(Cassie POV)Life at White Howler’s pack soon returned to normal, but it was a “new normal.” Alpha Fred had kept his circle of accomplices very small, and so most wolves were quickly cleared of any type of wrongdoing. The council had originally planned to offer the alpha position to Alpha Fred’s Beta, who had his own vices but was generally well respected. Pack members had not seen him in a while; Alpha Fred told most people that he and his family left on an alliance-building trip in Europe. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a lie. The Beta had discovered some of Alpha Fred’s misconduct, and Alpha Fred arranged his permanent “disappearance.”Next in line for the position was my father. My father declined the position because he was of gamma descent, and he felt strongly that the alpha needed to have alpha blood to prevent enemies seeing weakness.The final person to be offered the alpha position was Megan’s mate, Mike. As the chief warrior, he was next in line after my fathe

(Aaron POV) I’ve been having a hard time since Cassie left Blue Moon a few months ago. She was funny and easy to talk to. When she was around, I felt more like myself… or at least more like the me that I was before my mom and Allison died. I know that Jason and Cassie have been talking and trying to work on their relationship. In some ways, it is hard for me to think about Cassie being with Jason. At the same time, if he can fix things and bring her back here, at least she will be here. She will be safe, happy, and I will be able to talk to her from time to time. I have reached out grab my phone to call her at least half a dozen times, but each time I stopped myself. I feel like it would be inappropriate. Cassie is Jason’s mate. Even if Cassie is my friend, it is inappropriate for another unmated male to be reaching out to her, especially while her relationship with Jason remains unstable. I tried going on a couple of dates with other she-wolves. It had been a while since

(Jason POV) I was in the packhouse dining hall, happily ingesting my ninth whiskey cocktail in the past two hours as I scoped out various she-wolves, trying to decide which skirt or skirts I was going to enjoy in my bed tonight, when Josephine comes running up to me. “Have you seen Cassie?” she asks frantically. “No.” “Where did she go after you two talked?”“She stayed in your suite. She was waiting for you like you asked her to.” “She’s not there. I found her purse, but she’s gone.” “I’m sure she just went to take a walk or something. It’s been a long day; she probably just needs some time,” I reassured her, as my eyes caught a beautiful, busty brunette walking by. Perhaps she would like a ride on the Jason train tonight. “Jason, please focus,” Josephine chastised me. "Alpha Mike called us from White Howlers’ pack. He felt Cassie’s link to the pack break. Her sister and parents are freaking out. They think she may be dead.” Josephine’s words just scared me sober. “Oh

(Cassie POV)After everyone left to go and freshen up, it took a while for Aaron and I to let each other go.“I’m so, so, so sorry, Cassie,” Aaron whispered to me.I looked up at him, taking in his piercing blue eyes. “This isn’t your fault, Aaron. I don’t know what got into Jason. I know that wasn’t the ideal way for him to find out about us, but our rejection was mutual. Our wolves barely recognized us as mates even before the rejection. I never anticipated him trying to attack you like that.”"By the way, what were you doing trying to shield me from him? I could have taken his punch. There was no reason for you to get yourself hurt.""Sorry; it was instinct. I know you could have taken him but you shouldn't have to. You didn't do anything wrong and he shouldn't act out like that. I didn't want the two of you fighting over me."Aaron sighed. “Jason hasn’t been himself for months. He acts first and thinks later. At first, I gave him a pass because I know mate bonds can r

(Aaron POV) I have heard friends and pack members talk about meeting their future in-laws many times over the years. During those conversations, I have never heard anyone describe it as being a fun or stress-free experience. However, I’ve also not heard anyone describe those initial meetings as resembling anything like what Cassie and I experienced. Of course, Cassie was already loved by my father and Josephine before she became my mate. That definitely made it easier on her, but even so… I don’t think any of us will ever forget the look in their eyes when they first saw her standing next to me in my room, freshly f---d, with my mark on her neck. And even then, the awkwardness of that moment cannot begin to compare to what it was like for me when we sat down with Cassie’s family to talk about the events that led up to the breaking of Cassie’s pack link with White Howlers. I had only been half-joking about wanting to buy tickets to Europe to avoid the whole d—n thing. Cassie’s f