[Conditions] ARIELLA Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the dining room for breakfast to find my mother and grandparents seated at the table. My father was not present. In normal circumstances, I would dismiss his absence, as he would be preoccupied with early morning pack business. After all, he was the alpha. This morning was different, though. Overall, I felt like my father was avoiding me. By avoiding the issue, he was also driving a wedge between us. For now, I’d push it aside. There would be time to deal with that after training. “Good morning, everyone,” I said as I entered the room, kissed my mom, my grandmother, then hugged my grandfather. “Good morning, dear,” my mother said with a forced smile. “Your father had some business to attend to this morning.” “I see,” I replied. It wasn’t unusual for him to be called away on pack business, but something about the way my mother acted made me suspect there was more going on than she let on. As soon as I pulled out my chair

[A Second Warning] MALIK “Do you two have any bloody idea how reckless and stupid it was doing what you did?” Gilbert shouted from the top of the steps. “Why would you do something so reckless?” “Or worse, killed!” added his wife, Mandy, coming to stand beside him. “I can’t believe you would be so careless with your lives.” “At least we wanted to do something,” Amanda retorted, walking up the stairs to him. “It’s better than sitting around making plans for another attack when the last one went so well.” She crossed her arms. “What part of you could’ve been killed, do you not understand?” Gilbert argued. “These werewolves only care about soaking the earth with our blood, nothing more.” “Then why didn’t they kill us?” Amanda countered, matching her father’s rage. “Why did they allow us onto their territory and not slit our throats, as you’ve been telling us since we were kids?” “Guys, their Alpha agreed to a treaty,” I spoke up, breaking the scorching stare-off between Gilbert and

[Trouble] ARIELLA It was a whirlwind of emotions as I buried my face in my mom’s chest and sobbed. Through my tears, I could feel the pounding of her heart against me. Her scent filled my nostrils, a comforting mixture of flowers and rainwater that soothed me. Holding me close to her body, she gently stroked my hair as she murmured comforting words into my ear. She too was clearly shaken. Why though? She couldn’t have witnessed what I saw during my vision—the image of our family and pack surrounded by flames while they writhed in agony and pain. I kept trying to make sense of what I saw. Though everything had happened so fast and without warning, it seemed like an eternity since the vision first came crashing into my mind. As she comforted me, my dad rushed into the room, his face contorted into a grotesque mask of terror and fury. “What was that?” he asked in a raspy and devastating voice. “Why did you show that gruesome scene to the entire pack?” I lifted my head off my mother

[Said The Spider To The Fly] SEBASTIAN I peered up from behind my computer screen, a frown creasing my brow just as the door swung open to reveal Rory. Backing away from the door, Rory gave me an apologetic look. “Alpha Declan of the Whitewater pack is here, as you requested.” “Yes, send him in.” I pushed the chair away from the desk and rose to my full height. Rory stepped aside to let the broad-shouldered Alpha enter. A look of surprise crossed my stubbled face to see the man standing in the doorway. After the way we left things the last time—unhinged—I wasn’t sure he’d come. I rounded my desk and greeted Declan with a firm handshake. “I appreciate your coming on such short notice, Alpha Declan. It seems every time we meet, we’re always trying to protect the people we love,” I chuckled, to which Declan reciprocated. “Thank you for having me, although I am uncertain why you called.” His voice was deep and commanding, but kind. “Please, have a seat.” I gestured towards a chair

[Friends] AMBERSKY PACK Multiple grenades exploded at the borders surrounding the pack house, spraying silver nitrate in the air. More howls of pain rang out as the hunters used this unfair advantage to move in on the wolves guarding their posts. One by one, the wolves fell, their plaintive cries echoing in the early morning air. The other wolves scattered in all directions, trying to escape the searing pain that was consuming them. Smoke rose from their fur as they ran, and the acrid smell of burning flesh permeated the air. A handful of wolves made it to safety, but many were caught by the hunters and killed. This was a massacre, a slaughter of innocents that would be remembered for years to come. “Connor, what’s your status?” Alpha Sebastian asked through the mind-link. Sebastian could make out shadows heading toward the pack house through the fog. He had to resist the impulse to pounce, despite his carnal inclinations, for there was silver and wolfsbane in the air. “We’ve l