I stared at my brother. He was smiling up at me with his cheesy grin. His face didn’t show anything other than thinking it was funny to say something like that. Turning on my heel, I threw the door open and headed down the hall.“Cas! Wait!”Jogging down the steps, I turned and glared up at my brother who was still smiling at the top. “That’s not funny, Damian. It’s not a fucking joke.”“Who said I am joking?”I threw my hands out. “You are Alpha. You! I told you time and time again that I did not want to be Alpha. That I was not cut out to be Alpha. I left because I didn’t want to be Alpha.”Damian sighed. “No. You left because you didn’t want the pack to fight over who should be Alpha. Not that you didn’t want to be Alpha.”“It’s the same fucking thing!”“No, it’s not.”‘No, it’s not.’ Onan echoed Damian in my head.All I could do was growl. “I am not. Will not. Ever. Take over as Alpha. If that is what you actually brought me back here for, then I’m leaving. I’m not doing this with
*** Winter’s POV ***I was laying on my stomach in bed when I heard something crash in the living room. Sitting up, I listened intently. Sure enough, something else broke and shook the walls of the house. Footsteps thundered down the stairs until Hannah started yelling to stop. Even Rebecca wouldn’t go that far. That meant that it was my dad.Scrambling up, I grabbed my backpack and shoved my books into the bag. Not just that but I grabbed an extra set of clothes, some snacks that I had hidden, and a few of my travel sized toiletries. Opening up the window quietly, I slipped out. They probably wouldn’t hear me since it sounded like a heard of elephants was stampeding through the living room right now.Closing the window behind me, I crept along the roof before I slipped around the side. Just as I did, the door to my room slammed open.Dad’s volume could be heard even with the window being clos
Luna Ember didn’t say anything for a while. “We had a meeting about the future leadership for the pack. We didn’t decide on anything but we did pretty much invalidated your Dad’s picks.”“Picks? I thought he only had Rebecca as his replacement.”“I won’t go into it. He wasn’t happy when he left the meeting. I…we…never thought it would be bad enough to turn on you though. Damian and I hoped that we would adjust his anger away from you towards Caspian.”I cocked my head to the side and then it clicked. “The rumor that Mr. Penn was going to be Beta…that was you.”“Exactly. You really are too smart for your own good.” Luna Ember chuckled but it fell off fairly quickly. “Are you safe?”“I am. I’ve got multiple layers of security between me and outside.” I looked around the room at all my books. “I have to go home eventually though. I can’t stay here.”She sighed. “I know. Damian is trying to get him to calm down. I’m sorry, Winter.”
Looking past her and Mr. Penn, Dee gave me a smile and a small wave. I looked from Krista’s brother back to her.“Your brother graduated.”“He did.”“But he’s here.”“He is.”“Why?” I asked looking back at him.Krista scoffed. “For you. Mom wanted to make sure you had some muscle on your side. Just in case. He’s just gonna…shadow you today in your classes.”“Absolutely not.” I put my arms up and crossed them. “Hell no. I don’t need protection.”“You do though.”I scoffed. “You think having Dee here is going to make things better? If Dad did show up, and he saw Dee, all hell would break loose. I don’t even want to think about what would happen.” I slung my backpack over my shoulder. “It’s like you guys don’t remember that my dad is the Beta.”“Well, you don’t get a say. Mom was here and…”“She was here? As in…goddess. This cannot…”Krista scoffed and grabbed my wrist before
I knocked on the door to Mr. Penn’s class after school. I’d taken the opportunity after P.E. to take a shower so I was a little later than I probably should have been. However, it did nothing to help my hair situation. Now, I had it up in a wet, frizzy bun on top of my head. Opening the door, Mr. Penn was leaning back in his chair. It was obvious that he was sleeping, his breathing heavier this time.Really, I didn’t want to disturb him but if I left now, I was pretty sure I’d get in more trouble.“Mr. Penn?”His chair fell forward and his eyes flung open. “Winter. Sorry. Give me a moment.”Shaking my head, I stood at the door. “It’s fine. Take your time. I don’t need to be anywhere.”“You do, actually. I need to take you to the pack house. Alpha Damian wanted to speak with you.”He gathered up his bag and a few of the papers on his desk before swinging his b
“I…what?” I couldn’t look away from Alpha.“You defeat Gamma Maddox and you can stay in that house with Beta, his chosen, and the child. However, if you lose, you will be adopted out. You will live in the pack house. You will move on from this childish hyper focus on a piece of property.”Tears sprung to my eyes as I looked at Gamma Maddox. He put his hands up and shook his head. Gamma Maddox probably had been commanded because despite enjoying a good fight, this would be out of character for him. Hell, this was out of Alpha Damian’s character.“Aurik, that’s going too far.” Mr. Penn frowned, his arms crossed over his chest. “Winter doesn’t have the training. You know that.”“Should I just order her instead? Damian wanted to give the pup the chance and this is what I decided. I am done watching, Caspian. I’m done letting this get
Squeezing my eyes shut, I slowly pulled my limbs back to into a position I could try and get up. Everything hurt. Everything felt broken. I was still conscious though. That felt more of a win than anything. It also meant that I wasn’t done. Alpha didn’t realize it, but I’d have every intention of putting my life on the line. There was no giving up. Not when it was the one thing I had left to fight for.Rolling over, I managed to push up on all fours. Slowly, I pulled one foot up and planted it in the grass. I pushed up but let myself fall to the right as I felt a gust of wind blow by me. My eyes widened as I looked at Gamma Maddox’s arm a few inches from my face. It was sunk into the wall behind me.I wouldn’t call it scrambling, not at the pace I was going, but it didn’t look pretty as I forced myself to stand as quickly as I could. Swaying a little bit, I squared up again despite the protest of every single muscle, nerve, bone, and fiber of my being. At some point, i
I was sitting up in the hospital bed, a lap-table in front of me, as I did my homework. Krista brought it by every day after school since I was still stuck here. When she came with her mom on Friday after the doctor called her, I was forced to listen to a five minute lecture. It ranged from how much of an idiot I was, to how reckless I was, and back to how much of an idiot I was. Her mom finally stopped her after she started to hyperventilate as she fumed.For the most part, everything was healed. Bones were put back in place and any internal bleeding stopped. On Monday, Gamma Maddox came by to apologize. Though, we ended up talking more about the fight than anything. I knew he was just doing as Alpha requested. I didn’t hold it against him and if anything, it was a good lesson. It hammered home that I still had a long way to go.Dad never came by but I wasn’t surprised about that. What was surprising was that Alpha Damian or even Luna Ember never came by. I thought th
‘Your mate thinks you’re mad at her.’Ignoring Onan, I stormed into the store. Grabbing a few things here and there, I tossed everything into my cart. Wrinkling my nose, I grabbed pasta and some chicken thighs. I knew Winter’s tomatoes were ripe, so she could use them and make a full pasta dish with this. We also already had spinach so that would be fine.“Alpha!”My eyes shut for a moment before I turned around. “Beta.”“You doing alright? You like a little…” I waited to see if he wouldn’t finish his sentence. “…pissed?”Running my hands through my hair, I smiled a little too wide. “I’m fine, Dee. Is there something you needed?”“No. Just wondering…” He glanced at my cart. “…when you were coming back to training. Luna has been coming three times a week lately and I feel like it might be a bit much. You guys seemed to swap schedules. Everything okay?”“Yeah. Good. You’ll have to ask Winter what’s going on.”Dee pursed his lips. “I tried to get Krista to talk to her. She and Jackson ar
*** Caspian’s POV *** I winced as I heard a bottle shatter in the kitchen. Standing up from my lean, I looked out through the glass door. Shaking my head, I slipped the parchment paper in between the pages of the book I was currently translating. Walking around my desk, I opened up the door, the seal breaking as the door opened.It really was amazing how soundproof Winter had made my office. Castiel was standing in the kitchen next to his sister, crying. Shyla was about to cry, her hands holding onto her dress tightly. The whole house now smelled like cherries and a hint of vodka. Winter was kneeled down, quickly wiping up the glass from the floor.My mate looked up at me and I could see a smile playing on her lips. It wasn’t serious and it looked like no one had been hurt. Clearing my throat, the two of the turned and I raised my eyebrow. That’s all it took. Shyla dissolved into tears and Castiel held onto her dress, crying with her.‘He’s crying in solidarity.’ Kamari added and I w
Caspian chuckled, grabbing another chocolate donut from the box. “I have to meet with Alpha Bitters while you’re gone. What did you want me to say?”“That’s rude, Alpha.” Dee spoke with his mouth out. “Calling the wolf bitter.”“Dee!” Both Caspian and I called him out. “That’s his last name!”I turned back to Caspian, pinching the bridge of my nose and trying to ignore Dee’s sassier attitude since becoming Beta. “I would say, for now, that we have a potential mating option for his youngest. If that would be something he is open to. Rebecca doesn’t turn eighteen until next month. She’s also already set for remedial classes after school is done. So, it’s going to be a few months. I don’t want to set expectations, but I would like the option there.”The room quieted for a moment. Hannah and Caleb were found guilty. Their sentences were being served. However, it wasn’t something that the Council would tell us. Only that, they would not be coming back to pack. Rebecca was actually under Ca
“There would need to conditions.”I nodded.“You need to get your diploma. GED or graduate high school. That comes first.”I nodded again.“I will need to know how long you are leaving for, where you will be, who will be with you, as well as you calling me every night.”I nodded again.“We need to make sure that the pack is transitioned and that we are covered in case something did happen. I don’t want their Luna not being on territory making the pack feel uneasy.”Pressing my lips together, I fought to keep the smile taking over my face as I continued to nod.“One more thing, Winter. Before I agree to any this, you need to agree to this.”“What is it?” My heart pounded in my chest.He stared at me for a minute before a wicked grin filled his face. “You choose our Beta and Gamma.”My mouth dropped open. Onan roared in laughter and Kamari even snickered. Blinking at Caspian, he was smirking as his head cocked to the side. His eyebrow rose as he looked at me.“Agreed?” He held out his h
‘‘Winter…’I hummed and shook my head.‘Winter, you need to wake up. You’re worrying our mate.’‘Five more minutes, Mom.’The voice laughed. ‘Oh, Winter. I am not your mother.’My eyes flung open and I sat up. The head rush made me press my palm to my temple. Blinking, I looked around my room. Outside was completely dark and I didn’t see Caspian. The blankets had been pulled over me and I was tucked in. Groaning, I leaned forward and rubbed my eyes. Did I really pass out after sex? Was that a thing?‘It is. Especially when you do something like breaking a magical seal.’I sucked in my breath. Tears filled my eyes and covered my mouth. Choking out a sob, I squeezed my eyes shut.‘You…you are my wolf.’‘I am, Winter. I am Kamari.’Barking out laughing, I shook my head but I couldn’t stop the tears. Caspian threw open the door and took my head in my hands. He forced me to look at him as he searched my face. Tears continued to fall but I smiled.“She…she’s there.”Caspian’s eyes widened.
I felt myself reach out, but it was also being controlled by someone else. Together, we reached our arms out for Caspian. He surged forward, climbing onto the bed and into our arms. Wrapping around him, I pulled him into a kiss.“I love you.”He hummed, but it sounded more like a growl. After I leaned back to breathe, his lips pressed against my skin everywhere. My head crushed the pillow and I nearly screamed as his mouth found my nipple. I wasn’t new to touching my nipples for sexual pleasure, but nothing could prepare me for how it felt when he did. His tongue swirled around before Caspian took the stiff peak between his teeth.Spots fulled my vision and I shook, my chest rapidly rising and falling. Caspian’s head cocked to the side for a moment before he smiled. I was mortified. He’d simply touched my nipple and I’d climaxed.“Winter…did you…?”“Shut up. Please…don’t make this worse…”I squeaked when Caspian kissed down my stomach and nuzzled between my legs. My hands reached down
I walked up behind Caspian. He was staring at the pile that had been left after the fire. We decided to wait until we ordered a dumpster for the remodel to get rid of all of it. It felt weird to just leave the scorched remnants of all the painful memories out the back door. Still, it would be taken care of soon.There were a few people who decided to go out to dinner, but after everything, I took Caspian home. Mrs. St James brought over some food for us. I thanked her while I served us both a plate, Caspian didn’t touch it. I’d taken a shower, only to find him out here.“Cas?”He hummed, turning to me. His put his glasses back on, but not even the thick lenses could hide his pain. Reaching out, I laced my fingers between his. Lifting our hands, Caspian kissed the back of mine.“I’m sorry. I know I should be happy.”Shaking my head, I leaned it against his shoulder. “We won the war, but the cost was high. If you were dancing around, I think I would be more worried.”“I just…don’t under
Both of them were breathing heavily as they continued to match each other. The fight was dragging on and I winced when Damian landed his first real hit on Caspian. It was to the side of the head with his fist. Caspian had been expecting a kick, but at the last minute, Damian switched it up and his fist flew at an incredible speed. There were times that I could barely keep up with their movements.Caspian stumbled back, having to set his hand down on the ground for a moment as to not fall back. I felt myself coil up as Damian smirked. He didn’t say anything and there was barely a second taken before he launched into another attack. This didn’t throw Caspian off at all. Instead, when Damian got close enough, Caspian shifted into his wolf.Smiling, I was happy to see the sweet wolf who protected me against Galen a few months ago. I’d never realized it was him until much later. Until one of the times he left a note and raced off in wolf form.He didn’t stay a wolf long though. As Damian o
Over the next half hour, more and more of the pack filled the seats. I thought that Damian’s side would be packed to the brim but it was surprisingly more evenly split. I didn’t stand with the Councilors too long, instead, making my way back to everyone. As the arena got louder, I got quieter. Krista shot me smiles when she caught my gaze. Dee came over and put his hand on my head, keeping it there.Everyone hushed again and I thought maybe more of the other Councilors showed up. I was partially right. Councilor Morel and Councilor Dommik stepped in, followed by Damian, Ember, Caleb, Hannah, and Rebecca. We watched as Hannah and Rebecca headed up and took seats in the front row. Neither of them looked good. Dark circles, disheveled hair, and wrinkled clothes; it was my first time seeing either of them like so unkept.Damian, Ember and Caleb stayed down, walking over to the seats that were against the wall at ground level. All of them exuded anger. Councilor Morel and Councilor Dommik