ANMELDENLincoln's POVIt’s dark, really fucking dark. My eyes take a few moments to adjust, and Lex moves forwards cautiously, paying attention. Ahead of me is a narrow corridor lined with dark polished concrete and low, dim lights in the ceiling. I follow the warrior forwards, through another series of doors. How big is this place?Then we step into what looks like an observation room or office. There are desks strewn with papers everywhere, a small conference table in the middle, and four observation windows, which I assume are one-way mirrors because I can see into all four rooms. Inside the one furthest to the left is a massive black wolf. He’s lying on his stomach, his head resting on his paws, his muzzle turned into the corner, ignoring everything. There’s a slab of what looks like deer on the other side, untouched.Jasper, King James, Gamma Greyson, several warriors, and two people in white coats are sitting around the table.The warrior and I bow to the King. He glances up.“Lincoln,
Lincoln's POVOnce I’ve packed enough clothes for a few days and my toiletries into my duffle, I head down to my study. I link Sam on the way.‘Hey, I need to see you and Brant in the study now.’I feel his confusion.‘Sure... everything okay?’‘I’ll fill you in when you get here.’I unlock the door and head inside. I rifle through the business reports and the border patrol schedules I still need to review, then put them in my folder, unplug my laptop and slide it into its case along with the charger and the folder. I’m zipping it closed as the door opens and Sam walks in, Brant right behind him.Sam quirks his eyebrows at me when he sees my duffle on the floor by the desk.“You going to Blood Moon?” he says with a gentle smile.“No. Not Blood Moon,” I reply, straightening and turning to face them both.Brant narrows his eyes slightly.“I’ve been told to keep this confidential, so I’m only filling you in on the basics, and only because you’re my friends. Please don’t spread this about
Lincoln's POVAs I walk in, the noise settles slightly as heads turn. I’m still something they’re getting used to. Several she-wolves bat their eyelashes and wave. I ignore them, heading up to the top table, where my unit, any visiting packs and I eat on a raised dais at the end of the room, the rest of it laid out in rows of tables for the pack. As much as possible, I encourage everyone to eat at the same time, to help build pack unity and camaraderie. It also means we can monitor the mutterings more closely. Since Brant arrived, the mutterings have diminished, if not vanished.I take my seat at the head of the table, Brant opposite me. I watch as he texts someone, smiling, and I know it’s his mate. She’s pregnant. They just found out, hence why she didn’t come. Brant didn’t want her near potential threats. I’ve seen Arlo and Rolo checking their phones obsessively over the last few days, waiting for their mates to share the news. Once a Luna’s unit is complete, their heat cycles sync
Lincioln's POVI stand at the edge of the training field, Brant, Arlo and Rollo beside me, and watch as Isaac implements our new training programme with the warriors.There’s a lot of grumbling, which I expected.Brant and his team have been instrumental in helping me get a hold of the pack. After I challenged my father, the pack members who had fled returned, and we cleared out the drugs, but for the last ten days we’ve faced near-constant backlash and attempted coups. My idiot brother and his friends decided to garner favour with as many people as they could muster and tried to sever from the main pack, breaking off and claiming half the territory as their own. The council intervened and stipulated they had to challenge me or leave the pack and become rogues, but we had a stalemate for about ten days, with the pack choosing sides, no one working, and no income coming in.Then I called Brant. He and his warriors arrived 3 days ago and crushed the attempted split without bloodshed, br
Xander's POVI startle back to consciousness, disorientated and befuddled, and look around the dimly lit room. The smell hits me first, the hospital... and Zahra. I look over at the bed and see her there, but something’s wrong. She’s shaking. Hard, like she’s shivering. My hand in hers is being squeezed so tightly my fingers are turning blue. I can hear her teeth chattering behind her closed lips.I sit up, leaning in, the back of my hand pressing against her forehead. Has she got a fever? Is there an infection? She doesn’t feel feverish. I’m about to link Dr Jarvis when she opens her mouth and lets out the most blood-curdling scream I’ve ever heard. She convulses so hard terror shoots through me. Fuck, what’s wrong? Is she suffering some terrible internal pain?‘She’s asleep. Zanthe is trying to reach her, but she’s having a nightmare.’Relief, then fear and helplessness, surge through me so violently it leaves me reeling. Relief that she’s not in physical pain, fear and helplessness
Xander's POVI sit on the chair beside the bed as Zahra relaxes into sleep. She drops off almost immediately, exhaustion consuming her. Max tucks the blankets around her frail body once more, then settles into the chair opposite me, his red eyes locked onto her face.Then he looks at me. “Is this real? Is she really here?” His voice sounds too vulnerable, too terrified of what I might say.I smile at him. “It’s real. She’s really here.”He sighs, his eyes scrunching closed, and then a tear escapes the corner of one eye. I want to go to him, to hold him, but I know he wouldn’t want that right now. Our history is too muddy, too complicated, and I know he feels guilty for the slip-up all those months ago. So do I, but I’m not the one in the relationship, and I hate that some part of me still wishes I was.The thought shocks me. I’ve always had a protective attraction to Zahra, but over the years I’ve managed to fool myself into thinking of her like a sister. I don’t know when I stopped d
Zahra's POVWhen I wake up in the morning, my body feels lighter. Lighter than it’s felt in… I don’t know when. Not pain free. Not relaxed. Just unburdened, like something heavy stepped off my chest in the night.Zanthe is snoring on her back in my mind, completely unbothered by the state of my lif
Zahra's POVI follow Morgan up the steps of the large black coach. The windows are heavily tinted, so inside it’s hard to see at first, until my eyes adjust from the bright sunlight outside. I catch sight of the warrior I left my bag with, bent down and loading luggage into the bottom of the coach
Zahra's POVFinally, we reach another door, and Wentworth leads us into a massive cavern. It’s honestly like a huge cave. The walls are so high I can’t see the ceiling.I can’t believe this is all man-made. The size is immense. We must be underground for all this rock to be surrounding us. But it’s
Max's POVI don’t wait to tell the others anything. I just take off, jogging towards the Task Force centre. Medus is frantic in my mind, itching for me to let him out and run there, but I don’t fancy arriving in the buff. I feel him trying to speak to Zanthe, blocking me out slightly as he does, an







