Later That Afternoon“Thank you for taking the time to see me, Alpha,” I say as I settle into the leather chair in front of his desk. I clench my teeth to keep a smirk from forming as Alpha Damon does everything he can to avoid making eye contact with me.“Of course, Athena. How are you feeling?” He asks as he looks over the papers on his desk.“Oh, I’m fine, thank you. I felt a lot better after I washed off the grime from the isolation cell. It’s filthy down there.”“Yes, well, it’s been a while since we’ve had to hold anyone down there,” he says as he shifts his gaze to his computer screen.“Of course. So anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I’d like to accept the position of Delta.”He stops what he’s doing and finally makes eye contact with me. “Really?” He asks. “I thought you weren’t sure about staying in the pack, and that’s why you didn’t want to be Gamma?”“Yes, of course, Alpha. As much as I want to find the truth about what happened to our pack, My Alpha is asking me t
The Next DayI study Luna Cassia in the rear-view mirror of the SUV as we drive into town. She’s beautiful, with deep brown eyes and long brown hair that falls in waves down her back. She doesn’t look much older than me and is at least 5 years younger than Alpha Damon. Which makes me wonder why he would betray his mate by sleeping with someone else.Ryna clears his throat, bringing my attention back to the task at hand. “We’re five minutes out, Luna,” I say, and she enthusiastically nods and claps her hands.‘Ryna and Luca, you will enter the store first to clear it. When the all clear has been given, Tony will accompany me into the store with the Luna. Ryna, James, and Luca, you will hold your positions outside of the store,’ I advise the warriors in the SUVs in front of us and behind us.‘Yes, Delta.’“When we arrive, Luna, please stay in the car until Ryna and Luca make sure the store is clear,” I turn and tell her.“Of course, Athena,” she says with a smile.We pull up outside of t
“Luna, stay here and lock the door,” I tell her calmly as Ryna and I quickly get out of the SUV and find we’re surrounded by ten rogues. ‘PROTECT YOUR LUNA!’ I yell through the mind-link as I try to shift. But nothing happens. ‘SHIT!’ I think to myself. I growl angrily at the two rogues directly in front of me. Tony, James, and Luca join Ryna and me to surround the SUV.‘I’m not sure these are rogues, Delta. They smell different. They smell... Weird,’ Tony says.I sniff the air. ‘I agree,’ I say.‘What are they waiting for?’ Luca asks as the wolves surrounding us growl at us, but don’t move from their positions.‘Is Enyo back yet?’ Ryna links with me directly.‘I can feel her, but it would seem I’m on my own. I can’t shift,’ I tell him.Looking around, I see that we’re close to our territory. I close my eyes, breathe deeply, and summon Enyo, but she remains silent. I feel the raw intensity of her power, though. A burning heat that ignites my skin and races through my muscles. When I op
When the car is out of earshot, I look at Uncle Alex in disbelief. “What the fuck was that about?”He looks at me, mystified. “I have no idea. Of course we should have done what you said. She needed to be questioned.”“He’s afraid of you, Delta,” Tony says quietly.“He is our Alpha, Tony,” I warn him. “He has no reason to be afraid of me.”“It’s true, Delta,” James says. “We all saw it. Just then, as well as the other day when you were...” My glare stops him from finishing his sentence.“How did you resist his aura?” Luca asks.“I didn’t,” I say as I walk to the back of the other SUV and spread a plastic tarp out so that we can start loading the bodies of the wolves we killed.“We all saw it, Delta. There’s no point in denying it,” another warrior, Leah, says. And I realize that the ten warriors that followed Alpha and Uncle Alex down from the pack house are all watching me in astonishment.I look to Uncle Alex for help, but he just shrugs and picks up one of the dead wolves and puts i
*Content Warning–Torture.*“WHO IS YOUR ALPHA?!” the hunter yells.“I TOLD YOU! MY ALPHA IS ALPHA LEWIS OF THE SHALLOW RIVER PACK!” the man screams at his captor.The hunter turns and takes something from the table behind him. “YOU’RE LYING!” The hunter yells, and a scream fills the room as the hunter pierces the man’s skin with a blade.“Please! Please! No more!” The man begs, his breathing quick and shallow. “My pack is the Shallow River pack. I was born there. My father was a warrior for the pack. We’ve never belonged to any other pack. I have no other Alpha but Alpha Lewis,” he whimpers.The hunter spits in his face and looks at him with disgust. “One of you knows who your Alpha is, and I’m going to get it from you one way or another,” the hunter says as he walks past the cages in the room. The hunter smirks as different colored eyes glare back at him. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” His evil laughter fills the room.“Now, now, Roy. You know they can’t respond when they’r
Andreas P.O.V“You...” I gasp in disbelief.“Hello again, Andreas.” The man who has been hunting me for the last five years stands and walks over to where I am handcuffed to a chair.“You’re behind all of this?” I ask, looking around the room and at the steel dog cages lined up along one wall.“I’ve been looking for you for a long time, Andreas,” he says, ignoring my question. “What made you come out of hiding?”I glare at him, refusing to talk.“It was Athena, right? She somehow found you down at Moonstone, and you two were working together?”A small growl escapes my throat at the mention of Athena.‘Keep it together, Andy. They can’t know she’s our mate,’ Ares warns, and I take a deep breath to try to calm down.“It’s fine. You don’t have to answer. You were found near her territory and you were seen with members of her pack,” he says with a smug grin on his face. “Tell me, how did you all get Docter Shields out of the Moonstone cells?”“I’m not telling you shit.”“That’s fine, Andre
Alpha Costas falters slightly, as if he didn’t expect me to accept his challenge. But he recovers quickly, a smug smile returning to his face as he nods and turns to his men and starts whispering to them. I’m about to walk to Uncle Alex when I see Rich and Noah. I run to Noah, a big smile on my face, and I launch myself at him, hugging him tightly. “It’s good to see you too, Athena,” he chuckles as he squeezes me back. I pull back from Noah and hug Rich hard as well. “You guys timed your return perfectly,” I say as I pull back from Rich and smile at them both. “How’s your shoulder and back?” Rich asks softly. I lower my voice so that only they can hear me. “It’s healing, but it’s still pretty gnarly,” I grimace as I move my shoulder. “I don’t like this, Athena. There has to be another way,” Noah says, his eyes swimming with concern. “He’s vicious, Athena. Be careful fighting him,” Rich warns. “Athena, can we speak please?” Uncle Alex calls out. I pull Rich and Noah into a gro
Catherine P.O.V ‘I’m freezing. I should have found one of their drop spots and stolen a pair of clothes.’ ‘Why don’t we shift?’ Bella suggests. ‘My fur will keep us warm.’ ‘There’s not enough room here and they’ll spot us,’ I say, watching the hospital entrance from our hiding spot nearby. ‘I still don’t think we should do this. You saw what she did to Costas,’ Bella whimpers. ‘Because of Costas, she’s weak and injured. This is the perfect time to kill her.’ ‘Well, I don’t want any part of it,’ Bella says firmly, as she curls up in the back of my mind and blocks me out. ‘Fine’ I huff, rolling my eyes. ‘I’ll do it myself.’ I slowly creep out from my hiding spot and run across the road to the side of the hospital building. I try the windows as I walk along the wall, but all of them are locked. “Shit,” I quietly curse out loud. The last window is an old push out kind, and when I look through, it looks like it’s a janitor’s closet. The lock looks flimsy, so I push hard on the top o
The early morning sun peaks over the surrounding mountains, spreading its warmth over our territory, but I don’t feel it. My breath is ragged as I run hard through the forest. Low-lying branches smack my face as I go past them, but I feel nothing. My only focus is to get to the lake. The lake will calm me before this rage swallows me whole.I finally see it in the distance, the lake that Enyo and I used to soak in after practice. Back when everything was right in the world. Before Daddy was murdered. Before I knew anything about the chosen.I don’t slow as I get closer. Instead, I brace for impact as I dive towards the ice covering the body of water. Enyo’s large, heavy body breaks through, and the iced water takes my breath away as I slowly sink to the bottom. I let the freezing water cool my heated body; the rage releasing from my body and my mind slowly clearing.I can hear shouts from above the water, but I ignore them. As the rage fuelled fogginess leaves my mind, I’m hit with a
“Alpha! Alpha, can you hear me?”I groggily open my eyes and see Leah hovering over me.“Alpha, thank the Goddess,” Leah says with a heavy sigh. “Don’t move, Doc Apollo is on his way.”I grab the back of my head, and I feel that my hair is wet. I look at my hand, and it’s covered in blood.“What happened?” I ask, lifting my head slightly and looking around.“You fell down the cliff side after the rogue charged you,” she explains.I look to my left and up the cliff side. “I’ve been saying for years there needs to be a railing put up there,” I say with a groan and try to sit up.“Please don’t move, Alpha. You fell a long way.”“I see that. But I’ll be okay,” I tell her, sitting up. Then I remember the reason I was in the forest. “Where’s Catherine?” I ask, panicked.“Gamma Michael and Gamma Cole have her in custody,” she explains.“And the other rogue?”She says nothing but looks behind me. I turn and see a young boy, his neck clearly broken from the fall. “Shit,” I grumble. “How did you
“Everything looks wonderful, Melanie,” I compliment her as I look over all the decorated tables outside of the pack hall.“Thank you, Alpha,” she says happily. “I hope you like everything inside, as well.”“I know I will,” I tell her with a big smile.She smiles back and bows before heading off to attend to her duties. Andreas comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, nestling his nose into the crook of my neck. “I can’t believe we pulled this off.”“The pack has worked hard. I’m so proud of everyone.”I see Rich and Noah in the distance, with the Cresent Warriors, and Michael and Beta Castor behind them. I take Andreas’s hand and walk over to them, wanting to keep the conversation away from others. “Still nothing?” I ask, disappointed.“I lost their scent on the other side of the mountain,” Beta Castor says with a frown.“Leah stayed at the Cabin in case she’s stupid enough to go back there,” Tony says.I nod. “We’ll pick up the search again in the morning,” I tell them.
“How is the feast coming along?” I ask Melanie, the pack’s head cook.“Everything is coming along nicely, Alpha. I’ve ensured there’s plenty of food for both packs, with extras.” She says with a proud smile.“You’ve done amazingly, Melanie. If there’s anything you need help with, please speak with Gino,” I tell her.“The Omegas are all taking care of everything, Alpha. They’ve been very helpful, as always.”“I’m proud of all of you,” I tell the rest of the Omegas and they all smile and bow their heads.“Alpha, I need a word with you,” Leah says from the kitchen door.“Of course,” I tell Leah. “Please excuse me, Melanie,” I smile at her.She bows her head and returns to her work, and I follow Leah into the dining room, where I find Rich and Noah waiting.“What can I do for our Epsilons today?” I ask with a smile.“We have a report from our border patrol, Alpha,” Rich says.“There’s been a sighting of a couple of rogues hanging around our borders,” Noah explains.I stiffen. “From the pa
Three hours laterWe watch as fight after fight ends, and the defeated warriors fill the sidelines of the training field, joining the rest of the pack in cheering and enjoying the spectacle.We watch Michael closely as he defeats opponent after opponent.“He hasn’t lost any of his strength,” Cassia says, and I think I see something flash in her eyes, but whatever she was feeling quickly disappears when she notices me staring at her.“Or his viciousness,” Ryna adds.“Nothing wrong with some viscousness in your Gamma, Beta,” Harry says.“As long as it’s towards our enemies...” Gino mumbles.I focus back on Michael as he defeats another warrior, trying to ignore the guilt I feel from Gino’s comment.“Maybe you should have just named him Gamma, Alpha,” Tony says. “He has the advantage of being a born Beta. I don’t think anyone will beat him.”“It is looking that way. But maybe that will earn him back some of the respect he lost.”“Doubtful. But we’ll see,” Ryna says.“Cole could give him
As I walk towards Ryna’s house with Andreas, I can’t help the pounding of my heart as I think of my best friend never forgiving me.I feel Andreas squeeze my hand tightly, and I give him a small smile as we climb the steps of Ryna’s small cottage. I take a breath as we approach the door and knock.Gino answers the door a few moments later, and I’m engulfed with the anger he feels as it radiates from his body.“He needs time, Alpha.” He says shortly.“I understand, Gino. But there are pack matters that need to be attended to,” Andreas says when I don’t say anything.“I will make sure that all pack matters are dealt with,” Gino responds, his glaring eyes never leaving mine.I swallow the lump in my throat and finally find the words I want to say. “I’m not here about pack business,” I say, my voice coming out as a squeak. “I came to apologize for everything that happened yesterday.”“It’s going to take more than apologies, Alpha,” Gino says angrily.“I know, but I can only start there.”
The Next DayAthena P.O.VI try to roll over, but I’m being held in place by Andreas. I kiss his arm and say, “Time to wake up, my love.”He groans and hugs me tighter. “No, thanks.”I laugh and try to roll over again. “If you squeeze me any harder, Andreas, I’m going to pee.”“Fiiiiiine.” He releases me with another groan before rolling onto his back and rubbing his eyes. “We can’t stay in bed,” I say as I get up and go into the bathroom. “We have way too much to do in the next few days. We still haven’t questioned the others we captured with Leon the other night. We have to get the pack house sorted out…”“I knooooow,” he says with another groan, cutting me off before I repeat the seemingly never-ending list of things we need to do.I giggle as I finish up and wash my hands before turning the shower on. I hear Andreas come up behind me, so I turn around and wrap my arms around his neck with a kiss.He smiles into my lips before kissing down my neck to my mark. He leaves a chaste kis
Somewhere nearby…I’m flung across the room as my connection to the Alpha is broken.“Master! Are you okay?” Alyria asks, running over and taking my arm.I look down at her bony hand on my arm, then at her. I glare at her and slap her hard across the face.“HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME!” I bellow at her.“I’m sorry, Master.” She whimpers, holding her cheek.“GET ME THE WITCH! NOW!” I yell at her, and she gets up from the ground and scurries from the room.“What happened, Master?” Wren asks from the corner of the room.“Her wolf broke the connection,” I explain angrily, standing and brushing off my clothes.“How? I thought the witch said she’d be locked away in the Alpha’s mind?”“I don’t know!” I yell at him, and he shrinks back in fear.“You called for me, Sir?” the witch, Elizabeth asks as she enters my office.I stalk toward her angrily. “You told me the wolf would be locked away in the Alpha’s mind. So would you care to explain to me how the wolf was able to break my connection to the Al
“MURDERER!” someone screams, and everyone falls silent, turning to where the scream came from. “Karla,” I whisper, my body suddenly shaking. She looks weak and sickly, her eyes red from crying. “WHY DID YOU KILL HIM?” she screams again, and I see Cassia running towards her. “Karla, why don’t we go back inside?” Cassia says softly, taking her arm. “DON’T TOUCH ME!” Karla shouts, pulling her arm out of Cassia’s grasp. “I WANT TO KNOW WHY SHE KILLED MY MATE!” The pack members begin whispering and pulling their kids behind them. “Karla, please, why don’t we go inside so we can discuss this,” Andreas says, taking a step towards her. He takes my hand to walk with him, but my feet won’t move. I’m frozen in place. No words are forming in my mind as I stare at the woman whose mate I killed with my bare hands. “Athena?” He says, looking back at me. “I… I…” I stutter out, but nothing else comes. “ANSWER ME, YOU FILTH!” Karla spits out, and Enyo growls. There are gasps and more whispers