Oliver We had cells here. They were probably my least favorite place to be. But here I sat, for the third day in a row, trying to get information out of a hostage. Cody and Trevor had both offered to take over for me, but I had refused. It was my responsibility, as both the alpha and Lya’s mate. I’d get her safely back to this territory if it was the last thing I did. Besides, I had dropped the responsibility my alpha title demanded too much. It was time to reclaim it. We had never had a human in these cells before, but my warriors that had been sent to the hunters’ Oklahoma outpost had brought back a hostage. The usual tactics - silver and wolfsbane - weren’t working, and as I sat staring at my bloody and bruised hands, I had to wonder if this guy even knew anything at all. A wicked smile crossed my face as I came up with one last idea before handing this project off to someone else. “Let’s try this one last time,” I said, staring him down. His eyes were swollen nearly shut, b

Oliver Over two hundred wolves had the hunters’ compound surrounded. In another four hours, there would be another three hundred and fifty more. We were overprepared, but I didn’t care. Every single wolf here knew exactly why and who they were here for. Given the way her story was told, I truly hoped they would be here even if she wasn’t their alpha’s mate. I would have to make sure Lya knew that everyone knew now. She was the girl who overcame her upbringing only to put her life on the line for an entire population she barely knew. She was the girl who didn’t need a knight in shining armor. She just needed a sword, and she found her own. I never even stuttered when I declared she was my mate. I couldn’t muster the courage to try and mindlink with Lya, but Cody had filled me in on what little Liam had been able to pass on, including the fact that in some way or another, her dad was involved in this whole mess. No one was quite sure what Lya had done to set the wheels in motion, b

Oliver I saw red. The first I heard from Lya in weeks, and it was a plea for help. I followed my nose, bursting through the door blocking me from her. I couldn’t see her anywhere, but I knew she was here. There were countless other wolves from her birth pack on my tail, and we immediately set to work dispatching the stragglers looking to escape us, dragging most out of cars that refused to start. I finally spotted her, underneath one of the vehicles disabling it. I took half a second to let out a breath of relief and smile. Smart girl. I lost track of her again, though, my focus shifting to keeping others away from her. It wasn’t until I had no one else in my sights and everything had fallen quiet that I heard her voice ringing through the garage, filled with confidence and conviction. “I’m challenging your alpha title.” I spun around, charging for where she was. I wasn’t going to let her risk her life like this. But, I was stopped by Cody and Gregory. 'She initiated the

Oliver Lya’s own little army sat in the waiting room as she underwent surgery. Everyone seemed to be glaring at someone. Liam and I continued with our silent argument through looks alone, Jade and Jason - Lya’s supposed cousins - were arguing about whose fault it was they hadn’t realized Lya was a wolf, Thom kept his eyes locked on them as he rocked Kai, silently begging them to be quiet, Anna and Trevor were still in a staring contest about his refusal to let her start warrior training, and Cody was curiously enough shooting daggers at Jade. Marjorie was the only one sitting quietly, observing everything. Brandon waltzed back into the room, returning from his mission for “supplies.” “You all need to take a chill pill,” he said, handing everyone a beer. “We are all on the same side here, don’t forget.” I sighed and sat back, cracking my beer. “You’re right.” “I mean really, you can be as angry as you want that Lya accidentally landed herself an alpha gig, but think of why you’re a

Oliver I ignored Dr. Whitledge’s request to know where his patient was. He was a smart man, he could figure it out. What was the point of sitting and relaxing in a hospital bed when she could easily do the same thing at home? I had no intentions of letting her out of my sight anytime, either. It was a noble effort, but Lya only lasted all of a half hour before she passed out, slumped over on my shoulder. The firepit was still burning, though, and the Woodford was still being passed around. I had watched her closely before she fell asleep. There was a dam that was going to break, and I wanted as much warning as I could get. She was handling things alarmingly well for now - too well. The only person she truly strayed away from talking to was Liam. I had to wonder if she even realized who he was. My eyes danced back and forth between them, picking out their similarities. They had the same wild mess of red curly hair, freckles, and features, the same eyes that seemed to change colors w