* * * Eve’s POV * * ** * * four years ago * * *I open my eyes to the dim light that is a permanent feature here; I look around the room. Walls are painted white, there’s a series of tiny windows with bars inside and out (They let in no light even during the day, making it hard to tell the time), there’s a metal toilet in the corner, and a metal sink, and my white wrought iron bed. This is my room. I’m not allowed belongings here; they fear that I can make a weapon out of them. This is the institution for the mentally ill. Every day is the same, wake up, shower, have breakfast, exercise, lunch, classes for basic knowledge, dinner, therapy classes, supper, and bed. Always the same.It’s mind-numbing, tedious, and frustrating here.This is the Mountain View Pack; the pack is located in Wales within the United Kingdom. The mountain is Glyder Fawr, within Snowdonia National Park. Its highest peak is 1000m. The pack is situated within a valley with a lake. It’s a beautiful place, majestic
* * * Eve’s POV * * * When I left the institute, I’d made my way to the packhouse reception and asked a very stern librarian looking woman for Natalie as instructed. Natalie is the head Omega; the position has gone to her head. She acts as though she’s a ranked wolf. Not an Omega who is either ignored or insulted by the rest of the pack. Natalie is an older woman, although her wolf genes would fool a human. She has auburn hair that’s always tied in a ponytail, so tightly that it appears to give her an instant face lift. Her chestnut brown eyes are cold, and years of arduous work has left her with a slim but toned body. If she didn’t have her wolf genes, I dare say she would have callouses on her hands. She has been a packhouse Omega almost her whole life, the longest serving packhouse Omega. As such, she has been promoted to head Omega. Basically, she makes sure all the jobs are completed. A role that has gone to her head. She avoids work as much as was possible.Natalie assigns me t
* * * Eve's POV * * * “Attention everybody” commands Alpha Charles, “I have called you here this morning to inform you that we will be hosting an inter-pack meeting for the council. N……” Alpha Charles stops due to the excited whispers within the crowd. “SILENCE” he orders, using his Alpha command. The noise instantly dies down; all the wolves are forced to submit to his command. It’s strange, I’ve no such feeling to submit. I force myself to lower my head, as the others have. “No more interruptions or there will be punishments. Now, as I was saying, we will be playing host to an inter-pack meeting for the council. I received a call this morning informing me that the meeting is urgent, and our guests will be arriving on Saturday, two days from now. They will be here for three days. As you can appreciate, this is short notice, so there will be extra jobs to be completed. Nobody will be spared additional duties, our reputation is on the line”, Alpha Charles explains and takes a brief
* * * Eve's POV * * * I quickly make my way back to the kitchen to find Becca has been working extremely hard, the kitchen is spotless, pots washed and in their rightful place, shelves and cupboard fronts are clean, canisters organised, recipe sheets lay on the counter ready to be referred to. How much easier duties must be when you are able to use your wolf abilities. I knock on the door. “Hi Becca, it’s only me. How are we looking for ingredients? Will we be able to impress the Alpha and land a permanent gig?” I ask her. Despite doing this at Cora’s request and just because we apparently need to be seen by the visiting Alphas and Council Men, I’m excited to have a change in my duties. Anything is better than scrubbing toilets and washing urine from the floor.“Hi Eve. I’ve gone through all the food storage areas and have planned a menu, if I may go through it with you?” Becca asks for permission. This is strange, nobody asks my permission, I think to myself. “Of course, please do
* * * Eve's POV * * * I’m a young girl, maybe five years old. I’m sitting on a man's knee, and he’s reading me the Wizard of Oz. I giggle as he sings in a squeaky voice “follow the yellow road, follow the yellow brick road. Follow. Follow. Follow the yellow brick road,” I’m happy. The scene begins to blur and then I’m in a pool. There’s a party going on around me. The birthday banners say, ‘Happy 6th Birthday’. There’s music and laughter all around. There are children and adults playing games. A man walks out with a cake, its candles lit. Everyone turns to me and begins to sing Happy Birthday. I know him, this man is my Papa. He looks at me like I’m the most special girl in the world. He loves me. Just as I spot my mother, the scene again begins to blur.I’m walking down a dim corridor holding my Papa’s hand. “Now that you are six and clever enough to understand, it’s time we visit the special library,” he says. “Does it have more fairy-tales, Papa?” I ask him, eager for more stori
* * * Eve's POV * * * I’m laid comfortably in the land of nod, slightly aware of something pushing at my mind. Feeling the familiar mind presence of Aunt Dorothy. My brave, very brave Aunt Dorothy; shouldering this secret for so many years, watching over me as best she can. Not even having her own mate to turn to for support. I lower the barrier to my mind and let her in, while greeting her: ‘Good morning, Aunt Dorothy’. ‘How are you this morning? Did your memories return?’ She asks.‘Yes, they returned, Cora had told me that there are more to come. But that she will filter them for me, so that I don’t become overwhelmed. To be honest, I have mixed emotions right now. I’m happy that I can now remember my parents and how loved I was. I’m angry at Alpha Charles, angry at his lies and that he killed my people. And for what? To be an arranged mate for his son? Becca helped me through it. Do you know her? Can she be trusted?’ I answer honestly.‘I know sweetheart, I’m so deeply sorry tha
* * * Max’s POV * * ** * two days ago * *We’re up shit creek without a paddle, without a doubt. We’ve close to absolutely nothing. To be fair to us, we had less than absolutely nothing when we first started out. So, I guess we’ve gotten somewhere in the brief time we’ve been together. But that doesn’t help me now as I sit looking at our finances. ‘Beta, please come here’, I ask. ‘On my way Alpha’, he responds.“Come in” I say tiredly when there are three knocks on my door. My Beta walks in, takes a look at my office desk and gives me a sympathetic smile. We’ve been friends for 12 years; we met at the Nights Watch. We don’t wish for our roles to come between our friendship. So, we use our titles only for any negative official business.“Tell me truthfully, Beta, do you think it was a fool's movement to try to set up this pack?” I ask him, feeling weary.“No Alpha. We all knew this would be difficult when we signed up for it. We were all made rogues, only you have the natural abilit
* * * Eve’s POV * * *It’s been an extremely busy day, ensuring all preparations are made for our guests' stay this weekend.The shopping delivery had arrived after the evening meal, so Becca and I had put that away after washing the pots and deep cleaning the kitchen. We tried on our new uniforms to make sure that they fit. They did. Alpha Charles had spent a considerable amount of money to maintain the pretence that all is well in the pack and that all pack members were well looked after.Not to mention that Alpha Charles had kept all the Omegas back after the evening meal to inform us that it was all hands-on deck. That all Omegas would wake at 4am for a final deep clean of the pack house, with Becca and I breaking off at 6am to prepare breakfast. We were told that we must not put our new uniforms on until after breakfast service. This was to make sure they were clean for when the guests arrive. To say we are extremely tired as we finally make our way back to our room is an unders