MADDIE POV
“Okay, let’s do it.” I agree, still unsure I’ll be able to make that choice if I don’t find him. But Daddy is right, I’ve never had the opportunity to go very far to search for him. This will be perfect.
“Good. Thank you for agreeing to the trip. Now, one more thing.” He says as I roll my eyes and take another bite of delicious Nutella brownie. There’s always ‘one more thing’ to talk about. Ever the alpha.
“There will be a council spot opening up within the next year and I want you to vie for the seat.” I drop my spoon in shock that he would ask me to join the council. But then I realize who’s seat is opening up and I begin to get angry.
“Who? Who is retiring?” I think I already know; I just want him to confirm it.
“Armaros.” I growl when Daddy says his name. “I know honey, we all feel that way. But once the twins take their pack, you’ll have a lot of free time. Nolan and I both think you’d be perfect for the seat. And if we find you a mate, no one can deny you the opportunity.”
“You’d be perfect for the seat, sweet pea.” Mama says with a smile. “Besides, technically, as his successor, the seat is already yours.”
“Fuck that noise! I refuse to take his seat as his heir. If… and that is a BIG if, I decide to try for the council, I will run like every other Alpha. I refuse to acknowledge that I have any of that asshole’s blood flowing through my veins.” I growl out.
I already have grandparents. Amazing ones who love me unconditionally. I don’t need that ex-Alpha-hole in my life at all; trying to use me or abuse me. I saw, firsthand, what his influence did to Kent. I’ve refused to see him or let him be part of my life since I was seven years old, I’m not changing that now.
“We can revisit that later. I just wanted to put the bug in your ear and have you think about it.” Daddy says.
“Okay. I’ll think about it.” I concede to his request, really just wanting the subject to drop.
“We don’t want to keep you from your ‘me’ day. Enjoy the rest of your adventures, sweet pea.” Mama says as she stands and hugs me again. Daddy scoots out of the booth and hugs me too.
“I’ll be by Blue Meadow in a few days. I’ll bring Thomas and Niall, and we’ll all go for a run together. If Infinity is bad, the three of us can handle her, but you need to let her out more. It’ll help keep her sane a little longer.” I nod, knowing he’s right. He usually is.
“I love you both, bigger than Pi is infinite.”
“We love you too, baby girl.”
“Bigger than Pi is infinite.” Mama adds in with another smile.
~~~~
I pull up to Maeve’s Tavern well after dark. I can hear the rock music and smell the heavy scents of stale alcohol, weed, cigarette smoke and the faint hint of sex from out here. I love this place. The owner is a pack member of my brother’s at River View. Maeve used to work at the packhouse when I was growing up. She’d bring her pups along with her to work and we’d all get into so much trouble together. So, she has always had a soft spot for me. Well, all the Evans kids, really.
Maeve keeps all of our favorite liquors refrigerated on the off chance we stop by. Hell, she’s even got a special ‘Evans Hellions’ refrigerator behind the bar where she keeps all those liquors. Its embossed on the stainless-steel door for all to see. I laughed when she put that in.
However, she always knows to expect me on my birthday night. And she usually makes it a ladies drink free night, so I’ll have plenty of good males to choose from. More men come to the ladies nights than women, simply because they think they have a better chance of finding a nightly hook up. Little do they know; they are the true target audience.
The first time she did this for me, I thought it was a little weird that she was helping me hook up. I mean, she’s known me since I moved into the packhouse when I was seven. She’s like a surrogate grandmother. But it’s not strange anymore, I’ve gotten used to it.
I think about how the rest of my day went as I approach the heavy wooden door to enter the dark, crowded bar. I took a long, leisurely drive up the mountain side to Cliff’s Edge pack. It is my sister, Suzie’s pack territory. I saw her pack patrols and they acknowledged my presence, but no one approached me.
All of my siblings allow me access anytime I want to their pack lands, but only when I am alone. Technically, being an Alpha, I am supposed to announce myself at pack proper, but we all have an understanding; I periodically need alone time to re-center myself and I am most comfortable, when away from my own pack, to be on one of theirs.
I know I am safe, and I can feel their Royal Alpha powers pulsing through their respective territory. My siblings are a comfort, a balm to my slightly unhinged-ness. I knew that Suzie knew I was there too; she could feel me, just as I could feel her. She left me be, but I could feel her love and support for me through our family bond.
I sat on the edge of the cliff that Suzie’s pack is named for, and I watched the forest wildlife skitter about below me. It’s always so peaceful and serene up there. Quiet. The perfect spot for life contemplation and deep thoughts.
I sat there and thought back, over all that has happened in my thirty-six years of living. To the difficult times as a child before Mama met Daddy. How hard she had to work to make ends meet. The sacrifices she made to make sure my genius brain excelled. It was so incredibly difficult for me, to watch her starve herself because we couldn’t afford food. To see her working herself to the bone to be able to afford my special school. The guilt I felt while watching her do these things, tore at me, constantly.
Until I got my wolf, Infinity.
UNKNOWN POV I watch from the tree top where I’m perched, just on the edge of Blue Meadow’s territory lines, but safely inside ‘no man’s land’. The safe zone, where I won’t be detected and hunted by patrol wolves. I see Alpha Madison leading her pack to the large granite stone in the middle of the blue dahlia field where they hold their funerals. Walking next to the little runt shifter is a man I never expected to see on Blue Meadow territory. I never expected to see him on any pack territory. Anywhere. Ever. Joshua Logan. We received word that she found her mate and shockingly, he is human. I came to investigate myself instead of sending a lacky spy in my place. I had to know for sure, with my own eyes, if our information is correct. It seems our informant wasn’t lying. Famous NFL star Joshua Logan is her fated mate. She wouldn’t be holding hands like that if he wasn’t. This poses a serious problem for
JOSH POV Holy fuck! I have magic?! Seriously? This can’t be real! Can it? I guess it can, since werewolves are real. Soulmates are real. My life being turned into a supernatural shit show is real. So, why CAN’T I have magic too? Fuck. My. Life. Why the hell was I the one who was given this… what even is this? A curse? A gift? Right this very minute, it feels like a curse. All of a sudden, I am feeling incredibly overwhelmed. I’m overwrought with anxiety and sexual tension. The last few days have been a lot and I’m really not sure I can handle much more at one time. I just thought I was helping Maddie with her own grief, simply by being by her side and holding her hand. I didn’t know I was doing all of that magical emotional morphing stuff. I run my hands over my face and up into my hair. How much weirder can my life get right now? I really miss the days, which were not that long ago mind you, when all
MADDIE POV “We can get into MI a little more later on. Right now though, I want to fill you in on something that happened at the funeral stone tonight. The reason I kissed you and thanked you after the howling.” I say as I come out from behind my desk and sit on my sofa. I pat the cushion next to me, inviting Josh to sit with me. Josh sits beside me and takes my free hand, “You know, I was curious about that.” He says as he leans over and gives me a little kiss. “However, whatever the reason may be, I’ll never deny you a kiss, Maddie.” I know I begin to blush. I don’t know why either. “Well umm,” I have to clear my throat, giving me a moment to get my hormones back under control. A simple peck brings my desire for Josh roaring right back to the surface. Unfortunately, this isn’t the time, but it’s coming. Fin begins wagging her tail and purring a bit at the thought of finally having our mate. “I haven’t fully explained the Luna position t
MADDIE POV The feeling begins while I’m standing on the funeral stone reading off the names of our fallen. My heart is heavy and aching. I can feel Infinity whimpering in pain and sadness inside my head, our guilt overwhelming us both, because we didn’t protect our whole pack from the torturous pains of death. But as I near the end of my list, I feel a pull, a tug on my despair. As it leaves my body, my voice gains strength and my emotions of peace and serenity coat my prayer to Selene. I know the pack feels the change too. As they lift their heads to howl their final goodbye, their wolves move forward, wanting to acknowledge the impact their Luna is having on all of our grief. I hear their gruff animal voices in the pack link, almost bringing me to my knees in shock and surprise. Our wolf spirits don’t choose to communicate with many other than their human counterpart and their mate. Even our pups don’t hear their wolf parent’s voice very many times
JOSH POV This is quite the experience. I’ve never witnessed something of this magnitude before. Yes, I’ve been to funerals, but I’ve never seen one as big as this. Not only is it a large crowd, but everyone is walking to the funeral site. All the funerals I’ve attended in my life, everyone drove to the cemetery. And they were usually in the morning or early afternoon, not at night. It is pitch black out here. All I can see are our candles and the faces of the people nearest to me illuminated by their own candle’s tiny flame. But far in the distance, I can see larger flames lighting up the night. I’m just thankful that Maddie has a hold of my hand, or I wouldn’t be able to find my way. As we get closer, I realize the flames I saw are torches. Fires blaze at the top of long wooden poles that are standing tall from being secured in stone holes. The stone in which these holes are carved stands high above our heads. It looks to be at least ten foot tall a
MADDIE POV“Sweet pea?” Mama calls out, checking to see if I’m here. I step into my bedroom from the bathroom with my hair done and clothing in hand.“Hey Mama. You and Josh have a good afternoon?” I ask. She still looks tired but she’s moving around much better than she was earlier today, so I know she’s recovering fairly well.“Yes. I filled him in on a lot of things today. He seems to be absorbing it all pretty well. I guess that’s to be expected since he’s your fated mate. Selene wouldn’t gift you someone who fought the existence of shifters too much. He looked through the photo album several times and each time he had many questions. But he never seemed scared or repulsed by anything, so that’s good.”“Honestly, I’m surprised that he’s taken everything in so well. Most humans run away when they first meet a shifter or see us shift. I just knew seeing the battle would make him run and reject me, but he didn’t. I am pleasantly surprised by him each time we talk. Where is he, by the