couldn’t let her guard down. They were still captured by the werewolves, and she knew it wouldn’t be easy to escape now that they had them on their property. As quietly as she could, Lacee crept out of the bed and began to search her surroundings. Just as she had suspected, the door was locked from the outside, keeping them from leaving the room. She went over to the only window in the room, but it had bars on the outside, guaranteeing no one could climb in or out of it. There was a small bathroom attached, but it didn’t have a window to help aid them with escape. The room was like a prison, but with a mahogany bedroom set and Egyptian cotton sheets. Feeling hopeless, Lacee went into the bathroom and splashed her face with water from the faucet. She looked up at her image in the m
The sun had barely taken its place in the morning sky when Rinc poured a cup of coffee. The warmth hit his tongue as he sipped and stared out the window at the glorious mountains in his backyard. The view seemed so much more meaningful now that he had someone to experience it with; a mate that would make even the most beautiful sunrises better. Today was the beginning of a new life for him as he would begin training Lacee, and she would soon not only completely awaken her wolf but also know the full mate bond that was inside of her as well. A smile crossed his face as he thought about her and the bond they would share for eternity. He couldn’t wait to share it with her, but for now, he would have to settle on sharing a cup of coffee with her instead. Rinc drank his coffee black, but how did his mate prefer hers? He had so much to learn about the mysterious woman. “Are you making your princess breakfast in bed?” Victoria walked into the room and stretched her ar
Leena woke up in a bed, in a strange room, in a stranger’s house. At first, she about had another panic attack, but then she noticed her sister was right beside her.“Relax, everything is okay.” Lacee comforted her.For a moment, things felt safe, but then she remembered the fangs, and the claws, and the hands that went over her mouth in the barn. Who were these men? Whose house was this? Why was she kidnapped? What exactly were these men? She had so many questions. Her sister tried to answer them the best she could, but it seemed as though Lacee didn’t have many answers either.But apparently, werewolves were real and all around them. Even more shocking, Lacee was one too, and Leena was part werewolf herself. They supposedly had the ability to turn into wolves, hair and all. Leena imagined herself more like a chihuahua with a pretty pink collar than a beastly wolf with sharp claws and deadly fangs. It was comical; something out of a sill