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32. Testing love
Lena WindsorThank you for reading!
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The Way You Taste 33. Shadows of legacy
WILLOW’S POINT OF VIEW I stand in formation with my fellow Cadets in the meeting hall, eyes glued on the stage. There are unfamiliar faces among the ranked wolves, but I don’t make any effort to guess who they are. All I can see is Holden. We were told he wasn’t going to be involved in training this year because of his studies. Yet, here he is, on stage, his eyes scanning the crowd, embodying the strength and poise of a future Alpha. He steps forward, clearing his throat. “Welcome, everyone,” he says, his voice clear and steady. “Today, we take the next step in your training. You know about the attack on the Shell and the threat it could mean for our pack. So, we’re going to up our game. I’ve reached out to our allies and asked them to help us. Today, we have the honor of being joined by very special guests. Gathering Storm Pack has sent us an elite squad of 15 warriors to share their wisdom, with their captain, Seth. And Silver Hill Pack has sent Finn, their Gamma, and their futur
The Way You Taste 34. Gathering storm
WILLOW’S POINT OF VIEW The stables hum with the usual noise and chatter, as hay and horses give off their familiar scents – scents I’ve come to love. Today, I’m on brushing duty. There’s something oddly soothing about the brush moving rhythmically against a horse’s coat, seeing how shiny it gets, it’s like a living masterpiece of muscle and power. Harper is still a bitch, but I’ve noticed some subtle changes. Our recent cohort training sections have been pushing us together. The exercises require us to rely on each other for defense and attack, to protect, and to be vulnerable. And then there’s the strategy sessions, where we sit together, maps and plans spread out in front of us. Our voices overlapping and our ideas clashing and merging… We’re learning to value each other’s perspectives, to listen and compromise, to create plans that use both our collective and individual strengths. Somewhere along the line, the shaky foundation of trust was built, and it’s kinda awesome. The pas
The Way You Taste 35. Crisis council
HOLDEN’S POINT OF VIEW Stepping into the Council Room, I can instantly feel the tension hanging heavy in the air. The room’s usually calm and orderly, soothing Father’s OCD. But today, it’s buzzing with uncertainty and worry. Beta Ricardo, Gamma Linda, Delta Andrew, and Elder Johnson sit around the massive wooden table, each with their tablets in hand and their heads leaned in, exchanging urgent whispers. Father is pacing near the fireplace, the flames flickering in his eyes. When Willow walks in behind me, surprise sweeps across the room. Eyebrows shoot up, and I can almost hear the wheels turning in everyone’s heads. "I see your mate is joining us," Father remarks, stopping in his tracks. His eyes move between Willow and me. There’s a faint smile on his lips, but I can sense the underlying scrutiny. He's weighing, assessing, observing how we handle the situation. Alice spins around, her eyes flashing with hurt and anger. “Everyone knew?” Her voice is barely a whisper, but it cut
The Way You Taste 36. On the brink of battle
HOLDEN’S POINT OF VIEW The second I'm out of the Council Room and in the Pack House bunker, fear and anxiety hit me head-on. There is no shame in admitting it, I’d be mad if I weren’t afraid in this situation. Ghost Pack is home to 1,533 werewolves, and this bunker is equipped to house 200 people, with enough food and water to keep them for an entire year. It’s the center of a spider web of underground tunnels leading to several other bunkers, which also have enough room, water, and food. All in all, we can keep our 1,533 pack members and an extra 200 safe and fed should we need to. The ghost of the Siege of Sandy Hills looms large over us, so we’ve prepared for it in the last 60 years. We’re ready to stand natural disasters, bombs, nuclear attacks, radiation, and biological weapons. Not that we ever thought anything other than rogue attacks and wars with other packs would ever happen, but hey, better safe than sorry. Right now, the atrium is alive with urgent activity. It’s like a
The Way You Taste 1. Fresh start
WILLOW’S POINT OF VIEW As I stand by the Ghost Pack territory border, I look back on everything that has led me to this decision. I take a deep breath in and let it out with a heavy sigh. My mother’s eyes are full of sympathy and understanding, but also longing. Longing for me when I’m not even gone yet. And maybe longing for this pack. The tears pooling in her eyes mirror mine. My father, on the other hand, looks stoic. I know he’s putting on a brave face, he would miss me almost as much as Mom would. Lachlan, my brother, couldn’t make it because he had to work. This was my last time driving my red Fiat 500 for the next three months, so my parents came separately in Dad’s car. Dad’s old bitterness doesn’t allow him to step foot into Ghost Pack territory. Of course, that made Mom stay behind too. “Be brave, hun,” Mom says, holding her sobs. “You can always call us.” “Don’t baby her, Nora. She should focus on her training. Don’t call us until after boot camp,” Dad says roughly
The Way You Taste 2. Man of science
HOLDEN’S POINT OF VIEW I can hear Nick skipping down the stairs and humming an upbeat song. If I didn’t know the guy as well as I do, I’d say he just got laid. “Morning, Alpha,” he says. “Beta” I reply. “Princess. Dragon. Satan” he nods at my siblings. Darcy, a.k.a. Satan, my youngest half-brother, blows raspberries at Nick, who mimics him. Soon, Sophie, my half-sister, and Dorian, my other half-brother, join them and they’re seasoning my breakfast with their collective spit. Great. Chef’s kiss. Which one of them is five, again? “Please eat, Nick. I’m in a hurry today. I have lab duty all day and I want to take a look at the barracks before I leave” I say. “Sure. Olivier is already there” my Beta replies. “Course he is” I chuckle. Olivier is one of my closest friends, and the only reason he isn’t a future ranked wolf is I ran out of ranks… In five years, when I become Alpha, Nick will be my Beta, Rhys will be my Gamma, and Sally will be my Delta. Olivier will be right
The Way You Taste 3. The Cadet Program
WILLOW’S POINT OF VIEW The Barracks are located not too far from the Pack House. They are four three-story high shipping container-style buildings, placed around an atrium. This atrium is what they call the Meeting Hall. A horde of young werewolves with smiley faces and bright eyes are in the Hall. I know there are 25 of us because that’s their yearly limit of incoming Cadets. I look around, taking in as many details as I can. There’s a small stage, and when four people walk into it, the Hall goes silent. I can feel their auras, and Jamie makes me bow my head. As a lone wolf living amongst humans, I haven’t had many chances of meeting ranked wolves, but right now, their four combined auras are overwhelming. I feel the urge to submit, to show that I am at their service. I feel the urge to obey and protect them. “They’re our leaders, chosen by the Goddess to guide us. It is our duty and pleasure to serve them,” Jamie says. I scoff. That feels like a bit of a stretch to me, but
The Way You Taste 4. What life will be like
WILLOW’S POINT OF VIEW “We are very happy to have you here,” Olivier steps forwards and says. “Ghost Pack is not at war, it hasn’t been at war or close to it for decades, but the Cadet Program is a most welcome spoil of war. It took Alpha Michael II a war to realize that his pack’s education and training were lacking, and now we honor him and all those who lost their lives in the Siege of Sandy Hills by ensuring their legacy endures.” “I like this guy,” Jamie purrs. “Our goal is not to train soldiers to win a war, our goal is to make every able-bodied pack member the living, breathing embodiment of what Ghost Pack stands for. We stand for education. We stand for strength. We stand for innovation. We stand for unity. We stand for equal rights. And we stand together.” “Heck, I’d vote for him,” someone next to me whispers, and I snort. A few heads turn our way, sporting scowls and frowns. “We believe each pack member should know the basics of defending themselves, but they shoul
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- The Way You Taste 36. On the brink of battle
- The Way You Taste 35. Crisis council
- The Way You Taste 34. Gathering storm
- The Way You Taste 33. Shadows of legacy
- The Way You Taste 32. Testing love
- The Way You Taste 31. Forging strategies
- The Way You Taste 30. Crossroads
- The Way You Taste 29. The morning after
- The Way You Taste 28. Leap of faith
