Wolf Creek was ready to greet the royal family when we arrived. The entire pack turned out, everyone gathered in front of the barn as requested.I could see them waiting as we approached, careful to keep myself hidden from view behind the guards and accompanying council. I didn’t tell them why I wanted to return here, and I was certain they were expecting some kind of happy reunion.Alec was already seething with rage, the emotion far more intense than it should be. My wolf clawed at my chest, wanting to get out to comfort her mate. That’s when I realized I wasn’t just sensing Alec’s emotions, I was feeling his inner wolf. And he was pissed.My wolf was distracted by her mate. Her feelings toward Wolf Creek secondary to his discomfort. It was interesting that Alec’s hate toward Wolf Creek was two-fold. I could feel his personal vendetta against my old pack mixed with a need to protect and defend his mate. In a strange way, it was kind of sweet.“Let me take lead on this,” I said to hi
“Ace Grant, I strip you of your title and your role as alpha of Wolf Creek,” I said.“No, you can’t do that. You can’t. I earned this.” He stood, his hands balled into fists.For a moment, I thought he might charge me. My guards moved closer and Alec stood in front of me.Ace took a step back and Alec’s tension eased. He stepped aside, but stayed right next to me.“You stole the title,” I said. “You didn’t work for it. You didn’t earn it. You didn’t prove anything to gain it.”“He doesn’t even have a mark,” someone shouted from behind. The gathered shifters cheered in response.“Send him to the caves!” Another voice called. The cheers grew even wilder.I smirked, knowing I had been correct. I was never alone here, we were all prisoners.“Please no, have mercy,” Ace said. “I already lost my son. Isn’t that enough?”“You don’t want to be trapped in the caves?” I had no intention of sending him there, but I had to admit I was enjoying hearing him beg.“I didn’t betray anyone. It’s not a
“If it were me, I’d have a couple of guards escort him to his home and give him an hour to pack. Then, I’d kick his ass out.” Horace took a deep breath. “That toxin has been the black mark on my time of service. I would be honored if you’d allow me to help you destroy it.”“I’d like that,” I said.“Guards, escort him to his home. Check the roster for his inner circle, past and present. Kick them all out.” For once, the strict rules and lists for who was considered the alpha’s inner circle worked to my benefit. All packs had to keep records. As long as Ace has been in power, he’s kept track. The positions were valued but there were shifters who’d turned them down. Everyone knew working for Ace meant good things for your family, but it might cost you everything.A pair of my guards escorted Ace away. Several members of his inner circle followed him. Wolf Creek deserved a chance at peace.To my surprise, Viki, Ace’s wife approached me. She had yellow and purple bruises on her face, nearl
While my old pack was busy peppering Kyle with questions, I took Alec aside. “You doing okay?”“Yeah,” he said. “I know Kyle’s going to deal with this mess well.”“And you and I get to deal with the bigger mess,” I said. “If my uncle was authorizing Wolf Creek’s use of the toxin to take out their neighbors, what else don’t we know?”“I know Spencer said to give them a chance, but you sure you want a council that enabled that behavior to stick around?” Alec asked.He had a very good point. “I’m not sure I do want them around. But I do think we need to learn from them and find out what has been going on for the last few decades.”“You’re not out of the woods yet. You’re a walking target, you know that, right?” Alec asked.“I know. I wish I wasn’t used to it,” I said. “But at least I’m not alone this time. I’ve got you, Sheila and Malcom. And the four of us can work together to figure out who we can and can’t trust.”“They’re good shifters. Even before Malcom shared his story, I got the
The entire household was buzzing as they finished preparations for the Solstice celebration. The longest night of the year happened to fall on a full moon, which meant one party of epic proportions.I took a deep breath as I prepared to greet the guests. While having the alphas of the packs for visits had almost become routine, this gathering was different.Alec took hold of my hand. “You’re going to be great. Nothing bad is going to happen. This is what you’ve been working so hard for the last year.”He was right, of course. And he’d been by my side for every step. I was truly grateful to have such a strong and supportive leader by my side. We’d found a balance in the last year, working together to improve pack relations and begin the process for positive change for all shifters.Tonight we took that a step further. While we’d been working to break down the years of animosity between us and the witches, our alliance was still in its infancy.Shifter and witches both held sacred conne
The wind rustled the paper calendar hanging on my wall and I glanced at the crossed off days. Six days left. I was so close to freedom. Pulling my jacket tighter around me, I walked over to the window and peered outside. The sky was steely gray and the clouds looked like they might bring a tornado. It was late spring and the weather this time of year was unpredictable.Maybe I’d get lucky and it would hit my mom’s shitty trailer and I could get out of here permanently. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get out of here that easily. Whatever witch magic they’d used to seal us in pack lands seemed to also keep the worst weather away. It also prevented us from self-harm. Not that it kept anyone else from beating the shit out of me.I supposed if I really wanted out, I could have pushed Tyler and his entourage a little more. The penalty for killing another member of the pack was death, but I had a feeling nobody would mourn me. And it wasn’t like they’d lock up the next alpha for getting r
“I don’t know why you waste your time with her,” Tenny, a tall blonde who was a few months older than me said.Every female at school wanted Tyler. He was going to be the next alpha, after all. Even without the promise of power, his looks would buy him a lot of attention. He was over six feet of solid muscle. With wavy black hair, piercing amber eyes, and a strong masculine jaw, he was like a walking wet dream. Thankfully, his good looks were wasted on me. He’d been an awkward kid and by the time he resembled a fucking Greek God, I knew what kind of person he was.“Ditch the loser, Ty,” Tenny said in what was probably supposed to be a seductive tone. “We haven’t had a tumble in my back seat in a while.”“I said,out,” Tyler repeated.“She probably doesn’t even know what you like,” Tenny whined.“What exactly do you think he’s doing with me?” I asked. “Because I promise you if he put his dick anywhere near me, I’d bite it off.”Tyler’s hand made contact with my face, slapping me so hard
Kicking Tyler in the nuts was probably a really bad idea but in all the years of abuse, he’d never come at me alone like that. And he’d never put his hand around my throat. I wasn’t sure what snapped to cause him to up the ante, but I wasn’t going to stick around to find out. Maybe it was the thought of losing his favorite victim that was pushing him to the edge. Maybe he didn’t want me to be happy and figured he’d kill me before I could leave. Worse, what if his shift had unlocked some kind of violent streak? I mean, he’d always been violent, but this was insane. I had no desire to see what he would be like with power. The whole pack was fucked when he took over as alpha.Whatever the reason, Tyler had crossed a line I didn’t even know existed. I couldn’t let him get me alone again.“Lola, those boxes aren’t going to unpack themselves,” Jud, my manager called.I shook myself out of my reflection and got to work pulling cans of beans out and putting them on the shelf. I’d managed to a