ログインNo Alpha Available? That meant a will had not been officially sent to the state. So Varek could have been telling the truth, but there was no real proof. It was only a possibility. The only thing it truly proved was that Dad had not handled his responsibilities properly before he died. Even if there had been a will naming me as the new pack alpha, that had not been sent in either. These were things he should have done many years ago, but he never did.“Fuck, Dad,” I muttered as I threw the document onto the desk.Before I could spend more time thinking about my father’s failures, the doorbell rang. I jumped a little, and my inner wolf let out a quiet and sad sound. I already knew who was at the door. Kael.My heart started beating hard. I could still remember the pain and anger on his face when he confronted me about everything happening. It looked like the Blackthorne family had a habit of disappointing their sons.I was not a coward at all, but the thirty seconds it took me to walk
A strange feeling had come over me as I drove away from Elara's house. I could not stop thinking about what had happened. I kept remembering how badly she wanted to end things with me, the pain and anger in Kael’s eyes, and the painful truths she said that I never wanted to hear. It felt like I was trapped inside a nightmare that I could not escape from. I was completely shocked that she already knew everything.Mumbling angrily to myself, I drove to Jaxon’s house. Best friend or not, he had a lot to explain. He had no right to go behind my back and tell Elara everything. I would rather she had left feeling angry than feeling scared for her life. Both situations were terrible, but to me, one was still better than the other. That choice should have been mine to make.By the time I reached Jaxon’s driveway, my anger had become much stronger. It was not really only because of Jaxon. Everything around me was becoming too much, and I could not stop myself from being overwhelmed by the pain
Orion nodded slowly. “I think I can. Maybe. I’m sorry for all of this. I really wish things had happened differently. This is not how I imagined any of this would turn out.”“Yeah,” I said. “I didn’t imagine it this way either. But this is the situation we’ve been given, and we have to deal with it. That’s all we can do.”He stood up and looked around the house. Then his eyes moved sadly toward the hallway where Kael’s room was.“I guess I should go now. Uh, you guys probably need to start packing.”He took a step toward the front door, and I walked beside him. Before opening it, he turned and looked at me again. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but no words came out. Instead, he pulled me close and kissed me.Our lips met in a deep, passionate kiss that completely took my breath away, and I kissed him back.In that one kiss, it felt like all the years of pain, longing, sadness, and emotion came pouring out of him. It was like he was trying to tell me everything he
Kael’s bedroom door suddenly slammed open, and I closed my eyes as I prepared myself for what was about to happen. For a second, I felt annoyed at his stronger senses because he had most likely heard almost everything we had said.He rushed out of the hallway and stared angrily at both of us.“Don’t I get a choice in this?” he shouted. “You’re just going to make me pack my things and leave? I thought this was supposed to be our home, Mom.”“Kael, there are more serious things happening right now,” I said. “Go back to your room, and we’ll talk after Orion leaves.”Kael quickly turned his eyes toward his father.“And you,” he growled. “You’re not even going to fight for us? You’re not even going to try?”Orion suddenly looked pale. I had not thought he could look any worse, but I was wrong. He was an alpha and was always strong and intimidating, but under his son’s angry stare, he seemed to completely break down and sank back into his chair. Fifteen years of guilt, regret, and missing h
“Understand what? That Varek is threatening to kill your brother if you don’t do what he wants? That he could kill me or does God know what to do if I’m still here? That he could kill my son?” She threw one hand in the air and slammed it down on the table in frustration. “Or do I not understand the part where you were planning to come here and force us apart? Break up with me or make me reject you? Is that the part I’m missing?”Goddamn it, Jaxon, I growled in my mind. My wolf was growling and pacing in my head, scratching at the ground. He was furious at me for what I had been trying to do.“I didn’t want you involved in this,” I finally said. “That’s all. I wanted you safe, no matter what.”“And is that how you think a relationship works, Orion?”“I don’t... I thought...” I shook my head.“I’m not part of the pack,” Elara said. “I’m supposed to be your fated mate, right? That means you don’t get to hide things like this from me, even if you think it’s for my own good. How am I suppo
I sat on my porch and looked out at the warm summer day, wondering how everything had gone so wrong so quickly. One moment, things had finally started looking better, and the next moment, everything was falling apart. It felt ridiculous and frustrating. It was like fate was playing games with me, giving me enough hope to make the flower in my heart grow, only to crush it under a heavy boot.Why the hell had I talked to Elara like that? What had happened to me? The answer was fear. I had been scared to tell her the truth and let her know how much danger she was in. Knowing something like that could leave emotional scars on a person, and I didn’t want that for her. I thought it would be better if she and Kael left without knowing the reason.Kael. The look of anger on his face when he rushed out of his room made my throat tighten. The anger in his growls, all of it aimed at me.It broke my heart. All I wanted was to be a good father to him. But what had I done? Only a few weeks after me
Jaxon and I exchanged a glance, and I decided there was no reason to hide anything anymore.“My father made mistakes that were far worse than drinking,” I said, and both Elara and Kael looked at me with complete attention. “After Selene and I left, things got bad for him very quickly. He became add
“Good game?” I asked.“Yeah. It was fun.”Once we got back into the truck and started driving away, I pointed toward the girls through the windshield. “Not your type?”“Something like that.”“You don’t like girls? You into guys? I don’t judge. Love is love,” I said.Kael immediately burst out laugh
He shrugged the way teenagers usually do—a small shoulder movement that somehow seemed to say a lot without using actual words. Not wanting to make things uncomfortable, I quickly changed the subject before the mood of the afternoon got ruined.“Hey, whose turn is it to shoot?” I asked.His eyes li
My mind refused to calm down, which led to another terrible night of sleep, and now exhaustion was tearing at me. Sitting in front of my computer, I tried focusing on the work I needed to finish, but it was almost impossible. All I could think about was the awkward dinner from the night before. Whe







