All Chapters of COLD COMMAND- The Secret Son: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"I guess."The words were barely a whisper, but they hit me like a physical punch. Grayson Cole was actually talking to me. For a wolfless reject from the Reed pack, this was basically a miracle."I help Mason with the patrol rigs sometimes," I blurted out. I wanted to sound useful.Grayson didn't look up from the rusted-out shell of the truck he was gutting. He just snorted, a low, vibration in his chest that felt too much like a growl. "You're too small to even reach the spark plugs, Savannah."My face burned. I stepped closer, my boots crunching on the oil-slicked gravel of the salvage yard. "I'm not small. My mother says I’m just... lithe. Besides, I don't do the heavy lifting. I just hand him the tools he needs."He didn't bite back. I took that as a win."Everyone in the territory knows who you are, Reed," he said, his voice dropping an octave.I felt like shrinking into the dirt. I knew exactly what people said. The Alpha’s daughter who couldn't shift. The freak. The girl who o

"Damn right I do."My mother’s voice, low and lethal, sliced through the steam of the kitchen. Mason Reed might have been the Alpha, but Vanessa Whitmore was the one who kept the pack from cannibalizing itself. "I also know the pup isn’t to blame for the sire's rot. You’d punish the cub for the beast's sins, Eleanor?"I heard my aunt’s sharp, disgusted sniff. "The wolf doesn't change its coat, Vanessa. Give Grayson Cole another cycle and he’ll be just as broken and blood-drunk as Frank. It's in the marrow.""And whose fault is that? We’ve watched Frank Cole beat the life out of his kin for years and we turned our noses up because it wasn't 'respectable' to interfere. Who’s the real wolf here? Us, for ignoring the boy, or Savannah for having the guts to try and pull him out of the dirt?"Mother slammed a rolling pin onto the floured board. Thwack. "If he shows up for the Lunar feast tomorrow, he’s coming inside this house. I'm done looking away. Maybe we can show that pup there’s a worl

"A celebration is one thing, but your pack isn't going to let a Cole lounge around the Reed estate.""I told you already," I said, leaning back against the truck. "Mama said you're welcome anytime. She doesn't say things she doesn't mean."Grayson snorted, his eyes tracking a hawk circling the valley. "She was just being civil because of the moon.""She’s always civil, but she isn't a liar."He didn't buy it. Not until the meat was off the fire and the jars of moonshine were uncapped. It was Mason who finally cracked that iron shell of his.Our pack feasts follow a blood-deep order. The Alpha offers the kill to the spirits, then the frenzy starts. The pups eat first, grabbing ribs and bread with greasy fingers. Once they’re settled, the warriors and hunters line up. The women go last, tasting every dish to ensure the seasoning is right and the gossip is fresh.When the pups were called, Grayson trailed me like he was walking into an ambush. We were an island of two in a sea of Reeds.

The valley was still filled with the howl.The iron bridge beneath my boots trembled as it rolled over the trees like thunder. Behind Grayson, all the wolves stood motionless, their silver eyes glowing like ghosts in the darkness as they awaited orders to kill.Grayson, too...Goodness!. He was no longer the boy from the salvage yard. The hungry edges had vanished. The wounds. The shirts stained with grease, the vacant expression in his eyes. All had vanished. This Grayson appeared to be carved out of battles and wars. His enormous frame was covered in black tactical gear, with dark leather folded across his chest. His shoulders appeared to be wide enough to cut the bridge in two. Before vanishing under his collar, a jagged scar ran across the side of his throat.However, his eyes...The same fire burned in those silver eyes. As if he were peering right through my ribs."Hello, Savannah," he snarled once more.My heart pounded hard against my chest.Fifteen years.Fifteen damn year

"Please."Long after he had left the war room, the word lingered in my mind. An Alpha doesn't beg.Not a Shadow Alpha, in particular.However, Grayson had stared at me like a famished man gazing through a glass at something he was no longer able to gain access to. And for some reason, that frightened me more than the wolves stationed outside our boundaries.After he left, the meeting fell apart. Almost immediately, the elders resumed their chaotic deliberation."Definitely not.""He's gaining too much power too quickly.""We ought to attack before the Black Ridge becomes more powerful.""Bury the valley with a Shadow Alpha after striking him."At last, Mason struck the table with his fist so forcefully that the wood cracked."Enough!"There was a crash of silence.Mason Reed had enough power to suffocate a room with silence despite his weariness and advanced age."We move cautiously," he snarled. "No assaults. No provocations. Until I make a different decision.Eleanor had a horrified