Jacob Ivy called and told me everything that she and mom learned at Juniper Moon about the recent cattle theft. Before Ivy could tell me anything more, mom snatched the phone from her and told me to be at the house for a family dinner. Something was up with that woman and I’m not sure what it was. When I got back into Medicine Rock territory, I didn't bother going back to the office. I was too restless now after everything and I had stuff to handle outside of the packhouse anyway. I checked on the guards and asked certain people if they had requested time off with Lacy. Only one of the guards had talked to her about taking time off, but he knew he needed to come to me about it. I got him squared away with the time he needed and wondered what the hell Lacy was doing putting her nose in the guards’ business. The guards were part of my duties and hers were over the pack town. After clearing all of it up, I set up patrols around Wolfe Ranch for the next week during the day an

Owen The next morning came quickly and I was up early with Cat as usual. We got dressed for our day and had breakfast together in a silent house. It had been odd when Ivy and Jacob moved out after they turned eighteen, but it was even odder when Briar moved out and Jasper left. Jasper would eventually come back, I’m sure, but right now his adventures found him all over the state, then all over the country. I’m not sure what that boy was doing or looking for, but he would call to let us know where he was and that he was safe. After eating breakfast, we cleaned the dishes and wiped the kitchen down. When we were done, we walked out to Cat's truck so she could leave for the ranch. She climbed into the front seat and I stood in between the door and her. I tenderly kissed her lips, then her forehead as I savored her scent of lupine flowers for a long day of work ahead of me. "I'll see you at the ranch when I'm done at Sandstone," I told her. "Ok. Be careful. I don't trust

(Trigger warning; mentions of rape) Maverick The lights of the bar I was sitting in were dim and comforting to my eyes and soul. I always liked the darkness of night compared to the light of day. I guess that’s why I chose to be more nocturnal and work at night instead of being normal. My new line of work was perfect for me, considering I had to be a thief in the night. I was perched on a barstool leaning against the bar next to my best friend, Oliver. We had been stuck to each other's hips since we met in the third grade. I wouldn’t trade him for the best horse in the world, or all the money I could possibly spend. He was good to me and was always there when I needed him. Some might say that he follows me around like a love-sick puppy, and I’ve had my suspicions about it for some time now. Oliver was as tall as me but had a slender build compared to me. He had super blonde hair to go with his deep blue eyes. He was charming with the ladies but not very honest with the

Maggie I was done with everything that I needed to do today and was bored as hell. I cleaned the house and organized my closet before running some errands around the pack town. Here at Sandstone, we had our own little grocery store and we needed a few things from there. Normally, after getting chores done, I would sit and read in the nook in my room, but I was too restless to do that today. I grabbed my latest reading material and sighed while looking at the cover. It was a great book, but I just wasn’t feeling it today. I set it back down and looked out my window, longing to be that brave woman and just run off. I sat in the nook and opened the window to let the breeze blow into my face as I thought about Jacob. Messaging him and learning about him these past few days has been great. Though just the texts and phone calls weren’t enough for either of us. We both wanted and needed more. He wanted to see me again and I wanted that too. I knew that he was currently at

Ivy After having lunch with everyone and meeting Maggie, I jumped into my truck that was at the guest house and left for Juniper Moon. As I got closer to the front gate of the property, I texted Torin to let him know that I was here. I got to the gates and rolled my window down to talk to the guards. They recognized me right away, smiled, and opened the gates. I drove through and got a text from Torin telling me to meet him at the packhouse. I drove up to the large barn-like building, found his truck, and parked next to it. I turned my truck off and got out before I started to walk toward the packhouse. I stepped up onto the porch just as the door opened and Torin stepped out. He grinned at me and left the door wide open as he walked towards me. I smiled up at him right before he dipped down to kiss my lips in greeting. I didn’t shy away from him and eagerly touched my lips to his. The kiss was sweet and tender as he pressed his lips to mine and inhaled my scent. Torin d