C5

Aichonne Blackwood

“Did you just run over the royal prince’s brother?”

The front gatekeeper wolf gasps super loud when I sprint right past her like a wild beast after a deer. I am so mad about all the junk that came out of Daryl’s handsome mouth that I almost knocked Shane into the dirt on my way out.

Forget Shane.

Forget Daryl.

And forget the whole royal pack.

How can Daryl say those mean things about my dad?

The Mooncrest Alpha Citadel belongs to my bloodline.

It is mine.

I hate him for thinking he can put his big claws on it.

I burst out of the giant keep like a rogue wolf escaping the Shadowfang Wilds. I stop by a big pine tree to catch my breath. My teeth grind together so hard I think they will break into pieces. I look up at the big silver moon in the sky and pray to the Moon Goddess to make me calm, but my heart is just going too fast. Thinking about the Alpha Heir makes my blood feel like boiling water. I hate that male wolf so much. If he thinks he can take our pack land, he is totally wrong.

“I will never let that big monster win,” I yell at the trees, shaking my fist. “Never!”

“Do not let any male wolf boss you around, little pup,” an old female wolf with pretty silver fur says as she walks past me.

“Whatever he did, bite his ears off,” her friend with blonde fur barks with a laugh. “If you need to leave your pack, I know the best rogue lands to hide in. I left four mates already, so I am a real expert.”

Oops, I guess I said that out loud instead of just thinking it.

“Uh, thanks, I am okay,” I say, giving them a tiny smile.

The two older wolves nod their heads and smile nicely as they walk inside the giant stone keep.

I only spent twenty minutes with Alpha Heir Daryl Silverfang, and I am completely losing my mind. I have a giant volcano of anger hitting my stomach.

That male makes me go crazy.

Mating with him?

Not even in a million winters.

Biting his neck?

I would love to do that right now.

I cannot stand that big royal wolf.

I really hate him.

So why does my body feel so warm and weird between my legs?

Ugh!

I see some other pack members looking at me like I am a wild rogue.

Thinking about our big fight makes me gasp.

Why did I tell him I am not a pure little pup?

What was wrong with my brain?

I was not thinking at all because my mind stops working when I am close to that big wolf.

It is all because of his scary blue eyes.

When I wasn’t yelling at him, I was totally lost looking at them.

Wow.

He has so much male wolf power.

The Silverfang brothers have the best looks in the whole world.

While we were fighting, I tried to tell myself Daryl was my worst enemy, but my body did not care. His amazing male scent floated through the air and went straight to my nose, making me feel dizzy.

Mone Goddess, he smelled so good.

It felt like a magic spell. That must be why I felt so crazy, because there is no other reason why my chest feels so tight and my heart is throbbing. I wanted to bite his lips at the same time, I wanted to hit him with the heavy stone statue on his desk. It was a giant battle inside my wolf form.

Being locked in his den felt like being trapped in a cage of hot desire. I have never hated a male and wanted him so much at the same time.

My life is totally ruined.

It was just too much for me.

I had to run away before I did something super crazy, like jumping on that big sexy wolf like a tree.

Stay focused, Aichonne.

I try to ignore my body and stop thinking about how much I want him. I reach into my leather bag to find my phone.

Darn it.

My father still has not answered my mind-link or my alerts.

What is happening back in the Alpha Metropolis that is taking all his time?

Is my dad really having trouble with pack resources?

Is our beautiful Mooncrest Alpha Citadel really going bankrupt?

Is that why he is having a giant yelling match with Alpha Leah Nightbane?

Two hundred million silver pieces to be mated for three hundred and sixty-five days to a stuck-up, proud royal jerk? I could not even last one hour with him.

Is that what we need to save our pack?

Was Daryl telling a big lie, or was it the truth?

My dad would never hide something this big from me. I am his only daughter. He tells me everything. He would ask me for help.

Gah!

I am going to make myself crazy talking to myself like this.

Dad, you have to tell me what is going on.

I walk around the big stone walls to find some shade under the trees before the hot sun burns my skin like fresh meat on a fire. Suddenly, my phone starts buzzing, making me stop fast.

I look at the screen.

Finally! “Dad!”

“Hey, little ladybug. How is the Moonhaven Coast?”

How can his voice sound so calm?

“Dad, do not act like you do not know why I sent you fifty messages! What is going on? Why is my life all over the news headlines? And why is my name next to a total stranger?”

I wait for him to speak, but the phone stays completely quiet.

“I just ran out of Daryl Silverfang’s office—”

“You went to see the royal heir?” My dad sounds totally shocked.

“I needed the truth, and you wouldn't answer me! What was Alpha Leah thinking? This fake mating trick is going to ruin our pack heritage. When the other wolves find out it is a lie, we will look like fake rogues.”

Still no answer.

“Leah is the one who did this, right?”

My stepmother, Alpha Leah Nightbane, is the worst part of my life. She started at our citadel as a pack helper after our old one left. It only took her a month to wiggle her way into my father’s bed. She has been in his life for two years, and I tried super hard to be nice to her for my dad’s sake, but it never works. We are like oil and water.

My dad is still as quiet as a stone, so I guess the answer myself.

“I knew Daryl was lying to my face. He said he did not know Leah, and he swore you were the one who started this media trick. That is so crazy.” I roll my eyes at the sky. “He also said some unbelievable things about—”

“Leah did not do this, Aichonne.”

“Why is everyone protecting that woman?” I yell. “She did it!”

“No, I did it.” With those three words, my dad makes my whole world stop. “I am the one who hired the Moon Herald. Not Leah.”

I am completely frozen.

“Right after I signed the moon pact with Daryl, I started the plan. The fact that you were already visiting the Moonhaven Coast made it super easy.”

“Wh—what? How could you hide this from me?” I sound like a crying pup.

“Take a deep breath, ladybug.”

“I cannot breathe when my whole life is falling apart!”

“It was the only way to save our people, Aichonne.”

I shake my head even though he cannot see me through the phone.

“Who are you? What did you do with my real father?”

“Where are you right now?”

“I am sorry, Dad, you just broke my whole heart, and you want to know where I am walking? Answer my questions!”

“That is what I am trying to do, daughter,” my dad says. “I hear the wagons and horses, so you must be outside.”

“I am standing outside the Silvermoon Grand Keep. I guess you know that is Daryl’s main headquarters.”

“Yes, I know. I was sitting in that den last month.”

“You told me you were at a grand wolf assembly!” My voice sounds super bitter.

“I was saving the Mooncrest Alpha Citadel,” he says.

“I do not believe it.”

He lets out a big, tired sigh. “There is a lot of pack business you need to know, but we need to talk when you are in a private room.”

“Dad, you are making me super scared.”

“I never wanted to scare you. I promised your Moon Blessed Luna's mother on her deathbed that our citadel would stand for a thousand generations. You made that promise, too.”

“I did.” I stop for a second. “I will try harder to get along with Leah.”

Gosh, drinking poison from the rogue lands would hurt less than saying that.

“Do not worry about her right now,” Dad says.

“Did something happen with Leah?”

“Everything I did was to keep my word to your mother.” My dad ignores my question completely. “This was my only way out.”

Since I hate talking about my stepmother anyway, I just let him change the subject. “So what Daryl told me is true?”

“When you get back to Glenn’s guesthouse, open the magic video screen. I will answer everything. I promise.”

“Okay.”

“I love you, ladybug. Never forget that.”

“I love you too, Dad.”

He lets out a small laugh.

“What is funny?”

“It is the two of us against the world again.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you are going to hate my guts for some choices I had to make, but you will not hate this one.”

“Dad, you are talking in secret riddles.”

“Call me when you get to the guesthouse.”

Then the line goes dead.

I look at my phone, completely lost.