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018 | YOUNG LUNA
I pressed my paws into the snow, feeling its sharp bite even through my thick brown fur. Snowflakes swirled through the air, dusting my coat with white and sending shivers rolling through me.
I was envious of the Warrior Wolves behind us – they were pressed so tightly together, holding the line that marked the edge of Winterpaw’s territory, that they must have been warm from the flush of body heat. I’d been forced to the front with Cendres and Nazte. The one small saving grace was that Hanna and Hans Pewer were marching around the Warrior Wolves, ensuring they were in the correct formation, so I was saved from their torturous company at least.
I wrinkled my nose, flicking my gaze over to Nazte’s huge white wolf form. One of his paws looked like it had been dunked in chocolate and sprinkled with icing sugar from the snow. He stood completely still, his icy blue eyes fixed on the horizon as we awaited the arrival of the Bloodpelt Prowler Pack. The
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Alpha Ares 019 | THE BLOODPELT PROWLER PACK
Everything around me was colour, bright and bold and wholly overwhelming. I swerved and darted between wolves, unsure which ones I was meant to be fighting and which ones I was meant to be defending. I didn’t know Winterpaw like I did Blue Moon; I couldn’t pick out a member of my new pack in their coloured forms, let alone the greyscale I was more used to.Blue Moon ran in my blood. It was built deep into my bones. Even if I’d wanted to be part of Winterpaw Warrior, it could never compete with that.Two wolves knocked into me at once. I growled, low and rumbling in my throat, yanking myself upright and twisting around to tear into them. They were smaller than me, but one ripped into my hind leg and another clawed my shoulder. I hung back, pretending to be more hurt than I was; they wasted a half-second glancing at each other, and then I struck.I leapt at the first one, snapping my jaws around its neck. I winced as blood hissed from the w
Alpha Ares 020 | BROKEN PROMISES
If I opened my eyes, I would wake up. Some subconscious part of me already knew that – and it held my eyelids closed, keeping me hostage in the dark. I considered fighting it, but traces of pain and blood and betrayal broke through my memories and forced their way into my present mind. I winced against the onslaught, against the feel of having bones and flesh that throbbed and ached, against the abject horror of knowing I was doomed, and that was enough to throw me back into my body. I didn’t know how I was alive, but I forced my eyes open to face whatever awaited me. I expected to awake to more pain, to the bite of snow beneath me and a blizzard in the air, to be utterly unable to escape the numbing cold and the red-hot agony – But there was nothing. Just silence, broken only by the pops and cracks of the fire in the hearth. I frowned at it: a large, stone monstrosity set into the wall at the foot of the bed. I did not recognise this room,
Alpha Ares 021 | HEARTLESS
I frowned down at the letter I’d written. My parents needed to know everything I did – from the fake attack by Bloodpelt Prowler, to the Warrior Wolf we’d found dead, to the conversation Ares had had while I’d been half unconscious. I’d worried over it being read by someone from Winterpaw – they didn’t trust me any more than I trusted them, after all – but the information was too important. I had to take that risk.With one final glance at it and an emphatic sigh, I sealed it with wax and took it to be posted. Winterpaw used carrier pigeons to deliver their post for the most part, and dedicated scouts carried packages and any urgent letters. I didn’t trust the pigeon so, as I tied my letter to its leg, so I gave it a sharp glare.I leant against the freezing stone wall, watching the bird disappear into the endless white sky. It seemed like it would be impossible for it to be intercepted now, but I kept my gaze
Alpha Ares 022 | THE GREAT ESCAPE
Screw that. Sorry, Ares, I thought, but you aren’t coming with me. I had to warn my parents – that letter tied to a dithering pigeon wasn’t enough. Besides, who knew what he’d do to me when we were alone and away from his territory? Here, I was somewhat protected by the truce, even if it was a load of nonsense. If I died here, Blue Moon had every right to attack Winterpaw. Ares might have been an idiot, but even he wasn’t that stupid. That had to be why he’d concocted the ridiculous scheme of getting his allies to attack me. His back was covered if Bloodpelt had done the deed. So I waited for him to fall asleep and then I snuck out. I grabbed the bag I’d packed earlier, sitting innocently next to Ares’s, and shoved on my cloak. I held my boots until I’d slipped out of the door, wanting my footsteps to be as quiet as possible. But the stone was so cold that, even with my thick woollen socks, I had to step into my boots within a few feet
Alpha Ares 023 | SCORNED BY THE GODS
Stede’s fist knocked into my skull. Pain splintered through my head, the shock of it making me numb as I spun to face him, my hand flying up uselessly to block his strike after he’d already hit me.“What have I done?” I snapped, lurching back so I could see both men at once. My head throbbed, pulsating waves of red-hot pain crashing through my head. I narrowed my eyes at the Warrior Wolves, already listing their myriad weaknesses and establishing a plan of action. Even so, the hurt at being hit by one of my own wolves stung. I buried that hurt deep, pressing my lips into a tight line.“You’re one of them now,” said Stede, both his fists clenched and hovering just below his chin. His reddish hair flopped over his forehead, bouncing in time with his bobbing movements.Tarar pursed his full lips, his brown skin gleaming in the sunlight. “A Winterpaw Warrior wolf,” he finished for Stede. I’d found the
Alpha Ares 024 | DREAMING
Stede and Tarar left me in the woods, my skull cracked and blood seeping into the thick wool of my cloak. I did not let myself cry, even as time blurred into nothingness and I was swept between wakefulness and unconsciousness. My only constants were the red-hot pulsing of my wounds and the ragged blade of betrayal that was stuck deep into my heart.But I did not let myself cry. I had never been one to give into tears before. It was not in my nature to feel sorry for myself – but then I supposed I’d had little reason to fall into self-pity before. I’d been the strongest, the fastest, the bravest – and now I’d let two Warrior Wolves best me, simply because they were my Warrior Wolves and it felt entirely wrong to hurt them.I drifted in the darkness, clutching to the memories of burning blue eyes that unravelled me to my core.And, after an indeterminable amount of time, I felt pressure on my head wound. I hissed through clenched teet
Alpha Ares 025 | THE BLUE MOON PACK
“Haile!” cried my dad.Ares set me down gently, giving me one last squeeze before I ran into my dad’s arms. I beamed up at him, taking in every inch of his familiar face: his black curly hair, which he huffed a breath at to force it out of his face; his brown eyes, crinkled at their corners; his cheeks, which were well accustomed to smiling.“Dad!” I beamed up at him.“Are you okay?” He frowned at me, turning my head back and forth to inspect my scars and my latest head wound.“Haile was attacked on the edge of your territory,” said Ares, stepping forwards. His face was set in grim, rigid lines, but he held out a hand for my dad to shake. “Alpha Ares,” he added, as my dad gripped his forearm. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”“Alpha Xander,” said Dad.I snorted. I’d not heard anyone call him that in years – to everyone in Blue
Alpha Ares 026 | HOLLOW
I stared at her, stunned. “To kill him?” I repeated. I felt stupid, numb. This should have made me ecstatic. So why did it feel like my heart was breaking?Mum nodded excitedly, her face pulling into one of its rare smiles. Her bright blue eyes flashed in the lamplight. “Yes. We can free you soon, sweetheart. You won’t have to spend much longer pretending to love that monster.” Her upper lip curled, and her eyes roved over the scars on my face. “What has he done to you?”I swallowed around the razor-sharp lump forming in my throat. “Nothing more – nothing since I sent you that letter.”She raised an eyebrow at me. “Did he not attack you on the way here? I had assumed – you were clearly lying, after all, sweetie, you are a terrible liar–”I snorted. “I know. I was lying – but not about him.” I sighed heavily. “It was Stede and Ta
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- Alpha Ares 141 | EPILOGUE
- Alpha Ares 140 | COME TOGETHER
- Alpha Ares 139 | KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE
- Alpha Ares 138 | SURRENDER AND SACRIFICE
- Alpha Ares 137 | BATTLE OF THE MOUNTAIN
- Alpha Ares 136 | THE END OF US
- Alpha Ares 135 | BE AMONGST THE STARS
- Alpha Ares 134 | HAUNTED
- Alpha Ares 133 | ON THE WINGS OF FATE
