MasukTalia waved at Arya to keep talking.Arya glanced at Keith nervously. Ever since joining the Dark Howlers pack, this was the first time for Arya to speak to Drake and Talia, and her nerves were acting out. For nearly two decades, Arya saw Alpha Cristian as a guiding light; comforting and nurturing. She didn't have much opinion of Luna Michelle as they didn't interact often; Luna Michelle would not interfere with warriors where Arya belonged. Compared to them, Drake seemed like a tall and solid wall, cold and impenetrable while Talia was like a small bundle of explosives that might burst into colorful fireworks or deadly blasts. Arya didn't know what to expect, but she was not willing to give up without trying."I would appreciate it if you evaluated me while disregarding who my mate is," Arya said. "I was a General in the Spring Leaf pack. Now I am here; the Dark Howlers pack is my home and I am trying to find my place in it. Please, give me a chance to prove myself as a valuable res
Cornelia and James stayed late into the night.The data from Cassie's phone and tablet was retrieved, so Drake, Talia, Cornelia, and James looked at the pictures of documents and maps while discussing various strategies.Everyone could see that James was in his element. He came up with scenarios no one thought of, and he provided various solutions while clearly stating the pros and cons of each.James didn't sound like a sixteen year-old boy. He was more like a top-tier strategist with several decades of experience behind him, and Cornelia's inputs complemented him perfectly without overshadowing his brilliance.Drake was more and more confident that he needed to convince James to come to the Dark Howlers pack ASAP. What if someone else snatched him first? Having James as an enemy would be dangerous, but Drake knew that pushing too much could backfire."Maybe you should stay here for the night," Talia said when they were done with serious talk.James glanced at Cornelia, who was dozin
"Kitten?"Drake's voice reached Talia, and she realized that she was back on Drake's lap and he was cradling her in his arms protectively."Do you think…" Talia inhaled forcibly. "Do you think that missing people from my pack were used for experiments?"Drake puffed his cheeks. He didn't know how to answer this.Over the years, some people from the Midnight Guardians pack would get desperate to find their mate, and they escaped through the portal into the human realm. None of them returned.Talia got information from Vincent that the Guardians were aware of the portal's location, and they were watching it. If Guardians did that, there was a chance that someone else was watching the portal as well. Even if they didn't know the exact location, only by knowing the proximity, they could set up traps.People from the Midnight Guardians pack spent a lot of time isolated, unaware of what waited for them on the other side. They could easily be tricked, captured, and used for who-knows-what."
"It's not just my father," Cassie said. "There are other Alphas also.""Who else is involved?" Drake asked stiffly.Cassie glanced nervously at James. "Alpha Edward from the Red Moon pack."Drake already knew about Alpha Edward and Alpha Richard. Those two were allies for a long time, and they were openly against Drake since he took over as Alpha. Drake wanted to know about others."Who else is involved?"Cassie shrugged. "In the last few weeks, my father also talked to Alpha William and Alpha Patrick, but I'm not sure how much they are involved.""Is Alpha Adam part of this plan? What about Alpha Peter?" Drake started listing names, and Cassie shook her head."If they are involved, I'm not aware of it.""If you don't know about others, how can you be sure that my father is involved?" James asked from the side. It's not that he didn't believe her, but he wanted proof.James saw this as an opportunity for Drake to get more allies. If there was evidence of Alpha Richard and Alpha Edward
'Let me get into her head,' Liseli said eagerly to Talia.Talia wanted to find out what Cassie knew, but the image of Vincent's confusion and diminished mental capacity was something Talia wouldn't wish on anyone. Not even Cassie.'Let's leave that in case of an emergency,' Talia responded.'This looks like an emergency to me.''Lis, you are not helping.''I want to help, but you are not letting me.'Talia couldn't believe how casual Liseli was about this. And it was more than casual. Liseli was thirsty for blood, willing to crush Cassie like a bug. Pregnancy hormones were messing up with Talia's mood, affecting Liseli as well.'Let's calm down first,' Talia said. 'We should use minimal force to get her to talk. We can always resort to violence later.'Liseli snorted, and Talia felt that the old wolf yielded. For now.Cassie groaned when Talia's aura pressed on her, making it difficult to breathe.Cassie looked at Drake, thinking it was him, but then she saw Talia smirking, and Cassie
Later that evening…Talia plopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling while thinking about the events from the last few hours.She was Drake's Luna now, and she could feel the Dark Howlers pack.The fair mixer was a big success, with almost one hundred new mates reported across various packs. Talia was looking forward to finding out the final numbers tomorrow.Yasmin had her babies, and their family of four reached the Midnight Guardians pack safely.Overall, it was a successful evening, so why was she feeling uneasy?"What are you thinking?" Drake asked while sliding on the bed next to Talia.So many things. "I am thinking that we should speed up dealing with the Guardians. Yasmin doesn't deserve a future where she needs to hide with her children." And it was not just hiding; it was about a lifetime of living in fear of being kidnapped, used, brainwashed, enslaved, and many other horrible things.Talia put her hand over her belly. "Maybe Yasmin will be fine staying in the Coven or t
~ the Dark Howlers pack ~ Drake entered his study and looked grumpily at the stack of documents that are waiting for him to sign. Why is the Alpha of the largest pack in North America forced to do this office work? As a child, when he imagined his future, Drake saw himself as a mighty warrior, s
In the guest bedroom… Drake pushed Marcy away from him and Marcy fell on her butt unceremoniously. "Who is that girl?", Drake asked while buttoning up his pants. Marcy was confused. "What girl?" "The one with towels! She left towels in the bathroom and left!", Drake roared and jabbed his hand i
In the guestroom… Drake sat in the comfy sofa chair and observed Marcy smugly. She was standing three steps in front of Drake with her hands crossed over her chest defensively. "You wanted privacy, so here we are.", Drake said while waving his hand, gesturing for Marcy to start talking. "Conside
It was late morning when Drake, Caden, and May arrived at the Red Moon pack. Layla apologized for the absence of her husband. "He is with the scouts who picked up suspicious movements on the eastern border of our territory before dawn. Edward is a hands-on leader and wants to personally ensure we







