The Broken Alpha

  Atticus  As he surveyed the crowd gathered before him, Atticus grinned. It was the night of the full moon at last, and his body thrummed with excited energy. He was proud of the legacy he’d built, and proud that so many wolves were eager to stand by his side each month. There was always another battle to fight, fresh territory to claim, and, in the beginning, he’d feared that they may not respect him the way they had his father.  He’d had nothing to worry about, as it turned out. He straightened his back, rolled his shoulders, and then he began to speak. “Blood Moon pack!” He bellowed, clapping his hands and stomping his feet. A cacophony of howls filled the night air, and his grin stretched wider. The moon was hovering above the horizon, its crisp white light piercing the black curve of the sky. Atticus could see th

  Atticus The grounds looked lovely, Atticus thought – if a little overdone for his taste. It was only the Worm Moon, after all. The ornate gardens surrounding the pack house had been bedecked in glossy aquamarine bunting, draped from tree to tree and around the veranda which trailed around the outskirts of the house itself. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he surveyed the flapping sparrows, held in place by a magic he did not understand, nor wish to. Miniscule glass bottles had been filled with thyme, and they had been strung along a stretch of glittering lanterns, the vials clicking against the glowing light bulbs. He stretched his aching back, and rolled his neck. He grinned, slow and smooth, as his joints cracked. Taking White Oak down had been easy – as expected. It was a good confidence builder for the latest group of young wolves that

AtticusThe pull was pleasant, Atticus thought, as he allowed it to tow him out of the pack house and into the ornate gardens fringing the wide veranda. He had his suspicions about what it may be, but he didn’t focus on them. Instead, he let his eyelids droop, keeping them half closed as he navigated his way down the stairs.The uppermost floor of the pack house was home to the Alpha, Luna, and their family. It would belong solely to him once he found his Luna, but his parents would be welcome to stay under his reign. Most wolves, once their heirs had taken their place, chose to live away from the pack house, and moved into something smaller and more private. Atticus had awoken early, intent on replying to a letter sent to him by the Alpha of the Lone Wind pack. Their allies to the south had heard rumours of a new pack forming, one built on ambition and treachery rather than tradition and l

    Atticus   Atticus’s honey-brown hair rippled as his fist thudded into Ralphin’s jaw. His Beta stumbled, and he spat blood onto the grass before hissing, “What’s got into you?”   Everything about Ralphin was annoying him today. The cock-sure swagger of his walk, the sheen of his black hair, the glint in his onyx eyes – all of it made Atticus’s gut swell with rage. He bared his teeth at Ralphin, hardly allowing him a chance to adjust his defensive stance before baring down on him again, slamming first his right and then his left fist at him in a quick, brutal one-two that forced Ralphin back against the wooden fence.   “Spit it out,” Ralphin growled, dark eyes narrowing. A bruise was already blooming across his tanned chin and cheek.   Atticus held his positive firm, jerking his head for Ralphin to stand up to him, to fight. His Beta was one of the few wolves

  Lily Lily held the ring in her palm, tilting it back and forth. The garnet sparkled softly in the sunlight. She didn’t have long, but – But this was too important a moment to rush. She sighed, closing her fist over the ring as she re-read the words marked carefully on the paper before her. Rose had offered her a nicer piece of paper, framed with delicate flowers inked down the margins, but Lily had refused, choosing instead to use a piece torn from her notebook. It wasn’t as pretty, but her dad would know it had come from her. Her throat bobbed at the thought of her father sitting at the kitchen table, the same peanut butter and banana toast he favoured after training slipping from his fingers as his eyes traced the words of her betrayal. She was leaving him here, alone. Lily knew it was the lesser evil. She knew that, if she stayed, her da