COLEI didn’t tell Juliet there was a step four.I’m a planner, and it was no accident that I chose last night for my grand gesture to make her mine. It was in hopes that if all went well, I could officially introduce her to the pack today as Luna at our annual end of summer gathering. Rumors have already been swirling since the morning I staked my claim in the packhouse kitchen, and if I’m being honest, the whispers started long before that.Guess I wasn’t exactly subtle about wanting her. But now I get to officially announce the news; that we’re fated, marked, bound to one another for the rest of our lives. That Juliet will be joining our pack and leading it alongside me.I could’ve told her about today, but then she would’ve had time to worry about how the news may be received rather than just embracing her moment. She might’ve taken Tayla’s cruel words to heart instead of allowing the rest of the pack to speak for themselves.So yeah, I’m springing it on her. But it’s with the be
JULIETTwo Months LaterIt’s not a traditional wedding by any means. There’s no bridesmaids or groomsmen, no towering wedding cake with roses made of icing. No real pomp or circumstance. I do wear a white dress, though, looking every bit the blushing bride, and Cole looks so handsome in his suit I can hardly stand it. The ceremony isn’t one you’d see at a typical wedding, either. The vows I take aren’t just to Cole; they’re to the entire pack, to swear me in as their official Luna. We mix in a few of our own vows to each other and sign a marriage certificate while we’re at it, though, and it’s still beautiful and meaningful and perfectly us. The ceremony itself is brief, only for the members of the Denver pack, but the reception afterwards is far less intimate.Everybody’s there. Cole’s parents traveled in, my own family made the trip, and all of the six-pack alphas and lunas are in attendance, too. In lieu of some stuffy, formal reception, we host it at Jokers nightclub, closing it
COLEMy mind conjures up the memory of the stench of acrid smoke in the air as I thumb through the photographs of the charred, skeletal remains of the Sparrowhead apartment complex. Two months ago, a fire took down the entire building, blazing out of control until only ash and rubble remained. The destruction was so severe that the cause of the fire was only recently determined, and this file landed on my desk this morning courtesy of my connections with the local P.D.The police chief knows I like to keep a pulse on what goes on in the city, so he doesn’t question when I request files from him. Not that I would disclose the reasons behind my requests if he did. As long as I grease his palm with quarterly donations, he seems satisfied with our arrangement and doesn’t pry into my personal business. Why would he when I’m a respected figure in the community, the proprietor of a dozen bars and night clubs with a well-rounded real estate portfolio to boot?I didn’t amass all of this on my
JULIETI drag in a deep lungful of fresh air as Shay leads me out the tall sliding glass door and onto the terrace, chattering away about the packhouse and all its amenities. The air smells different here in Denver. It smells like sweet, sweet freedom.“I mean, you grew up in a packhouse, so all of this is probably normal to you,” Shay tosses over her shoulder as she treads a path to the edge of the terrace. “But it was a huge change for me when I came here. It took some getting used to. And hey, if you-”“Holy shit,” I interrupt, pushing past Shay as a huge pool area comes into view. “There’s a pool?!”Her lips pull into a grin, her chin-length hair bouncing as she nods. “Yeah, girl. There’s a pool.”She starts to say something else, but her words are lost to me as I rush forward to get a closer look at the large swimming pool, the crystal-clear water beckoning me in the sweltering summer heat. I might’ve grown up in a packhouse, but the one in Westfield pales in comparison to this p
COLENo matter what time I go to bed at night, I always wake up at seven a.m. to start my day. I value discipline and routine, and no matter what happens in a given day, each morning is like a reset. I never hit the snooze button when my alarm sounds, even if an extra ten minutes of sleep may seem tempting. It isn’t worth throwing off my whole day. Regardless of how exhausted I am, I haul my ass out of bed at seven on the dot, hit the gym for my daily workout, shower, then head to the kitchen for coffee and breakfast. The snooze button was more tempting than usual this morning, but I still dragged myself out of bed and went about my routine as normal. By the time I’ve finished my workout and showered, many of the warriors that reside at the packhouse are already crowded in the kitchen for breakfast, their voices carrying down the hall as the scent of fresh coffee beckons me closer.As always, Sam is seated at our usual table when I stride into the kitchen, a cup of coffee already po
JULIET I could feel the shift in the atmosphere when I woke up this morning; the sense of liberation buzzing through my veins. I hadn’t stopped thinking about the pool since I laid eyes on it yesterday, so I started my day with a swim, immediately concluding that it’s the way I’ll start every day here until the weather turns. It was infinitely more relaxing than my usual morning runs- I must’ve been a mermaid in another life because I love being in the water. I’m pretty sure I left a lasting impression when I wandered into the kitchen for coffee afterwards. Cole’s jaw was clenched so tightly that it looked like he was about to blow a gasket, but I didn’t miss the way he looked at me. And yeah, I might’ve goaded him a little bit to gauge his interest. It’s there. He clearly likes to play his cards close to his chest, though, so if I have to push his buttons more to bring out that side of him, I’m more than up for the task. He disappeared afterwards, but Shay came by my room while I w
COLE“Alpha,” Max greets, pushing open the back door to Jokers nightclub before I can even reach it and swinging it wide to allow me entry. The surveillance cameras must’ve alerted him to my presence when I parked in my spot behind the building, prompting him to come down to meet me. “Didn’t know you were stopping in tonight.”“Figured I’d swing by and see how Jason’s getting on,” I grumble, stepping past him and into the dingy concrete hallway. Ordinarily, I don’t often make personal visits to the establishments that our pack owns and runs in Denver. I trust my guys to keep the operations running smoothly and bring anything urgent to my attention, but since Jason was only promoted to manager of this club yesterday, I thought it’d be best to check in on things myself to ensure the transition has been seamless.I glance over at the concrete staircase to my left, pointing a finger upwards to indicate. “Is he upstairs?” The manager’s office here is on the second level, with a private ent
JULIETThe smell of chlorine clings to my little sky-blue bikini as I pull it on, and I make a mental note to ask Shay if she’s up for a shopping trip soon so I can pick up some more swimsuits. I only tossed one into my suitcase while I was packing for Denver on the off chance that there was a swimming hole nearby; it never occurred to me that there’d be a whole ass swimming pool right outside my door. It’s late in the season so my pool days are probably numbered, but with the chance to swim every day until the weather turns, one suit just isn’t going to cut it.As I’m reaching behind my back to tie the strings of my bikini, my cell phone vibrates on the nightstand, my brother’s name flashing on the screen with an incoming video call. My gut twists and my heart plummets. What are the chances that word of my little excursion to the nightclub has already gotten back to my overbearing big bro?I snatch my phone up and flop forward on my bed, landing on my tummy and positioning the phone