Cara hadn’t slept much in the last few days and it was starting to catch up with her. Every night she was restless, tossing and turning as her mind was consumed with the decision she would have to make.
Elusive as it was, sleep offered no reprieve, as even her dreams were plagued with visions of the man who owned her heart, and the mate who could give her the future every she-wolf yearns for.
Dane was right, though. As much as she longed to leave her Omega status behind and have her place in the pack secured, she loved Dane and couldn’t just throw away their history together and her feelings for him.
Kissing him goodbye as he left for the packhouse, she felt at peace with her decision. If Lucas wanted her as a mate, he was going to have to work for it.
Cara was in her happy place, the gym, midway into a decent run on the treadmill. Her phone buzzed in the holder, and her eyebrows shot up when she saw the Alpha’s number pop up on the screen in front of her.She immediately stepped on the edges away from the belt and hit pause on the treadmill, grinding it to a halt. She composed herself, not wanting to give away how nervous she actually was, and cleared her throat before answering.“Alpha Lucas,” she said cheerily. “How are you?”“I’m well, thank you Cara,” he replied in his deep baritone voice. She didn’t want to admit it, even to herself, but his voice alone stirred something in her.“What can I do for you?”
It wasn't a bad party, as far as these things go. The food was delicious, the music was pumping, and everyone was friendly and welcoming. They also seemed relaxed. It appeared that with the absence of the Alpha and Beta, the guests were prepared to let their hair down. Cara was mingling happily and was enjoying getting to know some of the new pack members. She had started the night wondering if she would have much in common with anyone, but was relieved to find they really were just werewolves like her, no better and no worse. She had agreed to a secret signal with Dane so that if she was in an awkward or uncomfortable situation, he could sweep in and get her out of it, but so far she hadn’t needed it. “Gamma Sam,” greeted Cara as he approached. “I’m Cara Nordstrom. Alpha Lucas was right, you do know how to throw a decent party.”
A packhouse tradesman stood balanced on a step ladder, using a drill to repair the hinges on the door to Alpha Lucas’ office. The man responsible for the damage sat on a couch in the foyer, waiting for a meeting with Lucas.“Dane, come in!” shouted Lucas over the sound of the power drill.“Sorry about the door,” apologised Dane. “Although, I guess it was a better option than your face,” he added with a shrug.“That’s one way of looking at it.”Lucas wanted nothing more than to get rid of the smug arsehole sitting in front of him, but he was trying to be civil with Dane and keep their relationship workable. Disciplining him and making him more of an enemy than he already was, would affect how Cara saw him. The la
The sun was beating down as the warriors ran with packs on from the centre of town to the marshall post, just as they had the day before. Dane was determined to break a few more of these guys today. When they arrived at the hut, exhausted, Dane allowed a five-minute reprieve. They dropped their packs, guzzled water, and attempted to settle their breathing and heart rates. After only two minutes had passed, Dane had yet another surprise for the warriors. “Time's up, everyone get ready to train,” he barked. With a collective groan, they made their way over to line up, except for one of the younger Green Plains warriors. He dragged his heels and complained about the lack of recovery time. Dane marched over to him, his face only inches away, and screamed at him as his face turned red with rage.
“Henrik!” shouted Cara, waving her arm to catch his attention.He crossed the road in a quick jog, giving her a one-armed hug and a peck on the cheek.“Sorry I’m late. Blame your boyfriend though, he works me too hard,” he apologised with a small laugh as he opened the cafe door.“I was running late myself. I thought I’d be the one having to apologise to you. I’ve been spending so much time traveling back and forth between home and the new pack.”They found a table and ordered lunch. Henrik and Dane were best friends, and Cara had grown close to him over the years too. He was level-headed and easygoing, as well as a superb listener.He was the perfect sounding board
Cara dialled the number that Henrik had given her, tapping her foot as it started to ring. She almost ended the call the moment she heard the sugary sweet voice answer, but focused on the task at hand.“Hi Lily, this is Cara. We uh - met - at the packhouse yesterday.”“I’m hanging up–”“No! Please don’t. I’m not looking to start a fight. I’m actually really embarrassed about my behaviour yesterday and I’d like to meet up to apologise in person. Can I buy you a coffee?”Lily paused on the other end of the phone, trying to determine Cara’s sincerity.“Fine. Todd’s Coffee House near the park in town. Give me half an hour and I’ll meet
The warriors trudged their way off the training ground, utterly exhausted. Dane stood with Henrik as they filed past, making note of how well the old Green Plains warriors were coming along.“They’d still be hopeless in a proper battle, but there’s progress there,” appraised Henrik.“They’re weeks ahead of where I thought they’d be. You’re doing a great job.”Henrik patted Dane on the back as they slowly started making their way towards the warrior building. “We’re doing a great job.”The last warrior to come off the field was Anna, a tough as nails she-wolf from Cape Point. Despite Dane’s protestations, Alpha Lucas was still reluctant to let the Green Plains women join the warrior ranks, but a
“I found a small bottle,” said Dane. “All it had was ‘RW’ written on it. I’m intrigued by what it was used for. Is it something the warriors use? You know, because it was so close to a marshall post.” “Was there any other writing on it?” asked Sam, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “It looks like there was, but it’s been worn off over time.” The Gamma looked slightly more relaxed, but Dane was enjoying this dance and wanted to string Sam along slowly. “You were in the warrior army, weren’t you, Gamma? You ever hear of this ‘RW’ thing?” There was that look again, thought Dane. “Well, no… I mean… it’s been a long ti