LOGIN“What?” Jaxon shouted in surprise. “That's not even possible. We're not werewolves from some movie.”“I know that,” Milbanks replied, “but you know how people are, don't you? The man's wife is completely falling apart, and nobody knows where he ran off to. The rumors are only going to spread more until we get this under control.”“We've already been working on a plan,” I said, “but it's taken a little longer than we expected.” I motioned toward Elara and my friends. “It's only the few of us trying to deal with all of this.”“That tells me everything I need to know.” The mayor turned to Milbanks. “Give them whatever help they need. I don't care what it is. We can't let this psychopath build his own little kingdom here. Do whatever it takes to end this as fast as possible. Understood?”“Yes, sir,” the chief answered, although he didn't sound very excited about it.“We appreciate that,” I said.“What can my men and I do for you?” Milbanks asked.“The first priority,” Lucien said, “is the
“You really think so?” Jaxon asked with a bitter smile. “A random human suddenly turns into a wolf right in downtown Pinecrest Valley? And we're the shifter pack that lives in this town?”“It looks like the trouble has already reached us,” Lucien said.I looked where he was looking, and my heart dropped. Two county sheriff patrol cars were driving into my driveway.“Dammit,” I whispered.“Alright, boys... smile. We have nothing to hide, so let's not give them any reason to think otherwise.”“Mr. Blackthorne?” one of the officers called as we walked over to them.“That’s me,” I answered.“Good afternoon,” he said. “I’m Sergeant Witherspoon. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”“Of course.” I smiled, even though inside, my chest was filled with worry.“Great. Could we speak somewhere private?” he asked, glancing at Jaxon and Lucien.“They can stay,” I replied. “They’re my official advisors. Whatever you need to say, they can hear it too.”“Alright,” the officer said as he adjusted his ut
It took almost an hour before Elara finally calmed down enough to fall asleep again.I stayed beside her, listening to her slow, steady breathing.Even when Varek wasn't physically there, he was still hurting her... still invading her mind and stealing her peace.That made my blood boil.The only good thing that came from her nightmare was what it did to me.If there had been even the slightest hesitation left about killing that bastard...It was gone.I reached over to the nightstand, picked up my phone, and texted the guys who'd gone with us to North Crest.I told them to meet me first thing in the morning.We had things we needed to talk about.Then I sent the same kind of message to Lucien and Jaxon.I managed to sleep for about another hour before quietly slipping out of bed so I wouldn't wake Elara.After everything she'd been through during that nightmare, she needed every bit of rest she could get.When I walked into the kitchen, the clock read 5:45 a.m.The sky outside had tu
The light slowly returned to his eyes."I like hearing you say that.""I like saying it.""I don't want to let you down," he replied, his expression turning serious again."There's so much depending on me. You... Kael... the whole pack."He looked down at his hands."There's so much pressure.""I don't have the luxury of being weak.""Too many people are counting on me."I squeezed his shoulder."Like I said... you're doing great.""Maybe," he answered quietly."But it doesn't feel that way."He looked off into the distance."I spent years running away from becoming a pack leader."He slowly shook his head."But I can't run anymore.""My son's life is on the line.""So is yours.""I won't run from that."Then he turned to me, his eyes cold with determination."I'm going to end this.""I'm going to deal with Varek once and for all.""I promise."Hurting or killing another person should never make anyone feel good.But after everything Varek had done...It felt like there was no other c
I sat down in the chair beside him."Are you talking about Dominic?"He looked at me, and the sadness on his face was impossible to miss."Yeah. Elara... her husband has only been gone for about six months. I can't just walk up to her and tell her all this now. Hell, she's probably still grieving. It would feel like I was taking advantage of her, and that's the last thing I want.""I understand, but..."I looked at him like he was missing something, even though he really wasn't."You don't live here, Lucien. Once all of this is over, and hopefully Kael comes home safe, you'll be going back across the country."He let out a long groan."Hell, Elara, I know that. I'm not planning to ignore this. She deserves to know what she means to me, but I want to take things slowly. I want us to really get to know each other first so it won't feel strange when I finally tell her. I want her to be in a place where she's emotionally and mentally ready to accept what I'm offering. Not just for her...
Orion let out a long breath and rested his hands on his hips."No," he said. "But I just can't seem to find my rhythm when you both don't give me a second to breathe. Damn it."He kicked at the dirt in frustration.Lucien pointed straight at him."That's exactly what you need to use. That anger... that frustration. Let it move through you, but control it. Right now, you're fighting like you're trying to think through every single move. You're reacting too slowly because you're spending too much time considering every possibility."Orion frowned at him."Isn't that just being careful? Playing it safe?"Lucien placed a hand against his chest."Hey, I'm all for staying safe. But sometimes you've got to trust the natural ability you've already got. You're really good, Orion... and you'd be even better if you'd stop holding yourself back.""He's right," Jaxon agreed. "We can both see it. You're this close..." He held his thumb and finger about an inch apart. "...but you've got to quiet som
She sighed and dropped into the chair facing me. “I didn’t question it. Honestly, I was still shocked about his death. I wasn’t thinking about anyone else. I’ve been gone for a long time. Long enough not to see how bad things had gotten. Orion, Dad was only fifty-seven when he died. That’s not old
Stacks of forms, spreadsheets, and bank papers were spread across the desk in front of me. All of them showed the same thing. The pack was in serious trouble. When they called and begged me to come back after my father died, part of me thought they just wanted an easy plan for a new alpha. No need
We didn’t unpack and went straight to the store after taking everything out of the car. Kael spent the drive looking around the town. I was happy to see a new park had been built. It had a playground, a small baseball field, and, to Kael’s excitement, four basketball courts.“I can walk here,” Kael
I threw my engagement ring into the toilet, and then we left. Before getting into the car, I blocked Travis’s number. In less than a day, my life had completely changed.Now we were on the worst road trip ever, heading toward a future I never planned. Kael, however, was trying to stay positive.“Is







