Hello Rebels, Welp, that's not where this chapter was supposed to go, but that's where the characters are taking me, so enjoy! Also, thank you for the gems! Be sure to vote, comment, and review! XOXO Emma Taylor
MATT POVCharity dashes up the stairs while I race around trying to clean up the room. Damon and his dad waiting until the upstairs bathroom shuts, before a pissed off alpha comes storming around the corner.“Of all the fucking places? My god damn couch?” He growls, on the verge of murdering me. “You’re lucky Elle isn’t with me she’d fucking murder you.”The gleeful laugh of another person distracts me as Charles walks around the corner, eating an entire pecan pie. “Were you left a little blue, my boy?”I cannot even respond, too stunned to see him upright and talking. No one had expected him to get better after what he’d been through with his ex-mate, Damon’s mom. It wasn’t pretty.“He’s lucky if blue balls are all he is ends up with.” The alpha growls, while his retired father one shovels more pie in his mouth finding the situation amusing. “Seriously? My couch?” Damon asks again, not letting the subject go.“At least it’s not blood?” I ask, hands raised, and I swear Damon is about
CHARITY POV In less than twelve hours, our entire world has turned to shit. Theo called when he was outside Nora’s pack, Northern Lakes, and we haven’t heard from him or Nora since. Andrew is going crazy over Theo, and if Xander were around, he’d be acting the same about Nora. The alphas have us at deathcon level five. Matt and I have been running around getting warriors prepared for the unexpected. I am throwing extra supplies into my bag at home, preparing for the worst, when a knock distracts my work. My mom enters, her hands twisted together, anxiety wrapping around her. “Charity,” she sounds soft and nonconfrontational. “Please don’t go. Please let the others handle this.” “Mom,” I don’t stop moving, getting all my things in the bag. “You know I cannot back out. I am the gamma. I have to go. What would the warriors think of me if I backed out?” “That you’re only sixteen! That you have time before dealing with these things!” She steps forward. Her hand resting on mine gently.
FLETCHER POVThere’s nothing quite like being home, nothing smells like it. My feet crunch against the fallen leaves littering my parents’ property. I left Xander alone with Nora’s ex. They’re hanging out in the shed at the furthest corner, far away from the main house where my younger siblings live.I pass the tire swing, which hangs from the oak tree in our front yard. “Guys, Fletcher’s home!” Ezra calls out, jumping up from the rocking chair. His twin, Emerson barreling out the front door. At seventeen, they’re nearly as tall as me and bulky little shits. Before I know what’s happening, three more sets of twins emerge from Goddess knows where. Without warning, I am bombarded with questions from nosey ass younger siblings.As the only non-twin, single child, and the oldest, it could feel pretty lonely sometime. Until my parents adopted Xander and then it wasn’t as much.“Did Xander come with you? Did his Luna come too?”“Did you bring Charity? Is it true she survived a force shift?”
MATT POV Leaves crunch, while I pace in the cool fall air. The wind from Lake Erie chills to the bone, seeping past the layers of my clothes. Andrew, Charity, and I waiting five miles outside of Northern Lakes. We are stuck waiting on Fletcher and Xander to get out of bumfuck nowhere so they can call us back. For fuck’s sake, they can’t even get cell service. What kind of primitive shit is that? I’d never admit it to another living soul, but not hearing from that jackass rogue beta is worrying me. However, my anxiety is nothing compared to Charity, checking her cell every few minutes. Her brows furrow with disappointment each time she tries to hide it and fails. I know her too well. Andrew is on the verge of losing his mind, ready to make a move inside the territory, but we can’t go in without the rogues who won’t budge. Their stubbornness and loyalty are admirable, but damn frustrating to the rest of us. They won’t move until Xander or Fletcher give the order, but they love Nora en
ELLE POV It’s been a long few days, everything restless, and chaotic, especially now that we’re thousands of miles from home. My nights have been consumed by doubts and nightmares. A subtle reminder that I am not fit to lead. My beta is gone, and the woman I swore to protect in danger. I should have fought harder, my insecurities eating me inside out. My life is a whirlwind of lies, and secret identities to the point I don’t even know myself. What if the biggest lie is me? Am I really the right woman for this job? “Male alphas fail all the time, Biscuit.” Damon’s honey voice breaks through the link, shivers racing down my spine. “We make mistake, lose our members, become greedy. You do the best with the information you have.” Tingles dance, sparking and nipping at my skin, a hard chest pressing against my back. Sandalwood, with an undertone of eucalyptus, invade my nostrils, instantly calming the raging anxiety. “Let’s take a walk, love.” Damon whispers. He walks around, taking my h
MATT POV“I am related to Tristan Dugray.” Fletcher admits unable to meet my gaze. “He’s my cousin…my first cousin.”My world slows at Fletcher’s words while I try to process what the hell he is saying. My world sucked up in a dark hole, unable to process his confession. Zeke growls, pacing, as hurt as I am. Of all the things that was the last thing I expected to hear. Whatever friendship we had is spinning in the drain, distrust and betrayal taking over, filling the reservoir.“You’re related to the family who wanted to mark Charity at fucking nine?” Zeke’s no longer patient or understanding. My claws extending as he forces his way to the top, my pupils turning black, ready to pounce.“Gamma! You will stand down!” Damon growls, his alpha aura pressing down, until Zeke has no choice but to relent.“I want some fucking answers!” His command may have forced Zeke back, but it hasn’t squelched the wrath racing through my bloodstream. Did they know who he was and his relationship to Dugray
CHARITY POVAndrew and I are looking over the map in the makeshift war room. We’re strategizing and finding the best advantage points, and any traps that waits for us. The beta of New Moon is in the middle of an explanation when Matt blows in, rage in his bright blue irises.“Andrew, leave,” he growls, his chest heaving, his eyes shifting between black and their normal color. Andrew’s eyes slide between us, concern in his frown lines, but he doesn’t say more, leaving without a word.“Matt, what?” Before I have the chance to finish, he pulls me into his arms, burying his face in my neck, inhaling deeply. Sparks are sending my body haywire, the contact from his touch overwhelming. Neither of us budge, enjoying the warmth, staying like this for a few minutes, until he’s calm enough to back away.“What’s going on?” I ask, missing the contact of him against me. “Where’s Fletcher?” A snarl leaving his chest, onyx orbs taking over, as Zeke pushes for control, but Matt ends up regaining it.“
MATT POVThey don’t notice me, too lost in each other to notice me peering through the crack in the tent. Zeke remains calm, watching Fletcher’s grubby paws all over Charity. And yet we don’t storm forward demanding he back away. I’m glued to my spot, mesmerized by the way she is looking at him.“He loves her.” Zeke whines while we watch him tuck a strand behind behind her ear. “Maybe we were wrong about his intentions.” He huffs, pacing, worry seizing us both while we silently observe the pair. “Look how she watches him.”My gaze flicks to Charity, and immediately regret the decision. The way her blue eyes stare at him, her mouth slightly agape with surprise, and her irises a shade darker. That lustful expression is one I recognize well, having been on the receiving end. “He could still be a traitor.” I argue, despite seeing the evidence otherwise. Could he be a liability to her?“If he wanted to hand her over to Dugray, he would have done it already.” Zeke reminds, my claws extendin