The following morning, Arla made her way downstairs to the Alpha’s office. She had never been in his office before, it had always been off limits. She couldn’t resist running her hands across the marble-topped wooden desk. It was stunning.  “You like the desk?” he asked, noticing her fingers caressing it. “It’s absolutely gorgeous,” she replied, sitting down across from him, crossing her legs. A knock at the open door sounded, and Drew stood in the doorway holding a cup of coffee and a croissant. “Little lady, good morning,” he nodded his head at Arla before turning his attention to Lorenzo. “Shall I come back later?” “No, stay. Arla is involved in this discussion. Close the door please,” he asked, motioning Drew to

Arla once again enjoyed training in her human form. Jake and Milo paired her with people closer to her ability this time, and she was challenged much more fiercely than the previous day. She still shook her head thinking about Chloe’s abysmal efforts. She could feel eyes on her back throughout the session, and each time she turned, she saw Violet’s contemptuous glare. Arla hated to admit it, but Violet was an exceptional fighter; strong, light on her feet and quick thinking. Violet’s dad Alan had been one of Alpha Emilio’s best warriors, and now Alpha Lorenzo entrusted him with the training of the pack’s elite squad. It was clear he had done a lot of training with his daughter.  She was impressive. With the extra training Arla had been given at the coven, she was ahead of most of the other she-wolves her age, but Violet was in a league of her own. 

Maeve lunged at Dusk and sank her canines into his left foreleg, a gesture which Dusk repeated, biting her in return. Drew and Arla felt a bond form, like an invisible tether connecting the two of them, and their two wolves, together. “What the fuck?” shouted Lorenzo, opening a mind-link between the three of them. “Maeve just said ‘mine’, then lunged at Dusk,” replied Arla, her voice shaky. “What does that even mean? I can feel the bond, but I’m not old enough for a mate. We can’t be mates, Drew.” Lorenzo’s chest felt tight, his heart raced, and even though he was in the back of Marcel’s mind, he felt dizzy, as though the ground beneath him had given way, his entire world crumbling around him. Bond? Mates? Arla had to be wrong.

“What the fuck, Violet!” Arla roared in pain.  Milo blew the whistle again, loudly. “VIOLET, the session is OVER,” he yelled. “Oops, sorry Milo, I guess I didn’t hear it,” Violet purred at him, an innocent look plastered on her face. “No excuse. You will sit out of wolf training today and the Alpha will be notified. Get outside,” he shouted. “Are you ok, Arla?” “Yeah, I’m fine thanks Milo. I’m sure it will heal quickly, the pain is already easing up,” she replied, rubbing her face gingerly. “You don’t say,” he mumbled, his eyebrows raised as he watched her cheekbone and eye socket move back into place under her skin. The bright red mark on her face disappeared, along wi

By the time they’d reached the packhouse, Felix’s dad was already there waiting to assess Arla’s injury. Alpha Lorenzo walked inside and placed Arla on the couch in the lounge room, and Dr Thompson began to clean the dried blood from the area so he could take a better look. “Dr Thompson, thanks for coming so quickly,” said Alpha Lorenzo, coming back from his office and putting on a spare shirt. “No problem at all, Alpha. When I heard it was Arla, I came as quickly as I could.” “How does it look?” “I’m amazed,” replied Dr Thompson. “Do you mind if the Alpha has a look, Arla?” “Sure,” she replied with a shrug. He’d seen it anyway. Lorenzo squatted on the floor next to the couc