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DANE.I had spent the majority of the night holed up in my office, going over every bit of information that was delivered inside of that envelope.The pieces were individual, not fitting together, but were all connected. Some-fucking-how. Was someone just trying to fuck with me. My gut said otherwise and warned me that it needed to be figured out before it was too late.Too late for what though? That was the million-dollar question.The only thing that I could find about the date was that there was a lunar eclipse the day before Sam died. I had some contacts that I could trust with the research. Perhaps they would find something.It was safe to say that I was already exhausted by the time that training rolled around, but Alphas didn't get to cash in PTO. Adam and Finch were already on the field by the time that I got there. They looked about as good as I felt, hinting that yesterday's revelations kept them up as well. We were in the middle of discussing a pack-wide BBQ when the bond
ARIA.Sleep didn’t come easily at all.That wasn’t great considering the fact that I had to spar against a woman who had it out for me. What’s more was the fact that I had no idea how well she fought. It was a safe assumption that she was better trained than I was.‘We’ve got something that she doesn’t,’ Thea said, stretching out.I hummed, curious to see what she would say.‘We’re faster than most people in both of our forms. What did Jory teach you? If you don’t want to get hit, don’t be there. We might not win, but we won’t be going down without one hell of a fight.’And this was precisely why she was the best at peptalks. Those words washed over me, leaving calm behind.Then I got ready for training. I threw on leggings, tank top, and sneakers.My hair just went up into a ponytail when there was a knock at the door. Bex looked like she was ready to kick some serious ass in her shorts and sports bra. Damn. The woman had impressive muscles.“Ready?” she asked me.“As I’ll ever be.”“
ARIA. I liked Bex, and that was the problem.Things would be so much easier if everyone was as unlikable as their Alpha.It seemed like people were generally happy that their Alpha had found his mate and Luna.There was no missing the looks on some of the female’s faces, but there was nothing to be jealous about. I’d gladly step aside if it meant getting me out of this blasted contract while also protecting my sister.I might’ve always longed for my fated mate, but I hadn’t realized that it’d be the one I got or like the one I got. Was it wrong of me to question the Goddess on this matter?I’d always thought that she didn’t make mistakes, but I couldn’t even begin to rationalize how this wasn’t a mistake. Mom used to tell me that there was always a purpose to happiness as well as the pain that we experienced. I used to believe that, but it was difficult to imagine what reason could be behind the pain that I suffered over the past five years, or the pain that I would suffer from here.
DANE.“Undetermined,” Adam told me. “It was delivered with the normal mail. Nothing to identify its origins, but it was swept for prints. I was told that the analysis should be back within a couple of hours.”That wasn’t soon enough, so I mindlinked our team, demanding it sooner.I shifted through the different pieces of information in front of me, trying to make sense of it all.First, there were six photos of me. Different times and locations each time. They were clearly surveillance ones. What pissed me off was that someone was clearly watching me. Far too close for comfort.One photo showed me at Euphoria, a club that I owned. I was leaning over the VIP railing, scouring the bodies below for my flavor of the night. The next one actually showed the blonde flavor on her knees as she choked on my dick.Another one showed me visiting with Alpha Thane of the Altonia pack.My rage was boiling by the time that I got to the last photo that showed Jericho tearing through a group of rogues t
DANE.This car ride had been hell, and it wasn’t over. Two more hours to go.What I hadn’t been prepared for was how potent the mate-bond would feel. It was overwhelming.Her raspberry and cream scent was taken in with every breath. It required a lot of restraint to keep myself from inhaling deeply.I fucking hated that she smelled delicious.It also didn’t help that she was sexy as fuck with curves that would drive any real man wild. It pissed me off that she was my type. From the long blonde hair that would look great wrapped around my fist to the set of tits that were the perfect size to fuck to an ass that would jiggle as I left my mark on it.She had another thing coming if she thought that she could speak to me however she wanted to. Being ‘Luna’ didn’t entitle her to shit. It was her position in name only. She wasn’t my equal and never would be.Aria Morgan served a purpose, and it was nothing that she thought it was. Collateral damage. It was her designation. A means to an end.
ARIA.“Before we get to the pack,” Alpha Dane spoke up, ruining the blessed silence, “Let’s go over a few things. Remember that You are here as the Luna of this pack in name, but you don’t hold the power of a Luna. You will make nice with the pack members, check in with new mothers, and all of the caring shit that you’re supposed to do.”Caring shit that I was supposed to do. Wow. What a charming Alpha.Did he even know what Luna duties actually entailed? They were the heart and soul of a pack. The Alpha was responsible for physically protecting the pack. The Luna was responsible for protecting the internal parts of it– the members, the families, everyone. It was about ensuring that they thrived instead of just surviving. Pack morale often resonated with the Luna. If the Luna was good, kind, and strove to bring the pack together, then their pack would be strong.Many people mistakenly thought that it was the Alpha and warriors that showcased how strong their pack was. It was each membe