Dane was doing everything he could to try and move on. Not to forget Cara – he could never do that – but to attempt at getting back to a somewhat normal life. The past few months since she’d left had been rough.
He had suspected for years that he didn’t have a mate out there waiting to find him. He felt in his soul that Cara was his only chance at a happily ever after, and to see her mated to someone else tore him apart.
As Head Warrior, they had issued him a sizeable home that overlooked the warrior training ground, but he found the closer he was to Cara, the more he thought about her. Wondering where she was and what she was doing, and fighting Stig’s urge to shift and go to her was slowly driving him crazy.
He made the choice to move back to his house in Cape Point and commuted
“What?” said Dane as he stood there, mouth agape, struggling to believe what he’d just heard. She chose Lucas. She took her suitcase and walked away from their life together. Now here she was, standing on his doorstep, saying she missed him. He breathed in her sweet scent. “I miss you, Dane.” He wished he could find the words, but instead he just stared at her like a fool while his mind verged on meltdown, all his thoughts jumbling. “Uh, can you let me in before someone sees me here?” asked Cara, her eyes darting between Dane, the road, and the neighbours. He wanted to tell her to leave, that she’d made her choice. The last few months had been hard on him and he knew that no good could possibly come from this situa
Cara relaxed as she passed the border and crossed into human territory. She loosened her grip on the steering wheel and eased back into the comfortable leather seats of the luxury car that had been allocated to her as Luna. On the passenger seat next to her sat a gym bag. She’d told anyone who asked that she was going to a gym in human territory. Supposedly, she wanted to learn some new coaching techniques that she could use when training the she-wolves. Kelly’s group of ladies had continued to grow, even more so since she became Luna. There was no evidence to suggest anybody was suspicious of her plans, but she couldn’t help but feel slightly paranoid. For one, leaving had seemed all too easy. She had expected to have to argue with Lucas about taking guards with her, but he hadn’t even batted an eyel
Lucas sat back in his chair with his hands behind his head. The frustration of the meeting he’d just had was now bleeding into resignation and defeat.“You’re the Alpha, Lucas. You still get the final say,” said Thomas.“You heard the advisory team. If they’re questioning me so thoroughly about why Dane Larssen hasn’t been given a rank, then the rest of the pack won’t be far behind. The original excuse of needing him to overhaul the army isn’t enough anymore. He’s already proven his worth, and Henrik Paulus can take over that role.”“If you give him a rank, he will undermine you every step of the way.”“I don’t like him any more than you do, probably even less – as far as I kn
Cara was up unusually early, before her personal maid Rani had even started her duties. Most of the packhouse was still fast asleep and she wished she was too.She made her way down to the ground floor and entered the kitchen. According to the research she’d done, it should be completely empty for at least the next hour. She wandered around using the flashlight on her phone, and made mental notes on the entry and exit points, the large walk-in storage room, where the food was prepared, and where it sat before it was taken to the table.The final door appeared to be a bathroom that connected with the dining room. She’d never paid attention to it before, but it looked like a quick way for the kitchen and wait staff to take a bathroom break without having to walk all the way down the hallway when they were working.
The men rose from their chairs as Cara entered the dining room on Lucas’ arm. The entire leadership team was in attendance and they all bowed their heads as their Alpha and Luna took their places.Awkward was the only word running through Cara’s mind. Her mate at the head of the table, and her ex sitting across from her.It was Dane’s first engagement since he’d received the Delta rank, and while Joseph had already begun talking his ear off, the sour look on Thomas’ face showed he wasn’t quite as welcoming.“I hear you’re quite the businessman, Joe,” said Dane. “What have you got planned now you’ve returned?”Cara glanced at her watch.The wait staf
Dane opened the package he’d just taken from the letterbox and looked inquisitively at the small glass vial in his hands. He was sure it looked familiar but couldn’t place where he’d seen it. The sticky residue that remained indicated there had once been a label that had recently been removed.He wondered where the hell Cara had gotten it from, as he pulled out his phone and dialled.“Henrik, I’ve got a job for you.”He explained the tricky situation he was in and knew he could trust Henrik to help get him out of it. Ending the call, he made a beeline for the hidden safe in his study. He turned the dial and pulled the handle, reaching in to take out the cloaking potion he’d found with little Lyanna’s remains.He held
Dane sat at his desk, trying to get some work done. Whilst Henrik had taken over as Head Warrior, Dane was still responsible for the overall management of the army. Lucas had made the deal to keep Thomas happy, but Dane didn’t mind one bit. It was a job he’d been trained for all his life as Beta and he’d always enjoyed it.If he was going to be doing warrior work, Dane figured he could still keep his office at the training ground. As Delta, he had an office assigned to him at the packhouse, but he needed somewhere he could go to escape and give him time to focus.Somewhere he wouldn’t be tempted by Cara’s scent.His wolf had other ideas, though.“She’s playing you,” grumbled Stig.
Dane stood on the front lawn of the packhouse, feeling much older than his twenty-four years. There was a buzz of excitement in the air that made his lip curl with distaste as the hive of activity around him reached fever pitch. He didn’t want to be here.“Last but not least, Delta Dane, Jack and Lucy, you’re in the final car,” announced Cara, reading from a clipboard.Dane groaned inwardly as a lanky teenager with an all too eager grin made his way over. Jack was one of his newest warriors, and like most of the people on their way to the Moonlight Ball, he had just turned eighteen this year.“Delta, would you like me to drive?” asked Jack.“No,” replied Dane emp