MasukLucas sat on the bench in the cell. He leaned forward with nothing to do but wait. The seconds felt like minutes, when finally, the footsteps echoed down the hall. Lucas rose as James walked in the door.
"Have you made a decision?" The Alpha asked.
Lucas nodded his head. He kept his jaw tight and eyes locked with James.
"Care to share? Am I getting a pack member or sending out an Outcast?"
Lucas
Suzy and Lucas stopped talking. Clara slipped her hand in her pocket and pulled out her phone. She tried her hardest to hide the movement, but couldn't tell if they were watching her or not. She kept the phone close to her face and sent a text message to David.Suzy drugged James. Fight was rigged.She kept her eyes glued to the screen, a response came back almost immediately.I'm coming to save you."What's that noise?" Lucas asked.Clara started typing fast.This is my fault. Please hurry.Don't blame yourself. Stay strong."What is she doing back there?" Lucas' voice filled the van.Clara heard the grate move. She erased all her messages."She's got a phone."Suzy reached down to snatch the phone away, but Clara grabbed the girl's arm and yanked her to the floor. Clara forced herself up and ran
Clara's screaming face made David's heart want to beat out of his chest. He knew he couldn't catch up to the car, but he wasn't about to let her go. James followed his lead as he ran as fast as he could to the garage.They shifted back. David opened the garage."You have to call the council," James said."They ordered me to give Clara back, like she was a borrowed toy or something. They won't help at all."David climbed in one of the cars and turned the engine over. James got in the passenger's side."What are you going to do?" James said."They've got about fifteen minutes on us. I'm hoping to stop the van before they get on protected grounds." David backed out of the garage."If you step foot on Lucas' land it will be seen as an act of aggression. He can kill you.""Not if I kill him first," David said. 
Clara was in a fog. Every member of her pack soaked in the words David was saying, but she couldn't pay attention to anything."They out number us, but that doesn't mean they can beat us. When they attack we will be victorious."The crowd cheered."Stop," Clara said.The cheering dies down and all eyes turned to her. She stood up and walked next to David."The past week you've shown me what it is like to have a family. I won't let any of you get hut on my account. There is only one answer.""That's not an answer," David said."You're our Luna!" Someone from the crowd yelled."I'll gladly die for Clara or anyone else here," another added.There was another round of cheers.
As soon as David walked in and spotted the council member he knew nothing good was about to happen. He held out his hand to greet the elder. As always the man showed no emotion and gave no inclination as to the reason for his arrival."Good afternoon. To what do I owe this pleasure?" David tried to keep the air light."Will you take in James and Marilyn Bishop as members of your pack?"David's heart sunk. The unthinkable had happened. Clara's mate was the new alpha. David nodded."Marilyn escorted her mate directly to your doctor. He suffered several injuries, but is expected to make a full recovery. He is rapidly healing and should be fine by tomorrow, except for some aches and bruises. It is commendable of you to take in a former alpha, most would fear the competition.""James is a good man. Marilyn was a member of our pack prior to meeting her mate.""Mate
When David woke up Clara was fast asleep. He heard her tossing all night so he tried to sneak out without disturbing her. He really screwed up yesterday and knew it.Last night was supposed to be her night. He assumed she wouldn't want the mark anymore, but then in the kitchen she still did. He replayed the moment over and over in his head.He should have put the food down and followed her then and there, but he thought if he didn't have at least something in his stomach he wouldn't have had the energy he wanted to give her.He grabbed his phone. There was still no call from James. He dialed the number for the umpteenth time and again nobody answered.There was no way Lucas could have won. He tried to think about how the council would notify everyone a new alpha was named. Over the past twenty-six years he couldn't remember a challenge happening.Deciding it was best for Clara to
The council man told Lucas he would have an answer tomorrow. It was impossible to read the old guy, but Lucas was feeling confident. Everything was going his way now.He walked up to his new apartment and sat behind his new desk. In the top drawer sat James' cellphone, which was now Lucas'.He flipped the thing around and debated on making a celebratory call, but decided against it. He started flipping through papers, curious what sort of alpha only information was in the drawers.The door opened and Roxy walked in, she hadn't bothered to dress after the run. Lucas put the phone back in the drawer and sat up."Good evening Alpha," Roxy said. "Everyone is back. You don't want to make an appearance at the party?""It looks like I'm having a private party up here."Roxy walked around the desk and sat in his lap. She tossed her hair over her shoulder exposing her
"You look like hell."Clara was certain Suzy was trying to distract her from the terrible driving, but Clara wasn't fazed. Clara braced herself in the passenger's seat while Suzy continued to speed down the mountain, trying to hit every bump and hole possible.
As always Clara made a beeline for her room. After the incident, as everyone preferred to call it, she was given a new one. It looked almost identically, only closer to the front of the lodge.She started to unpack her bag when someone knocked on her door. The handle started
"Brothers and Sisters tonight we celebrate our good fortunes." James' voice rang out over the field. Clara tried not to get swept up in his speeches, but it was almost impossible not to get drawn in."We have been blessed with much this past week. We continue to live in peace
"Why don't you come out for a drink tonight? Me and some of the women in advising are going right after work?"This was the tenth time a coworker asked Clara to do something social. She was getting sick of giving the same response."I'm going away for the







