The pack members quickly moved away.
Whatever they could not see, they could all hear. And if anyone could not hear, they could all feel.
They felt very clearly that no one should disobey.
Even Dax’s closest warriors, who had surrounded the group when Dax had arrived, left, herding any lagging pack members as they went.
Alpha Dax blocked the pack link, making sure no one eavesdropped.
“Stand, Child.” Gravan pressed, as he pulled Marian off the ground with one hand.
“What…” her wide eyes drifted to her father, who was gazing steadily at her, expressionless.
Her shaky gaze fell on Alpha Dax. He too stared back at her, but warily, eyeing her up and down as he moved to his heir’s side, pulling the young alpha away from Marian.
“What are you trying to do to my children, Marian?”
It was the first time he had said her name, and Marian did not like how it sounded.
She blinked at Alpha Dax. “I –” she started but lost her v
This was how things had always been between us. Dax reflected as he gazed at his former best friend.Back when we had wandered around without a pack, back when we found, or rather, had been found by a pack, this very one that we have bled for, lost many things for.Back when we fought beside each other and bled on the same training grounds.It had always been like this.We never lied to each other.Were never afraid of each other.We had been as one.A single being who, for some unknown reason, had been born into two different bodies.That was how we had seen ourselves.Two who were one.Until that vixen came along.That woman. Arianna.Dax stared at Corien’s bowed head for a protracted moment.“Come,” he commanded without looking at anyone, turning on his heel.
Corien could see the faith in Gravan’s eyes through Nikal’s.He shifted his gaze to the nurse.“Thank you, Senna.” Corien said softly, handing the dress to her.“Gravan.” He said to his former Beta, his gaze on Byron as the doctor eyed him warily.“I thank you,” he stated hoarsely.“Doctor. My apologies.” He breathed, swallowing as he bowed slightly to Byron.“No, Cor –”“I’m afraid. Too much has happened, and it has unnerved me. My daughter…she is all I have. Everything –” Corien continued, his eyes downcast.“I understand, Alpha.” Byron cut in as he wiped sweat from his forehead.“Marian may be like a daughter to us,” he replied, his eyes darting to Gravan, then back to Corien, his right hand stretched toward the former Alpha who stood with his head bowed, motioning for Corien to raise hi
“In that case, share some of mine. If we lessen Gravan’s portion, he may well eat the both of us!” Corien commented lightly.Byron smiled, his clouded expression clearing.Gravan laughed heartily and stood, approaching Corien where he stood, two large bowls of delicious smelling food, one in each hand.“You got that right!” He tossed lightly at his former Alpha as he took the offered bowl and kept walking, moving to the opposite end of the room.A reading table was on that side of the room, as well as a large window that opened onto the garden that surrounded the front of Marian’s dorm.Gravan opened the window, letting in the fresh pine scent that surrounded the pack grounds and letting out the mouthwatering smell of roasted meat, broth, and grilled vegetables.Gravan noticed someone approaching. This time, he went out to meet them, allowing Corien to remain with Marian.As Corien shared his meal w
Reyland’s lips pursed as a sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.Dax immediately crossed the room, from the wide window he had been standing in front of, to his son’s side, kneeling beside him.“I’m not angry. I’m not. I understand how you feel, but Corien is willing to help us keep the pack alive.” He placated his firstborn, gently placing a hand against Reyland’s cheek, moving his face to his.“Alive and strong. You shouldn’t feel bad about that.” He concluded firmly.Reyland’s eyes searched his father’s face.Reyland understood the ways of the wolf. He might be a failure at actually living like one, but he understood the life.He bit his inner lip as his father’s warm palm rested against his face.He sighed, shifting his eyes downward.His long lashes hiding his eyes.His father’s thumb rubbed his cheek, and he gazed back up.
Reyland smiled gently.For all his actions, Dorien was still a kid in Reyland’s eyes.Though only a year apart in age, their life circumstances and personalities made their age difference far wider.Reyland was not only Dorien’s older brother; he was his big brother in every sense of the word.He looked out for Dorien, spoke up for him, gave advice to him – which Dorien listened to most of the time.Though the young alpha could be mean and hurtful, Reyland knew that deep down, he was his little brother. He just had…some bad habits.“Didn’t want to interrupt family time.” Dorien retorted sourly.“Come on, Dorien, they are your family too.” Reyland coaxed, for the millionth time since the day the two of them first met. The day his father had brought the bloodied pup home.“Yeah…,” Dorien replied distractedly, his shoulders slouched as he sat on a high chair
“That’s not our problem! Forget all that! Let’s go two rounds.” Dorien replied dismissively, waving a hand as if driving away his brother’s words.“You want to spar? Right now? After what you just did?!” Reyland retorted, his sapphire eyes wide, spit spraying from his lips as he fought to control his anger that now had a real possibility of being shared through physical action.“You're angry. That’s good. We can use it –” Dorien continued arrogantly as if Reyland’s remarks were irrelevant.“This is not how to get stronger!” Reyland retorted, taking a step toward Dorien, his large, soft hands folded into fists, “Once it wears off, I can’t even hold a kitchen knife!” He growled, his eyes ablaze.“But the skills remain! Why does everything have to be so difficult with you!” Dorien retorted, now matching his brother’s volume.“Difficult? You take another wolf’s lifeblood – his lifeblood – to make yourself stronger, for what? Three hours? And the more y
No one knew about the secrets of the lake. Not even Reyland’s father, Alpha Dax.Reyland had kept it to himself, as he did most things that could cause people to ask questions or take an interest in him.With Alpha Corien’s blood running in his system, he could hear and feel every sound, every movement of the breeze above the trees.I hate this feeling.It’s so…alien.It’s not my power.It’s fake.I don’t want it.I don’t want to use it.He mused, as his heart raced, pushing the alpha’s blood to every cell in his body.But he could not get in his precious lake. Not yet. He had tried it once, when he had first ingested Corien’s blood, not long after the battle where Corien lost his position.It had felt as if the lake waters were ripping off his skin, pulling out the hairs on his body, few as th
Marian woke up in her room. Alone.She sat up slowly, reaching into her mind space for Dinka.Still nothing. She mused, her heart heavy.She recalled her father's face just before she fell asleep for the second time and immediately straightened her shoulders.She closed her eyes, reminding herself of why she had returned.Regaining the feeling of the night before, at the mistletoe party.I am my father's daughter.I am not bound to or by anyone in this place.I am my own wolf.Her shoulders drooped as she thought the word ‘wolf’.She hung her head, shaking it slowly, fighting back tears.She swallowed and licked her dry lips.Her head snapped up as her mind carried her through everything that had happened since her return.“Reyland,” she whispered, jumping out of bed.Marian stretched and glanced down at her body.&ldquo
Pulse racing, Reyland slowly removed his appendages from her mouth as Marian swallowed the pill whole, her dark eyes on his deeply flushed face and dilated pupils.“Ha!” he breathed as he stared at her.“I swallowed it,” she whispered, “I need another one. I’m to chew, right?” she asked innocently, her voice as husky as if she had cotton in her throat.Reyland stared wide-eyed at her, slack-jawed.“You…you can’t…you shouldn’t…Marian,” he stammered, at a loss for words, the heat rising at the base of his neck, and at the base below his belt buckle.The she-wolf instantly got whiff of a scent that made her sit up.Reyland’s face got redder, and Marian’s body couldn’t take the sight.He made to stand and she moved, breaking parts of the bandages that still graced her body.She straddled Reyland and kissed him without restraint.
As far as every pack member knew, Alpha Dax had never been so magnanimous in the past. At previous ceremonies, he was never seen until the event commenced.Today, he was seen everywhere. It was both comforting and unnerving.In addition, the Alpha heir was also in tow.Though many whispered that this might have something to do with his growing responsibilities within the pack as he would soon turn twenty-one and there were things he ought to take over from his father, sooner rather than later, it was not usual either.The heir usually moved about on his own, with their Luna-in-waiting, Risa, accompanying him, but today she was nowhere in sight.The pack was also aware that their guests were still around.Normally, they should have left after Christmas, but they were all still around, and the compound was still in lockdown.They had every reason to be somber, to be uneasy.As the pack stewed in their doubts and hope for a peacef
“What are we gonna talk about?” Marian asked haltingly as she eyed the now serious Reyland, while her mind fought to stay focused on their conversation and not his overwhelming cuteness.Reyland glanced outside, through the window. He rose and walked over to the thick curtains. Letting them loose slowly, he responded with his back to her.“I wanted to talk about you…and me…But, I think it’s late now,” he replied casually.Curtains down, he turned to face Marian in the now darkened room. The lamp in the corner of her room was still on, casting deep shadows around.Reyland proceeded forward, toward the door, his eyes on hers.“You, princess, have had an incredibly long day,” he continued, clicking on the lights and brightening the room in a clear white light.Neither wolf blinked as the lights came on.Reyland smiled gently.“I think you should sleep. We can talk in the morning. It could be our own little ceremony,” he said in his warm voice.“There are guards outside,” he continued smo
The Marian he had dumped had not been the vibrant she-wolf he had fallen for. She had not been the lively, bold, outspoken girl he had taken into his heart, and into his bed.After the battle, she had lost her shine, her light. She became dull in her manner, in her speech. They had had to sneak around to meet.He had even let other she-wolves touch him before going to see her, on purpose. And she never said anything, never called him out.He continued making promises to her even as he purposefully kept away, and she had not challenged him in any way.His real, original Marian would never have let anything like that slide.She had changed, and he had lost interest.==========But, upon her return, right from their first exchange, he had finally seen the girl he had known for almost ten years, and his pulse had quickened.His heart had beat like it used to when they had first kicked things off.His woman.An alpha she-wolf and warrior of no mean ability.Someone who was his before anyon
Dorien, Alpha heir to Lightmoon pack, felt a tension in his head and his chest that he had not felt in years.A pressure and a pang that made him feel suffocated.It was a tension he had felt almost daily since he first came to Lightmoon pack. A tension that hardly went away unless his mind was busy with something hard, painful, or terrifying, like training, raiding, or fighting for his life.As he felt those aches now, in real time as he stood in his father’s empty office, his breathing grew rapid and unsteady.In seconds, he was breathing through gritted teeth as his eyes darted about, searching for and seeing nothing.At the corner of his mind, he heard his adoptive father’s, Alpha Dax’s, voice warn him about controlling his emotions, but after what he had seen in the office a few hours ago, he didn’t need Alpha Dax talking to him about control.He shook his head, driving Dax’s voice away.He paced the
Years ago, the Lightmoon pack had hidden Corien’s gift of dreams.His gift had been a secret known to only a few, all of whom were sworn to secrecy – not just a promise, but a blood bond sealed through spells had been made.This had been done to protect not only Corien but also the pack, as they gained great advantages in attacks and advances from their rivals and enemies through his premonitions.In public, within the pack, no one ever spoke loudly about his strength, his healing, or his proficiency in battles.Whatever their thoughts may have been, whatever fantasies anyone dreamed up, at most, Corien was referred to as ‘special’, or ‘different’, or ‘unique’, when shifters praised him, when they were in their cups, or when they gossiped, nothing more.Then the war happened, and he became ‘token’, ‘prize’, and ‘fallen’.After half a year to two years, for th
Any concerns or requests could be brought to the Elders; however, they would never actively involve themselves in resolving any issues.Their presence was intimidating and could be hard to bear.Many meetings were not done face-to-face, but rather, through intermediaries – younger, but still elderly, shifters who lived with the Elders and presented cases to them for their input.Their rule was simple – they did not interfere in pack politics or battles. They had all had enough of these during their individual reigns and had no taste for such things in their old age.All of them had been around during the time of the previous Alpha, the one before Corien, the one who loved wars, battles, and blood, the one who used his people as objects and pawns for his schemes and conquests.And they had done nothing.They had been there when Corien had taken over from that Alpha, by force of arms, and they had done nothing.
Corien was in Dax’s office. He had been with him for the past hour, letting the Alpha seethe and rage.Dorien and the Luna had been present as well, but they had left earlier, leaving only the two brothers, the two enemies, together.Dax sat in his chair, his back to Corien, staring out the large window behind his desk.“Once the Alpha King hears of this from Anna, he will come for her,” Dax droned. Finally calm after his last outbursts with his family.“Not if we claim her,” Corien replied calmly.Dax did not respond.Corien continued.“We don’t have to do so immediately. We can plan for it, as we do for everything,” he stated firmly as he approached the large desk and stopped at the edge, adjacent to Dax’s wide shoulders.“If you put everything aside, you will know that what Dorien has suggested is the best solution,” he continued carefully.Silence.
“If he banishes me…” Marian whispered hoarsely, her voice catching. She shifted her eyes to Gravan, “Will you and Dad come with me?” she whispered, her eyes filling.“Just us? No one else?” Gravan replied with a soft smile, his bright eyes shining in his handsome face.Marian shifted her head against her pillow as she gazed up at her uncle.“I won’t have any hope there, if I’m banished,” she croaked.Gravan shook his head gently, stroking her forehead, the smile still on his face.“First of all, princess, we don’t dwell on ‘what-ifs’, hmmm? What’s done is done. All that matters is where we are now, and what we can do about it,” he stated matter-of-factly.“Your father will not let anything happen to you. Rest assured, nothing as drastic as banishment will happen,” he droned.“But, what if he – Alpha Dax &ndash