LOGINLucas and I ended up returning home later that day. It had been a hard decision. We both wanted to be there to help with the aftermath of the battle. But after a phone call with Raphe address Osric’s broadcast, we accepted that we needed to return to the packhouse and prepare for the next steps. The step to contact Osric in particular.We left Jaden, Helene, and Max back in Wildmore to finish the cleanup. I didn’t trust leaving Lana behind though. We did need to figure out who she was and what she was up to, but it wasn’t our first priority. Still, keeping a close eye on her was more than a good idea. Since I could smell the scent of rogue on her and the others couldn’t, I had Amos and Tarvyn follow us back with her. Having to be stuck in a vehicle with that stench for hours would not improve my already less than pleasant mood.“He doesn’t want to speak over the phone,” Raphe told us as we sat in our living room that evening.I scoffed. “Of course he doesn’t,” I said. “But we’re not g
“What are you talking about?” Lucas asked.“You can’t smell it?” I replied. “She wreaks of it. I thought I caught it last night but it’s stronger this morning.” I turned back to the woman. “How did you get here?”“Sutton, I don’t smell a rogue,” Lucas insisted. “Let me talk to her.”She yelped as I roughly let her go. I may have been a bit overzealous considering she did help us the night before. But there’s no reason why a rogue should have been there. We were no where near rogue territory and even if we were, why would she be fighting for us? The fact that Lucas couldn’t smell it, told me that she must have only recently been separated from her pack. That was even more suspicious.“Lana, what pack do you belong to?” Lucas asked her.The woman, whose name was apparently Lana, hung her head. She started sniffling and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. The whole situation felt off.“How do you know her name?” I asked Lucas.“She was out in the field with me earlier,” he replied.
I left the house through the back door. I swiped at my eyes, not wanting the stupid tears to fall. But I was angry and hurt and frustrated. I was only trying to help. I knew it was invasive but I wasn’t going to apologize. Osric would have done nothing but bully Sutton into something that wouldn’t benefit anyone. Not after what he had done to the counsel.“Helene, what’s wrong?”I jumped hearing Jaden come up behind me.“Nothing,” I told him. “It’s nothing.”“Liar,” he said, reaching up to wipe away the remnants of a tear from my cheek. “Something is up.”I huffed, knowing there was no way to keep this from him.“I suppose you haven’t heard about Osric’s announcement?” I said.Jaden nodded. “I did,” he said. “It came on the radio on the drive back from town. Did it scare you? Because I won’t…”“I know,” I interrupted. “I’m not happy about the whole thing, but that’s not it. I, um… I did something and now Sutton is mad at me. But I don’t think I did anything wrong.”“What did you do?”
“It’s Osric,” Sutton said, tipping her head toward the TV.“…this unnecessary violence will be tolerated,” Osric’s voice came through the screen.“He’s offering a reward for our safe return,” Helene said incredulously.“He’s declared you an enemy of the state,” Sutton said.“That was fast,” I said calmly.“He’s gone too far,” Sutton said angrily. “There’s no way he just wants us back. Naming you an enemy of the state?” Sutton began to pace. “How the hell does that even work when we attacked in OUR territory? How does he expect anyone to believe that?”“It’s propaganda,” Uncle Rodney said. “Anders allies won’t care if it’s true or not. They have permission to hate Lucas now.”“They never needed permission for that,” I said.“I understand why they made such a big deal about you becoming Alpha,” Sutton stated. “I understand the whole ‘threat to the hierarchy’ crap. What I don’t get is going after the counsel and working with Anders. Or why he’s keeping up pretenses about wanting us back
By the time the sun came up the next morning, we’d cleared the battlefield of all the injured. We set up rotating patrols, giving our people the opportunity to rest and recoup. There were a lot of serious injuries. There were more than a few still fighting the effects of the mercury rounds. Calahan already told me Conner was likely going to lose his leg from taking a round to the knee.We also had more than our fair share of injured Dawn Stalkers to contend with. Sutton had let the rest of their forces retreat home, but those too injured to move were left behind. While I would have been fine executing them all, Sutton worried it would send a message she didn’t want to portray. So, I compromised and agreed to send them to the prison camp with the other Dawn Stalkers for the time being.The next thing to focus on was the dead.My family’s land was littered with the bodies of five packs and human soldiers. All lycans had the ability to sense their own packmates in life, but after death,
I retook control and shifted. Panting as I looked down at the man taking his last ragged breaths. I recognized him now. He was another one of Anders’ favorites. He’d cornered me once. A few months after I had arrived at the Dawn Stalkers. He tried to force himself on me. Anders caught him before he could. It was the event that prompted him to mate me to Mason.It was fitting that mine was the last face he saw.When he took his final breath, my attention shifted to the field around me. Wolves, lycans, and humans alike were all staring at me expectantly.“Go home,” I pronounced to the Dawn Stalkers still present. “Your done here. You’ve failed. Take the lesson, value your life, and leave.”No one moved for several moments. When they did, it was the Dawn Stalkers, turning toward their territory. My shoulders relaxed. I turned and began walking back toward the bus. As I got close, Lucas came out of the shadows and came directly toward me, still limping from his leg wound.Immediately, his
We got Princess Nomi settled in her suite as quickly, yet politely, as we could. Once she was preoccupied and Jaden was left to deal with her guards, Soloman followed Lucas and me to his office. The moment the door was shut, Lucas turned on Soloman.“What the hell is she doing here?” he demanded.
I watched Lucas carry Sutton off kicking and screaming. Her claws and canines extended as she tried to attack Alpha Anders again. Her eyes practically glowing orange as Nova tried to force her way through. I’d never seen her act like that before. It was terrifying and inspiring all at the same time
We were less than three days away from the ceremony and every minute felt rushed. I had been all over the packhouse, finalizing arrangements and reviewing organization. Luckily, Elise had everything more than under control, giving me space to spend my time in the gardens. Not that my presence was r
Wrestling Sutton into the back of the limo had been a challenge. She wasn’t thinking straight. All she could think about was eliminating the threat. I had to shift her focus. But that would present a whole new problem. With her heat in full swing, there was only one thing that would get her under c







